Connectors

This invention relates to connectors, more particularly, but not exclusively, to connectors for flat pack furniture.

Conventional flat pack furniture is assembled using screws and/or threaded bolts. Screws often have to drive into an edge of a panel, which is not best practice in joinery, especially when fibreboard or OSB is used for the panelling. It is, moreover, time consuming and labour intensive, and requires some measure of skill, so that a business has grown up for in situ assembly of flat pack furniture that should, in principle, be a straightforward DIY job.

The present invention provides connectors and means of connection for flat pack furniture and like assembled items that do not involve screws. The invention comprises means for connecting panel components comprising a connector member having dowelling, and corresponding aperturing in the panel components, the aperturing being inclined with respect to the panel components whereby to lock the components together, and the connector being resiliently flexible whereby to facilitate snap fit insertion of the dowelling into the aperturing, and forming a rigid connector after insertion by virtue of the retention of the dowelling in the aperturing.

The dowelling may be circular in cross-section, or may be rectangular, in particular, oblong, with, optionally, rounded short sides, hi any event, the end of the dowelling that first enters the aperturing may be rounded for ease of engagement.

The panel components may be connected disposed at right angles, and this will, of course, be the most common mode in furniture. However, butt joints between two aligned panels can also be connected, as can joints at any other angle, the panel edges being chamfered accordingly, or not, as may be desired, the connectors being appropriately configured.

The aperturing, and corresponding dowelling, inclination, may conveniently be 45°, but any angle not too close to 0° or 90°, say between 30° and 60° will suffice.

The connector may be sufficiently rigid as, when fitted, to effect a rigid connection, flexibility for snap fit insertion arising from live hinges inboard of the dowelling. Live hinges can be configured by recessing the connector on the face from which the dowelling projects, or the opposite face, or, indeed, both.

The connection may involve initial location dowelling for lining up the panel components prior to locking them up with the connector. Such initial location dowelling may be conventional, as by aligned drilled apertures in the panel components and conventional round dowelling. Or the connector itself may have a thin extension that fits between the panel components and has dowelling projecting either side, which may be integral, the initial location dowelling being,

otherwise, a direct substitute for conventional dowelling, namely engaging in an edge of one of the panels. However, initial location dowelling can also be provided on the connector which does not engage in an edge of either panel. A connector having such provision may comprise first and second parts, each part comprising a hinged portion with snap fit dowelling and an inboard portion with initial location dowelling, the panel components being correspondingly apertured to receive the dowelling. Initial location dowelling may be inclined with respect to the faces of the panels differently to the snap fit, locking dowelling., and may be inclined oppositely to the locking dowelling. The connector can be configured as a hinge.

The connector can be fashioned in plastics material such as a polyamide or in metal such as steel, and may be moulded, as by injection moulding, or, in some configurations, extruded. The invention also comprises template means for aperturing the panel components

Means for connection and connectors and aperturing templates therefor will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of connector:

Figure 2 is a cross section of the connector of Figure 1 being presented to panel components to make a connection; Figure 3 is a cross section like Figure 2, after snap fitting to make the connection;

Figure 4 is a perspective view like Figure 1 of a second embodiment of connector;

Figure 5 is a cross section like Figure 2 of the second embodiment;

Figure 6 is a cross section like Figure 3 of the second embodiment;

Figure 7 is a cross section of a third embodiment of connector; Figure 8 is a cross section like Figure 7 with the connector engaged in a corner joint;

Figure 9 is a cross section of a fourth embodiment being presented to a corner joint;

Figure 10 shows the fourth embodiment engaged in the corner joint;

Figure 11 is a cross section of a fifth embodiment being presented to a do welled butt joint between panel components;

Figure 12 shows the fifth embodiment engaged in the joint;

Figure 13 is a side elevation of a drilling template in use; Figure 14 is a side elevation of a braced e connector member;

Figure 15 is a side elevation of another braced fastener;

Figure 16 is a side elevation of an angled connector member;

Figure 17 is a side elevation of a curved connector member.

The drawings illustrate means 11 for connecting panel components 12, 13 comprising a connector member 14 having do welling 15, and corresponding aperturing 16 in the panel componentsl2, 13, the aperturing 16 being inclined with respect to the panel components 12, 13 whereby to lock the components together, and the connector 14 being resiliently flexible whereby to facilitate snap fit insertion of the do welling 15 into the aperturing 16, and forming a rigid connector after insertion by virtue of the retention of the do welling 15 in the aperturing 16. The dowelling 15 may be circular in cross-section, or, as illustrated in all embodiments, may be rectangular, in particular, oblong, with, optionally, rounded short sides 15a. In any event, the end 15b of the dowelling 15 that first enters the aperturing 16 may be rounded, as shown on the first and second embodiments, Figures 1 and 4, for ease of engagement. The panel components may be connected disposed at right angles as shown in all Figures except Figures 11 and 12, and this will, of course, be the most common mode in furniture. However, Figures 11 and 12 show how butt joints between two aligned panels 12, 13 can also be connected, as can joints at any other angle, the panel edges being chamfered accordingly, or not, as may be desired, the connectors being appropriately configured.

The aperturing, and corresponding dowelling, inclination, may conveniently be 45°, but any angle not too close to 0° or 90°, say between 30° and 60° will suffice.

The connector may be sufficiently rigid as, when fitted, to effect a rigid connection, flexibility for snap fit insertion arising from live hinges inboard of the dowelling. Live hinges 17 can be configured by recessing the connector on the face from which the dowelling 15 projects, or the opposite face, or, indeed, both.

The connection may involve initial location dowelling 18 for lining up the panel components 12, 13 prior to locking them up with the connector 14. Such initial location dowelling 18 may be conventional, as by aligned drilled apertures in the panel components and conventional round dowelling, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. Or the connector 16 itself may have a thin extension 19, as seen in Figures 4 to 6 that fits between the panel components 12, 13 and has dowelling 18

projecting either side, which may be integral, the initial location do welling being, otherwise, a direct substitute for conventional dowelling, namely engaging in an edge of one of the panels. However, initial location dowelling 18 can also be provided on the connector 14 which does not engage in an edge of either panel 12, 13. A connector 14 having such provision may comprise first and second parts 14a, 14b, as shown in Figures 7 to 12, , each part comprising a hinged portion 14h with snap fit dowelling 15 and an inboard portion 14i with initial location dowelling 18, the panel components 12, 13 being correspondingly apertured to receive the dowelling 15, 18. Initial location dowelling 18 may be inclined with respect to the faces of the panels differently to the snap fit, locking dowelling 15, and may be inclined oppositely to the locking dowelling.

The connector can be configured as a hinge. In the embodiment of Figures 7 and 8, for example, a live hinge could be incorporated at the corner 71. Terminating panel 13 at the broken line 72 would facilitate hinging of the panels 12, 13. Alternatively, a pin hinge could be incorporated in the connector 14 at the corner 71.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate an embodiment of connector 14 that has its locating dowelling 15 on live-hinged fingers 111 that are swung on engagement to carry the dowelling 15 through apertures 91 to engage in snap fit fashion in aperturing 16 of the panel members 12, 13. Figures 11 and 12 show an essentially similar arrangement as in Figures 9 and 10 configured, however, for a butt joint. The connector 14 is essentially flat, rather than right-angled.

The connector can be fashioned in plastics material such as a polyamide or in metal such as steel, and may be moulded, as by injection moulding, or, in some configurations, extruded.

Aperturing may be facilitated by templates alignable with the panelling and having, in the case of circular section dowel, drilling guides. Figure 13 illustrates such a template 21, comprising a first drill guide aperture 22 for drilling a first dowel receiving aperture 23, which is at right angles into the panel, and a peg 24 to locate the first drill guide aperture 22 on the first dowel receiving aperture 25, when drilled, properly to locate the second drill guide aperture 23 for drilling the second dowel receiving aperture 26. For rectangular section dowels, reamers would be substituted for drills However, aperturing can be effected, in the case, particularly, of moulded panels, such as panels of MDF, in the moulding process. Figure 14 illustrates a braced connector member with a stiffening arrangement 41, which comprises a web structure.

Figure 15 illustrates another braced fastener of which the stiffening arrangement comprises a centrally hinged strut 42 the ends, 42a, 42b of which are hinged to the ends of the hinged extensions 15 of the connector member 11. The strut is deployable between a free position (broken line) and an engaged position (solid line), into which latter position it snap-fits to be engaged to brace the panel joint. Where the joint is angled, the strut arrangement can extend from beyond the extension hinges to form, together with the angled member, a parallelogram, in

the free position, snapping back so that the structure lies flat. Such braced or stiffened connector members may be used as shelf supports, either in the pack furniture or as brackets for wall mounting shelves or cupboards. Figure 16 illustrates a connector member for a joint which is at other than a right angle, and Figure 17 illustrates a connector member adapted for connecting curved panels.