AU764614B2 - A connector and frame member assembly - Google Patents

Description

A Connector And Frame Member Assembly Field of the Invention The present invention is in the field of building components, and particularly in the field of metal connectors to assemble metal frame members to a structural member.

Background Art Frame members of extruded metal sections are well known in the building industry. Examples of such frame members include beams, rafters and posts which can be joined to each other or to a structural member such as a wall.

There is a need to provide a means of forming joints between frame members, particularly where the end of one frame member abuts against the edge of another frame member. Examples of such joints are found where posts are secured between adjacent posts.

Where horizontal beams are joined to structural members such as posts or walls, it is common to use right angle connectors. Each arm of a respective bracket is fastened to the exterior surface of the adjacent frame members.

Typically, the brackets are fastened by rivets, threaded fasteners and the like.

Joining members in this manner requires a considerable degree of skill in ensuring the correct location and alignment of the right angle bracket and respective members. Such a method of joining is also time consuming and thus adds to construction costs. Still further, the external brackets may create an untidy and unsightly finished result.

o* In order to address the latter difficulty U shaped connectors have been proposed. These brackets typically have a base and two projecting side arms.

The base can be secured to the side edge of a first frame member. The arms are located within the end of a second frame member to which the first member is to be joined. The arms are then secured to the second frame member by threaded fasteners. However, this arrangement still requires a certain level of skill in the correct alignment and location of the U shaped bracket and structural members. Further, there is a tendency of the arms to

I.

2 deflect inwardly during fastening with mechanical fasteners.

In order to address the difficulties associated with the tendency of the U shaped bracket arms to deflect inwardly, it has been proposed to provide a connector which is essentially U shaped but instead of the arms locating within the second member, the arms locate about the external walls of the second frame member. This prevents the arms being deflected inwardly.

However, this arrangement reintroduces the difficulties associated with external fixation in that it is aesthetically undesirable for joints and fasteners to be seen. In an attempt to overcome this difficulty it has been suggested to provide cover members to conceal the exposed ends of the side arms.

However, providing a cover member adds to costs of materials and labor costs.

Object of the Invention .:It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector and frame member assembly which may at least partially overcome the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful choice.

According to a first broad from of the invention there is provided an assembly including a tubular frame member and a connector for connecting an end of the frame member to a structural member, at least one guide extending from the end of the tubular member along at least one internal wall thereof, the oo connector having a base which can be secured to the structural member and two opposed side arms having a substantially U shaped in cross section, whereby in use at least one of the arms is positively located within the end of the frame member by at least one guide.

The structural member may be any suitable type of structural member such as a post, beam or wall. Typically, the structural member is also a tubular frame member. This frame member preferably has the same cross section as the frame member to which it is connected. In this case, an end of either frame member can be connected to a side wall of the other frame member with a connector of the present invention.

The connector has a base which can be secured to the structural member.

Typically, the base has a center portion with two opposed two securing flanges extending therefrom. The securing flanges may be provided with indents or holes for receiving fasteners for securing the bracket to the structural member.

The tubular member has at least one guide extending from the end and along an internal wall. The guides typically extend along the full length of the frame member. Preferably, there are four guides, two guides being located on opposed internal walls. Typically, these guides are spaced such that the respective arms of the connector can be slidingly received between the guides.

Where the structural member is a tubular frame member it is preferred that the member has a profiled side wall to which the connector is to be secured.

Typically, the base of the connector has a complimentary profile. This enables the connector to be quickly and accurately located with respect to the side wall of the tubular member. Typically, the profile is such that the connector 0 can be centered with respect to the side wall. It will be appreciated that a connector having a profiled base member may also be secured to a surface 0 having a flat profile such as a wall or the like.

The connector is typically secured to the side wall of the profiled member by screws or the like. Preferably, the wall of the second frame member which receives the screws is provided with a pair of inwardly facing ribs and the screw is received within the space defined between the ribs. This facilitates connection of the wall with the screw. In an especially preferred form of the invention, one or more of the ribs can also function as a guide for guiding an arm of a connector into an end of the second member.

