US20070169430A1 - Joiner - Google Patents
Joiner Download PDFInfo
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- US20070169430A1 US20070169430A1 US10/583,108 US58310804A US2007169430A1 US 20070169430 A1 US20070169430 A1 US 20070169430A1 US 58310804 A US58310804 A US 58310804A US 2007169430 A1 US2007169430 A1 US 2007169430A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- shaft
- cavity
- joiner
- housing
- worm gear
- 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.)
- Abandoned
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- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000002990 reinforced plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000004904 shortening Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010348 incorporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002991 molded plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001778 nylon Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000008707 rearrangement Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- 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
- F16B5/0004—Joining sheets, plates or panels in abutting relationship
- F16B5/0084—Joining sheets, plates or panels in abutting relationship characterised by particular locking means
- F16B5/0092—Joining sheets, plates or panels in abutting relationship characterised by particular locking means with locking means rotating about an axis parallel to the main plane and perpendicular to the abutting edge, e.g. screw, bayonet
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- 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
- F16B12/00—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior
- F16B12/10—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like
- F16B12/12—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like for non-metal furniture parts, e.g. made of wood, of plastics
- F16B12/20—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like for non-metal furniture parts, e.g. made of wood, of plastics using clamps, clips, wedges, sliding bolts, or the like
- F16B12/2009—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like for non-metal furniture parts, e.g. made of wood, of plastics using clamps, clips, wedges, sliding bolts, or the like actuated by rotary motion
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- 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
- F16B12/00—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior
- F16B12/10—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like
- F16B2012/106—Connection bolts for connection fittings
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a device for joining furniture components together.
- the present invention relates to a device for joining together bench tops.
- Standard joiners for releasably securing together bench tops and other portions of furniture together are well known. They allow for items such as kitchen cabinets or office furniture to be pre-fabricated and then assembled on-site without requiring the use of nails, screws or adhesives.
- two bench top sections can be joined together to form a single bench by first forming respective opposed circular cavities at a short distance from the edge on the underside of the bench top sections. These cavities are typically formed using a router or specialised drill. Channels are then cut from the respective cavities to meet at the joining edge of each of the bench top sections.
- joiner which includes a threaded bolt with two semi-circular cavity engaging members are positioned so that the engaging members are recessed into the circular cavities with the bolt located in the channel.
- a nut is then screwed onto the bolt and further tightened thereby drawing the cavities together and hence joining the bench tops in abutting relationship.
- joiners of this type Clearly two hands are required for this operation. The first hand is required to accurately position the joiner ensuring that the engaging members do not rotate on the bolt with respect to each other and that the joiner is held level. The second hand first tightens the nut to finger tightness and then operates a spanner to further tighten the nut.
- the tightening arrangement also requires a specialised tool that has been adapted to be inserted into the pivot locator and to engage with the first gear member. Clearly, this would be an inconvenience to tradespeople and the home handy-person as this would require an extra piece of specialised equipment be carried in addition to their standard tools. In addition the nut is still free to spin on the shaft before the joint is tightened also resulting in difficulties when initially placing and tightening the joiner.
- the present invention provides a joiner for joining a first and second member together in an end to end relationship, said first and second members including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said joiner including:
- said driven worm gear has a helical thread arranged to have an axis of rotation inclined to said elongate shaft and to engage with said teeth of said shaft.
- the axis is at an angle of approximately 10° to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
- said drive means further includes a gear wheel or cog attached to one end of a shaft which also carries said driven worm gear, said gear wheel meshing with said worm gear actuator.
- This provides a convenient and compact arrangement which does not add substantially to the size of the housing of the first joining element.
- said worm drive actuator further includes a drive head, said drive head including a recess to receive a drill bit.
- the present invention provides a joiner for joining a first and second member together in an end to end relationship, said first and second members including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said joiner including:
- said housing includes a through passageway to receive said shaft and wherein a cross-section of said elongate shaft and the shape of said passageway are complementary and arranged to prevent rotation of said first joining element with respect to said second joining element.
- said elongate shaft has a substantially rectangular cross section and said passageway has a complementary rectangular shape.
- FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a joiner according to an embodiment of the invention for joining together a pair of panels in edge to edge relationship;
- FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the joiner only illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the joiner illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is another exploded perspective view of the joiner illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 5 is a top view of the shaft actuating arrangement of the joiner.
- FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view (partly sectioned) of the shaft actuating arrangement.
- joiner 100 comprising relatively movable joining elements 110 , 120 for joining bench top sections 200 , 300 according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.
- Joining element 120 has an elongate shaft 130 of rectangular cross-section which at one end joins to a semi-circular head 121 which mates with corresponding circular cavity 210 located on the underside of bench top section 200 .
- the exact shape of the respective cavities and cavity engaging portions of the joiner are not important as long as they facilitate a clamping force which joins edges 240 , 340 of bench top sections 200 , 300 together.
- the first joining element 120 is integrally moulded of reinforced plastics, e.g. glass reinforced nylon, with the shaft 130 and head 121 forming an overall “Y” shape.
- the shaft is provided with a plurality of transverse teeth 131 in its planar top face 132 so as to form a rack component extending along the shaft 130 .
- Joining element 110 includes a housing 112 which is also integrally moulded of a suitable reinforced plastics material, and has a rectangular through passage 111 which is shaped complementary to the rectangular cross section of elongate shaft 130 allowing shaft 130 to slide linearly through opening 111 but additionally preventing rotation of shaft 130 with respect to joining element 110 .
- Housing 112 has a part-circular portion which engages with corresponding cavity 310 of second bench top section 300 in a similar manner to that of semi-circular head 121 with cavity 210 .
- the shaft actuating mechanism mounted within housing 112 includes tapered worm drive barrel 150 which is inclined to the rack portion of shaft 130 .
- a non-tapered worm drive barrel could be used which would be arranged substantially parallel to the rack portion of shaft 130 .
- Worm drive barrel 150 includes a helical thread 151 which meshes with teeth 131 located on elongate shaft 130 .
- Shaft 130 is able to travel through housing 112 and exit outwardly through aperture 113 formed in the distal wall of housing 112 .
- Worm drive barrel 150 is mounted on a shaft 153 which has a co-axial gear wheel or cog 152 adjacent one end thereof.
- the parts 150 , 152 , 153 can be integrally moulded as a single component of reinforced plastics material.
- a worm drive actuator 140 meshes with gear wheel 152 whereby rotation of the actuator 140 will rotate the worm drive barrel 150 by means of the gear wheel 152 to thereby retract or extend the shaft 130 and inturn shorten or lengthen the joiner.
- the worm drive 140 has a helical thread 141 which has an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the plane of the rack.
- the axis of shaft 153 which carries the worm drive barrel 150 and worm gear wheel 152 is inclined at an angle of approximately 10° to the horizontal.
- Worm drive actuator 140 is a moulded plastics component and locates in a bore in the housing 112 and engages with a snap-fit therein.
- the actuator 140 has a drive head 142 which is hollowed out to receive a standard hexagonal drive bit which would typically be fitted to the chuck of a power drill.
- the hex bit is received approximately 7 mm into drive head 142 so that joiner 100 can be positioned on the bit and raised to the joining cavities 210 , 310 in bench top sections 200 , 300 .
- the drive head 142 utilises a twelve point hexagonal shape recess instead of the standard six point shape and furthermore incorporates an internal chamfered edge thereby providing easier entry of the hexagonal drive bit into the hexagonal recess.
- Drive head 142 is constructed from a material which allows suitable flexing of the recess thus allowing the hex bit to rotate within the recess thereby providing a clutch arrangement that prevents overload of the drive means if drill torque is excessive.
- Other forms of the drive head recess so that it can receive the hex end of a standard bit or even an Allen key are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.
- joiner 100 is placed on a drill by mounting drive head 142 onto the hex bit. As joiner 100 maintains a perpendicular arrangement to the drill bit the joiner can be reliably placed on the end of the drill and joiner 100 oriented so that semi-circular head 121 of joining element 120 is guided into circular cavity 210 . Joining element 110 can be slotted into corresponding circular cavity 310 with this entire operation only requiring the use of one hand.
- the drill is then activated to retract the shaft 130 of the joiner element 120 so as to shorten the joiner and thereby close the joint whilst the other free hand can be used to ensure that the joint and bench top surface are level.
