GB2619138A

GB2619138A - A connector

Info

Publication number: GB2619138A
Application number: GB2304046.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicola Rudge Pauline
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-03-21
Filing date: 2023-03-20
Publication date: 2023-11-29
Also published as: GB202203875D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector comprising: a body with at least two sockets 1, 2, 3 each for receiving an end of a length of material. Each socket opens in a different direction and at least one rib 12 extends axially along an inner surface of each socket. There is at least one slot 11 extending axially along a wall of each socket, a to permit a tool to be inserted through the slot to engage with the elongate length of material. There is at least one hole 10 through the wall of each socket for passage of a securing means to prevent axial movement of the elongate length of material. The connector may also have a guide 20A,B, which may be two parallel sections, to hold a sheet of material. The connector may also have an articulated joint, which may have a means to lock the angle of the joint. A kit of parts is also claimed.

Description

A Connector

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector or a set of connectors that together are used to form modular frames, in particular a connector or set of connectors for connecting elongate members; more particularly but not exclusively battens, lengths of timber, synthetic plastics, recycled material such as plastic lumber, or metal.

Background

Many people wish to assemble structures temporarily, for example large? structures and/or structures formed of rigid members such as timber lengths, for example as modular or frame-based structures.

However this can be problematic as existing joints between lengths, for example of timber, can be fiddly, flimsy, or heavy, and difficult to assemble, single-use and/or prone to damage when disassembled.

Prior Art

GB 2014 13 531 (JOHNSON) discloses a connector comprising a hollow body defining an internal space, a first opening through which a first elongate article can be received in the internal space, a second opening through which a second elongate article can be received in the internal space, and a plurality of engaging formations on the inside of the hollow body for engaging the first and second articles.

GB 8 523 360 (WATTS) discloses a connection member for elongate timbers comprises at least two socket members formed as sections of hollow tubing and connected together with their axes perpendicular such that a first socket member is open at both ends and the or each other socket member has one end closed by the wall of said first socket member, wherein at least one wall portion of each socket member has a punched out section whereby an axial flange of wall material protrudes inwardly of the socket member.

GB 8 71 309 (LEAPMAN) discloses a joint for connecting pieces of timber one to another in the construction of buildings, wherein three sheet metal three-sided channel members are welded or otherwise secured on to the other with the longitudinal axes of two of the members intersecting each other, the-opposite sides of each of the channel members are provided with aligned apertures to permit the bolting of timbers thereto, and said two members have the open sides thereof closed by sheet metal strips welded or otherwise secured thereto to form tubes The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing 10 devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a connector comprising: a body with at least two sockets for each receiving an end of a length of material, each socket opening in a different direction; at least one rib extending axially along an inner surface of each socket, at least one slot extending axially along a wall of each socket to permit a tool to be inserted through the slot to engage with the end of the elongate length of material and at least one hole through the wall of each socket for passage of a securing means to prevent axial movement of the elongate length of material.

In this way lengths of material can be arranged between connectors to form a modular framework. The lengths of material may be of various different materials depending 25 on the structure to be formed. For example the lengths of material may be wood or formed from synthetic plastics, metal, metal alloy or carbon fibre.

The sockets receive ends of the lengths of material and the internal ribs help to locate and fix the ends in the socket. The ribs may be provided on all or some of the walls, or parts of each wall that form the socket. For example ribs may be provided on opposed faces of a rectangular socket rather than all faces, thereby reducing material required to form the connector and thereby also reducing the weight of the connector. It is appreciated that in some embodiments, some or all ribs may extend to the body.

Each socket is an opening defined by a wall that receives an end of a length of material.

The sockets extend from the body in different directions so that ends of lengths of materials project in different directions. For example, the sockets may extend in opposed directions, or in orthogonal directions, or in different angles or orientations to each other. In this way frameworks of different shapes can be made.

One or more slot is provided in the wall of each socket in order to enable a tool such as screw driver to pass through the slot and engage with the eRel length of material to urge the end into the socket during assembly and out from the socket during disassembly.

The socket wall also has at least one hole for receiving a securing means such as a screw, or nail, or locking key or other fixing. For example in some embodiments a hexagonal screw key is provided that can easily put in hexagonal headed screws, similar to Allen keys. Or in some embodiments a locking key is provided to fix the end of the length of material to the connector. For example a locking key may be provided for the hole so that it can be tightened by hand, without requirements of tools, such as a butterfly handle or similar.

It is appreciated that slots and/or holes may be provided on one or more side of the 20 socket. Ideally a slot or hole is positioned where easily accessible so that a tool can be easily used.