In a further embodiment, there is provided a connector for use in connecting an end of a first frame member to a profiled side wall of a second frame member, the connector having a base which in use is secured to the side wall of the second frame member, and the base member has a profile complimentary to the profile of the side wall and a pair of opposed side arms which in use locate within the end of the first frame member.

It is preferred that there is a means for positively locating the connector with respect to the frame member. This locating means may be in the form of the guides as described above with respect to the first form of the invention.

However it will be appreciated that other locating means may be provided. An example of such a further locating means is the provision of guide tabs or arms on the connector. These guide tabs or arms can abut inner walls of the frame member.

Brief Description of the Drawings By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with V reference to the following figures in which, Figure 1 is an exploded view of a preferred assembly of the present invention; *Figure 2 is a cross section of the preferred assembly of Figure 1; *Figure 3 is a front view of the connector of the assembly of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a cross section of a further preferred assembly of the present 25 invention; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred assembly of the invention; Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a further preferred assembly of the invention; Figure 8 is a front view of a further preferred connector; Figure 9 is a side view of the connector of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a front view of a further preferred connector of the invention; Figure 11 is a side view of the connector of Figure Figure 12 is a view of the connector illustrated in Figures 5-6 Figure 13 is a view of the connector illustrated in Figures 5-6 Figure 14 is a cross section of the post of Figure Best Mode Figure 1 is an exploded view of a preferred assembly of the present invention.

The assembly includes a first frame member 11, a connector 12 and a second frame member 13. Both frame members are tubular and formed from a metal extrusion. The frame members are identical in cross section. The connector is manufactured from stainless steel. The connector 12 connects an end 14 of the first frame member 11 to a side wall 15 of the second frame member 13.

The side wall 15 is profiled.

The connector 21 has a base 16. The base 16 has a complimentary profile to wall 15. The base 16 has a central section and two opposed securing flanges 17, 18. The securing flanges 17,18 have apertures 19 for receiving screws These screws are received internally within frame member 13 by screw grooves. This will be discussed in further detail below. Further holes 21 are provided in the flanges. These holes 21 may be used to accommodate a bolt when securing the connector to a brick wall or the like.

The base 16 has a complimentary profile to wall 15. It can be seen that this enables the connector to be located in the center of the wall The connector 12 has a pair of opposed side arms 22, 23 extending from the base 16. The side arms are U shaped in cross section.

The first frame member 11 has two pairs of internal guides 24, 24a; 25, which extend along opposed internal walls. The second frame member has identical internal guides. The spacing between the inner guides 24a, corresponds to the length of the arms of the connector 12.

In use, the connector 12 is easily located on the correct position on wall 15 by aligning the complimentary profiles of the base 16. The connector 12 may then be secured to the side wall 15 using screws 20. The end 14 of first frame member 11 is then placed over the connector 12. The frame member is guided over the connector by the presence of the guides which locate against the side arms. When in place, the first frame member is mechanically secured to the connector using suitable fasteners such as screws, rivets or the like. It can be seen that the presence of the guides enables the first fame member 11 to be correctly aligned with the second frame member 13.

Figure 2 shows the cross section of frame member and the connector 12. As the two frame members have an identical cross section, the cross section of figure 2 represents the cross section of both frame members. In this cross section the respective profiles of side wall 15 and base 16 of the connector can be seen more clearly. Recesses 26, 27 are located on side wall 15 which can receive flanges 17, 18 of the connector. In this way, when the base 16 and wall 15 abut, the flanges 17, 18 can lie flush with the rest of wall The frame member 15 has inwardly facing pairs of guides 24, 25, 4, 5. These guides may be used to guide the end of the frame member 13 onto a connector. The pairs of guides also define a screw groove which can receive the shank of screws 20 which secure the base of the connector to wall The presence of these grooves can facilitate the mechanical fixing of the *4*9 connector 12 to the frame member 13 by the screws. It can be seen that the guides are able to provide a dual function of both positively locating the arms *of the connector and providing a screw groove.

Figures 3 and 4 are front and side views of a connector which is essentially the same as that shown in figures 1 and 2. However, in this embodiment, the location of the holes 19, 21 is slightly different.

Figure 5 is a cross section of another preferred assembly of the present invention. Figure 6 illustrates a similar assembly with the inclusion of an end bracket 60 for beam 11. The same reference numerals are used to indicate similar features. The second frame member 13 is also connected to a post by means of a further connector 40 of the present invention. This further connector will be described in more detail below.

Referring again to connector 12, the side arms have a slightly different profile to those of the connector in figures 1 and 2. This can be seen more clearly with reference to figures 8 and 9. The side arms 22, 23 of the connector 12 extend past the central section of the base 16 such that there is a small gap 31 between the ends 32,33 of the side arms and the flanges 17, 18. (See Figure If desired small beads 35 may be inserted in this gap to provide additional stability for the arms and to resist deflection of the side arms. This may be seen in figures 8 and 9.

profiles of the side arms of a connector 12 of the invention may be varied.

The profiles may be selected so as to facilitate the guiding action of the guides when an end of a tubular member is placed over the connector. The profile of the side arm may also be selected such that the side arm is at a desired location relative to the internal wall of the tubular member. Such relative locations may facilitate fixing of the side arm to the member by mechanical fasteners.

1 25 Referring again to figure 5, connector 40 connects the frame member 13 to the open end of a post 10. The frame member 13 has a profiled base wall 41.

The connector 40 has a profiled base 42 which is complimentary to the base wall 41. The connector 40 has a pair of opposed side arms 43, 44 which are U shaped in cross section. The connector also has a pair of opposed tabs 46 located adjacent the outer edges of base 42. In use the post 10 is first secured to a base surface 45. The connector 40 is then secured to frame member 13 by matching the respective profiles of the base wall 41 and base 42 of the connector 40. The connector 40 is then placed into the open end of post 10. The connector 40 is positively located with respect to the post as the tabs 46 guide the internal walls of the post. The post can then be secured to the connector 40 by mechanically fastening the walls of the post to the U shaped arms 43, 44 with known fasteners.

Figure 7 illustrates a connector 52 mounted to a wall 50. The connector 52 is similar to that of Figure 1 except the base 16 is not profiled and is flush with wall Figures 10 and 11 are front and side views of connector 40. The base 42 of the connector has holes 47 at each corner thereof for securing the connector to frame member 13. The connector includes a stiffening bead 48 extending along the base of each U shaped arm.

Figure 11 is a cross section of the post 10 of Figure 5. In use the profiled sides 50, 51 positively locate tabs 46.

It can be seen that the assembly of the present invention allows a tubular frame member to be positively located over a connector. The connector may also be easily located in a correct position onto a side wall of a structural member. Correct positioning allows the respective members to be joined in a flush manner as can be seen by reference to figure 5. The assembly of the present invention can be assembled easily and quickly. This can reduce labor 25 and construction costs. Still further, the connector can be completely concealed and does not require additional cover members or the like. This may also reduce material and labor costs whilst also providing an appearance which is aesthetically pleasing to the customer.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention as described and claimed herein without departing from the sprit and scope thereof.

Claims (12)

1. 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the structural member is a tubular frame member having a profiled side wall and the base of the connector is profiled to conform the side wall. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the structural member is a post, a beam or a wall.
2. 4. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the structural member is entirely hollow. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base has a center portion with two opposed two securing flanges extending therefrom.
3. 6. The assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the securing flanges are provided with indents or holes for receiving fasteners for securing the bracket to the structural member.
4. 7. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner guides extend along the full length of the frame member.
5. 8. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein there are four guides, two guides being located on opposed internal walls.
6. 9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the guides are spaced such that the respective arms of the connector c are slidingly received between the guides.
7. 10. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the frame member has a profiled side wall to which the connector is to be secured.
8. 11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the base of the connector has a profile which is complimentary to the profile in the side wall of the frame .member to enables the connector to be quickly and accurately located with ."respect to the side wall of the frame member.
9. 12. The assembly of claim 10 or claimed 11, wherein the profile of the connector is such that it can be centered with respect to the side wall.
10. 13. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector is secured to the side wall of the profiled member by S.fasteners.
11. 14. The assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein the frame member or the structural member which receives the fasteners is provided with a pair of inwardly facing ribs and the fasteners is received within the space defined between the ribs. The assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one of said ribs also functions as a guide for guiding an arm of a connector into an end of the second member.
12. 16. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. a*