- joiner 100 is recessed in a level orientation within the bench top, joiner 100 advantageously provides a clamping force closer to the bench top surface then that of prior art joiners.
- the above-described mechanism functions in reverse and shaft 130 will protract from housing 112 to thereby lengthen the joiner 100 which can then be easily removed from cavities 210 , 310 if desired.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Connection Of Plates (AREA)
Abstract
The invention provides a joiner for joining together panel members in edge to edge relationship, the joiner having a joining element which defines a housing which is adapted to engage within a cavity in one of the panel members, and another joining element which at one end has a cavity engaging portion adapted to engage within a cavity in the other panel member, and an elongate shaft which extends away from portion and which is provided with a plurality of teeth spaced along the length thereof so as to form a rack portion, the two joining elements being slideable relative to one another by drive means which includes a driven worm gear in mesh with the rack portion, and a worm gear actuator arranged, upon rotation thereof, to drive the driven worm gear whereby rotary motion of the worm actuator is translated into linear motion only of the shaft.
Description
- The present invention relates to a device for joining furniture components together. In one particular form, the present invention relates to a device for joining together bench tops.
- Standard joiners for releasably securing together bench tops and other portions of furniture together are well known. They allow for items such as kitchen cabinets or office furniture to be pre-fabricated and then assembled on-site without requiring the use of nails, screws or adhesives. In an illustrative example, two bench top sections can be joined together to form a single bench by first forming respective opposed circular cavities at a short distance from the edge on the underside of the bench top sections. These cavities are typically formed using a router or specialised drill. Channels are then cut from the respective cavities to meet at the joining edge of each of the bench top sections.
- To join the sections together a joiner which includes a threaded bolt with two semi-circular cavity engaging members are positioned so that the engaging members are recessed into the circular cavities with the bolt located in the channel. A nut is then screwed onto the bolt and further tightened thereby drawing the cavities together and hence joining the bench tops in abutting relationship. Although this provides a strong clamping force there are a number of disadvantages with joiners of this type. Clearly two hands are required for this operation. The first hand is required to accurately position the joiner ensuring that the engaging members do not rotate on the bolt with respect to each other and that the joiner is held level. The second hand first tightens the nut to finger tightness and then operates a spanner to further tighten the nut. Often there is little room within the cavity to manoeuvre fingers or a spanner. Additionally the bench top sections being joined must be level and this will require a second person to adjust the levels of the bench top sections whilst a first person is inserting and installing the joiner from underneath the level of the bench.
- One attempt to address some of these disadvantages is described in International Application WO 03/035992. This describes a joiner arrangement having at least one engaging member, a screw threaded shaft passing through the engaging member, at least one nut threadably engaging the shaft, a gear member, a pivot locator on the engaging member such that a shaft with a second gear member may engage with the pivot locator while having the second gear member adapted to mesh with the first gear member whereby to facilitate a tightening of the joining arrangement. However, this approach does not substantially address the problems of the prior art. As the engaging members are located on the threaded shaft they are free to rotate implying that once again both hands will be required to both orientate and tighten the joiner. The tightening arrangement also requires a specialised tool that has been adapted to be inserted into the pivot locator and to engage with the first gear member. Clearly, this would be an inconvenience to tradespeople and the home handy-person as this would require an extra piece of specialised equipment be carried in addition to their standard tools. In addition the nut is still free to spin on the shaft before the joint is tightened also resulting in difficulties when initially placing and tightening the joiner.
- It is an object of the invention to provide a joiner which is convenient to install. It is another object of the invention to provide a joiner which is of simple construction and its components readily assembled.
- In a first aspect, the present invention provides a joiner for joining a first and second member together in an end to end relationship, said first and second members including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said joiner including:
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- a joiner for joining first and second panel members together in end to end relationship, said first and second panel member including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said joiner including;
- a first joining element, having a housing which has surfaces defining a first cavity engaging portion to engage with said first cavity of said first member
- a second joining element having an elongate shaft slidably supported in a passageway extending through said housing, said shaft terminating at one end thereof in a second cavity engaging portion to engage with said second cavity of said second member, said shaft having a plurality of teeth spaced along the length thereof so as to form a rack portion; and
- drive means operable to effect linear sliding movement of said second joining element so as to retract the shaft into said housing, the retraction of the shaft drawing together said cavity engaging portions to thereby shorten the joiner, said drive means including a driven worm gear in mesh with said rack portion, and a worm gear actuator arranged, upon rotation thereof, to drive said driven worm gear, whereby the rotary motion of the worm actuator is translated into linear motion only of the shaft.
