CA1121130A - Connector plate - Google Patents
Connector plateInfo
- Publication number
- CA1121130A CA1121130A CA000355535A CA355535A CA1121130A CA 1121130 A CA1121130 A CA 1121130A CA 000355535 A CA000355535 A CA 000355535A CA 355535 A CA355535 A CA 355535A CA 1121130 A CA1121130 A CA 1121130A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- prongs
- sheet
- punch
- connector plate
- slot
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Landscapes
- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An improved connector plate is provided for securing abutting wooden truss members to one another. The connector plate comprises a metal sheet and at least one pair of prongs integrally formed with the sheet by punching the prongs outwardly from the sheet. The prongs form an elongated slot in the sheet having a reduced central portion wherein the prongs break apart from each other at the reduced central portion of the slot when the prongs are punched to thereby form a relatively dull point for each prong.
An improved connector plate is provided for securing abutting wooden truss members to one another. The connector plate comprises a metal sheet and at least one pair of prongs integrally formed with the sheet by punching the prongs outwardly from the sheet. The prongs form an elongated slot in the sheet having a reduced central portion wherein the prongs break apart from each other at the reduced central portion of the slot when the prongs are punched to thereby form a relatively dull point for each prong.
Description
CONNECTOR PLATE
~ , _ Back~round of the Inventlon I. Field of the Invention . .
The present invention relates to a connector plate for securing abutting wooden truss members together.
I~ Description of the Prior Art The use of nail connector plates for securing together abwtting truss members is well known in the art. These previously known connector plates typically comprise a sheet of metal having a plurality of outwardly extending prongs formed on one side of the sheet which are hammered into the abutting truss members.
It has been the conventional practice with many of these previously known connector plates to nail the connector plate to the wooden truss elements ater the insertion of the prongs into the truss elements.
The nailed attachment of the connector plate to the truss elements prevents unintended detachment of the connector plate from the truss members. The nail attach- :
ment is disadvantageous, however, in that it requires additional materials, i.e. the nails, and is more time consuming to construct, and therefore, more expensive in labor costs.
Due to the disadvantages of nailing the connector plate to the truss element, there have been other previously known c~ ()r L-~J .~ w~ .l L~) t~ t.ru~ 3J ~:r~ lly l~J
h~ ly Ll~ uroll-J~i .LIILc~ LIIL LrlJ~ ellt~;. 'l'h~ 3 p~ev.iou~ly known connector ~laLes~ suct~ as desc.rlL)e~ in U. S. Patent No.
3,603,1~7, i~sued ~eutenlL)er 7, 1971~ typically include a ~arb on eacJI pointed proll~ whlcll bltes into the truss elements after insertion of the prorlcJs. Connector ~lates of thls type, howevcr, are disadvantacJeous ~or a nurmL)er of reasons.
First, due prlmarily -to the sharp tip on each prong, after lonc3 usage the prongs tend to slide outwardly from -their llole and away from the truss elements This partial disengag~ment of the prongs from their respective holes greatly weakens the truss element joint.
The previously known connector plates o~ this type are also dlsadvdntacJeous in that the connector plates àre diffi-cult to halldle due to the sharply pointed end on the prongs, Injuries -to workmen handling the connector plates is comrnon in the trade, even when the workmen are wear:ing cJlove~.
I.ast:Ly, ttlcse p:rev:iously known conneator plates are di;clclvcll-lta~Jeou~ .i.n ~llat a comp:Lex pun~ ancl ci:Le arrangelllellt is reclLIiLt~d to )roduce the barbs on the prorlgs durincJ the punchin-3 operation ~ue to Lheir resu:Ltant high cost, the required punch and die arrdncJerllents for these prevlously known connector plates unduly increases the overaLl cost ~or the individual connec-tor plates~
~ull~nary of -the l~resent Invention 'rhe connector plate of the presen-t invention overcomes tll~ above Inentiorled disadvantac3es of the previously knowll connec-tor pla-te~ ~y providinc3 a coJlnecto.r plate wh.i.ch is ~a~e to handle, Lequires only a simple punch and clie arrangemellt and can ~e se-curely aLtached to wooden truss elerments witllout nail~.
