GB2219060A

GB2219060A - A connector

Info

Publication number: GB2219060A
Application number: GB8812725A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Benjamin Leonard Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-05-27
Filing date: 1988-05-27
Publication date: 1989-11-29
Also published as: GB8812725D0

Abstract

A connector e.g. for holding a tubular table leg 23 onto a table top 5 comprises a first element 17 which is arranged to be connected to the underside of the table top and a second element 10 which fits within the tubular table leg 23. The first element 17 fits within the second element 10 and on twisting of the table leg 23 relative to the table top 5 the outer surface 21 of the first element 17 co-operates with the inner surface 14 of the second element 10 to expand the second element to frictionally hold the leg 23. <IMAGE>

Description

A CONNECTOR The invention relates to a connector and is particularly, but not exclusively concerned with a connector which enables a leg to be secured to a table top.

Furniture is frequently supplied in knock-down or flat pack form these days for subsequent self assembly. In such instances it is important to design the various components so that assembly is not only simple and straightforward but that the assembled furniture is strong and aesthetically pleasing. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved connector suitable for use in furniture assembly.

According to the invention there is provided a connector for holding together first and second members comprising an element associated with said first member and having a surface which cooperates with a further surface during twisting of one member relative to the other whereby the surfaces will frictionally interengage to hold the members together.

The simple twisting movement enables the connector to be used easily by an individual assembling the members. If necessary a tool could be used to help perform the twisting movement.

The further surface may be formed on a second element which is engageable with the second member. The second element may be arranged such that its cross sectional dimension will change during said twisting movement so as to grip the second member frictionally thereby effecting the connection between the first and second members.

The second element may be tubular. In such a case the first element may fit within the tubular second element.

The twisting movement may cause the tubular second element to expand in a transverse sense so as to grip the second element.

The first element may comprise a spigot having a cam-like surface which co-operates with said further surface whereby the twisting action creates a wedge-like fit between the surfaces.

Where the second element is provided, the said further surface may be provided thereon and the wedge-like fit may be arranged to vary the aforesaid cross-sectional dimension of the second element.

The said further surface may be of cam-like form so that the first element and further surface can be slid relative to each other for initial assembly, the twisting movement subsequently causing the surfaces to frictionally engage.

The first element may be substantially cylindrical and the cam-like surface thereon may comprise one or more part-cylindrical sections defined between one or more axially extending intermediate surfaces which may be flat, e.g. chord-like.

The hollow second element may define a substantially cylindrical bore which receives the first element, the bore preferably being formed with reduced diameter regions forming the aforesaid further surface or surfaces which co-operate with the or each cam-like surface on the first element. The reduced diameter regions may be formed by Slat surfaces extending axially of the bore.

The foregoing arrangement permits the first and second elements to be slid together with the respective flat surfaces aligned radially, subsequent relative twisting movement causing the part-cylindrical section of the first element to wedge against the reduced diameter region or regions of the second element.

Where the transverse dimension of the second element varies during said relative twisting movement, the second element may be formed with slitting. The slitting may extend through a wall section of the second element and may extend from one end thereof.

Slitting may extend from opposite ends of the second element to enable the complete transverse dimension of the second element to vary.

Where the second element locates the second member, it may be provided with ribbing which locates, e.g. in corner regions of a rectangular cross-section second member. In that way, twisting of the second member will be transmitted to the second element through the ribbing. Where the second element fits within the second member, expansion of the second element may cause the ribbing to grip the second member.

Instead of using a second element, the said further surface may be formed on the second member.

The first element may be attached to a fastening member such as a plate to enable it to be attached, e.g. to the underside of a table top. In such a case, the connector may be used to connect the table top to a table leg the leg either being engagable with the second element of the connector or engageable with the first element directly. The leg constitutes the second member.

The connector may include a plurality of interconnected first elements. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first elements may extend at right angles to each other or at any other required angle.

The number of first elements interconnected in that manner can vary to enable a desired number of members to be connected together at various angles. Preferably the first elements will be interconnected through a body which preferably has external dimensiors enabling it to form a substantial continuation of members to be interconnected.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 is a perspective view of separated first and second elements of the connector; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partially assembled connector used to interconnect a table top and table leg; Fig. 3 is an end view of the leg in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of arrow III in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the connector.

In Fig. 1, a sleeve 10 (constituting the aforesaid second element) has an outer surface 11 of cylindrical form having four equally spaced rounded ribs 12 thereon which extend axially over the length of the sleeve 10. The inner surface of the sleeve 10 comprises four cylindrical regions 13 and four flat regions 14, the regions extending axially over the length of the sleeve 10.

At each end of the sleeve 10, a pair of through slits 15 is provided.

The slits 15 in each pair are on opposite sides of the sleeve 10 and the pairs of slits are off-set from one another by 900.

The pairs of slits 15 extend so that they overlap axially. The sleeve 10 is axially slidable over a spigot 17 (constituting the aforesaid first element). The spigot 17 is mounted on a flat plate 18 having four apertures 19 which receive screws 20 (Fig. 2).

t r s The spigot 17 is formed with four cylindrical regions 21 and four flat regions 22, the regions extending axially over the length of the spigot 17.