For example in some such embodiments the slot is located in a short side of a rectangular socket to provide effective purchase for sliding movement of the lengths of material. It is also appreciated that the lengths of material may have pre-made indentations for receiving a securing means to further help guide positioning of the length of material and ease of assembly.

In preferred embodiments the connector has at least one guide for receiving an edge 30 of a sheet of material. In this way a sheet of material can be easily fitted to a connector to extend across an area between lengths of material. For example such as plywood boards or a sheet of mesh.

In a preferred embodiment the guide is formed by at least two parallel sections that 35 define a channel for holding an edge of a sheet of material. In this way the edge of the sheet of material can be slotted between the sections and held in place. It is appreciated that the edge of the sheet of material includes a corner of the sheet.

In some embodiments the guide may be formed from three or more parallel sections to define multiple channels for separate sheets of material. For example there may be four parallel sections that provide three channels to receive two sheets of plywood arranged either side of a sheet of insulation. In this way an insulated wall can be formed.

The channels created by the guide may be of different widths to accommodate different materials. For example in some embodiments the channel may be 3mm to receive cardboard, and in some embodiments the channels may be 6mm to receive plywood.

A guide may be provided on one or more location on the outer face of the socket and/or 15 body. For example for a square or rectangular socket guides may be provided on one, two, three or four of the sides. In this way, with more guides on different faces, more complex modular assemblies can be formed.

In a preferred embodiment the guide has at least one aperture for receiving a securing means. This allows the sheet of material to be fixed to the connector by the guide. For example a screw, a tie or a bolt may be used to connect the sheet to the guide. These apertures are also designed to be used as tie holes to support other materials such as fabric tied to the apertures by string or wire.

In preferred embodiments the connector is formed as a single part. For example, in a preferred embodiment the connector may be injection moulded to form a single part. It is appreciated that in some embodiments the connector may be formed from two or more parts.

Preferably the connectors are formed from recycled synthetic plastics, but it is appreciated that the connectors may be made from many other suitable materials.

In some embodiments the body is shaped to provide a fixed angle between the at least two sockets. In this way the orientation of the sockets is fixed, for example at right angles so that two lengths of material extend at for example 90 degrees with respect to each other. It is appreciated that the sockets may open at any other pre-defined angle for creating different modular designs.

In another embodiment the body has at least one articulated joint to adjust the angle between the sockets. In this way sockets can move in more than one axis and a user can select and adjust orientation of the sockets to increase the number of modular 5 frameworks that can be formed from use of one connector.

Preferably each articulated joint has a locking means to selectively lock the angle between the sockets. For example the locking means may be a threaded key or handle that is used to prevent movement at the articulating joint.

In one embodiment the articulated joint has two contacting faces that each have a raised and lowered surfaces and a tighten able locking means to bring the contacting faces together, so they are locked in position. As the contacting faces come together, they engage and cannot articulate with respect to each other.

The connectors may have sockets of different shapes to accommodate different lengths of material. For example the sectional profile of each socket may be rectangular, square or round. The dimension may also match standard materials such as lengths of batten.

In some embodiments the socket opening is tapered to help guide an end of the length of material into the socket. For example the socket may be wider at the distal end and taper to a narrower cross section at the proximal end so that the end engages with the inner surface of the socket more completely when it is fully inserted to the socket.

In some embodiments each rib may vary in depth and or width. For example the depth of the rib may increase from the distal end of the socket to the proximal end of the socket so that the end engages with the ribs more tightly when the end is fully inserted to the socket.

In some embodiments the socket includes a stopper plate or stopper to limit entry of the end of the length of material into the socket. For example, in some embodiments a closed end is created by the body so that the length of material can only be received a fixed distance into the socket. Or in an alternative embodiment an inner face of the body has a ridge or lip that blocks the length of material from passing through. Advantageously the ridge or lip may reduce the weight of the connector, rather than having a complete close end provided by a stopper plate.

Some preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Figures

Figures 1A, 1B, 10 show an embodiment of a connector with three sockets; Figures 2A and 2B show an example of a rib; Figures 3A, 3B, 30 shows isometric views of a connector with three sockets; Figures 4A, 4B, 40 shows isometric views of a connector with three sockets; Figure 5 shows an isometric view of an L-shaped connector; Figure 6 shows an isometric view of a connector with an articulating joint; Figure 7 shows a reverse isometric view of the connector shown in Figure 7; Figures 8A and 8B show isometric exploded views of the connector shown in Figure 6 and 7; Figures 9A, 9B, 90 shows isometric views of a connector with two sockets; Figure 10 shows isometric views of a sliding T-shaped connector; Figures 11A and 11B shows isometric views of a connector with four sockets; Figure 12 shows a sectional view of the connector shown in Figures 11A, 11B; Figures 13A and 13B show a sliding connector with two sockets and including guides; and Figures 14A and 14B show isometric views of a sliding connector with two sockets.