In brief, the cc~ lector plate of the ~reSerlt irlvention comprises a nletdl slleet havincJ at least one pair of pron~3s inte-:
_ ~ _ ~J~ Y L`~L~ iLI~ J ;u Lll~L ~ .(J~l~J~ ~xten~
L)er~erld.icul.lr.Ly outw.lL~I.Iy Jlo~ n~ i.L~Ie of tlle slleet. 1he prong~
are PUnChe~ .tLOIII the meL~I.L ~lleet SO ttlat they form an elongated slot in the ~hee~ havirlg a reduced central portion. Unlike the previously ~nown nail connector plates, the pronc~s break apart from each ottler at t~le reduced central portion of the slo-t when the prongq are punched to thereby form a relatively dull point on each E~rong. ~ -As will become hereinaf~er more clearly apparent, the relatively dull points on the prongs not only enable safe hand-ling of the connector plates, but also firmly attach the connec-~or plate to the truss elements even during long usage. Mor~over~
`~ a simple and inexpensive punch is used to punch the prongs frorn the metal sheet thereby decreasing the overall cost of the ~on-nector plate.
Brief Descri ~ion oE the Drawings A better understanding of the connector plate according to the present invention wil:l be had upon reference to the foll~w-ing detai.Led descriptiorl wllen read .in conjunction w:ith the accorn~
panying IrawirlcJ, wllerein :li.lce reLelellce chclracters refer to like parts througllout the :everal views, and in which:
FIG. 1 is d top plan view showing a connector plateaccording to the ~resent inverl-tion;
FIG. 2 is a side plall view showing the connector plate according to the present inventiorl;
FIG 3 is a fraymelltaLy perspective view illustratin~
two pronys of the connector plate according to the present inven-tion and enlarged for clari.ty;
F:LG ~ is a frclglllentary side plan view illustrating the method of marlu~acture of the prongs for the connector ulate of the present invention;
F~ is a plclll view taken substantlally alon-J line 5-5 in FI(. 4; and 1~ C ~ i s .I L ~ 1 1 1 1 v i ~w ;11 ow i ll(J on ~ L~ f ur o~ s o:t Llle ~OrlllecLor l~:La-e ~ h~ l~resent invent ion and enlar-Jed for clarity.
~etailed De~cl^lption of the Pre~e~nt Invention With reference first to FIG5. 1 and 2, a conn ctor plate 10 according to the present invention is thereshown and comprises a sheet 12 of me-tal. A plurality of pronys 14 are integrally formed rom the sheet 12 in a ïnanner which will be - subsequently described in ~reater detail such that the prong~
14 are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular ~ the plane of the sheet 12.
~~ With reference now -to FIGS 3-6, the prorlgs 14 are forlned from the sheet 12 by a punch 16, best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. q'he punch 16 has an arcuate punching end 1~ which is tapered ;; and generally V-s~laped as shown at 2~ about its entire outex per-iphery. In addltion, the punch 16 i-~ flat and includes a cen-~al~
; longitudinal V-shapecl groove 22 formed on each of it~ sicles. Tlle con~ination of the ta~ered edge 20 witll the V-fihaped gxooves 22 Eorllls a substalltlcllLy flat, redllced area portion 24 on the lower-most end oF the punctl 16. Moreover, it will be appreciated thatthe punch 16 is of relatively slmple construction and, therefo~, relatively inexpensive with respect to moxe complex punchesO
With reference now to FIG. 4, the punch 16 is moved from the position sllown in solid line toward and throu~h the sheet 12 as sllown in phantom line in FIG. 4 to form tlle prongs 14 from the sheet 12. In doing so, the reduced area portion 24 on the lowermc)st en~ of the punch 16 first contacts tl~e sheet 12 and, since the reduce~ area portion 24 is su~stantially flat, breaks apart the sheet 12 a-t the apices 26 of two prongs 14~
As t~le punc~l lG moves througll the sheet 12, the uunch 16 ~ends the urongg 1~ perpenclicularly to the gheet 1~ and su~-stantially p~rallel to each other~ Due to the V- sha~ed ed~e 20 dl~ J tll~ ll L~ u~ rl ~ orl ~ r a l /
longitudinal V-sllap~d LJL'OOVe ~ whlch face eacll other for each pair of formed prong~. Ln additioll, eacll pair of pron~Js 1~ form~
an elongated slot 30 in the sheet 12 havin~ a cen-tral reduced portion 32. The slo~ ~0 corresponds to the cross~sectional shape of the punch 16 and, consequently, -th~ reduced central portion 32 of the slot 3D corresponds substan-tlally to the reduced area portion 24 of the punch 16.
