Beds – Bedsteads – Element or detail
Reexamination Certificate
1996-06-11
2001-01-16
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3627)
Beds
Bedsteads
Element or detail
C005S296000, C411S455000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173460
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a bed rail hook assembly and, more particularly, to a hook assembly fastened to a bed rail by fasteners which provide high resistance to removal and increase structural integrity. High quality furniture products, especially those requiring some assembly during setup, require assembly components which are easy to use and provide a high degree of structural integrity once assembled. A rigid and sturdy furniture piece not only provides the appearance of quality, but also eliminates many problems which may occur later on, such as breakdowns and wobbling.
As with any type of manufacturing, economics is of primary importance. Currently, significant increases in structural integrity are accompanied by significant increases in cost. These costs are either passed on to the consumer, absorbed by the manufacturer or shared by both. Increases in material, machining and labor costs contribute to the increased cost associated with higher structural integrity.
Typically, a flat, metal plate having hooks for engaging a post associated with a headboard or footboard is mounted in a slot or on the side of a bed rail. The bed rail hook includes multiple apertures through which multiple fasteners extend in order to securely attach the plate to the bed rail. Currently, the furniture industry uses pegs to fasten the plate to the bed rail through pre-drilled apertures. Neither the fasteners nor the apertures extend completely through the bed rail, in order to provide a smooth, unobstructed and continuous wooden outer surface for the bed rail. Screws are not preferred because they would require additional time for insertion during manufacturing and add additional material costs. Predominantly, manufacturers use pegs held in place by staples that cover the heads of the inserted pegs. The staples aid in preventing the pegs from working loose. The peg and staple technique is more economical than screws, but provides less than optimum structural integrity. In both the screw and peg and staple fastening techniques, fast insertion, such as provided with pneumatic nail drivers, may split the wood surrounding the predrilled aperture or the wood on the side of the bed rail at the bottom of the aperture. Such a failure may significantly reduce the friction and hold provided by the fasteners and damage the bed rail aesthetically.
Fasteners having various types of threads and ridges have been used in other areas. However, these fasteners generally have a relatively small diameter and are directed at holding two materials together and resisting axial removal. A unique problem arises in relation to a bed rail fastener. Not only must the fastener resist axial removal, but the fastener must withstand concentrated shear forces perpendicular to the fastener shank associated with mounting the bed rail hook. The forces and associated shank wear are amplified because the bed rail hook must automatically orient itself to the most secure position when the bed rail is attached to the headboard or footboard post, and the fastener must not work loose over a long sequence of loadings and unloadings of the shear force. The fasteners of the prior art were not designed with such shear forces and wear in mind.
Thus, there is a need for a new and improved bed rail fastener assembly capable of providing significant structural integrity by using fasteners which are economical and providing substantial resistance to removal, while minimizing any splitting of the wood surrounding the predrilled fastener apertures. Furthermore, a fastener of larger diameter is needed to withstand the shear forces concentrated on the shank. A fastener is needed that will increase the amount of surface area contacting the predrilled apertures and the bed rail in order to further increase removal resistance. A further need remains for a hook assembly having additional fasteners mounted in a post of a headboard or footboard for the hook to engage during final setup and assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention fulfills that need by providing a bed rail hook and fastener assembly for hooking bed rails to the bedpost of headboards and footboards. The bed rail hook is configured to slide into a slot or be affixed to the side of the end of a bed rail. Fasteners, configured to extend partially through the bed rail and through apertures in the inserted portion of the bed rail hook, securely mount the bed rail hook in the bed rail end. The same or similar fasteners used to secure the bed rail hook may also be oriented in the bedpost in a manner allowing downwardly extending hooks protruding from the bed rail hook to engage the fasteners and securely support and hold the bed rail to the bedpost. The fasteners include a head, an insertion end and a shank extending therebetween having annular ridges. Preferably, the annular ridges are frusto-conical and slope inwardly towards the insertion end. Additionally, a longer version of the fastener may be used to fasten a cleat for supporting bed slats along the lower side of the bed rail.
Accordingly, an aspect of the current invention is to provide a hook and fastener assembly for fastening a hook in the end of a bed rail. The assembly includes a plurality of fasteners, each having a head, an insertion end and a shank disposed therebetween having a plurality of annular ridges wherein the annular ridges provide substantial removal resistance once inserted, and a bed rail hook having a flat body with a plurality of apertures extending through a first end of the body, wherein the bed rail hook apertures have a diameter larger than the ridges of the fasteners. The first end of the bed rail hook is adapted to engage a slot in an end of a bed rail having a plurality of partially through-extending apertures. The bed rail apertures have a diameter slightly smaller than the ridges of the fasteners. The bed rail hook apertures are further adapted to align with the bed rail apertures when the bed rail hook is inserted in the bed rail slot. During assembly, the fasteners are pressed into the bed rail apertures and through the bed rail hook apertures to provide a removal-resistant engagement.
Preferably, the insertion ends of the fasteners are blunt; however, tapered insertion ends may be used. The annular rings on the shank are preferably frusto-conical and sloped toward the insertion end to reduce the required insertion force while maintaining substantial removal resistance. The frusto-conical annular ridges often have a conical surface forming an angle of between fifteen (15) and seventy-five (75) degrees with a longitudinal axis of the shank and preferably form an angle of approximately thirty (30) degrees with the longitudinal axis of the shank. Typically, the heads of the fasteners are substantially flat and have a diameter greater than the diameter of the shanks. When tapered, the insertion ends of the fasteners may be conical.
The annular ridges may cover all or a portion of the shanks of the fasteners. If the annular ridges cover only a portion of the shank of the fastener, that portion is preferably adjacent the insertion end. However, the shanks of the fasteners will typically have a length slightly less than a thickness of the bed rail in order to prevent damaging and penetrating through a side of the bed rail opposite the bed rail apertures.
The bed rail hook typically includes a second end opposite the first end wherein the second end has a plurality of downwardly extending hooks adapted to engage a footboard or headboard post. The assembly may also include a second plurality of fasteners horizontally mounted through a slot in a bedpost so that the downwardly extending hooks of the bed rail hook may enter the slot of the bedpost and engage the respective shanks of the second plurality of fasteners.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a fastener for use with a bed rail and hook assembly including a head; a blunt insertion end; and a shank disposed therebetween having a plurality of frusto-conical annular ridges. Th
B & H Panel Company
Rhodes & Mason PLLC
Saether Flemming
LandOfFree
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