- The incorporation of a driven worm gear which meshes with the rack portion of the shaft provides a simple and effective means to bring the first and second joining elements together as the shaft is drawn within the housing in a purely linear fashion without requiring rotation of a nut which would typically threadably engage the shaft directly in prior art mechanisms. As the driven worm gear is in meshing engagement with the shaft, the joiner can be set at a spacing close to that required before inserting into the relevant cavities of the members being joined thus making the joining procedure more convenient. Additionally the driven worm gear and rack portion arrangement allows for the easy loosening of the joiner if required.
- Preferably, said driven worm gear has a helical thread arranged to have an axis of rotation inclined to said elongate shaft and to engage with said teeth of said shaft. Desirably, the axis is at an angle of approximately 10° to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
- Preferably, said drive means further includes a gear wheel or cog attached to one end of a shaft which also carries said driven worm gear, said gear wheel meshing with said worm gear actuator.
- This provides a convenient and compact arrangement which does not add substantially to the size of the housing of the first joining element.
- Preferably, said worm drive actuator further includes a drive head, said drive head including a recess to receive a drill bit.
- Clearly, use of a standard power drill to both insert and to operate the joiner greatly increases the ease with which the joiner can be both installed and removed. Also use of a standard drill bit head such as a hexagonal shaped screwdriver bit further adds to the ease of installation of the joiner.
- According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a joiner for joining a first and second member together in an end to end relationship, said first and second members including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said joiner including:
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- co-acting first and second joining elements, said first joining element having a housing which has surfaces defining a first cavity engaging portion to engage with said first cavity of said first member;
- said second joining element having a second cavity engaging portion to engage with said second cavity of said second member and an elongate shaft extending from said second cavity engaging portion, said shaft slidably locating through an opening in said housing; and
- drive means operable to effect linear sliding movement of said shaft for retracting same into said housing so as to draw said first and second cavity engaging portions towards each other to thereby join together said first and second members.
- Preferably, said housing includes a through passageway to receive said shaft and wherein a cross-section of said elongate shaft and the shape of said passageway are complementary and arranged to prevent rotation of said first joining element with respect to said second joining element.
- Preferably, said elongate shaft has a substantially rectangular cross section and said passageway has a complementary rectangular shape.
- An illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a joiner according to an embodiment of the invention for joining together a pair of panels in edge to edge relationship; -
FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the joiner only illustrated inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the joiner illustrated inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is another exploded perspective view of the joiner illustrated inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 5 is a top view of the shaft actuating arrangement of the joiner; while -
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view (partly sectioned) of the shaft actuating arrangement. - In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
- Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a
joiner 100 comprising relativelymovable joining elements top sections element 120 has anelongate shaft 130 of rectangular cross-section which at one end joins to asemi-circular head 121 which mates with correspondingcircular cavity 210 located on the underside ofbench top section 200. Clearly, as would be apparent to those skilled in the art, the exact shape of the respective cavities and cavity engaging portions of the joiner are not important as long as they facilitate a clamping force which joinsedges top sections - In this embodiment the first joining
element 120 is integrally moulded of reinforced plastics, e.g. glass reinforced nylon, with theshaft 130 andhead 121 forming an overall “Y” shape. The shaft is provided with a plurality oftransverse teeth 131 in its planartop face 132 so as to form a rack component extending along theshaft 130. - Joining
element 110 includes ahousing 112 which is also integrally moulded of a suitable reinforced plastics material, and has a rectangular throughpassage 111 which is shaped complementary to the rectangular cross section ofelongate shaft 130 allowingshaft 130 to slide linearly throughopening 111 but additionally preventing rotation ofshaft 130 with respect to joiningelement 110.Housing 112 has a part-circular portion which engages withcorresponding cavity 310 of secondbench top section 300 in a similar manner to that ofsemi-circular head 121 withcavity 210. - Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 5, the shaft actuating mechanism mounted within
housing 112 includes taperedworm drive barrel 150 which is inclined to the rack portion ofshaft 130. Clearly, a non-tapered worm drive barrel could be used which would be arranged substantially parallel to the rack portion ofshaft 130.Worm drive barrel 150 includes ahelical thread 151 which meshes withteeth 131 located onelongate shaft 130. Thus rotation ofworm drive barrel 150 about its longitudinal axis in a clockwise direction as viewed from the rear will cause the shaft to retract into thehousing 112 throughpassage 111.Shaft 130 is able to travel throughhousing 112 and exit outwardly throughaperture 113 formed in the distal wall ofhousing 112. -
Worm drive barrel 150 is mounted on ashaft 153 which has a co-axial gear wheel orcog 152 adjacent one end thereof. Theparts worm drive actuator 140 meshes withgear wheel 152 whereby rotation of theactuator 140 will rotate theworm drive barrel 150 by means of thegear wheel 152 to thereby retract or extend theshaft 130 and inturn shorten or lengthen the joiner. Theworm drive 140 has ahelical thread 141 which has an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the plane of the rack. In this embodiment, the axis ofshaft 153 which carries theworm drive barrel 150 andworm gear wheel 152 is inclined at an angle of approximately 10° to the horizontal. -
Worm drive actuator 140 is a moulded plastics component and locates in a bore in thehousing 112 and engages with a snap-fit therein. Theactuator 140 has adrive head 142 which is hollowed out to receive a standard hexagonal drive bit which would typically be fitted to the chuck of a power drill. In this embodiment the hex bit is received approximately 7 mm intodrive head 142 so thatjoiner 100 can be positioned on the bit and raised to the joiningcavities top sections drive head 142 utilises a twelve point hexagonal shape recess instead of the standard six point shape and furthermore incorporates an internal chamfered edge thereby providing easier entry of the hexagonal drive bit into the hexagonal recess.Drive head 142 is constructed from a material which allows suitable flexing of the recess thus allowing the hex bit to rotate within the recess thereby providing a clutch arrangement that prevents overload of the drive means if drill torque is excessive. Clearly, other forms of the drive head recess so that it can receive the hex end of a standard bit or even an Allen key are also considered to be within the scope of the invention. - In operation,
joiner 100 is placed on a drill by mountingdrive head 142 onto the hex bit. Asjoiner 100 maintains a perpendicular arrangement to the drill bit the joiner can be reliably placed on the end of the drill andjoiner 100 oriented so thatsemi-circular head 121 of joiningelement 120 is guided intocircular cavity 210. Joiningelement 110 can be slotted into correspondingcircular cavity 310 with this entire operation only requiring the use of one hand. The drill is then activated to retract theshaft 130 of thejoiner element 120 so as to shorten the joiner and thereby close the joint whilst the other free hand can be used to ensure that the joint and bench top surface are level. Asjoiner 100 is recessed in a level orientation within the bench top,joiner 100 advantageously provides a clamping force closer to the bench top surface then that of prior art joiners. Clearly, if the direction of the drill is reversed the above-described mechanism functions in reverse andshaft 130 will protract fromhousing 112 to thereby lengthen thejoiner 100 which can then be easily removed fromcavities - Although a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention has been described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.
Claims (13)
1. A joiner for joining first and second panel members together in end to end relationship, said first and second panel member including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said joiner comprising;
a first joining element, having a housing which has surfaces defining a first cavity engaging portion to engage with said first cavity of said first member
a second joining element having an elongate shaft slidably supported in a passageway extending through said housing, said shaft terminating at one end thereof in a second cavity engaging portion to engage with said second cavity of said second member said shaft having a plurality of teeth spaced along the length thereof so as to form a rack portion; and
drive means operable to effect linear sliding movement of said second joining element so as to retract the shaft into said housing, the retraction of the shaft drawing together said cavity engaging portions to thereby shorten the joiner, said drive means including a driven worm gear in mesh with said rack portion, and a worm gear actuator arranged, upon rotation thereof, to drive said driven worm gear, whereby the rotary motion of the worm actuator is translated into linear motion only of the shaft.
