MXPA96005495A

MXPA96005495A - Angle connector of esqu

Info

Publication number: MXPA96005495A
Application number: MXPA/A/1996/005495A
Authority: MX
Inventors: L Keith Edward
Original assignee: Apathe Engineered Wood Association
Priority date: 1995-11-22
Filing date: 1996-11-11
Publication date: 1997-08-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to a combination, two flat rectangular panels and a one-piece metal corner connector for structurally interconnecting in angular relation the two flat rectangular panels of a predetermined thickness, the wall thickness connector being uniform therethrough, the combination comprising: (a) a first side connector wall, (b) a second connector side wall oriented at an angle with respect to the first connector side wall, (c) a reinforcing projection that has a first reinforcing projection side wall and a second reinforcing projection side wall, with the first reinforcing projection side wall and the second reinforcing projection side wall being formed by cutting and bending the metal of the first side wall of reinforcement. connector and the second connector side wall, with the first side wall of reinforcement projection parallel to the first side wall of the connector. ctor and the second reinforcing projection side wall parallel to the second connector side wall, with the spacing between the connector side wall and the first reinforcing projection side wall being substantially equal to the predetermined thickness of a first planar rectangular panel, and with the spacing between the second connector side wall and the second side wall of the reinforcing projection being substantially equal to the predetermined thickness of a second planar rectangular panel, thereby forming the side walls of the projection with the side walls of the panel. connector reinforcement protrusion a pair of channels, within which are able to place the panels in the direction of edge with each side of each panel, in coupling supported with either one of the side walls of connector or one of the walls lateral reinforcement protrusion, and (d) the two flat rectangular panels coupled in edge direction in the channels r spectacles, formed by the connector side walls and the side walls of the reinforcing projection, and including fixing means between the flat rectangular panels and the connector side walls or the side walls of reinforcement projection, to maintain contact between the interconnected surface of the same

Description

CORNER ANGLE CONNECTOR Field of the Invention The field of the invention is generally related to a structural reinforcement and, specifically with a corner angle connector for joining and reinforcing rectangular panels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is often necessary to reinforce the connection between two rectangular panels. Whether the panels are made of wood, plywood, oriented strand board, particle board, drywall, or foam, the joint created when two panels are joined is often the weakest point in a structure. The board frequently undergoes a greater concentration of forces than any other part of the structure. Many techniques of the previous branch have been developed to join and reinforce the corner connection of two or more rectangular panels. It is often the practice to place a block or support post in the corner of a joint in order to provide structural reinforcement as well as to facilitate the joining of the two parts. While it is superior to a simple flat gasket, this solution is not always desirable since it provides support only at the inner corner of the panels being joined and is secured to only one surface of each of the panels. The prior art also includes a wide variety of joining techniques beyond simple block joints and support posts. The joints of groove, splice, recess, dovetail, box and spigot provide all methods to join two retangular paenels and some degree of structural superiority on a simple butt joint. However, these boards - they all add up because they require removing material from the panels that are joining and require more time and cost to manufacture than is guaranteed by many applications. There are also numerous materials for which these techniques are not appropriate. A traditional method of reinforcing the corners of a wooden structure is with angular metal strips that are placed over the preconstructed joint and then secured in place. The method fails due to various reasons. First, it requires that the structure be built before it is reinforced. Second, the angular metal strips are only applied to the outside of the box, so that the support is limited to one side of the structure. Finally, the metal strips fit only the outer sides of the panel and not the edges or internal sides of the panels. Bleeck, U.S. Patent No. 580,254, describes a corner reinforcement for box and other constructions. While this reinforcement may be some improvement over other corner connectors, it is limited by the fact that it contacts only one of the panels it is reinforcing on more than one side. The Bleeck connector is also limited by the fact that it is limited to joining panels only at right angles to each other. There is a need for a corner connector that provides both bonding and reinforcement for both of the panels it is interconnecting. There is an additional need for a corner connector that can be used to join and reinforce boards at angles other than 905. There is a further need for a corner connector that couples more than one surface to each of the panels it is connecting. There is still an additional need for a corner angle connector that does not require any special equipment or preparation for its use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a skid angle connector for use in joining and reinforcing two rectangular panels-of a given thickness. The corner angle connector has a pair of connector side walls that are oriented at an angle to each other. Lifting out of the first connector side wall is a reinforcing projection having a pair of sidewalls of reinforcing projection. The lining walls of the reinforcing projection are parallel to the side walls of the corner angle connector. The reinforcing projection side walls form with the connecting side walls a pair of channels towards which the rectangular panels can be placed in an edge direction. The panels are then coupled and supported on both sides and one edge by either a side connector wall and a side wall of reinforcement projection. The corner angle connector can be manufactured as a piece of steel, stamp and then bend to the desired configuration. It is also within the scope of the present invention to manufacture the plastic corner angle connector, using any number of well-known techniques to do so. The angle between the two side connector-corner walls determines the angle at which the rectangular panels will be joined. It is possible to form the corner connector for angles between 60e and 135s. The corner angle connector can be used in many applications. The connectors can be used to join the various pieces that form a box or hopper. They can also be used to create shelves, room dividers, or join the structural members of a roof, simply as an additional example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention, together with the additional advantages thereof, can be better understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: i_a Figure 1 is an iso-electric view of the multi-salient mode of the corner angle of the present invention. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the corner angle of the present invention, taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1 and further showing how the present invention can be used to join two boards. Figure 3 is an isometric view of a single protrusion mode of the corner angle of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the corner angle of the present invention, wherein the angle alpha 1 between the connector side walls is 1209. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the corner angle of the present invention, wherein -the angle alpha1 1 between the connector side walls is 1355. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the corner angle of the present invention, wherein -the angle alpha1 1 1 between the walls Side connector is -605.

Detailed Description of the Invention In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a one-piece metal corner connector for structurally connecting in angular relation to each other, two planar rectangular panels of a given thickness. Referring to Figure 1, it can be seen that the present invention, generally referred to as the corner angle connector 2, is comprised of a first connector side wall 4 and a second connector side wall 6 oriented to an alpha angle with respect to the first connector side wall 4. The angle alpha can be any angle between 609 and 135 Q. A reinforcing projection 8 is stamped from the metal part and then bent upwardly so that its first side wall 10 of reinforcing projection is parallel to the first side wall 4 of the connector and its second side wall 12 of projection. of reinforcement is parallel to the second side wall 6 of connector. The openings -14 are uniformly provided through the first side wall 4 of the connector and the second side wall 6 of the connector to allow the use of nails, nuts and bolts, screws rivets or adhesive to secure the rectangular panels that are going to link. It can be seen in Figure 2 that the spacing between the first side connector wall 4 and the first reinforcing projection shoulder wall 10 is approximately equal to the thickness of the rectangular panel to be joined. The spacing between the second side connector wall 6 and the second reinforcing protrusion shoulder wall 12 is also approximately equal to the thickness of the rectangular panel 18 which is to be joined through the angle connector 2 to the rectangular panel 16 . Referring again to Figure 1, we can see that multiple reinforcement projections 8 are used to support the rectangular panels to be joined. Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention wherein only a single reinforcement projection 8 is used to make the corner connection and provide the joint reinforcement. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate other embodiments of the present invention, wherein the angle alpha between the first connector side wall and the second connector side wall is in excess of 90Q. Either the simple reinforcement, see Figure 1, or the multiple reinforcement, see Figure 3, the outgoing configuration can be used. In Figure 4, the angle alpha is approximately 1205. In Figure 5, the angle alpha is approximately 135Q. The corner angle connector 2 is not limited to - joining two rectangular panels made of wood. Can be used to join wood, particle board, drywall, plastic or any other material that forms into rectangular panels and requires the formation of corner joints and structural support. Rectangular panels are secured in the corner angle connector by any number of well-known methods. The corner angle connector may be formed so that the channels between the connector side walls and the reinforcing projection side walls are slightly smaller than the rectangular panels to be joined and thus using compression to join and reinforce the rectangular panels. Nuts and bolts, nails, rivets or screws can be passed through the openings 14 to secure the panel 16 and the panel 18 to the corner angle connector 2. Metal bands can be used to bind a box or crate thus manufactured. The use of metal bands avoids the need to provide any other means of fastening to keep the panels from being bent inward, which is a common problem with boarding blocks when impacted. Manufactured in this way the box or crate would be easily disarmed when it is no longer necessary. It is also within the scope of the present invention to use an adhesive compatible with the materials being joined to link both side surfaces of the panels to the corner angle connector.

Claims

1. - A one piece metal corner connector for structurally interconnecting angularly to one another two flat panels of a given thickness, the connector comprising: (a) a first side connector wall; (b) a second connector side wall oriented at an angle with respect to the first connector side wall; Y (c) a reinforcing projection having a first reinforcing projection side wall and a second reinforcing projection side wall with the first reinforcing projection side wall parallel to the first connector side wall and the. second reinforcing projection side wall parallel to the second connector side wall, with the spacing between the first connector side wall and the first side wall of reinforcing window being substantially equal to the determined thickness of one of the panels rectangular, and with the spacing between the second connector side wall and the second side wall of the reinforcement projection being substantially equal to the determined thickness of the other of the wooden panels, the protruding walls 1.a thus forming with the connector side walls a pair of channels towards which the panels are placed in the edge direction with each side face of each panel in mating supported with either, a side wall of connector or a side wall of projection of reinforcement.

2. A corner connector according to claim 1, in combination with two flat rectangular panels coupled in edge direction in the respective channels formed by the connector side walls and the side walls of reinforcement projection, and including fastening elements between the panels and the connector side wall or the lining walls of the reinforcement projection to maintain contact between the inter-coupled surfaces thereof.

3. The corner connector and interconnected panels of claim 2, wherein the fixing element is selected from the group consisting of screws, nails, staples and rivets.

4. The corner connector and interconnected panels -in accordance with claim 2, wherein the fastening element comprises adhesive.

5. A one-piece corner connector for interconnecting structurally in angular relation, one to the other, two planar rectangular panels of a given thickness, the connector comprising: (a) a first side connector wall; (b) a second connector side wall oriented at an angle with respect to the first connector side wall; Y (c) a reinforcing projection having a first reinforcing projection side wall and a second reinforcing projection side wall, with the first reinforcing projection side wall parallel to the first connector side wall and the second side wall of reinforcement projection parallel to the follow side of the connector side wall.

6. A corner connector according to claim 5, in combination with the flat rectangular panels coupled in edge direction in the respective channels formed by the connector side walls and the side walls of reinforcement projection, and including elements of fixing between the panels and the side wall of connector or side walls of reinforcement projection to maintain contact between the inter-coupled surfaces thereof.

7. The corner connector and interconnected panels of claim 6, wherein the fastening element is selected from the group consisting of screws, nails, staples and rivets.

8. The corner connector and interconnected panels-in accordance with claim 6, wherein the fastening element comprises adhesive.