GB2329649A - A construction kit for, e.g. boxes or sheds - Google Patents

Abstract

A construction kit for use in the production of structures, such, for example, as boxes, comprises a multiplicity of square panels 11 having apertured square land areas 15 at the corners 25 thereof and plate-form connector elements 13 each having two contiguous square portions 13a, 13b, respectively. The square portions 13a, 13b, of a plate-form connector element 13 are adapted to be received, the one within the confines of a land area 15 of one panel 11 and the other within the confines of a land area 15 of a second panel to be connected to the first. Threaded apertures 21a, 21b receive fasteners 33, which are inserted through the apertures 17,19 in the land areas. The panel edges may be flanged to provide an overlapping joint (Figs. 6, 7, not shown).

Description

PANEL BASED SONSTROCTION KITS AND STRUCTURES FORNED THEREFRS.

This invention reletes to construction kits composed of panels and connector elements therefor and to structures fabrcated using such kits.

According to the invention, a construction kit comprises; a multiplicity of rectangular panels each having four square land areas of the same size, at the cornars, respectvely, thereof, each of the four land areas defining a local flat plane spanning the relavant land area, the local flat planes, respectively se defined in eacn panel, oeing substantially coplanar, and the saveral land areas being respectively pierced ..itn a multiplicity of passages excending orthogonally of said local flat planes, one cnrough each said land area, at correspondingly located positions thereof; and a multiplicity of panel connector alements each of flat plate material, each said connector element having a first square portion adapted to be recaived within a said land areka of one of said panels and a second square portion adapted to be received ..ithin a said land area of another of said panels; and in snich, said first and second scuare connector portions have first and second famele tnreaded portions, respectively, located such as, wnen said square connector portion is received within a land, the fenale threaded protion of the square connector portion and the passage through said land are in ragistration; adn the dimensional aceuracies of the sevaral aforementioned parts of said construction kit is such tnat the action of screting taresded male fastener elements passed through said passages of land areas at two corners of two panels, baing, in each panel, panel corners sharing a common panal adge, into the female threaded portions of said connector alements, causes the two panels, peing bridged by said connector elements et said two panel corners, to be drsun into lengtnwise contact with one another at said common panel adge.

Praferacly, said land areas are constituted as local areas pounded by orthogonal first and second penel edge portions extending from the several panel corners and by First and second orthogonal bouncary walls extending respectively from said panel ege portions at positions equi-spaced from the panel corners.

Preferably, said poundary walls of said local areas rise proud of said edge portions of said arease and said connector alements have a thickness substantially soual to the rise of said poundary walls above said adge portions.

Proeferably, said panels each have a rim portion putstanding from the main body of the panel, said rim portion extending along the edge of the panel except at said lands abeas, the rim portion there extending perpendiouler to the edge of the penel sucn es to constitute saio orthojonal boundary ialls.

As a special oass, the sevaral panels each have four ledge formations respectively exceding along the the four sides thereof with the major surfaces of the ledge formations contained in planes parallel to the plane of the tile, and the levels of said ledge formations major surfaces, in ralation to the planes of the faces of the panels, are such that four panels may be brought to edge-to-edge aoutment with one another such as to constitute a composite four panel rectangle, with the ledge formations adjadent to the aoutoing adges of the panels providing overlaps between penels mien serve to cover the lines of abutment at the panel adges.

Conveniently, said panjels are square in form.

The invention extends, also, to a structure fabricated from a construction kit as specified above.

The foregoing and other features of construction kits in accoroance with the invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying diagings in unicht Fig.1 she is a plan vie of a flat panel. fig.2 hsois a part-sectional side elevation of the panel of fig.1; fig.3 is an expleded diagram, oeing a representation of a three-dimensional structure faoricated using a kit in accordance fitn the invention, the diagram incorporating a variaty of festures capable of bein achieved with the #it; Fig.4 shous a special connector element, specificlly, a pair of hingedly connected plates; and, Fig.5 depicts a grilled panel adapted to fore part of a kit in accordance with the invention; Fig.6 is a pictorial representation of one face of a panel of a special type; and, Fig.7 is a pictorial represention of the other face of the panelf of Fig.6.

A structure (Fig.3) is fabricated from a fultiplicity of rectangular panels 11, and a multiplicity of rectangular connector alements 13.

Aore specifically, the several penels 11 scion,in the example, are each square in form, have, at sacn corner, a souare land area 15, the land areas being identical in size and each defining a local sucstantially flat plane; es y---y. Local flat planes y---y, respectively so defined in eacn panel, are contained in a substantially common plene Y---Y, and the several land areas 15 are respectively pierced with a multiplicity of passages, as 17 extending orthogonally of said local flat planes y---y, one through each said land area 15, at correspondingly located postions 19 theraof.

The connector elements 13 are each of flat plate material, in the example, sheet steel. A first square piate portion 13a, of said element is adapted to be received within a chosen one, say 15a, of the land areas 15 of a panel 11 and a contiguous second square portion 13o of the element 13 is sdapted to be received within a chesen one, say 15o, of the land areas 15 of another of said panels.

The square connector portions 13a, 13b, have first and second female threaded portions, 21a, 21b, respectively, ohese being located ithin the square plate portions 13a, 13b, raspectively, such as, when a souare connector portion 13a, 13o, as the case may be, is received within a land, area 15, the female threaded portion 21a, 21b, of the square connactor portion 13a, 13b, respectively, and the passage 17 through such land area 15 are in registration with one another.

The land areas 15 are constituted as local areas bounded by orthogonal first and sacond panel adge portions 23a, 23b, respectively, extending from the several panel cormers 23 and by first and second ortnogonal boundary ralls 27a, 27b, extending, respectively, from said panel edge 23a, 23b, portions at positions equi-spaced from said panel corners 25.

The pcundary jells 27a, 27b, of the land areas 25 rise proud of said adge portions 23a, 23b, of said areas and plate matarial of the connector elements 13 has a thickness substantially equal to the rise of the boundary wells 27a, 27o, above the edge porticns 23a, 23b.

The land areas may be molly flat surfaces extending from the edge portions 23a, 23b. They may, nowever, and as illustrated in Fig.1, involve wells 29 which rise from a thin base 31 of the land area, oeing the corner segments of the main body 33 of the panel, and which radiate, spiderlike from a central boss 33 pierced with a passage 17.

The panels 11 each have a rim portion 37 outstanding from the main body 35 of the panel 11, the rim portion 37 extending along the edge of the panel except at the land areas, the rim portion there extending perpendioular to the adge of the panel 11 sucn as to constitute said orthogonal boundary walls 27a, 27b. As amy be seen, where two panels are to be connected in a coplenar configuration, connector eiements 13 are of planar rectangular form.

For configurations in which panels are to be at right angles to one another, the first and second square connector portions 13a, 13b, are formed to an elbow. And to produce a conformation involving three panels meeting at right angles at a corner, the corner connector alement has, in additoion to the square connector portions q13a, 13b, a third square connsctor portion 13c.

As amy be seen, panels 11 and plats-form connector elements 13 are secured togetner so as to form a desired structure by means of male threaded frestoner elements 33 which, with the female threaded apertures 21a, 21b, of the plate-form connector elements 13 in registration ith the passages 17 through the land areas 15, are screled into said apertures, 21a, 21b.

The dimensional adduracies of the several aforementioned partes of the corstruction kit is to be such thst the action of secreming threaded male fastener alements 33 throudgh said passages 17 at the corners 33 of the panels, respectively, being panel corners snaring a comon panel edge 37, into the threaded female apertures, 21a, 21b, of said connector alements 13, causes adjacent adges 37 of the two panels, which are to be connected by bridging connector elements at said panel cerners, to be drawm into intimate langthsise contact with one another, this giving geometricalo integrity to the structure formed.

Consuruction kits in accordance with the invention may be embloyad in the fabrication of a side range of structures, some of which are suggested in and by Fig.3. whilst, in the structures suggested by Fig.3, the connecter elements 13, illustrated are eaen of unitary construction, the connector element of Fig.5 is in two hingedly connected perts to a configuration suitable for connecting two panels 11 at edge allgnad corners 25 thereof so as to brevide a hinged panel, a lid, say, for a structure.

As exambles of the applications to which the invention may be put, the following are suggested; For the garden; windo. poxes; vertical nangars; hanging boxas; patio tubsl cloches; cold frames and greenhouses and smeds.

For stomage purposes; shelves, boxes (lidded or not); wall tilas.

For petst basets; nest boxes; aviaries and hutohes.

For industrial purposes: over protection; snutters; packaging.

Acordingly as the application dictates, some of the panels employed may differ from those illustrated in secondary conaracteristics only.

So, for example, in an application of the invention to cages, the panels, or some of them, could be slatted panels, typically as shown in Fig.4. The panels might, for other purposes, have a regular distribution of holes therethrough.

The panels are, suitably, and for most purposes preferably, moulded from a thermoplastic rasin. They hight, novever, for some purposes be of other materials, netal, terra cotta or an artificial stone, for examples. ith raferance to figs. 6 and 7, the panel there depicted has, along each of its four edges, a ledge formation 33, the ledge formations 39, in each panel, having certain distinguishing features, as will be made more clear mereinaftar.

The major surfaces 41a, 41o, of the ledge formations 39 are contained in planes parallel to those of the faces of the panel. As previously intimated, the conformations of the several ledge formations 39 differ, the planes of major surfaces of the several ledge formations of each panel differing, as to level, itn respect to the planes of the panel faces betn along a ledge formation itself and oetween adjacent ladge formations. with a face of a panel designated as "zero", the ledge formations differ as to level with respect to such zero in the manner indicated in Fig.6.

The references to "top" and "under" refer, of course, to opposite faces of the panel. It will be seen tnet ledge end portions, to constitute corners of the ledge formations, may, but not necessearily, do, lie at levels differing form the main portion of the surfaces of the ledge formations.

The different lavels for the major surfaces of the ledge formations, and form corner portions thereof, at poth faces of the panel are given in the Fig.6, being assigned the values + 0, +1, +2 or +3. These values are to be interpreted es regular intervals from zero.

Any four panels, chosen form a multiplicity of panels, each as snown in Figs.6 and 7, may be brought with appropriate edges thereof to abutment such as to form a larger square composite panel, ledge formations of adjacent panels of the composite panel overlapping such as to cover the abutment lines bet ween the individual panels.

Thereas the face of the panel depictad in Fig.7 sndus basic features of the invention (connector alements being omittad from the dra.ing, o# course) the face shown in Fig.6 is such as when two or more panels of the type snown in the figure are brought to edge-to-edge abutment, the face presented by the resulting composite, assentially two simensional, structure is smooth and substantially unbroken, Panels in accordance with Figsw.6 and 7 find particular application in such structures as greenhouses, where large plenar areas are to be prcvided. The overlaps created by the ledge formations offer a high degree of protection againat the ingjjrass of moisture, rain in particular, into the soracture.

Claims (12)

1. CLAIFS 1. A construction kit which ocmprises: a multiplicity of rectiangular panels each having foru square land areas of the same size, at the corners, respectively, thereof, each of the four land areas defining a local flat plane spanning the relevant land area, the local flst planes, respectively so defined in each panel, being substantially coplanar, and the saveral land areas being respectively pierced .ith a multiplicity of passages extending orthogonally of said local flat planes, one through each said land area, at correscondingly located positions thereof; and a multiplicity of panel connector elements each of flat plate material, each said connactor element having a first square portion adapted to be received within a seid lend area of one of said panels and a second square portion adapted to be received within a said land area of another of said panels; and in which, said first and second square connactor portions have first and second female threaded portions, rasoectively, located such as, when sais square connector portion is received within a land, the fenale threaded portion of the square connector portion and the passage through said land are in registration; and the dimenaional accuracies of the several aforementioned parts of said construction kit is such that ithe action of screwing threadad male fastaner elements passed through said passages of land areas at two corners of two panels, peing panel corners sharing a common panel edge, into the female threaded portions of said connector elements, causes the edges of the first and second panels that are bridge by connector elements at said panel corners, to be drawn into lengthwise contact with one another.
2. 2. A construction kit as claimed in claim 1 in which said land areas are constituted as local areas bounded by orthogonal first and second panel edge protions extending from the several panel corners and by first and second ortnogonal coundary walls extending respectively from said panel edge portions at positions equi-spaced from the panel corners.
3. 3. A construction kit as claimed in claim 2 in which; said boundary walls of said local areas rise proud of said edge portions of said areas; and said connector elements have a thickmess substantially equal to the rise of said boundary walls aoove said edge portions.
4. 4. A construction kit as cleimed in claim 2 or 3 in which said panels each have a rim portion outstanding from the main body of the panel, said rim portion extending elong the edge of the panel except at said lands areas, the rim portion there extending perpendicular to the edge of the panel such as to constitute said ortnogonal boundary walls.
5. 5. A construction kit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in withich said panels are square in form.
6. 6. A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim in when the several panels each have four ledge formations respectively extending along the four sides thereof with the major surfaces of the ledge formations contained in olanes parallel to the plane of the tile, and the levels, in relation to the planes of the faces of the panels, of the major surfaces of said ledge formations, are such that four panels amy be brought to edge-to-adge aoutment with one anotner such as to constitute a composite four panal rectangle, with the ladge formations adjacent to the abutting adges of the panels providing overiaps between panels which serve to cover the lines of abutment at the penel adges.
7. 7. A constraction kit as claimed in any preceding claim in which said first and second connector alements are formed as flat plstes, egual in length to tuice the length of a side of said lands.
8. 8. A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 in which said first and second connector alements are formed as rigrt angle elbows piaces from sneat mterial.
9. 9. A construction kit as olaimed in any of olaims 1 to 6 in which said first and second connector elements are formed as right angle corner pieces from sneet material.
10. 10. A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 in which said first and second connector elements are each fromed from first and sacond highedly connected flat plate eiments.
11. 11. A construction kit substantially as herainbefore dascrioed with reference to the accompanying drawings.
12. 12. A structure fabricated using a constructior kit as cloimed in any preceding claim.