2. A joiner according to claim 1 wherein said passageway extends the entire length of said housing and slidably and non-rotatably receives said elongate shaft.
3. A joiner according to claim 2 wherein said passageway has a shape complementary to the cross-sectional shape of said elongate shaft
4. A joiner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said driven worm gear has an helical thread formed at one end of a driven shaft which has an axis of rotation inclined to said elongate shaft, said thread engaging with said teeth of said shaft.
5. A joiner as claimed in claim 4 wherein said drive means further includes a gear or cog adjacent the other end of a said driven shaft and co-axial therewith, said gear meshing with said worm gear actuator.
6. A joiner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said worm drive actuator includes a drive head, said drive head defining a recess to receive a drill bit.
7. A joiner according to claim 6 wherein said worm drive actuator is snap-fittingly engaged in a bore extending through the housing with said drive head recess having its outer edge substantially flush with an outer surface of said housing.
8. A joiner according to claim 1 wherein each of the joining elements, the worm gear actuator and the driven worm gear is integrally moulded of reinforced plastics material.
9. A device for joining first and second members together in an end to end relationship, said first and second members including a first cavity and a second cavity respectively, said device comprising:
a first joining element having a housing which has surfaces defining a first cavity engaging portion to engage with said first cavity of said first member;
a second joining element having a second cavity engaging portion to engage with said second cavity of said second member and an elongate shaft extending from said second cavity engaging portion, said shaft slideably locating in a main passage extending through said housing, and
drive configurations operable to effect linear sliding movement of said shaft for retracting same into said housing so as to draw together said first and second cavity engaging portions, thereby shortening the joiner and in turn joining together said first and second members.
10. A device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said main passage has a shape complementary to the cross-section of shape of said elongate shaft so as to prevent rotation of said first joining element with respect to said second joining element.
11. A device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said elongate shaft has a substantially rectangular cross section and said passage has a complementary rectangular shape.
12. A device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said shaft has a plurality of teeth spaced along the length thereof so as to form a rack portion, said drive configurations comprising:
a worm gear actuator rotatably supported in a bore extending through the housing; and
a driven shaft carrying at one end a worm gear in mesh with said rack portion and a gear or cog adjacent its other end, which engages with said worm gear actuator, arranged so that upon rotation of the worm drive actuator, the shaft is retracted or extended to thereby shorten or lengthen the distance between the cavity engaging portions.
13. A device according to claim 12 wherein the driven shaft is snugly located in a cavity extending lengthwise of the housing above said main passage, said cavity having an axis which is inclined to the axis of the main passage, said bore having an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of the main passage.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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AU2003906961A AU2003906961A0 (en) | 2003-12-17 | A joiner | |
AU2003906961 | 2003-12-17 | ||
PCT/AU2004/001777 WO2005059374A1 (en) | 2003-12-17 | 2004-12-17 | A joiner |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20070169430A1 true US20070169430A1 (en) | 2007-07-26 |
Family
ID=34682609
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/583,108 Abandoned US20070169430A1 (en) | 2003-12-17 | 2004-12-17 | Joiner |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20070169430A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2005059374A1 (en) |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102010010787B3 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2011-04-21 | Stefan Funke | Connection fitting i.e. furniture fitting, for kitchen worktop, has connection unit for connecting set of connection devices, where connection unit causes deflection of distant rotation, movement or displacement of connecting devices |
