GB1595087A - Coupling device - Google Patents

Description

(54) COUPLING DEVICE (71) We, SAMUELSONS INRED NINGAR AB, a Swedish Company of Box 7096, S-402 32 Göteborg, Sweden, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a apparatus comprising a hollow or channel-shaped bracket member, a bracket-supporting rail provided with holes and a coupling element having a portion intended to be inserted into the holow or channel-shaped member and at least one hook-shaped projection, which can be inserted into the holes of the bracketsupporting rail.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a coupling means of the kind mentioned above, by means of which the bracket-member can be coupled to the bracket-supporting rail in a simple manner and be rigidly held without any risk that the bracket member will loose its grip because of a displacement relative to the bracketsupporting rail.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus comprising a hollow or channel shaped bracket member, a bracket supporting rail provided with elongate holes, and a coupling element for coupling the hollow or channel-shaped member to the bracket-supporting rail, having an insertion portion intended to be inserted into the hollow or channel-shaped bracket member and at least one hook-shaped projection, which can be inserted into a hole of the bracket-supporting rail to co-operate therewith, the hook-shaped projection being joined to the insertion portion by a neck portion the width of the neck in a plane coinciding with the bracket-supporting rail in the assembled condition corresponding to or being slightly less than the corresponding length of the holes in the rail, so that the projection is prevented from being forced out of its engaging position with the inside of the bracket rail by a displacement of the coupling element along the rail, the hollow or channel shaped bracket member being slidable along the coupling element and locking means being provided which are adapted to lock the hollow or channel-shaped member and the coupling element together in a position wherein an abutment edge of the bracket member is pressed against the outer side of the rail preventing the coupling element from swinging relative to the rail in the locked position, and the width of the neck measured at an angle to the above-mentioned plane being so small that the hook-shaped projection can be inserted through the hole receiving said projection when the coupling element is at an angle pivoted away from its normal position relative to the bracket rail.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section through a wall of a vertical bracket rail and.a horizontal hollow bracket member coupled to the bracket rail by means of a coupling device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket rail with the coupling element holding the hollow bracket member to the bracket rail in a mounted position with the hollow bracket member removed for clarity; Fig. 3 is a corresponding perspective view of the bracket rail and the coupling element shown in a position while being mounted or demounted; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the coupling element along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, the hollow bracket member of Fig. 1 also being shown in the drawing.

In the drawing a vertical bracket-supporting rail is indicated by 1, on which in Fig.

1 a horizontal hollow bracket member 2 is mounted by means of a coupling element 3.

In the illustrated embodiment the supporting side of the bracket-supporting rail 1 is provided with vertically-extending oblong slits 4 arranged in double rows. The horizontal hollow bracket member 2 in the embodiment illustrated comprises a tube of square cross-section, the bottom portion at the end of the bracket member nearest the rail having been removed to form a downwards-facing opening 5. In Fig. 1 one portion of a coupling element 3 is inserted into the bracket-member 2, the opposite end portion of the element 3 extending through the slits of the bracket rail and, in the mounted condition illustrated in Fig. 1, abutting, against the inside of the wall of the bracket rail.The coupling element is made in the form of a rail of U-shaped section, and the portion of it which engages the bracket rail comprises a terminal hook-shaped projection 6, which is connected with the lateral flanges 7 of the coupling element via a neck portion S. The neck portion is formed by a recess 9 made from above and by a recess 10 made from below. The upper recess 9 has a stepshaped bottom, and in addition widens in the upward direction by virtue of the side of a recess 9a which is positioned within the hollow member 2 being chamfered. The deeper portion of the bottom of the recess is indicated at 9b, and the more shallow portion of the bottom is indicated at 9c. The lower recess 10 has a width, which corresponds substantially to the thickness of the wall of the bracket-supporting rail 1.As is evident from the drawing, the distance "a" between the more shallow portion 9c of the upper recess and the bottom of the lower recess 10 substantially corresponds to the length of the slit 4. The side of the recesses adjacent the projection 6 are in line with each other and form shoulders, which cooperate with the inside of the bracket rail.

