US3479070A

US3479070A - Structure formed of joined panels

Info

Publication number: US3479070A
Application number: US643016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jack M Marateck; Harold Marateck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-05-22
Filing date: 1967-05-22
Publication date: 1969-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1986-11-18

Description

Nov. 18, 1969 J. M. MARATECK EI'AL 3,479,070

STRUCTURE FORMED OF JOINED PANELS Filed May 22. 1967 v :4 FIG. 3 six INVENTORg United States Patent 3 479 070 STRUCTURE FORMED 0F JOINED PANELS Jack M. Marateck, 785 Mace Ave. 10467, and Harold Marateck, 1075 Nelson Ave. 10452, both of Bronx,

Filed May 22, 1967, Ser. No. 643,016 Int. Cl. F161) 7/00, /00, 9/00 US. Cl. 287-20.92 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to structures assembled from panels, as wooden, metal or plastic panels, such as articles of furniture, display counters or cases, or buildings, particularly of the knock-down variety, and, more specifically, to the joints connecting such panels.

It is an object of the present invention to provide on panels for structures means for joining them to one another which are relatively easy and economical to produce.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means for forming joints between panels, of the character described, that may be provided on individual panels, in knock-down state, that may be quickly and easily joined to one another, to form a structure, either at point of production or at point of use, and will form strong, sturdy and accurate joints between connected panels.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide joint-forming means on panels for structures of the character described that may be readily disassembled and reassembled, to thereby make possible the ready replacement of individual panels of the structure and avoid any need for discarding an entire structure because of damage or defect in or to a single panel.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a joint-forming means on panels for structures of the character described which will inhibit the warping of the panels, both while in knock-down state as well as when in assembled state.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide joint-forming means on panels, of the character described, that provide, when the panels are assembled with one another, joints that are concealed from the outwardly facing and generally visible sides of the assembled structure, to thereby make possible a neat and attractive assembly.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the structures of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiments of the invention more or less diagrammatically shown in the accompanying drawings and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiments are shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention of an assembled structure, in the form of a drawer, embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, view taken on the plane of line 2-2 of FIG. 1; partly in section to clarify structural details;

FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged section, taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through a modified form of joint of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, elevational and partly sectional view of another modified form of joint of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Referring now in greater detail to the accompaying drawing, and with particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, there is shown a drawer, generally designated as 10, made though not necessarily so, of wooden panels which include a relatively thick front panel, 12, a pair of relatively thinner side panels, 14, and a rear panel, 16. The

panels

12, 14 and 16 may be preformed for shipment in knock-down form, to be connected or joined and set up at a point of delivery. For the purpose of convenient joining of the panels, the relatively thinner panels 14 may each be formed with a slot, 18, extending inwardly from its front end face, 19, which is to abut panel 12, which slot may open into the bottom face 20, of panel 14, as shown in FIG. 2, but, preferably, terminate a predetermined distance short of its top face 22, as more clearly seen in FIG. 6 of the drawing.

An angle-plate or bar, generally designated as 24, preferably of sheet metal, has one of its sides, as 26, snugly fitted in slot 18 and secured in place therein, as by one or more rivets, 28, or other suitable means, passing preferably through preformed, registering openings in the sides of the slot 18 and angle-plate side 26. The other leg or side 30, of the angle-plate is offset at right angles to leg 26 and may be made to lie flush with the end face 19 of panel 14 by cutting away the underlying portion of the slot side to the desired depth. Angle-plate leg 30 may be provided with spaced, screw-receiving openings, 32, for admission of screws or other fastening devices suitable for the purpose, for securing panel 14 to the front panel 12, as hereafter more fully explained. A similar slot, 34, may be formed in the other end and face 36, of the panel 14, into which the leg, 38, of an angle-plate similar to or resembling angle-plate 24 may be inserted and secured in place; the other leg, 40, of such angle-plate, being provided with one or more openings, 42, through which wood screws, 44, or other suitable fastening means, may be inserted for securing the rear panel 16 to the side panel 14,

It will be apparent that the presence of

angle bar legs

26 and 38 in the

end slots

18 and 34 of a panel such as 14 not only serves to provide means for securing the side panel 14 to the front and rear panels, but also serves to inhibit the warping of panel 14, to thereby make possible accurate assembly of these panels, even after prolonged storage, and, when used as drawer sides, to maintain the drawer in freely moving state within its receiving opening.

Front panel 12 may be secured to leg 30 of angle-plate 24 directly, as by wood screws, or the like, extended through openings 32, in the same manner as rear panel 16 is secured to the other angle-plate. Preferably, however, to provide a sturdier connection and stronger joint, that may be readily formed and as readily taken apart, and also to inhibit possible warping of panel 12, the latter may be provided at each end with a transversely-formed T-groove whose narrower or leg portion 46, opens into the inner or abutment face, 48, of panel 12, with its wider part, 50, inwardly disposed. The T-groove opens into the bottom face, 52, of panel 12 and extends across the panel, to terminate preferably at a predetermined distance from its top face, 54.

An elongated metallic, such as steel, channel member of substantially rectangular cross-section, generally designated as 56, is inserted into the wider part 50 of the T- groove through its opening in the bottom face 52 of panel 12 and is preferably frictionally held in place therein, with the channel inwardly facing. The back, 58 of channel member 56 is provided with spaced openings, 60, that are exposed through the narrow groove portion 46. Self-threading screws, 62, may be inserted through the openings 32 in the leg 30 of angle-plate 24 and secured in the channel member openings 60, to thereby join panel 12 to panel 14. Preferably, the screws 62 are of such thickness and length that in addition to forming threads in the openings 60 and being engaged thereby, they also extend inwardly to engage into the wood of panel 12, thereby stabilizing the screws 62 against any twisting movements which might loosen them in place. Other means, in place of screws 62, may, if desired, be used to connect angle-plate leg 30 to channel member 56.

-In FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, there is shown modified joint-forming means for securing panel 12 to 14. This consists in the transverse channel, 64, formed on the inner face 48 of panel 12, in which may be set a plurality of screw sockets 66, engaging the screws, 68, extended through the openings 32 formed in angle-plate leg 30.

In FIG. 4, there is illustrated still another joint-forming means, particularly useful for a pair of structural panels, as 70 and 72, both of which are of substantial thickness. Such means comprises a T-groove, 74, formed in the facing sides of each of the

panels

70 and 72, into each of which is set a channel member, 76, having screw-receiving openings, as in channel member 56; the two

panels

70 and 72 being joined by an angle-plate, 78, whose two sides are each provided with appropriately-positioned and spaced openings through which self-threading screws, 80, may be inserted, to engage in the openings of the channel members 76.

This completes the description of the method and means of the present invention for forming joints between panels of structures. It will be readily apparent that the means for forming the joints may be easily, conveniently and economically provided and that such means make possible the shipment and storage of the panels for the structure, with joint-forming means in place, in knockdown state, for assembly and setting up at a place of final destination, to thereby make possible great economies in shipping and storage space.

It will be likewise apparent that the structural panels or units of the present invention may be quickly and easily assembled into a structure without the need for skilled labor; that the joint-connected panels will be strong and sturdy, but nevertheless readily disconnectable for the replacement of any panel when required.

It will be additionally apparent that the joint-forming means of the present invention also serve to inhibit the warping of panels during storage or at any time thereafter, to make the assembly of the structure easier and more accurate and to render the assembled structures durable and serviceable for longer periods.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variations may be made in the structures of the present invention by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. We, desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In a structure including a pair of panels disposed at an angle to one another, means joining said panels to one another, comprising an angle bar, means securing one side of said angle bar against a face of one of said panels, said means comprising a groove formed in said one panel into said face thereof, fastening means in the form of a screw threadedly engaging socket means held within said groove, at least one opening formed in said one side of said angle bar, said fastening means passed through said opening and engaged in said socket within said groove, and means engaging the other side of said angle bar to the other of said panels; said groove in said one panel being of T-shape and disposed with its narrow section opening onto said one face of said one panel, said socket comprising a channel-shaped member inserted into the wider portion of said T-shaped groove, said channel-shaped member including a base portion and a pair of generally parallel flange portions each extending from one side of said base portion, the width of said base portion and the transverse extent of each of said flange portions substantially corresponding to the width and height, respectively, of said wider portion of said T-shaped groove, the outer surface of said base portion facing the opening of the groove, said base portion having spaced openings for-med therein alined with said groove opening through which said fastening means passing through said openings in said one side of said angle bar are engaged.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said means engaging the other side of said angle bar to the other side of said panel comprises a slot formed in an end edge of the other of said panels, said other side of said angle bar disposed within said slot, and means securing said other side of said angle bar within said slot.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein said other face of said angle bar is secured against a face of the other of said panels and the means securing said other face of said angle bar to the face of the other of said panels all substantially identical with said means securing said first side of said angle bar against said one face of said one panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,115,260 10/1941 Ward 287-20920 X 2,572,812 10/1951 Kral 151-4173 X 2,737,268 3/ 1956 Smith.

FOREIGN PATENTS 185,033 9/ 1921 Great Britain.

RAMON S. BRITTS, Primary Examiner us. 01. X.R.