Since the reduced area portion 24 of the punch 16 breaks apart the two prongs 14 formed during the punching operation, the broken ends 26 of -the prongs 14 are relatively dull and jag-ged in comparison to other connector plates. Con~equently, the connector plates 10 according to -the present invention can be handled by workmen without the injuries common to the previously known connector plates.
The corln~ctor plate 10 according to the present inven-tion is further advantageous in that the relatively dull broken ends 26 of the pron~Js 14 can be driven into and thereby ~ecur:ed to wooden truss elemerlts (not shown) by simply hanunering the con-nector plate 10 into the truss elements. No nails are requlred to ensure -the attachment of the connec-tor plate 10 to the truss elements.
Moreover, due -to the relatively dull apex ~6 on each prong 14, the prongs 14 tear, rather than cut, into the wood fibers when the connector plate 10 is hammered into the truss elements. The torn wood fi~ers are disordered and increase the rictlonal engagement of the prongs 14 with the truss elemellts.
Thus, unlike the previously known connecto~ plates Wit}l pointed prongs, upon insertion of tlle prongs 14 into the trus6 elements, the prongs 14 secure the conr-ector plate 10 in place alld without retraction of tile connector plate 10 from the -truss element~
'l~he present invertion i9 further advantageous in that ,:
3~
t~ ,u~ Liv~ly i~ iV.: wi~ll .L~i~:CL ~ ot;ti~
or~ cc~ x ~u~ l i c) l ~ rorl~J~; ~n t,~ r,r~viou~ly knowrl conrlecLor pla~es. ';ince ~he punc}les 16 become worn ~f~er r~peated use, and some times even break, the relat.ivel~ low cost of the punch 16 for formillg -the connec~or plate lO accordiny to the present invention effectively reduces the manufacturiny cost of the instant connector plate lO, i~aving de~cribed my invention, however, many modifica-tions thereto will bqcome apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit o~ the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.
~, I clalm;
.
'
~ , _ Back~round of the Inventlon I. Field of the Invention . .
The present invention relates to a connector plate for securing abutting wooden truss members together.
I~ Description of the Prior Art The use of nail connector plates for securing together abwtting truss members is well known in the art. These previously known connector plates typically comprise a sheet of metal having a plurality of outwardly extending prongs formed on one side of the sheet which are hammered into the abutting truss members.
It has been the conventional practice with many of these previously known connector plates to nail the connector plate to the wooden truss elements ater the insertion of the prongs into the truss elements.
The nailed attachment of the connector plate to the truss elements prevents unintended detachment of the connector plate from the truss members. The nail attach- :
ment is disadvantageous, however, in that it requires additional materials, i.e. the nails, and is more time consuming to construct, and therefore, more expensive in labor costs.
Due to the disadvantages of nailing the connector plate to the truss element, there have been other previously known c~ ()r L-~J .~ w~ .l L~) t~ t.ru~ 3J ~:r~ lly l~J
h~ ly Ll~ uroll-J~i .LIILc~ LIIL LrlJ~ ellt~;. 'l'h~ 3 p~ev.iou~ly known connector ~laLes~ suct~ as desc.rlL)e~ in U. S. Patent No.
3,603,1~7, i~sued ~eutenlL)er 7, 1971~ typically include a ~arb on eacJI pointed proll~ whlcll bltes into the truss elements after insertion of the prorlcJs. Connector ~lates of thls type, howevcr, are disadvantacJeous ~or a nurmL)er of reasons.
First, due prlmarily -to the sharp tip on each prong, after lonc3 usage the prongs tend to slide outwardly from -their llole and away from the truss elements This partial disengag~ment of the prongs from their respective holes greatly weakens the truss element joint.
The previously known connector plates o~ this type are also dlsadvdntacJeous in that the connector plates àre diffi-cult to halldle due to the sharply pointed end on the prongs, Injuries -to workmen handling the connector plates is comrnon in the trade, even when the workmen are wear:ing cJlove~.
