GB2174781A - Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form - Google Patents

Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2174781A
GB2174781A GB08507643A GB8507643A GB2174781A GB 2174781 A GB2174781 A GB 2174781A GB 08507643 A GB08507643 A GB 08507643A GB 8507643 A GB8507643 A GB 8507643A GB 2174781 A GB2174781 A GB 2174781A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
tab
slot
sheet
section
wing
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB08507643A
Other versions
GB8507643D0 (en
Inventor
Erhard Christensen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to GB08507643A priority Critical patent/GB2174781A/en
Publication of GB8507643D0 publication Critical patent/GB8507643D0/en
Publication of GB2174781A publication Critical patent/GB2174781A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
    • F16B5/00—Joining sheets or plates, e.g. panels, to one another or to strips or bars parallel to them
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
    • B65D5/20—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides to form a container body, e.g. of tray-like form
    • B65D5/30—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides to form a container body, e.g. of tray-like form with tongue-and-slot or like connections between sides and extensions of other sides
    • B65D5/301—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides to form a container body, e.g. of tray-like form with tongue-and-slot or like connections between sides and extensions of other sides the tongue being a part of a lateral extension of a side wall
    • B65D5/305—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides to form a container body, e.g. of tray-like form with tongue-and-slot or like connections between sides and extensions of other sides the tongue being a part of a lateral extension of a side wall combined with a slot provided at the fold line between an adjacent side wall and a lateral extension thereof

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Cartons (AREA)

Abstract

The joint comprises a tab 1 in a first sheet section and a slot 4 in a second section. The tab is provided with protruding wings 3 and the dimensions of the slot are such that the tab cannot slide through it without the wing sections being bent to an angle away from their natural plane. After the tab has been pushed through the slot, gaps under the wing sections allow these to clear the second sheet and return to their natural plane, thus locking the sheet sections together. A plurality of such tabs and slots may be provided and the or each tab may be provided with a single wing only. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form The present invention relates to a method for assembling sheet materials by means of sections that interlock along the joining line.
There are many situations where sheets have to be joined in order to construct containers, display systems and structures for various purposes. The method of joining depends very much on the application and the sheet materials used. Where the joint is permanent and where it is practical to perform the joining operation during the manufacturing process a method of welding or glueing is often used.
These methods however have no advantage when the joint needs to be releasable or when the sheets have to be folded flat during transport. For these applications various types of fasteners are known such as nuts and bolts, rivets, clips and staples. The releasable versions of these fasteners tends to be relatively expensive and the less expensive, non-releasable types, will often require special assembly tools.
For certain materials the joining problem can be overcome by incorporating a series of slots in one sheet section that will accept a matching series of tabs in another section to join them together. This group of sheet materials include paper, cardboard and plastic sheets in both plain and corrugated form as well as other types with a similar structure. The known methods of assembly using this principle, which is of course a very convenient and inexpensive one, however has one disadvantage.
The joints offer comparatively weak resistance to forces that work to pull the two sheet sections apart.
The present invention seeks to provide a releasable interlocking joint for sheet sections, that will resist forces in all directions.
In order to achieve such a joint one sheet section will be provided with one or any number of suitably spaced tabs. These tabs may be separate items attached to the sheet, but will normally be part of the existing sheet material with a crease line at the base of the tab indicating the division.
Each tab is provided with one or preferably two wing sections at the sides of the main body. These wing sections may have a variety of shapes but are most conveniently curved or tapered towards the top of the tab. A gap is provided between the edge or side of the sheet and the base of the wing section. The size of this gap has to be adjusted to the thickness and bending characteristics of the two sheet sections to be joined. Where corrugated sheets of the same thickness have to be joined, it has been found that the gap has to be about 1 to 2 times the thickness of the sheet material. The base of the wing section may be parallel with the edge or side of the sheet or it may be provided with a shallow slope or curve towards the side of the tab.
Depending on the sheet material used it may also be necessary to provide a crease line between the wing section and the main body of the tab.
Along the joining line of the other sheet section a matching number of slots are provided. Where the joining takes place at the edge of a sheet section a flange of suitable width is preferably provided. This flange may be a separate piece attached to the sheet, but is usually part of the existing sheet material with a crease line providing the division. The slot is often best positioned in the flange part adjoining the crease line.
The width of each of the slots along the joining line must be equal to or larger than the width of the top of the corresponding tab, but smaller than the overall width of that tab. The depth of the slot has to be adjusted to the thickness and bending characteristics of the sheet sections to be joined together. Where corrugated sheets of the same thickness are joined, it has been found that the depth has to be approximately 1 to 2 times the thickness of the sheet material.
The sides of the slot must be shaped in such a way that the wing sections of the corresponding tab are forced into forming an angle with the main body of the tab when this is pushed through.
The cuts in the material that form the sides normally extend beyond the top or base line of the slot. This is to allow the resilience of the material to accomodate the wing sections of the tab without distorting these when the tab is pushed through.
Where the tab is only provided with one wing section, of course only one side of the slot need to be shaped as described. The sides can form almost any angle with the base line of the slot, but in practise an angle between 15 and 90 has been found to be most convenient.
Where a flange section is provided for the slot it has been found that it is an advantage if the sheet material has a raised section along the bending line at the bottom of the slot. This section need not be more than 1/3 of the depth of the slot, and is not bent when the flange is folded. Hence the section helps to guide the tab during assembly.
Assembly between sheet sections is completed by merely pushing the tab or tabs in one section through the slot or slots in the other. The wing sections of the tab are bent at an angle as the tab is guided through the slot, but folds flat either naturally or by force when the tab is completely pushed through. This way the sections are locked together. If tension forces are applied to a joint after assembly, the base of the wing sections will merely push against the sheet area outside the slot and hence resist being pulled through the slot again.
By way of example the following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the invention relating to the assembly of corrugated plastic sheets, in which reference is made to the following accompanying drawings: Figure 1 Design of tab in flat state.
Figure 2 Design of slot with flange in flat state.
Figure 3 Tab and slot prior to assembly.
Figure 4 View of assembled joint.
With reference first to Figure 1 a tab according to the present invention is cut out of the edge of sheet material 2 and has a main body 1 with a wing section 3 on either side. The main body 1 has a rectangular shape and is separated from the main part of the sheet and the projections by crease lines along which the sheet will be bent.
The wing section 3 has a triangular shape tapering off towards the top of the tab to make the joining operation easier. The base of the wing section forms a shallow angle with the edge of the sheet providing an average gap of 1112 times the sheet thickness. This ensures a firm grip on the flange of the other sheet.
In Figure 2 the design and position of the slot 4 is shown in relation to the edge of another sheet 5.
The broken line indicates the line along which sheet 5 is folded to form a flange 6 that will abut the edge of sheet 2. The cuts 7 in the sheet flange that form the sides of the slot are shown at an angle of 45 to the crease line. The overall width of the slot-4 is larger than the width of the top of tab 1 with wing sections 3, but smaller than the width at the base of the wing sections. However with the cuts 7 extending into the material above the top edge of the slot the full width of the tab is accomodated due to the resilience of the material. The depth of the slot is 11/2 times the thickness of the sheet material, but a raised section 8 is provided at the base line. The height of this section is 1/2 the thickness of the sheet material.
In Figure 3 sheet 2 and 5 have been folded ready for assembly with the flange 6 at a 90 angle to the tab 1. The raised section 8 in the slot 4 is not folded with the flange and hence assists in guiding the tab during assembly. The wing sections 3 are shown at the angle into which the sides 7 of the slot 4 will force them as the tab is being pushed through the slot.
In Figure 4 the assembly is shown completed.
Sheet 2 is in contact with flange 6 and tab 1 is in contact with sheet 5 on the other side of the flange. The two wing sections 3 are no longer restricted by the slot and are hence folded flat against sheet 5. The two sheets are now locked together. Only by lifting the wing sections 3 into the angle of the sides 7 can the tab be reversed through the slot.

Claims (5)

1. An interlocking joint comprising a slot in one sheet material section and a tab with protruding wing sections in another, the slot being so dimensioned that the tab cannot slide through it without the wing sections being bent to an angle away from their natural plane and with the tab being provided with a gap between its baseline and that of the wing sections so that the latter can hook over the other sheet section after the tab has been pushed through the slot.
2. An interlocking joint as claimed in Claim 1 where the tab has only one wing section.
3. An interlocking joint as claimed in Claim 1 and 2 where the slot is shaped in such a way as to guide the wing sections of the tab into such an angle that will allow the tab to slide through the slot opening.
4. An interlocking joint as claimed in Claim 1, 2 and 3 where the slot is shaped in such a way that the whole or part of the wing sections of the tab are compressed as the tab is fed through the slot.
5. An interlocking joint substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 - 4 of the accompanying drawings.
GB08507643A 1985-03-25 1985-03-25 Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form Withdrawn GB2174781A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08507643A GB2174781A (en) 1985-03-25 1985-03-25 Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08507643A GB2174781A (en) 1985-03-25 1985-03-25 Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8507643D0 GB8507643D0 (en) 1985-05-01
GB2174781A true GB2174781A (en) 1986-11-12

Family

ID=10576564

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08507643A Withdrawn GB2174781A (en) 1985-03-25 1985-03-25 Interlocking joint for materials in sheet form

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2174781A (en)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19725427A1 (en) * 1997-06-16 1998-12-17 Siemens Solar Gmbh Mounting bracket for use with solar panels
EP1861317A2 (en) * 2005-03-25 2007-12-05 Industrial Origami, LLC Three-dimensional structure formed with precision fold technology and method of forming same
FR2925941A1 (en) * 2008-01-02 2009-07-03 Thierry Leclair Flat product and/or sheet e.g. professional document, assembling system for use in office, has opening, whose length is less than sum of heights of assembling zone and one of returns or sum of heights of assembling zone and another return
GB2477144A (en) * 2010-01-25 2011-07-27 Augustus Martin Ltd Locking tabs for selvedge of hanging display material
US8114524B2 (en) 2002-09-26 2012-02-14 Industrial Origami, Inc. Precision-folded, high strength, fatigue-resistant structures and sheet therefor
US8438893B2 (en) 2006-10-26 2013-05-14 Industrial Origami, Inc. Method of forming two-dimensional sheet material into three-dimensional structure
US8505258B2 (en) 2000-08-17 2013-08-13 Industrial Origami, Inc. Load-bearing three-dimensional structure
WO2022047525A1 (en) * 2020-09-02 2022-03-10 First Pack Pty Ltd Tamper evident pizza box

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB199160A (en) * 1922-03-23 1923-06-21 Paul Greville Hudson Means for securing together the parts of display stands, boxes and like articles
GB896921A (en) * 1958-11-18 1962-05-23 Mead Corp Improvements in paperboard panel securing means and carton structures incorporating such means
GB1210383A (en) * 1966-10-21 1970-10-28 Mead Corp Panel interlocking means
GB2116946A (en) * 1982-03-16 1983-10-05 Federal Paper Board Co Inc Lock arrangements for wrap-around cartons
US4535929A (en) * 1983-09-19 1985-08-20 E-Z P.A.C., Inc. Reusable shipping box with cam tabs for release of closure interlock
GB2158416A (en) * 1984-05-11 1985-11-13 Lai Tsu Yu Cardboard container

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB199160A (en) * 1922-03-23 1923-06-21 Paul Greville Hudson Means for securing together the parts of display stands, boxes and like articles
GB896921A (en) * 1958-11-18 1962-05-23 Mead Corp Improvements in paperboard panel securing means and carton structures incorporating such means
GB1210383A (en) * 1966-10-21 1970-10-28 Mead Corp Panel interlocking means
GB2116946A (en) * 1982-03-16 1983-10-05 Federal Paper Board Co Inc Lock arrangements for wrap-around cartons
US4535929A (en) * 1983-09-19 1985-08-20 E-Z P.A.C., Inc. Reusable shipping box with cam tabs for release of closure interlock
GB2158416A (en) * 1984-05-11 1985-11-13 Lai Tsu Yu Cardboard container

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19725427A1 (en) * 1997-06-16 1998-12-17 Siemens Solar Gmbh Mounting bracket for use with solar panels
DE19725427C2 (en) * 1997-06-16 2003-07-10 Siemens Solar Gmbh Solar module mounting device
US8505258B2 (en) 2000-08-17 2013-08-13 Industrial Origami, Inc. Load-bearing three-dimensional structure
US8114524B2 (en) 2002-09-26 2012-02-14 Industrial Origami, Inc. Precision-folded, high strength, fatigue-resistant structures and sheet therefor
US8377566B2 (en) 2002-09-26 2013-02-19 Industrial Origami, Inc. Precision-folded, high strength, fatigue-resistant structures and sheet therefor
EP1861317A2 (en) * 2005-03-25 2007-12-05 Industrial Origami, LLC Three-dimensional structure formed with precision fold technology and method of forming same
EP1861317A4 (en) * 2005-03-25 2009-11-18 Ind Origami Inc Three-dimensional structure formed with precision fold technology and method of forming same
US8438893B2 (en) 2006-10-26 2013-05-14 Industrial Origami, Inc. Method of forming two-dimensional sheet material into three-dimensional structure
FR2925941A1 (en) * 2008-01-02 2009-07-03 Thierry Leclair Flat product and/or sheet e.g. professional document, assembling system for use in office, has opening, whose length is less than sum of heights of assembling zone and one of returns or sum of heights of assembling zone and another return
GB2477144A (en) * 2010-01-25 2011-07-27 Augustus Martin Ltd Locking tabs for selvedge of hanging display material
GB2477144B (en) * 2010-01-25 2012-02-29 Augustus Martin Ltd Hanging display material
WO2022047525A1 (en) * 2020-09-02 2022-03-10 First Pack Pty Ltd Tamper evident pizza box

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8507643D0 (en) 1985-05-01

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)