Detailed Description of Figures

The Figures show various embodiments of connectors 100, 101, 102, 200, 300 400, 401,500600, 601 that can be used together to form a modular framework using lengths 5 and sheets of material.

Each embodiment has at least two sockets 1, 2, 3, 4 that extend from a body 50.

Each socket 1, 2, 3, 4 has at least one slot 11 through a wall of the socket to enable movement of an end of a length of material, such as plank or batten, into and out of the socket 1, 2, 3, 4 by use of a tool to engage with the material and urge it to or from the socket. It is appreciated that the slots may be provided on any part of the wall of the socket.

The sockets 1,2, 3,4 have internal ribs 12 extending axially from the opening towards to body 50 to grip the end of the length of material that is inserted.

Figures 2A and 2B show an example of a rib 12. Figure 2A shows a top view of the rib 12 which has a tapered distal tip that is at the opening of the socket 1, 2, 3, 4 and the rib 12 widens towards the body 50. In Figure 2B there is a side view of the rib 12 which shows how depth of the rib 12 tapers from the proximal end to the distal end where the rib 12 is of a shallower depth. This configuration helps to guide an end of a length of material through the opening so that it engages tightly with the proximal ends of the ribs 12.

Holes 10 are provided on the sockets 1, 2, 3, 4 to allow a fixed engagement of an end of a length of material to the connector. An attachment means is inserted through the hole, for example with a bespoke locking key, a nail or a screw.

In particular reference to Figures 1A, 1B, 1C, 3A, 3B, 30, 4A, 4B, 40 there are shown embodiments 100, 101, 102 with three sockets 1,2,3 extending from a body 50. The connectors 100, 101 and 102 are all formed as a single part and each socket 1, 2, 3 extends an opening in a different direction.

In all embodiments 100, 101 and 102 sockets 1 and 2 are in the same plane and extend at 90 degree angles with respect to each other. The third socket 3 extends in a second plane. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3A, 3B and 30 the third socket 3 is orthogonal the first plane. In Figures 4A, 43 and 4C the third socket 3 extends at 45 degrees with respect to the first plane.

Embodiments 100, 101, 102, 400, 600 have guides 20 for receiving an edge of a sheet of material. The guides 20 are formed from two or more planar sections that together define one or more channel for receiving a sheet of material. The guides 20 include apertures 21 that enable securement of the or each sheet of material to the connectors. The apertures 21 may also provide a securing point for other materials, for example to tie on a sheet of fabric.

The guides 20 in embodiments 100, 101, 102, 200, 400" 600 are substantially triangular and connect to outer faces of the body 50 and sockets 1, 2, 3, 4.

In Figures 1A, 1B and 1C the guides 20 at in pairs and are all the same shape and size. Each guide 20 has an aperture 21 through which a securing means is received to connect the sheet of material to the connector 100.

In Figures 3A, 3B and 3C the guides are provided in pairs and each guide 20A, 20B that forms a pair is of a different size. In Figures 3A, 3B, 3C ribs 12 are provided on the wider, inner opposed faces of the sockets 1, 2, 3. It is appreciated that ribs may be provided on all or some of the walls that form the socket and that the ribs may extend to the body.

In Figures 4A, 43 and 40 there are three guides 20A, 203 and 200 that define two different channels so that sheets of material can be fitted in different positions, or so that two sheets can be fitted.

In Figures 1A, 1B, 10, 4A, 4B, 405, 9A, 9B and 90,13A and 13B the guides 20 are in 30 pairs and are all the same shape and size.

Figures 1A, 1B, 10 show a connector with three square sockets, 1, 2, 3. A slot 11 is provided on one face of the socket and a hole 10 is provided on a different face of the socket.

Figures 3A, 3B, 30, 4A, 4B, 40 show a connector with three rectangular sockets 1, 2, 3. In Figures 3A, 3B and 3C a slot 11 is provided on one face of the socket and a hole 10 is provided on a different face of the socket. In Figures 4A, 48 and 40 socket 3 has both a slot 11 and a hole 10 on the same face.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 show an adjustable connector 300 with three sockets 1, 2, 3. The first and a second of the sockets 1, 2 are connected by a first articulating joint 4, and third socket 3 is provided on a second joint 5 so that the connector 300 has two points of articulation enabling adjustment of orientation of the sockets 1, 2, 3 in multiple planes. Both articulating joints 4, 5, articulate about a support 6.

A locking means 7, 8 is provided to fix the location of the sockets 1, 2, 3 with respect to each other. The locking means 7 comprises a screw thread and a handle 8, locking in a nut 17 and the joint is provided by two discs which have opposing and contacting 15 circular faces 18 (see Figures 8A, 88).

Such faces 18 are provided with a raised and lowered surface formed by radially extending ribs, wherein an opposed surface on the opposing disc is pushed against the raised and lowered face 18 so as to form a friction lock when the handle 8 is turned 20 clockwise.

In this way the sockets 1,2, 6 can be rotated relative to the support 6 by means of the articulated joints 4, 5.

Figures 9A, 9B and 90 disclose a T-shaped connector 400 which has a rectangular hollow body 50 with a first socket 1 at one end and a second socket 2 at the opposing end. From one of the larger (wider) sides of the body 50 a third socket extends orthogonally on the body 50. The third socket 3 is extends from a central point on the body 50.

This third socket 3 includes substantially triangular guides 20 to either side. On the third socket 3 on the wider sides there are provided a slot 11 on one side and a hole 10 on the opposed side.

Figure 10 shows an alternative embodiment 401 of the T-shaped connector. The T-shaped connector 401 has square sockets 1, 2, 3 and no ribs in the first and second sockets 1, 2 so that a length of material can slide through to a selected position. The third socket 3 includes ribs 12 (not visible in this orientation) to enable a length of material to be gripped within the socket 3.

Figures 11A, 11B and Figure 12 show a connector 500 with four sockets 1, 2, 3, 4 extending away from a flat octagonal body 50. The sockets 1, 2, 4, 5 extending at 45 degrees (and may be made at any angle) from the body 50. The connector 500 has grids 40 to provide support between adjacent sockets 1, 2, 3, 4.

The narrow, sides of the sockets 1, 2, 3, 4 have slots 11 and one of the larger sides has a hole 10.

Figures 13A, 13B, 14A and 14B show straight connectors 600, 601 with two sockets 1, 2, one at each opposed end.

The embodiments shown in Figure 13A and 13B show a sliding connector 600 that can be slid along a length of material to a desired position to provide additional guides 20 to support a sheet of material. The pictured embodiment has pairs of guides 20 and each guide has an aperture 21. The sliding connector 600 has no internals ribs and no stopper, so that the length of material is free to pass through without hinderance.

Figures 14A and 14B enable two separate lengths of material to be joined by using two separate holes 10, one at each socket 1, 2.

Figures 9A, 9B, 9C, 12, 14A and 14B include a dashed line 30 to indicate where stoppers 30 may be positioned within the body 50 to stop the length of material passing through the sockets 1, 2 and providing a surface against which the end of the length of material is located. The stopper 30 may be a plate, or a raised ridge or lip to prevent the length of material from passing through.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of protection as defined by the claims.

Claims

Claims 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
A connector comprising: a body with at least two sockets for each receiving an end of a length of material, each socket opening in a different direction; at least one rib extending axially along an inner surface of each socket, at least one slot extending axially along a wall of each socket a to permit a tool to be inserted through the slot to engage with the elongate length of material and at least one hole through the wall of each socket for passage of a securing means to prevent axial movement of the elongate length of material.
A connector according to claim 1 including at least one guide for receiving an edge of a sheet of material.
A connector according to claim 2 wherein the guide is at least two parallel sections that define one or more channel for holding an edge of a sheet of material.
A connector according to claim 2 or claim 3 including at least one aperture for receiving a securing means.
A connector according to any preceding claim formed as a single part.
A connector according to any preceding claim formed from synthetic plastics or recycled synthetic plastics A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the body is shaped to provide a fixed angle between the at least two sockets.
A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the body has at least one articulated joint to adjust the angle between the sockets.
A connector according to claim 8 wherein the articulated joint has a locking means to lock the angle between the sockets.
10. A connector according to claim 8 or 9 wherein the articulated joint has two contacting surfaces that each have a raised and lowered surface and a tightening means to bring the contacting faces together so that they engage and cannot articulate with respect to each other.
11. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the sectional profile of the sockets is rectangular.
12. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the sectional profile of the sockets is square.
13. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the sectional profile of the sockets is round.
14. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the socket opening is tapered.
15. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein each rib may vary in depth.
16. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the socket or body includes a stopper plate to limit entry of the end of the length of material into the socket.
17. A connector according to any preceding claim wherein the socket or body includes a stopper ridge to limit entry of the end of the length of material into the socket.
18. A kit of parts including at least two connectors according to any of claims 1 to 17, at least one length of material and at least one sheet of material.