As shown in Fig. 2, the spigot 17 is secured to the lower surface of a table top 5 by means of the screws 20 passing through the apertures 19 in the plate 18. A square cross section tubular leg 23 receives the sleeve 10 which is mounted on the spigot 17 with the flat regions 14 of the sleeve 10 aligned with the flat regions 22 of the spigot 17. The spigot and sleeve are dimensioned to enable them to be slid together. If the leg 23 is then twisted through 450 to the position as shown in Fig. 3 the rotation of the leg is transmitted to the sleeve 10 through the ribs 12 which are located at corner regions of the leg 23. The cylindrical regions 21 of the outer surface of the spigot 17 are thereby brought into engagement with the flat regions 14 of the inner surface of the sleeve 10 by a cam action which produces an outward force on the sleeve 10. The outward force causes the sleeve 10 to expand and grip the inside of the leg 23. The expansion is allowed by the slits 15. The flat regions 14 of the inner surface of the sleeve 10 are provided opposite the ribs 12 so that the force on the sleeve 10 at the flat regions 14 is transmitted to the ribs 12 to lodge them firmly in the corners of leg 23.

Fig. 4 shows a triple-spigot connector 25. The connector 25 comprises a rectangular body 26 and three spigots 17 which extend outwardly from mutually perpendicular sides of the body 26. Three sleeves 10 are shown in an expanded condition on the spigots 17.

Such connectors 25 can be used to produce rectangular frameworks made up of square cross-section tubing and may, in one application, be used to form a rectangular framework for mounting a table top to produce a table. The body 26 forms a continuation of the tubing outer surfaces If desired the sleeve 10 may have its slits 15 in an alternative arrangement in which four slits 15 are provided at one end of the aperture member 10, the slits 15 being at .900 to one another as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2.

The sleeve 10 may be formed by extrusion with the slits being formed at a later stage or may be formed by pressure diecasting. It may be made from any suitable material such as aluminium.

The inner surface defined by the leg 23 or other member need not be rectangular but may be of any desired shape e.g. hexagonal.

The outer surface of the sleeve 10 need not be shaped as shown but may be of any other appropriate shape to fit within a particular leg 23 or other member. The slits 15 need not be arranged as shown and may comprise a single slit extending the full length of the sleeve 10.

The engagement parts of the spigot 17 and the sleeve 10 need not be as shown and, for example, the spigot 17 may have a rectangular outer surface and the sleeve 10 may be arranged to engage the corners of that surface on relative twisting of the members into the frictional holding position.

Claims

I. A connector for holding together first and second members comprising an element associated with said first member and having a surface which co-operates with a further surface during twisting of one member relative to the other whereby the surfaces will frictionally interengage to hold the members together.
2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the further surface is formed on a second element which is engagable with the second member.
3. A connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second element is arranged such that its crrss sectional dimension will change during said twisting movement so as to grip the second member frictionally thereby effecting the connection betwen the first and second members.
4. A connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second element is tubular.
5. A connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first element fits within the tubular second element.
6. A connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the twisting movement causes the tubular second element to expand in a transverse sense so as to grip the second member.
7. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first element comprises a spigot having a cam-like surface which co-operates with said further surface whereby the twisting action creates a wedge-like fit between the surfaces.
8. A connector as claimed in claim 7, when dependent on claim 2, wherein the said further surface is provided on the second element and the wedge-like fit is arranged to vary the aforesaid cross-sectional dimension of the second element.
9. A connector as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the said further surface is of cam-like form so that the first element and further surface can be slid relative to each other for initial assembly, the twisting movement subsequently causing the surfaces to frictionally engage.
10. A connector as claimed in any of claims 7, 8 and 9, wherein the first element is substantially cylindrical.
11. A connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cam-like surface on the first element comprises one or more part-cylindrical sections defined between one or more axially extending intermediate surfaces.
12. A connector as claimed in claim 11, wherein the said one or more axially extending surfaces-are flat.
13. A connector as claimed in any of claims 7 to 12, wherein, in the case where a hollow second element is provided, it defines a substantially cylindrical bore which receives the first element.
14. A connector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the bore is formed with reduced diameter regions forming the aforesaid further surface or surfaces which co-operate with the or each cam-like surface on the first element.
15. A connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the reduced diameter regions are formed by flat surfaces extending axially of the bore.
16. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim dependent on claim 6, wherein the second element is formed with slitting.
17. A connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein the slitting extends through a wall section of the second element and extends from one end thereof.
18. A connector as claimed in claim 17, wherein the slitting extends from opposite ends of the second element to enable the complete transverse dimension of the second element to vary.
19. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim dependent on claim 2, wherein the second element is provided with ribbing which locates in corner regions of a rectangular cross-section second member.
20. A connector as claimed in claim 19, when dependent on claim 5, wherein the expansion of the second element causes the ribbing to grip the second member.
21. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first element is attached to a fastening member to enable it to be attached to the first member.
22. A connector as claimed in claim 21, wherein the fastening member is a plate and the first member is a table top.
23. A connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the second member is a table leg.
24. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the-connector includes a plurality of interconnected first elements.
25. A connector as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first elements extend at right angles to each other.
26. A connector as claimed in claim 24 or 25, wherein the first elements are interconnected through a body which has external dimensions enabling it to form a substantial continuation of the members which are interconnected.
27. A connector substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or 4.