GB2443197A

GB2443197A - Multi-part fastener

Info

Publication number: GB2443197A
Application number: GB0621165A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Hawang
Original assignee: Kenmark Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kenmark Industrial Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-10-24
Filing date: 2006-10-24
Publication date: 2008-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-24
Also published as: GB0621165D0; GB2443197B

Abstract

A multi-part fastener comprises a fixing seat 10 embedded in a first panel 40, a hollow engaging member 20 embedded in a second panel 50 and having its bottom portion 11 engaged in the fixing seat 10, and a fixing rod 30 extended into the interior of the hollow engaging member 20 to maintain the hollow engaging member 20 in a state of engaging the fixing seat 10. By combination of the above stated fixing seat 10, hollow engaging member 20 and fixing rod 30, the first and second panels (40, 50) can be assembled without using an auxiliary tool.

Description

MULTI-PART FASTENER

The present invention relates to a multi-part fastener, and especially to such a fastener which can connect panels of a computer desk, a TV cabinet etc in order to assemble flat pack furniture, preferably without using an auxiliary tool.

There have been various flat pack furniture such as computer desks, TV cabinets etc on shelves for DIY customers. In assembling these flat pack furniture, normally screws or wooden dowels are used to connect a top panel with a supporting side panel.

However, no matter whether screws or wooden dowels are used to assemble flat pack furniture, during the process of assembly by the customer, he needs a tool such as a screwdriver to screw in screws or a hammer to hammer in wooden dowels. This requires energy and is also inconvenient to the customer.

Furthermore panels of flat pack furniture are made of chipboard or wood. When these panels are screwed together by screws, it is easy to break the threads of the screw holes. This makes the furniture hard to be assembled securely, or repeatedly disassembled and reassembled.

In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-part fastener to alleviate or overcome at least one of the above disadvantages.

In one aspect the present invention provides a multi-part fastener comprising a securing rod member (30), a tubular clamping member (20) and a tubular holding member (10), the tubular clamping member (20) being insertable in the bore of the holding member (10) and the securing rod member (30) being insertable in the bore of the tubular clamping member; said securing rod member (30) having an expanded head portion (31) at its proximal end, and a rod portion; said tubular clamping member (20) having an expanded portion at its proximal end which engages said head portion (31), and a circumferential array of resilient fingers (24) extending longitudinally and formed at its distal end; said resilient fingers having a circumferential array of radially outwardly projecting shoulder portions (25) ; said holding member 10 having an annular recess formed in its interior wall; wherein in use, the clamping member (20) is fully inserted in the bore of the holding member (10), and said shoulder portions (25) are engaged by said recess, the securing rod member is retrievably inserted in the bore of the tubular clamping member (20), the rod portion on the securing rod member pushing the resilient fingers outwardly to stop the shoulder portions in the resilient fingers from being disengaged from the recess of the holding member.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a fastener suitable for connecting a first panel (e.g. a side panel of the TV cabinet) with a second panel (e.g. a top panel of the TV cabinet) . The fastener includes at least a tubular holding member or fixing seat fitted in the first panel, a tubular clamping member or hollow engaging member fitted in the second panel and having a bottom portion engaged with the fixing seat, and a securing rod member or fixing rod inserted into the interior of the hollow engaging member to maintain the hollow engaging member engaged with the fixing seat.

Preferably, the fixing seat is inserted in a fixing hole of the first panel and has a connecting bottom portion with upwardly-directed serrations for preventing withdrawal and a top portion with an engaging bore. The engaging bore is provided with an annular recess or engaging groove which has an inner interior radius larger than the interior radius of the engaging bore.

Preferably, the hollow engaging member is inserted in a through hole of the second panel, and includes an expanded portion or a head inserted in the through hole, a protruding shaft beneath the head capable of being pushed through and out of the through hole, and a central passage extending through the head and the protruding shaft. The protruding shaft can be inserted in the engaging bore of the fixing seat, and has a protruding resilient locating portion on its outer wall. When the head of the hollow engaging member is inserted in the through hole of the second panel and the protruding shaft is pushed through the through hole to fit in the engaging bore of the fixing seat, the resilient locating portion can be resiliently engaged with the engaging groove. Therefore the first panel is temporarily fixed on the second panel.

Preferably the fixing rod includes a rod member or stem and an expanded head portion or a rod head. The stem can be inserted into the central passage of the hollow engaging member and fits against the wall of the central passage of the resilient locating portion.

The resilient locating portion is maintained engagement with the engaging groove. Thereby the hollow engaging member and the fixing seat can be securely connected to each other. As a result the first panel can be securely connected with the second panel Preferably the central passage of the hollow engaging member is provided with at least one ramp surface at its proximal end. The rod head of the fixing rod is provided with a guiding protrusion. When the fixing rod is rotated, the guiding protrusion moves along the ramp surface to raise the fixing rod. As a result the stem of the fixing rod is released from abutting on the wall of the central passage of the resilient locating portion, so that the hollow engaging member is restored to its original state in which the resilient locating portion is resiliently engaged with the engaging groove of the fixing seat.

When the furniture needs to be disassembled, the fixing rod can be moved upwardly. Because the hollow engaging member and the fixing seat are mutually resiliently engaged, the hollow engaging member can be pulled upwards. Therefore the resilient locating portion is compressed inwards to be released from the fixing seat, and the fist panel can be separated from the second panel.

As compared with the conventional technique, the technical measure of the present invention has at least the following advantages: 1. By mutually connecting the fixing seat, the hollow engaging member and fixing rod, the first panel can be quickly and securely engaged with the second panel, preferably without using an auxiliary tool.

2. When it is necessary to disassemble the item of furniture, this can be done easily by separating the first panel from the second panel without damaging the furniture.

Preferred features are defined in the dependent claims.

Preferred embodiments will be described below by way of example only with reference to Figures 1-8 of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a disassembled sectional perspective view showing part of the above structure; Fig. 3 is a axial section showing a protruding shaft partially inserted in an engaging hole in the fixing seat of the above embodiment; Fig. 4 is a sectional schematic view showing the protruding shaft fully inserted in the engaging hole and engaged in an engaging groove in the fixing seat of the above embodiment; Fig. 5 is a sectional schematic view showing a stem of fixing rod being moved towards a central passage of a hollow engaging member of the above embodiment; Fig. 6 is an axial section showing the assembled structure of the above embodiment; Fig. 7 is an axial section showing the withdrawal of the fixing rod from the hollow engaging member of the above embodiment; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a fixing rod and fixing seat assembly of another embodiment.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the present embodiment comprises mainly a tubular holding member or fixing seat 10, a tubular clamping member or hollow engaging member 20 and a securing rod member or fixing rod 30.

The present embodiment is a fastener used to assemble an item of flat pack furniture (e.g. a TV cabinet) by engaging a first panel 40 (e.g. a side panel of the TV cabinet) with a second panel 50 (e.g. a top panel of the TV cabinet), preferably without using an auxiliary tool.

The fixing seat 10 can be inserted in a fixing hole 41 of the first panel 40 and has a connecting bottom portion 11 with upwardly-directed sessations for preventing withdrawal and has a top portion with an engaging bore 12. The engaging bore 12 is provided with an annular recess or engaging groove 13 which has an inner radius larger than the inner radius of the engaging bore 12.

The hollow engaging member 20 can be inserted in a through hole 51 of the second panel 50, and includes an expanded portion or a head 21 insertable in the through hole 51, a rod portion or protruding shaft 22 beneath the head 21 capable of passing through and out of the through hole 51, and a central passage 23 extending through the head 21 and the protruding shaft 22. The protruding shaft 22 can be inserted in the engaging bore 12 of the fixing seat 10 and has a plurality of slits 24 on its outer wall and a protruding resilient locating portion 25. When the head 21 of the hollow engaging member 20 is inserted in the through hole 51 of the second panel 50, and the protruding shaft 22 is pushed through the through hole 51 and fitted in the engaging bore 12 of the fixing seat 10, the resilient locating portion 25 can be resiliently engaged with the engaging groove 13.

Thereby the first panel 40 is temporarily fixed on the second panel 50.

The fixing rod 30 includes an expanded head portion or a rod head 31 and a rod member or stem 32. The stem 32 can be introduced into the central passage 23 of the hollow engaging member 20 and fits against the wall of the central passage 23 of the resilient locating portion 25. The resilient locating portion 25 is maintained engagement with the engaging groove 13.

Thereby the hollow engaging member 20 and the fixing seat 10 can be securely connected to each other. Thus the first panel 40 can be securely connected with the second panel 50.

As show in Figs. 3 and 4, the above stated structure, when a user connects the first panel 40 with the second panel 50, the fixing seat 10 is inserted in the fixing hole 41 of the first panel 40, then the second panel is laid over the first panel 40, and the head 21 of the hollow engaging member 20 is inserted in the through hole 51 so that the protruding shaft 22 is pushed through the through hole 51 and inserted into the engaging bore 12 of the fixing seat 10. By engagement between the resilient locating portion 25 and the engaging groove 13, the first panel 40 is temporarily fixed on the second panel 50.

In the above assembly process, after the hollow engaging member 20 is pushed through the through hole 51, the bottom end of the protruding shaft 22 is introduced into the engaging bore 12 of the fixing seat.

In the normal state, the resilient locating portion 25 has a larger outer radius than the inner radius of the engaging bore 12. Because the protruding shaft 22 has plural slits 24 on its outer wall, the resilient locating portion 25 can be compressed inwardly when it fits against the wall of the engaging bore 12. Hence the resilient locating portion 25 can pass through the engaging bore 12 until the resilient locating portion reaches the engaging groove 13 with which it is resiliently engaged.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, after the hollow engaging member 20 is engaged with the fixing seat 10, the stem 32 of the fixing rod 30 is introduced into the central passage 23 of the hollow engaging member 20, and the stem 32 of the fixing rod 30 fits against the wall of the central passage 23 of the resilient locating portion 25, so that the resilient locating portion 25 tightly fits against the wall of the engaging groove 13 and is prevented from being further compressed inwards. The outer radius of the resilient locating portion 25 is larger than the inner radius of the engaging bore 12, so that the hollow engaging member is tightly engaged with the fixing seat 10 and can not be pulled upwards. This makes a secure connection among the fixing seat 10, the hollow engaging member and the fixing rod 30. Thereby the first panel 40 can be quickly and securely connected with the second I0 panel 50, i.e., the furniture is quickly assembled without using an auxiliary tool.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7, in order to disassemble the above assembled structure, the central passage 23 of the hollow engaging member 20 is provided with at least one ramp portion 26 on the lateral side at its proximal end. The rod head 32 of the fixing rod 30 is provided with a guiding protrusion 33. When the fixing rod 30 is rotated, the guiding protrusion 33 moves along the guiding portion 26 to raise the fixing rod 30. As a result the rod head 31 of the fixing rod 30 is released from fitting against the wall of the central passage 23 of the resilient locating portion so that the hollow engaging member 20 is restored to its original state in which the resilient locating portion 25 is resiliently engaged with the engaging groove 13 of the fixing seat 10. At this time, the hollow engaging member 20 is resiliently engaged with the fixing seat 10, so that the hollow engaging member 20 can be pulled upwards. The resilient locating portion 25 is then compressed inwards to be released from the fixing seat 10, and the first panel 40 can be separated from the second panel 50.

Furthermore, in order to make the process of disassembly easy, the rod head 31 is further provided with a force exerting portion 34. When disassembling the furniture, force can be exerted on the force exerting portion 34 to raise the fixing rod 30. In the drawings, the force exerting portions 34 is a cross-cut slit to receive a screw drive tip. In practice, it can also be a square of hexagonal hole to receive a different tool.

Furthermore the hollow engaging member 20 an be provided with at least one stop protrusion 27 on the outer surface of the head 21. When the head 21 is inserted in the through hole 51 of the second panel 50, the stop protrusion 27 can cooperate with the wall of the through hole 51 to increase the friction between the head 21 of the hollow engaging member 20 and the through hole 51 of the second panel 50. Thereby the hollow engaging member 20 can be prevented from rotating when the fixing rod is rotated.

Moreover, the connecting bottom portion 11 of the fixing seat 10 of Fig. 1 is formed by a plurality of upwardly-directed serrations and can be applied to a wooden shelf, desk, chair etc. When the fixing seat is plugged in a fixing hole 41 of the first panel 40, the connecting bottom portion 11 with upwardly-directed serrations prevents withdrawal.

Thereby the fixing seat 10 can be securely connected in and with first panel 40.

In practice, particularly when the panels are made of metal, the connecting bottom portion 11 can have an external screw thread as is shown in Fig. 8. The wall of the fixing hole 41 can be provided with a complementary internal screw thread. This variant is particularly suitable for a metal shelf, desk or chair etc.

Claims

1. A multi-part fastener for connecting a first panel (40) with a second panel (50), said fastener comprising: a fixing seat (10) arranged to fit in said first panel (40) , said fixing seat having a top portion with an engaging bore (12) which is provided with an engaging groove (13) having an inner radius larger than an inner radius of said engaging bore(12); a hollow engaging member (20) arranged to fit in a through hole (51) of said second panel (50), said hollow engaging member (20) including a head (21) insertable in said through hole (51) , a protruding shaft (22) beneath said head (21) arranged to pass through and out of said through hole (51) , and a central passage extending through said head (21) and said protruding shaft (22); wherein in use said protruding shaft (22) is inserted in the engaging hole (12) of said fixing seat (10) and on its outer wall has a protruding resilient locating portion (25) which has an outer radius normally larger than said inner radius of said engaging bore (12), and said resilient locating portion (25) is resiliently engaged with said engaging groove (13); and a fixing rod (30) arranged to fit in said hollow engaging member (20) to maintain the resilient locating portion (25) of said hollow engaging member (20) engaged with said engaging groove (13) by fitting against the interior wall of said central passage of said resilient locating portion (25).

2. A fastener according to claim 1, wherein a bottom portion (11) of said fixing seat (10) is insertable in a fixing hole (41) of said first panel (40) , said bottom portion (11) of said fixing seat (10) having a plurality of external serrations to prevent withdrawal.

3. A fastener according to claim 1 wherein a bottom portion (11) of said fixing seat (10) is insertable in a fixing hole (41) of said first panel (40), said bottom portion (11) of said fixing seat (10) having an outer peripheral screw thread to prevent withdrawal.

4. A fastener according to any preceding claim wherein said protruding shaft (22) has a plurality of slits (24) on its outer wall and thus is capable of being compressed inwards.

5. A fastener according to any preceding claim wherein said hollow engaging member (20) is provided with at least one stop protrusion (27) with on an outer surface of said head (21) to cooperate with a wall of said through hole (51)

6. A fastener according to any preceding claim wherein said central passage (23) of said hollow engaging member (20) is provided with at least one guiding portion (26) on said lateral side of its top, correspondingly, said fixing rod (30) has a rod head (31) that is provided with a guiding protrusion (33)

7. A fastener according to claim 6, wherein said rod head (31) is further provided with a force exerting portion (34)

8. A multi-part fastener comprising a securing rod member (30), a tubular clamping member (20) and a tubular holding member (10), the tubular clamping member (20) being insertable in the bore of the holding member (10) and the securing rod member (30) being insertable in the bore of the tubular clamping member; said securing rod member (30) having an expanded head portion (31) at its proximal end, and a rod portion; said tubular clamping member (20) having an expanded portion at its proximal end which engages said head portion (31), and a circumferential array of resilient fingers (24) extending longitudinally and formed at its distal end; said resilient fingers having a circumferential array of radially outwardly projecting shoulder portions (25) ; said holding member 10 having an annular recess formed in its interior wall; wherein in use, the clamping member (20) is fully inserted in the bore of the holding member (10), and said shoulder portions (25) are engaged by said recess, the securing rod member is retrievably inserted in the bore of the tubular clamping member (20), the rod portion of the securing rod member pushing the resilient fingers outwardly to stop the shoulder portions on the resilient fingers from being disengaged from the recess of the holding member.

9. A fastener substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figs. 1-7 or 8 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A panel assembly connected by a multi-part fastener as claimed in any preceding claim.

11. A connected panel assembly substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

* Amendments to the claims have been tiled as follows:

1. A multi-part fastener for connecting a first panel with a second panel, said fastener comprising: a tubular holding member arranged to fit in said first panel, said tubular holding member having a top portion with an engaging bore which is provided with an annular recess; a tubular clamping member arranged to fit in a through hole of said second panel, said tubular clamping member including a head insertable in said through hole, a rod portion extending from said head and arranged to pass through and out of said through hole, the bore of said tubular clamping member extending through said head and said rod portion; wherein in use said rod portion is inserted in the engaging bore of said tubular holding member and on its outer wall has a protruding shoulder portion which has an outer radius normally larger than the radius of said engaging bore, said shoulder portion being resiliently engageable with said annular recess; and a securing rod arranged to fit in the bore of said tubular clamping member to maintain said resilient shoulder portion of said hollow engaging member in engagement with said annular recess* 2. A.fasteneraccordiflgtOClaimh, wherein abottom portion of said tubular holding member is insertable in a fixing hole of said first panel, and is provided with a plurality of external serrations to prevent withdrawal.

3. Afastener accordingtoclaiml wherein abottom portion of said tubular holding member is insertable in a fixing hole of said first panel and is provided with an outer peripheral screw thread to prevent withdrawal.

4. A fastener according to any preceding claim wherein said rod portion terminates in longitudinal slits defining a circumferential array of resilient fingers on which said shoulder portion is formed, said resilient fingers being capable of being deflected radially inwards.

5. A fastener according to any preceding claim wherein said tubular clamping member is provided with at least one protruding stop on an outer surface of said head to cooperate with a wall of said through hole.

6. A fastener according to any preceding claim * wherein said bore of said tubular clamping member is provided with at least one guiding portion within said headwhich in use cooperates with a guiding protrusion formed on a head of said securing rod to raise the securing rod out of said bore of said tubular member when the securing rod is rotated.

7. A fastener according to claim 6, wherein said securing rod head is further provided with a tool-engaging portion.

8. A multi-part fastener according to any preceding claim wherein the securing rod is retrievably inserted in the bore of the tubular clamping member.

9.A fastener substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figs. 1-7 or 8 of the accompanying drawings.