GB2077879A - Structural joint - Google Patents

Abstract

Panels 1 or brackets 13 have edge formations 4, 17 which make keying engagement with complementary formations 10 on connector blocks to thereby interconnect the panels. The panel (bracket) edges have cut-out portions 3 or 16 to permit insertion or removal of connector blocks by sliding them along to the cut-out and then removing them. The invention is applicable to models, furniture, display stands etc. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Structural assemblies This invention relates to structural assemblies having structural members joined by connection members and a primary object of the invention is to provide such assemblies with which secure and rigid joining of the structural members can be effected quickly and easily.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a structural assembly comprising a plurality of structural members each having at least one first connection element at an edge region thereof, and at least one connection body having a plurality of second connection elements thereon, each said first connection being detachably co-operable with one said second connection element whereby said structural members can be joined to each other with said connection body or bodies, characterised in that each pair of detachably co-operable connection elements comprises respectively a channel open at one end and having a slot along one side, and an edge with a protrusion thereto, whereby said protrusion can be moved into and along said channel from said open end with said edge passed through said slot to a position at which said protrusion is retained in said channel against transverse separation therefrom.

With this arrangement, secure and rigid joining of the structural members can be effected quickly and easily, simply by sliding the connection body relative to the edge regions of the members so that the protrusions are engaged with the respective channels.

In a first embodiment of the invention said first connection elements are all of the kind comprising said protrusions.

In a second embodiment of the invention said first connection elements are all of the kind comprising said channels.

The connection body may take any suitable form and may be formed in any suitable manner from any suitable material. Thus, the body may be a solid block, particularly an extruded or moulded plastics block having opposed preferably parallel end faces and preferably having the same, or substantially the same, cross-section throughout the extent thereof between such end faces. Such cross-section may be generally square, rectangular, triangular, circular or of any other suitable shape. In the case of the abovementioned first embodiment, the open ends of the channels may be at one said end face and the slots may extend between the end faces along side faces of the block. If desired, the channels may have chamfered peripheries at their open ends to facilitate entry of the protrusions.In the case of the above mentioned second embodiment, the block may have outwardly projecting ribs extending between said end faces and said protrusion may extend along the outer edges of the ribs.

In order to retain the protrusion transversely in the channel, the protrusion may be displaced bodily so as to have an inclined or angular or stepped or other like configuration and the channel may have an appropriate co-operable configuration, or the protrusion and channel may be of appropriate complementary interlocking cross-sections, for example curved cross-sections.

In one embodiment, the protrusions are at least substantially regular cross-section rods (particularly circular cross-section rods) which engage complementary cross-section tubular channel structures. The slots may have flat side walls.

With regard to the structural members these may take any suitable form and thus may comprise panels, or elongate members such as strips, rods, tubes or the like and any combination thereof and may be formed from wood, plastics, metal hardboard or other material. Where panels or frames are used these may be polygonal particularly square, rectangular or triangular, or they may be circular or of any other suitable shape. Such panels or frames as appropriate may have apertures therein and may be ribbed or otherwise formed for strength and may have lugs or other formations thereon for engagement with adjacent structural members to facilitate structural strength and stability.

The said edge regions having the first connection elements thereat may take any suitable form and thus may comprise peripheral flat portions, projection parts or the like. Said first connection elements may be defined by integral one-piece structures of the edge regions or may be formed by structures bonded or otherwise secured thereto. Most preferably also the edge regions are arranged at peripheral positions and/or adjacent to cut-away or displaced regions of the structural members such as to facilitate access thereto for attachment and removal of the connection body. In the case where panels are used, the edge regions may be adjacent cut-away corner regions.

The structural assembly of the invention may be of any suitable kind and for any suitable purpose. Thus, such assembly may be used as a constructional toy with which a range of models, play-houses and the like can be assembled by children. Alternatively, the assembly may be used to construct furniture, storage containers, cupboards, shelving, screens, display stands, supports and the like. Auxiliary elements may be provided for use in attaching an assembled structure to a wall, to provide hinged doors, of for any other suitable purpose.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an assembled structure in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one connection body of the structure of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one corner of one structural member of the structure of Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are views corresponding to Figs. 2 and 3 of alternative forms of connection body and structural member; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an auxiliary structural member.

The structure of Fig. 1 is a cube formed from structural members 1 in the form of generally square panels (formed from plastics, wood or any other suitable material) which are joined at their corners by connection bodies 2 in the form of small, generally cubic solid blocks (which may be injection-moulded from a plastics material).

As can be seen from Fig. 3, the corners of the panels have arcuate cut-away portions 3 and the end parts of the adjacent panel edges extending up to such portions 3 are inset slightly and are thickened to define elongate protrusions 4 generally in the form of regular circular crosssection solid rods and having tapered tips 5.

Each connection body 2 (see Fig. 2) has four part-circular cross-section channels 6 therein running longitudinally between two opposite end faces 7 thereof. The channels 6 have open slots 10 with mutually parallel straight-sided walls 9 which extend along the four side faces 8 of the body 2. The channels 6 have chamfered edges 12 at their open ends at the opposite end faces 7.

As shown in Fig. 1, the panels 1 are secured together by engagement of appropriate channels 6 of the blocks 2 with adjacent protrusions 4 of adjacent panels 1. The relative diameters of the protrusions 4 and the channels 6 are such that the blocks 2 can slide easily into engagement with the protrusions 4 (such sliding being facilitated by the chamfered slot edges 12 and the tapered tips 5), and when so engaged the blocks 2 act to hold the panels 1 together securely and rigidly. If desired, the arrangement may be such that the side faces 9 of the slots 10 grip the regions of the panel 1 adjacent the protrusions 4 thereby to facilitate secure, rigid joining. The cut-away corner portions 3 facilitate access to the blocks 2 and protrusions 4.

When all connection blocks 2 are in position, the openings defined by the cut-away portions 3 can be covered with appropriately shaped press-in cover pieces (not shown). Press-in strips may also be used to cover gaps between panel edges.

To strengthen further the assembled structure, if desired the panels 1 may have lugs (not shown) in the central regions of their edges whereby such lugs of adjacent panel edges bear against each other.

With the structure of Fig. 1, only two channels 6 of each connection block are used, such slots being at right angles to each other, but it will be appreciated that other channels 6 may altematively or additionally be used to form other kinds of structures.

Further, the structural member to be joined may alternatively or additionally be other than flat panels. In particular, and as shown in Fig. 6, a member 1 3 may be used which comprises an elongate back plate 14 and an elongate flange 1 5 extending perpendicularly therefrom, such flange 1 5 having at intervals cut-away portions 1 6 with adjacent protrusions 1 7 like the portion 3 and protrusion 4 shown in Fig. 3.This member 1 3 can be secured to a wall (by means of screws passed through holes 1 8 in the back plate 14) to provide a wall mounting for a structure assembled using connectors as shown in Fig. 2, Further, elements may be used which are of strip or rod form, comprising for example the protrusions 4 shown in Fig. 3 linked by a thin rigid strip, whereby a structure which is wholly or partially of skeletal form can be assembled.

If desired, means may be provided to effect retention of the protrusions 4 relative to the channels 6. Thus, the tapered tip 5 of each protrusion 4 may have therein three radial slots extending along the length of such tip 5, such slots allowing for resilient compression of the tip 5 as a ridge within the connection block engages a lip around the end of the tip 5, the tip 5 then expanding so that the lip engages and is retained as a snap-fit within an end recess of the block.

Where different kinds of connecting blocks are provided (say of square, hexagonal and/or other cross-section), preferably these have the same pitch circle diameter (i.e. the diameter of a circle centred on the longitudinal axis of the block and passing through the axes of all channels 6) and identical channels configurations to facilitate interchangeability.

The distance of the peripheral edge of the panel to the axis of the protrusion 4 should be equal to half the pitch circle diameter minus slightly more than one half the thickness of the panel. This allows the members to stack inside a cube construction.

The cut-away portions 3 allow the withdrawal of a connection block and thereby enable members to be added or removed at any point without the need to dismantle the entire structure.

With the modification of Figs. 4 and 5, connection blocks 20 are used, as shown in Fig. 4, which have four mutually perpendicular ribs 21 extending between the block end faces 22, and protrusions 23 extend along the outer peripheral edges of such ribs. A knob 24 may be attached to one end face 22 to facilitate manipulation of the block. The structural members 25 (Fig. 5) used with the blocks 20 have tubular structures 26 at edge regions, such structures 26 defining open- ended channels 27 with side slots 28. Each member 25 may be in the form of a panel with the structures 26 at cut-out corners similar to the arrangement of Fig. 3. Alternatively, the structures 26 may be at the ends of rods or other elongate members joined to define a cut-out corner by means of a web 29 as shown in Fig. 5.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A structural assembly comprising a plurality of structural members each having at least one first connection element at an edge region thereof.

and at least one connection body having a plurality of second connection elements thereon, each said first connection element being detachably co-operable with one said second connection element whereby said structural members can be joined to each other with said connection body or bodies, characterised in that each pair of detachably co-operable connection elements comprises respectively a channel open at one end and having a slot along one side, and an edge with a protrusion thereto, whereby said protrusion can be moved into and along said channel from said open end with said edge passed through said slot to a position at which said protrusion is retained in said channel against transverse separation therefrom.

2. A structural assembly according to claim 1, characterised in that said first connection elements are all of the kind comprising said protrusions.

3. A structural assembly according to claim 1, characterised in that said first connection elements are all of the kind comprising said channels.

4. A structural assembly according to claim 2, characterised in that said connection body is a solid block having opposed end faces having the open ends of the channels at one said end face, and having the slots extending between the end faces along side faces of the block.

5. A structural assembly according to claim 3, characterised in that said connection body is a solid block having opposed end faces, having outwardly projecting ribs extending between said end faces, and having said protrusions along the outer edges of said ribs.

6. A structural assembly according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that said block has at least substantially the same cross-section throughout the extent thereof between said end faces.

7. A structural assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that said end faces are parallel to each other.

8. A structural assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7; characterised in that said protrusions are in the form of at least substantially regular cross-section rods at said edges.

9. A structural assembly according to claim 3, or any claim dependent on claim 3, characterised in that said channels are defined by tubular members fixed at said edge regions.

10. A structural assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that said channels and said protrusions are of complementary curved cross-section.

11. A structural assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said structural members comprise panels and said edge regions are adjacent to cut-out portions thereof.

12. A structural assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that said structural members comprise elongate elements.

1 3. A structural assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that said structural members are substantially of polygonal shape but have cut-away corners and each corner has a pair of said first connection elements thereat, said elements extending along the sides of the structural member adjoining the cut-away corners.

14. A structural assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.