A transverse pin 11 extends between the two lateral flanges of the coupling element, and has a threaded bore 12 extending in its transverse direction. In the Fig. 1 a clamping screw 13 is screwed in place in this bore and has a head of so-called countersunk type. In the upper side of the hollow bracket member 2 is a hole 14 which has a conical-shaped downwardly tapering counterbore corresponding to the depth of the screw head. The hole 14 may be somewhat elongated in the longitudinal direction of the bracket member.

The assembly of the hollow bracket member 2 with the bracket rail 1 conveniently takes place in the following manner. The coupling element 3 is held in an upwards pivoted direction as shown in Fig. 3. Its two projections are inserted through the pair of slits located side by side until the side 9a of the upper recess comes up against the outside of the bracket rail. Thereafter the coupling element is pivoted downwards into its position illustrated in Figure 2. Afterwards the hollow bracket member 2 is brought into its position illustrated in Fig.

1. Then the coupling element and the hollow bracket member are coupled together by tightening the clamping screw 13, the conical underside of the head being forced to occupy the portion of the hole 14 of the hollow member 2 which is located to the right in Fig. 1.

By this operation the end of the hollow bracket member is pressed against the bracket rail 1 by wedge action, whereby the edge portions of the engaging projection 6 facing the inside of the bracket rail act as toggles. Because of the fact that the broad part of the neck portions are now in the slits of the bracket rail, the hold between the hollow bracket member 2 and the bracket rail cannot come loose, for example, because of a blow directed from below against the bracket member.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings by way of example only, but can be varied as to its details within the scope of the following claims, Thus an embodiment, where the coupling element is a solid piece could be within the fundamental idea of the invention. Moreover, the coupling piece may be made with only a single engaging projection instead of the two projections shown in the drawings, without any departure from this fundamental idea. In this case the vertical supporting rail would not have to have a double row of slits.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. Apparatus comprising a hollow or channel shaped bracket member, a bracketsupporting rail provided with elongate holes, and a coupling element for coupling the hollow or channel-shaped member to the bracket-supporting rail, having an insertion portion intended to be inserted into the hollow or channel-shaped bracket member and at least one hook-shaped projection, which can be inserted into a hole of the bracket-supporting rail to co-operate therewith, the hook-shaped projection being joined to the insertion portion by a neck portion the width of the neck in a plane coinciding with the bracket-supporting rail in the assembled condition corresponding to or being slightly less than the corresponding length of the holes in the rail so that the projection is prevented from being forced out of its engaging position with the inside of the bracket rail by a displacement of the coupling element along the rail, the hollow or channel shaped bracket member being slidable along the coupling element and locking means being provided which are adapted to lock the hollow or channel-shaped member and the coupling element together in a position wherein an abutment edge of the bracket member is pressed against the outer side of the rail preventing the coupling element from swinging relative to the rail in the locked position, and the width of the neck measured at an angle to the above-mentioned plane being so small that the hook-shaped projec

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. square cross-section, the bottom portion at the end of the bracket member nearest the rail having been removed to form a downwards-facing opening 5. In Fig. 1 one portion of a coupling element 3 is inserted into the bracket-member 2, the opposite end portion of the element 3 extending through the slits of the bracket rail and, in the mounted condition illustrated in Fig. 1, abutting, against the inside of the wall of the bracket rail. The coupling element is made in the form of a rail of U-shaped section, and the portion of it which engages the bracket rail comprises a terminal hook-shaped projection 6, which is connected with the lateral flanges 7 of the coupling element via a neck portion S. The neck portion is formed by a recess 9 made from above and by a recess 10 made from below.The upper recess 9 has a stepshaped bottom, and in addition widens in the upward direction by virtue of the side of a recess 9a which is positioned within the hollow member 2 being chamfered. The deeper portion of the bottom of the recess is indicated at 9b, and the more shallow portion of the bottom is indicated at 9c. The lower recess 10 has a width, which corresponds substantially to the thickness of the wall of the bracket-supporting rail 1. As is evident from the drawing, the distance "a" between the more shallow portion 9c of the upper recess and the bottom of the lower recess 10 substantially corresponds to the length of the slit 4. The side of the recesses adjacent the projection 6 are in line with each other and form shoulders, which cooperate with the inside of the bracket rail. A transverse pin 11 extends between the two lateral flanges of the coupling element, and has a threaded bore 12 extending in its transverse direction. In the Fig. 1 a clamping screw 13 is screwed in place in this bore and has a head of so-called countersunk type. In the upper side of the hollow bracket member 2 is a hole 14 which has a conical-shaped downwardly tapering counterbore corresponding to the depth of the screw head. The hole 14 may be somewhat elongated in the longitudinal direction of the bracket member. The assembly of the hollow bracket member 2 with the bracket rail 1 conveniently takes place in the following manner. The coupling element 3 is held in an upwards pivoted direction as shown in Fig. 3. Its two projections are inserted through the pair of slits located side by side until the side 9a of the upper recess comes up against the outside of the bracket rail. Thereafter the coupling element is pivoted downwards into its position illustrated in Figure 2. Afterwards the hollow bracket member 2 is brought into its position illustrated in Fig. 1. Then the coupling element and the hollow bracket member are coupled together by tightening the clamping screw 13, the conical underside of the head being forced to occupy the portion of the hole 14 of the hollow member 2 which is located to the right in Fig. 1. By this operation the end of the hollow bracket member is pressed against the bracket rail 1 by wedge action, whereby the edge portions of the engaging projection 6 facing the inside of the bracket rail act as toggles. Because of the fact that the broad part of the neck portions are now in the slits of the bracket rail, the hold between the hollow bracket member 2 and the bracket rail cannot come loose, for example, because of a blow directed from below against the bracket member. The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings by way of example only, but can be varied as to its details within the scope of the following claims, Thus an embodiment, where the coupling element is a solid piece could be within the fundamental idea of the invention. Moreover, the coupling piece may be made with only a single engaging projection instead of the two projections shown in the drawings, without any departure from this fundamental idea. In this case the vertical supporting rail would not have to have a double row of slits. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. Apparatus comprising a hollow or channel shaped bracket member, a bracketsupporting rail provided with elongate holes, and a coupling element for coupling the hollow or channel-shaped member to the bracket-supporting rail, having an insertion portion intended to be inserted into the hollow or channel-shaped bracket member and at least one hook-shaped projection, which can be inserted into a hole of the bracket-supporting rail to co-operate therewith, the hook-shaped projection being joined to the insertion portion by a neck portion the width of the neck in a plane coinciding with the bracket-supporting rail in the assembled condition corresponding to or being slightly less than the corresponding length of the holes in the rail so that the projection is prevented from being forced out of its engaging position with the inside of the bracket rail by a displacement of the coupling element along the rail, the hollow or channel shaped bracket member being slidable along the coupling element and locking means being provided which are adapted to lock the hollow or channel-shaped member and the coupling element together in a position wherein an abutment edge of the bracket member is pressed against the outer side of the rail preventing the coupling element from swinging relative to the rail in the locked position, and the width of the neck measured at an angle to the above-mentioned plane being so small that the hook-shaped projec

tion can be inserted through the hole receiving said projection when the coupling element is at an angle pivoted away from its normal position relative to the bracket rail.

2. Apparatus acocrding to claim 1 wherein the projection protrudes transversely beyond the neck portion in two directions opposite to each other.

3. Apparatus according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the neck portion includes a stepshaped portion.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the neck is shaped by recesses taken out of opposite sides of the coupling element, of which recesses one has a step-shaped bottom with the deeper portion farthest away from the hook-shaped projection.

5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling element has a profile of U-shaped cross-section, the hook-shaped projections being formed in the lateral flanges of the U-shaped crosssection.

6. A coupling device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.