I.ast:Ly, ttlcse p:rev:iously known conneator plates are di;clclvcll-lta~Jeou~ .i.n ~llat a comp:Lex pun~ ancl ci:Le arrangelllellt is reclLIiLt~d to )roduce the barbs on the prorlgs durincJ the punchin-3 operation ~ue to Lheir resu:Ltant high cost, the required punch and die arrdncJerllents for these prevlously known connector plates unduly increases the overaLl cost ~or the individual connec-tor plates~
~ull~nary of -the l~resent Invention 'rhe connector plate of the presen-t invention overcomes tll~ above Inentiorled disadvantac3es of the previously knowll connec-tor pla-te~ ~y providinc3 a coJlnecto.r plate wh.i.ch is ~a~e to handle, Lequires only a simple punch and clie arrangemellt and can ~e se-curely aLtached to wooden truss elerments witllout nail~.
In brief, the cc~ lector plate of the ~reSerlt irlvention comprises a nletdl slleet havincJ at least one pair of pron~3s inte-:
_ ~ _ ~J~ Y L`~L~ iLI~ J ;u Lll~L ~ .(J~l~J~ ~xten~
L)er~erld.icul.lr.Ly outw.lL~I.Iy Jlo~ n~ i.L~Ie of tlle slleet. 1he prong~
are PUnChe~ .tLOIII the meL~I.L ~lleet SO ttlat they form an elongated slot in the ~hee~ havirlg a reduced central portion. Unlike the previously ~nown nail connector plates, the pronc~s break apart from each ottler at t~le reduced central portion of the slo-t when the prongq are punched to thereby form a relatively dull point on each E~rong. ~ -As will become hereinaf~er more clearly apparent, the relatively dull points on the prongs not only enable safe hand-ling of the connector plates, but also firmly attach the connec-~or plate to the truss elements even during long usage. Mor~over~
`~ a simple and inexpensive punch is used to punch the prongs frorn the metal sheet thereby decreasing the overall cost of the ~on-nector plate.
Brief Descri ~ion oE the Drawings A better understanding of the connector plate according to the present invention wil:l be had upon reference to the foll~w-ing detai.Led descriptiorl wllen read .in conjunction w:ith the accorn~
panying IrawirlcJ, wllerein :li.lce reLelellce chclracters refer to like parts througllout the :everal views, and in which:
FIG. 1 is d top plan view showing a connector plateaccording to the ~resent inverl-tion;
FIG. 2 is a side plall view showing the connector plate according to the present inventiorl;
FIG 3 is a fraymelltaLy perspective view illustratin~
two pronys of the connector plate according to the present inven-tion and enlarged for clari.ty;
F:LG ~ is a frclglllentary side plan view illustrating the method of marlu~acture of the prongs for the connector ulate of the present invention;
F~ is a plclll view taken substantlally alon-J line 5-5 in FI(. 4; and 1~ C ~ i s .I L ~ 1 1 1 1 v i ~w ;11 ow i ll(J on ~ L~ f ur o~ s o:t Llle ~OrlllecLor l~:La-e ~ h~ l~resent invent ion and enlar-Jed for clarity.
~etailed De~cl^lption of the Pre~e~nt Invention With reference first to FIG5. 1 and 2, a conn ctor plate 10 according to the present invention is thereshown and comprises a sheet 12 of me-tal. A plurality of pronys 14 are integrally formed rom the sheet 12 in a ïnanner which will be - subsequently described in ~reater detail such that the prong~
14 are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular ~ the plane of the sheet 12.
~~ With reference now -to FIGS 3-6, the prorlgs 14 are forlned from the sheet 12 by a punch 16, best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. q'he punch 16 has an arcuate punching end 1~ which is tapered ;; and generally V-s~laped as shown at 2~ about its entire outex per-iphery. In addltion, the punch 16 i-~ flat and includes a cen-~al~
; longitudinal V-shapecl groove 22 formed on each of it~ sicles. Tlle con~ination of the ta~ered edge 20 witll the V-fihaped gxooves 22 Eorllls a substalltlcllLy flat, redllced area portion 24 on the lower-most end oF the punctl 16. Moreover, it will be appreciated thatthe punch 16 is of relatively slmple construction and, therefo~, relatively inexpensive with respect to moxe complex punchesO
With reference now to FIG. 4, the punch 16 is moved from the position sllown in solid line toward and throu~h the sheet 12 as sllown in phantom line in FIG. 4 to form tlle prongs 14 from the sheet 12. In doing so, the reduced area portion 24 on the lowermc)st en~ of the punch 16 first contacts tl~e sheet 12 and, since the reduce~ area portion 24 is su~stantially flat, breaks apart the sheet 12 a-t the apices 26 of two prongs 14~
As t~le punc~l lG moves througll the sheet 12, the uunch 16 ~ends the urongg 1~ perpenclicularly to the gheet 1~ and su~-stantially p~rallel to each other~ Due to the V- sha~ed ed~e 20 dl~ J tll~ ll L~ u~ rl ~ orl ~ r a l /
longitudinal V-sllap~d LJL'OOVe ~ whlch face eacll other for each pair of formed prong~. Ln additioll, eacll pair of pron~Js 1~ form~
an elongated slot 30 in the sheet 12 havin~ a cen-tral reduced portion 32. The slo~ ~0 corresponds to the cross~sectional shape of the punch 16 and, consequently, -th~ reduced central portion 32 of the slot 3D corresponds substan-tlally to the reduced area portion 24 of the punch 16.
Since the reduced area portion 24 of the punch 16 breaks apart the two prongs 14 formed during the punching operation, the broken ends 26 of -the prongs 14 are relatively dull and jag-ged in comparison to other connector plates. Con~equently, the connector plates 10 according to -the present invention can be handled by workmen without the injuries common to the previously known connector plates.
The corln~ctor plate 10 according to the present inven-tion is further advantageous in that the relatively dull broken ends 26 of the pron~Js 14 can be driven into and thereby ~ecur:ed to wooden truss elemerlts (not shown) by simply hanunering the con-nector plate 10 into the truss elements. No nails are requlred to ensure -the attachment of the connec-tor plate 10 to the truss elements.
Moreover, due -to the relatively dull apex ~6 on each prong 14, the prongs 14 tear, rather than cut, into the wood fibers when the connector plate 10 is hammered into the truss elements. The torn wood fi~ers are disordered and increase the rictlonal engagement of the prongs 14 with the truss elemellts.
Thus, unlike the previously known connecto~ plates Wit}l pointed prongs, upon insertion of tlle prongs 14 into the trus6 elements, the prongs 14 secure the conr-ector plate 10 in place alld without retraction of tile connector plate 10 from the -truss element~
'l~he present invertion i9 further advantageous in that ,:
3~
t~ ,u~ Liv~ly i~ iV.: wi~ll .L~i~:CL ~ ot;ti~
or~ cc~ x ~u~ l i c) l ~ rorl~J~; ~n t,~ r,r~viou~ly knowrl conrlecLor pla~es. ';ince ~he punc}les 16 become worn ~f~er r~peated use, and some times even break, the relat.ivel~ low cost of the punch 16 for formillg -the connec~or plate lO accordiny to the present invention effectively reduces the manufacturiny cost of the instant connector plate lO, i~aving de~cribed my invention, however, many modifica-tions thereto will bqcome apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit o~ the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.
~, I clalm;
.
'
Claims (3)
1. A connector plate comprising, a metal sheet, and at least one pair of prongs integrally formed with said sheet by punching said prongs from said sheet so that said prongs are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular from said plate, wherein said prongs form an elon-gated slot in said sheet, said slot having a reduced central portion, and wherein said prongs break apart from each other at the reduced central portion of the slot when the prongs are punched from the sheet to form a dull point on each prong.
2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said prongs are formed by a punch having a reduced area portion on the portion of the punch which first contacts the sheet, said reduced area portion of the punch being substantially flat and corres-ponding in shape to the reduced and central portion of the slot.
3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said prongs are V-shaped in cross section.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000355535A CA1121130A (en) | 1980-07-04 | 1980-07-04 | Connector plate |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000355535A CA1121130A (en) | 1980-07-04 | 1980-07-04 | Connector plate |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1121130A true CA1121130A (en) | 1982-04-06 |
Family
ID=4117351
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000355535A Expired CA1121130A (en) | 1980-07-04 | 1980-07-04 | Connector plate |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1121130A (en) |
-
1980
- 1980-07-04 CA CA000355535A patent/CA1121130A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |