Connector assembly

Abstract

A connector assembly to fasten two members. The connector assembly includes an elongate fastener with an end for insertion into one of the members and a transverse aperture having at least one countersunk surface with an apex substantially aligned coaxially with the transverse aperture. The connector assembly also includes a grub screw insertable into the other member along a transverse axis substantially at the predetermined spacing from the shaped end. The connector assembly further includes a nipple formed onto one of the grub screw, the nipple being placeable into the transverse aperture for movement down the countersunk surface towards the apex thereof. The fastener moves with respect to the other member and brings the two fastened members closer together. The connector assembly also includes a housing for positioning the grub screw into the transverse aperture of the fastener, the housing having opposing apertures to allow the fastener to pass therethrough.

Claims

1. A connector assembly to fasten two members, one of the members having a shaped end, the connector comprising: an elongate fastener with a threaded end for screw attachment with one of the members and a transverse aperture formed at a predetermined spacing from the threaded end, the transverse aperture having a first countersunk surface with an apex substantially aligned coaxially with the transverse aperture and a second countersunk surface disposed opposite the first countersunk surface; a grub screw insertable into the other member along a transverse axis substantially at the predetermined spacing from the shaped end, the grub screw including a threaded cylindrical portion and a conical portion; a nipple formed onto the conical portion of the grub screw, the nipple being tapered with respect to the conical portion of the grub screw, wherein the conical portion is placeable into the transverse aperture for movement down the first countersunk surface towards the apex thereof, and wherein the fastener moves with respect to the other member and brings the two fastened members closer together; and a housing having an interior thread for engaging the threaded cylindrical portion of the grub screw adjacent the first countersunk surface and for positioning the grub screw into the transverse aperture of the fastener, the housing having apertures on opposing sides of the housing to allow the fastener to pass therethrough, the housing also having an aperture adjacent the second countersunk surface through which the nipple extends.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing has no base wall.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the fastener is positioned so that a portion of the first countersunk peripheral surface that is distal to the one member is exposed through the preformed aperture and is contacted by the conical portion when the grub screw is screwed into the fastener.

4. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the elongate fastener is a one-part fastener, the first end being integrally formed with the second end.

5. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the elongate fastener is a two-part fastener where the first end is formed by a first fastener part and the second end is formed by a separate second fastener part and the parts are connectable by a screw threaded connection.

6. A connector assembly for connecting a first member to a second member, the second member having a preformed cavity and a preformed aperture, the preformed aperture being positioned substantially 90 degrees to the preformed cavity and opening to the preformed cavity, the connector assembly comprising: an elongate fastener with a first end that is threaded and fixable to the first member and a second end positionable in the preformed cavity of the second member, the second end having a fastener aperture with a first countersunk peripheral surface on one side and a second countersunk surface disposed opposite the first countersunk surface; a grub screw having a threaded cylindrical portion at one end and a nipple formed onto a conical portion at another end, the nipple being tapered with respect to the conical portion of the grub screw, the nipple being positionable in the preformed aperture of the second member and locatable in the fastener aperture, wherein in use, the second end of the fastener is positioned in the preformed cavity with the fastener aperture with the first countersunk peripheral surface aligned with the preformed aperture so that the first countersunk peripheral surface is exposed through the preformed aperture and is contacted when the grub screw is screwed and as the conical portion moves down the countersunk surface to substantially center the conical portion in the fastener aperture and the elongate fastener and hence the first member moves closer to the second member; and a housing having a substantially cylindrical side wall with two apertures on opposing sides of the housing for accommodating the fastener, the housing being positioned in the second member aperture and enabling the threaded cylindrical portion of the grub screw to screw into the housing and secure the fastener, the housing also having an aperture adjacent the second countersunk surface through which the nipple extends.

7. The connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the housing has no base wall.

8. The connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the fastener is positioned so that a portion of the first countersunk peripheral surface that is distal to the first member is exposed through the preformed aperture and is contacted by the conical portion when the grub screw is screwed into the fastener.

9. The connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the elongate fastener is a one-part fastener, the first end being integrally formed with the second end.

10. The connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the elongate fastener is a two-part fastener where the first end is formed by a first fastener part and the second end is formed by a separate second fastener part and the parts are connectable by a screw threaded connection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In order that the present invention can be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a connector assembly for connecting two furniture parts together according to a first embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view of a one-part screw threaded fastener of the connector assembly as shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the screw threaded fastener as shown in FIG. 2, where the phantom lines show the side edges of a fastener aperture;

(5) FIG. 4A is a diagrammatic top view of a countersunk surface of the fastener aperture as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4B is a diagrammatic part cross-sectional view of the fastener aperture shown in FIG. 4A;

(6) FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic end view of the screw threaded fastener as shown in FIG. 2, where the phantom lines show the side edges of a fastener aperture;

(7) FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a screw threaded nipple of the connector assembly of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7A is a diagrammatic partial view of the connector assembly as shown in FIG. 1 showing the screw threaded nipple positioned on the upper countersunk surface of the screw threaded fastener and FIG. 7B is a diagrammatic partial view of the connector assembly as shown in FIG. 7A showing the screw threaded nipple positioned in the fastener aperture;

(9) FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a connector assembly for connecting two furniture parts together according to a second embodiment of the invention;

(10) FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a two-part screw threaded fastener of the connector assembly as shown in FIG. 8;

(11) FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view cross-sectional view of a connector assembly for connecting two furniture parts together according to a third embodiment of the invention;

(12) FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view of ‘a nipple housing of the connector assembly as shown in FIG. 10;

(13) FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic side view of the nipple housing as shown in FIG. 11 showing the screw threaded nipple in phantom lines in the nipple housing;

(14) FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view cross-sectional view of a connector assembly for connecting two furniture parts together according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and

(15) FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view of an alternate nipple housing that does not have a base wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(16) With respect to FIGS. 1 to 7, there is shown a connector assembly 20 for connecting a first furniture part 22 to a second furniture part 23. The connector assembly 20 is a two component connector assembly with a one-part screw threaded fastener 24 and a screw threaded nipple 25.

(17) The screw threaded fastener 24 has a first end portion 27 with screw threads and a second end portion 28 with a fastener aperture 29. The fastener aperture 29 has countersunk peripheral surfaces 30, 31 about the fastener aperture 29 and on opposing sides of the fastener 24. The fastener aperture 29 has a constricted portion 32 formed between the opposing countersunk peripheral surfaces 30, 31.

(18) The screw threaded nipple 25 has a cylindrical portion 33 and a conical-like portion 34. The cylindrical portion 33 has an outer surface with screw threads 35 and a tool recess 36 at the free end of the cylindrical portion 33 to accommodate an Allen key for tightening or loosening the nipple 25.

(19) The interaction between the screw threaded fastener 24 and the screw threaded nipple 25 to connect the first furniture part 22 to the second furniture part 23 will now be described.

(20) The second furniture part 23 has a preformed elongate cavity that can accommodate the second end portion 28 of the screw threaded fastener 24. The second furniture part 23 also has a preformed aperture that can accommodate the screw threaded nipple 25. The preformed aperture is positioned substantially at 90 degrees to the preformed cavity and opens to the preformed cavity.

(21) In order to connect the first furniture part 22 to the second furniture part 23, the first end portion 27 of the screw threaded fastener 24 is fixed to the first furniture part 22 whereas the second end portion 28 is positioned in the preformed cavity: The second end portion 28 is positioned whereby the fastener aperture 29 is aligned with the preformed aperture and the portion of the countersunk peripheral surface 30 distal from the end of the second furniture part 23 is exposed for contact by the screwed nipple 25. The presence of two countersunk peripheral surfaces 30, 31 facilitates alignment as half a turn of the fastener 24 will present and expose a countersunk peripheral surface 30, 31 as described above. With fasteners that have only one countersunk peripheral surface adjustment requires a full turn.

(22) The first furniture part 22 is connected to the second furniture part 23 by screwing the screw threaded nipple 25 into the second furniture part 23 via the preformed aperture. The following steps occur in sequential order when the screw threaded nipple 25 is screwed into the second furniture part 23.

(23) Firstly, the screw threaded nipple 25 is positioned on the upper countersunk surface 30 with the tip of the conical-like portion 34 near an outer edge 41 that is furthermost spaced from the first furniture part 22. This is shown in FIG. 7A. Secondly, the screw threaded nipple 25 is screwed into the second furniture part 23 to substantially center the screw threaded nipple 25 in the fastener aperture 29. This is shown in FIG. 7B.

(24) As the screw threaded nipple 25 is screwed into the second furniture part 23, the position of the tip of the conical-like portion 34 changes from the outer edge 41 of the countersunk surface 30 to the center of the fastener aperture 29.

(25) The downward movement of the nipple 25 moves the fastener 24 fixed to the first furniture part 22 so that the furniture parts 23, 22 move closer. As the screw threaded nipple 25 is screwed into furniture part 23 so that the conical-like portion 34 is substantially in the center of the fastener aperture 29, the furniture parts 22, 23 abut. The tip of the nipple 25 penetrates into the space on the other side of the fastener 24 in the preformed cavity. The nipple is screwed in and is countersunk to provide a neat and aesthetic finish.

(26) With respect to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown a three component connector assembly 45 for connecting a first furniture part 46 to a second furniture part 47. The connector assembly 45 has a two-part screw threaded fastener 48 and a screw threaded nipple 49. The connector assembly 45 is similar to the connector assembly 20 except that the screw threaded fastener 48 has a first fastener part 50 that is separate from a second fastener part 51. The first fastener part 50 has screw threads 52 at one end and a screw threaded projection 53 at an opposed end. The second fastener part 51 has a fastener recess with a complementary screw thread for engaging the screw thread of the screw threaded projection 53. The second fastener part 51 also has a fastener aperture 55 with two countersunk surfaces 56, 57.

(27) The connector assembly 45 can be used to connect a first furniture part 46 and a second furniture part 47 in a way similar to that described above for the connector assembly 20. The difference in connecting the two furniture parts 46, 47 with the connector assembly 45 is that the second fastener part 51 is attached to the first fastener part 50 through the screw threaded projection 53. During the assembling two furniture parts 46, 47 the first fastener part 50 is fixed to the first furniture part 46. The second fastener part 51 is screwed onto the screw threaded projection 53 and positioned in a preformed cavity of the second furniture part 47. The screw threaded projection 53 enables the second fastener part 51 to be rotated about the first fastener part 50. The second fastener part 51 can therefore be conveniently adjusted to align the fastener aperture 55 with the preformed aperture of the second furniture part 47 whereby one of the countersunk surfaces 56, 57 is exposed for contact by the nipple 49.

(28) The screw threaded nipple 49 is fixed to the second furniture part 47 in a manner similar to that described above for the screw threaded nipple 25.

(29) With respect to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, there is shown a four component connector assembly 61 for connecting a first furniture part 62 to a second furniture part 63. The connector assembly 61 has a two-part screw threaded fastener 65, a screw threaded nipple 66 and a nipple housing 67. The screw threaded fastener 65 has a fastener aperture 60 with two countersunk peripheral surfaces about the fastener aperture 60. The connector assembly 61 is similar to the connector assembly 45 described above except that the screw threaded nipple 66 is supported within the nipple housing 67 when the connector assembly 61 is assembled.

(30) The nipple housing 67 is cylindrical in shape with an arcuate side wall 69 and a base wall 70. The side wall 69 has two housing apertures 72, 73 on opposed sides of the side wall 69. The inner surface of the side wall 69 has a screw thread 74 that can engage the screw thread of the screw threaded nipple 66. The internal surface of the base wall 70 has a housing recess 75 for accommodating the tip 76 of the screw threaded nipple 66.

(31) The connection of the first furniture part 62 to the second furniture part 63 using the connector assembly 61 involves steps similar to those described above for connector assembly 45. The difference in connecting the two furniture parts 62, 63 with the connector assembly 61 is that the nipple housing 67 is positioned in a preformed aperture of the second furniture part 63 before the screw threaded fastener 65 is positioned in the second furniture part 63. The nipple housing 67 is positioned in the preformed aperture of the second furniture part 63 whereby the two housing apertures 72, 73 open to the preformed cavity. The screw threaded fastener 65 is then positioned and aligned in the preformed cavity of the second furniture part 63. The nipple housing 67 is positioned in the preformed aperture of the second furniture part 63 to enable the screw threaded fastener 65 to pass through the two housing apertures 72, 73 and align the fastener aperture 60 within the housing cavity 68. When the connector assembly 61 is assembled and the two furniture parts 62, 63 are connected to each other, the screw threaded nipple 66 is screwed to the nipple housing 67 and positioned substantially in the center of the fastener aperture 60 of the screw threaded fastener 65. This is shown in FIGS. 10 and 12.

(32) With respect to FIG. 13, there is shown a three component connector assembly 80 for connecting a first furniture part 85 to a second furniture part 86. The connector assembly 80 has a one-part screw threaded fastener 81, a screw threaded nipple 82 and a nipple housing 83. The connector assembly 80 is similar to the connector assembly 61 described above except that the screw threaded fastener 81 is a one-part instead of a two-part screw threaded fastener. The screw threaded fastener 81 is similar to the screw threaded fastener 24 of the connector assembly 20 described above.

(33) The connection of the first furniture part 85 to the second furniture part 86 involves steps similar to those described above for connector assembly 61.

(34) FIG. 14 shows an alternate nipple housing which is similar to those previously described except that there is no base wall. The alternate nipple housing 90 is substantially cylindrical with an internal threaded surface 91 and opposing side wall apertures 92.

ADVANTAGES

(35) The advantages of the preferred embodiments of the connector assembly include that they have relatively few parts and provide a tight and aesthetically pleasing finish. The connection formed by the connector assembly has the advantage that it relies on both longitudinal and lateral forces thereby making it difficult to dislodge the connection.

VARIATIONS

(36) It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

(37) Throughout the description and claims this specification the word “comprise” and variations of that word such as “comprises” and “comprising”, are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.