WO2012089021A1 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2012-07-05 | 曹蕾 | Furniture lock-type connector |
CN103438059A (en) * | 2013-04-20 | 2013-12-11 | 广东安帝斯智能家具组件有限公司 | Adjustable self-locking type fully-concealed connecting piece for furniture board bodies |
DE102012015879A1 (en) * | 2012-08-13 | 2014-02-13 | Fritz Egger Gmbh & Co. Og | Lightweight panel, furniture and manufacturing processes |
EP3296576A1 (en) | 2016-09-15 | 2018-03-21 | Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe | Joining method and means for carrying out the method |
US11143225B2 (en) * | 2019-03-14 | 2021-10-12 | Ju-Chiung Tseng | Connecting structure for assembly and assembled apparatus using the same |
US11680592B2 (en) * | 2016-11-14 | 2023-06-20 | Joseph C. Fleming, III | Method and system for interconnecting structural panels |
US11885356B2 (en) * | 2016-02-17 | 2024-01-30 | Franz Baur | Connecting means and method for connecting two components |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE202005001451U1 (en) | 2005-01-29 | 2005-04-14 | Häfele GmbH & Co KG | Connector for plates, in particular for trays |
AU2021394454A1 (en) * | 2020-12-10 | 2023-06-22 | Koala Sleep Pty. Ltd. | Connector assembly for furniture |
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US4343566A (en) * | 1979-03-23 | 1982-08-10 | Giovannetti F | Clamping device for releasably snap joining two pieces or panels |
US5567081A (en) * | 1993-12-23 | 1996-10-22 | Titus International Limited | Joint forming device |
US20050042027A1 (en) * | 2001-09-26 | 2005-02-24 | Carlo Migli | Device and method for detachably connecting abutting structural parts and tie member for use to form said device |
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IT8023476V0 (en) * | 1980-11-25 | 1980-11-25 | Mauri Fratelli S N C | MECHANICAL DEVICE FOR THE RIGHT ANGLE CONNECTION OF FLAT STRUCTURES IN GENERAL. |
FR2501809A1 (en) * | 1981-03-11 | 1982-09-17 | Iakovenko Marinitch Nicolas | Lock clamp for panels - has rack and pinion actuator locked by tension springs to hold aligned or normal |
GB2106176B (en) * | 1981-09-18 | 1985-06-26 | Marler Haley Exposystems Ltd | Adjustable structure, for example, comprising interconnected panels |
DE29819955U1 (en) * | 1998-11-07 | 1999-03-04 | Alno AG, 88630 Pfullendorf | Device for connecting two plates |
AUPR844801A0 (en) * | 2001-10-24 | 2001-11-15 | Pilja, Milan | Joiner improvements |
-
2004
- 2004-12-17 WO PCT/AU2004/001777 patent/WO2005059374A1/en active Application Filing
- 2004-12-17 US US10/583,108 patent/US20070169430A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4343566A (en) * | 1979-03-23 | 1982-08-10 | Giovannetti F | Clamping device for releasably snap joining two pieces or panels |
US5567081A (en) * | 1993-12-23 | 1996-10-22 | Titus International Limited | Joint forming device |
US20050042027A1 (en) * | 2001-09-26 | 2005-02-24 | Carlo Migli | Device and method for detachably connecting abutting structural parts and tie member for use to form said device |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102010010787B3 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2011-04-21 | Stefan Funke | Connection fitting i.e. furniture fitting, for kitchen worktop, has connection unit for connecting set of connection devices, where connection unit causes deflection of distant rotation, movement or displacement of connecting devices |
WO2012089021A1 (en) * | 2010-12-30 | 2012-07-05 | 曹蕾 | Furniture lock-type connector |
DE102012015879A1 (en) * | 2012-08-13 | 2014-02-13 | Fritz Egger Gmbh & Co. Og | Lightweight panel, furniture and manufacturing processes |
DE102012015879B4 (en) * | 2012-08-13 | 2014-04-03 | Fritz Egger Gmbh & Co. Og | Lightweight panel, furniture and manufacturing processes |
CN103438059A (en) * | 2013-04-20 | 2013-12-11 | 广东安帝斯智能家具组件有限公司 | Adjustable self-locking type fully-concealed connecting piece for furniture board bodies |
WO2014169545A1 (en) * | 2013-04-20 | 2014-10-23 | 广东安帝斯智能家具组件有限公司 | Adjustable, self-locking type and fully-hidden connecting element for furniture boards |
US11885356B2 (en) * | 2016-02-17 | 2024-01-30 | Franz Baur | Connecting means and method for connecting two components |
EP3296576A1 (en) | 2016-09-15 | 2018-03-21 | Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe | Joining method and means for carrying out the method |
US11680592B2 (en) * | 2016-11-14 | 2023-06-20 | Joseph C. Fleming, III | Method and system for interconnecting structural panels |
US11143225B2 (en) * | 2019-03-14 | 2021-10-12 | Ju-Chiung Tseng | Connecting structure for assembly and assembled apparatus using the same |
Also Published As
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WO2005059374A1 (en) | 2005-06-30 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |