A connector assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to fittings or connecting sets for furniture, countertops, cabinets, beams and the like. The description will include references to joining pieces of furniture and countertops, but this is only an example and the invention is not limited to these examples.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Joining two different pieces of furniture is often difficult because nails and screws do not provide a smooth and aesthetic finish. In addition, there is often a small gap or space between the two pieces of furniture, and it is difficult to get a resistive connection.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION [0003] The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative connector assembly that solves one or more of the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] Description of the invention FR 1,331,299 A discloses a method of assembling panels comprising the use of a cylindrical bolt having one end attached to the first panel and the other end which is held in the second panel where it is subjected to the operation of the second panel retaining device, which ensures locking between the panels.

[0005] Description of the invention DE 29 50 297 A1 discloses a device for joining panels. It includes a plate having two holes, the first half of the plate including one of the holes is placed in a groove made in the first element in which the plate is attached by screwing a grub screw perpendicular to the extension of the plate and into the hole made in the plate. The upper half of the plate is attached to the other element in the same way.

[0006] Description of the invention US 4 045 927 A1 discloses a wall structure comprising a plurality of sections of wall panels joined together by an anchor plate,

- 2 MGS ref .: 355

EN 2 235 384 which has a truncated cone hole at each of the two ends. The ends are placed in anchoring or connecting side members mounted in respective, mutually juxtaposed panel sections. The plate is connected to these members by means of connecting bolts, each of which has a screw end portion for threaded engagement with one of the anchoring side members, and an intermediate tapered bolt portion engaging with a corresponding hole in the form of a truncated cone in the anchoring or holding rod or plate in such that when the connecting bolts are engaged by screwing to the respective side members, parts of the truncated cone bolts are moved relative to the holes in the anchor plate, so that adjacent connecting members, together with their panel sections, are put together so that they adhere tightly to each other.

[0007] The description of the invention US 4 116 573 A discloses a connection in which the end of the first member is attached to the side of the second member via a releasable rod. One end of the rod is screwed into the socket attached to the side of the other member. The other end of the rod extends into the hole at the end of the first member. An internally threaded second seat is located in a transverse hole in the first member and said second end of the rod extends in the second seat. The conically ended grub screw is screwed into the second seat and engages with the deep conical recess in the rod side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The invention generally relates to a connector assembly according to claim 1 for fastening two members.

[0009] The first and second members may be parts of furniture, cabinet parts and the like and may be made of wood, chipboard, cardboard, plywood, cellular board and the like; or made of plastic. [0010] Preferably, the connector is positioned such that a portion of the countersinked conically peripheral surface that is spaced from the first member is exposed through a pre-made hole and can contact the pin when it is screwed into the connector.

- 3 MGS ref. 355

[0011] The other end of the elongated connector preferably has a conically recessed surface around the periphery of the connector opening on both sides of the elongate connector.

[0012] The opening of the coupling preferably has a tapered portion formed by opposing circumferential conically countersunk surfaces of the coupling bore, which distances two conically countersunk surfaces from each other.

[0013] Preferably, the other end of the elongated connector has a connector cavity to accommodate a screwdriver head or Allen key.

[0014] According to the invention, the elongated connector is a two-piece connector in which the first end is formed by the first connector part and the second end is formed by a separate second connector part and these parts can be connected by a threaded connection. The first coupling part has a threaded part at one end and a threaded protrusion at the opposite end. The second part of the coupling has a coupling recess for receiving a threaded projection. The coupling recess preferably has an internal thread that matches the thread of the threaded projection.

[0015] The threaded bolt preferably has a cylindrical threaded portion and a tapered portion.

[0016] The conical part preferably has a blunt tip.

[0017] Preferably, the threaded bolt has a flange portion between the cylindrical portion and the conical portion.

[0018] The pin can preferably be clamped or loosened using a screwdriver or Allen key fitted into the tool cavity at its end.

[0019] The threaded bolt is preferably retained in the bolt housing when the connecting assembly is assembled. The pin housing preferably has a housing recess surrounded by a substantially cylindrical sidewall that has two opposite openings for housing the fitting.

[0020] The pin housing in one embodiment has a base wall and in another embodiment does not have a base wall. In one embodiment, there is a base wall that has an internal recess in the housing to accommodate the tip

- 4 MGS ref .: 355

PL / EP 2 235 384 threaded pin. In another embodiment, there is a base wall with a hole in the base to seat the tip of the threaded bolt.

[0021] Preferably, the inner surface of the side wall has a thread. The thread of the inner surface may advantageously engage with the thread of the threaded bolt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0022] For easier understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which partly illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-section of a connecting assembly not according to the invention for connecting two pieces of furniture together;

Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the one-piece threaded fitting of the connector assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a threaded fitting as shown in Figure 2, wherein the dashed lines represent the lateral edges of the coupling opening;

Figure 4A is a schematic top view of the conically countersunk surface of the coupling opening as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4B is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the coupling opening shown in Figure 4A;

Figure 5 is a schematic front view of a threaded fitting as shown in Figure 2, wherein the dashed lines represent the lateral edges of the coupling opening;

Figure 6 is a schematic view of the threaded bolt of the connector assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 7A is a schematic partial view of the coupler assembly as shown in Figure 1 showing a threaded bolt arranged on the upper conically countersunk surface of the threaded fitting and

- 5 MGS ref .: 355

PL / EP 2 235 384

Figure 7B is a schematic partial view of the coupler assembly as shown in Figure 7A showing a threaded bolt disposed in the opening of the coupling;

Figure 8 is a schematic cross-section of a connector assembly according to the invention for connecting two pieces of furniture together;

Figure 9 is a schematic view of the two-piece threaded fitting of the connector assembly shown in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a schematic cross-section of a connector assembly for joining together two pieces of furniture according to another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 11 is a schematic view of the housing of the bolt of the connector assembly shown in Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a schematic side view of the pin housing as shown in Figure 11 showing the threaded pin marked with dashed lines in the pin housing;

Figure 13 is a schematic cross-section of a connector assembly not according to the invention for connecting two pieces of furniture together; and

Figure 14 is a schematic view of an alternative pin housing that does not have a base wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0023] Referring to Figures 1 to 7, a connector assembly 20 not according to the invention is shown 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-piece threaded connector 24 and threaded pin 25.

[0024] The threaded coupling 24 has a first end portion 27 with threads and a second end portion 28 with a coupling bore 29. The coupling bore 29 has conically recessed peripheral surfaces 30, 31 around the coupling bore 29 on opposite sides of the coupling 24. The bore of the coupling 29 has

- 6 MGS ref .: 355

The tapered portion 32 formed between opposite conically countersunked peripheral surfaces 30, 31.

[0025] The threaded pin 25 has a cylindrical part 33 and a conical part 34. The cylindrical part 33 has an outer surface with threads 35 and a tool recess 36 at the free end of the cylindrical part 33 to accommodate an allen key for clamping or loosening the pin 25.

[0026] Next, the interaction between the threaded nipple 24 and the threaded pin 25 to connect the first furniture part 22 to the second furniture part 23 will be described.

[0027] The second part of the furniture 23 has a pre-made elongated recess that can accommodate the second end part 28 of the threaded connection 24. The second part of the furniture 23 also has a pre-made hole that can accommodate the threaded bolt 25. The pre-made hole is generally placed at an angle of 90 degrees to the pre-made cavity and so that it opens into the pre-made cavity.

In order to connect the first part of the furniture 22 to the second part of the furniture 23, the first end part 27 of the threaded fitting 24 is attached to the first part of the furniture 22, while the second end part 28 is placed in a pre-formed cavity. The second end portion 28 is positioned so that the opening of the fitting 29 aligns with the pre-drilled hole and a portion of the conically countersunk peripheral surface 30 distant from the end of the second portion of furniture 23 is exposed to contact the threaded bolt 25. The presence of two conically countersunk peripheral surfaces 30 , 31 facilitates leveling because half of the rotation of the coupling 24 will reveal and expose the conically deepened peripheral surface 30, 31 as described above. If the fittings have only one conically deepened peripheral surface, the fitting requires full rotation.

[0029] The first part of the furniture 22 is connected to the second part of the furniture 23 by screwing the threaded bolt 25 into the second part of the furniture 23 behind

- 7 MGS ref .: 355

PL / EP 2 235 384 via a pre-made hole. When the threaded bolt 25 is screwed into the second part of the furniture 23, the following subsequent steps take place.

[0030] First, the threaded bolt 25 is placed on the upper tapered countersunk surface 30 with the tip of the tapered portion 34 near the outer edge 41, which is furthest from the first portion of the furniture 22. This is shown in Figure 7A. Then, the threaded bolt 25 is screwed into the second portion of the furniture 23 to essentially center the threaded bolt 25 in the opening of the coupling 29. This is shown in Figure 7B.

[0031] When the threaded bolt 25 is screwed into the second part of the furniture 23, the position of the tip of the conical part 34 changes from the outer edge 41 of the conically countersunk surface 30 to the center of the opening of the fitting 29.

[0032] The downward movement of the pin 25 moves the connector 24 attached to the first part of the furniture 22 in such a way that the parts of the furniture 23, 22 approach each other. When the threaded bolt 25 is screwed into a part of the furniture 23 such that the conical part 34 is substantially in the middle of the coupling hole 29, the furniture parts 22, 23 abut against each other. The tip of the pin 25 enters the space on the other side of the coupling 24 in the pre-formed cavity. The bolt is screwed in and countersunk to ensure a smooth and aesthetic finish.

[0033] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, a connector assembly 45 with three components for connecting a first furniture part 46 to a second furniture part 47 is shown. The connector assembly 45 has a two-piece threaded connector 48 and a threaded bolt 49. The connector assembly 45 is similar to the connector assembly 20 except that the threaded coupling 48 has a first coupling portion 50 that is separate from the second coupling portion 51. The first coupling part 50 has threads 52 at one end and a threaded projection 53 at the opposite end. The second part of the coupling 51 has a coupling recess with a suitable thread for engaging the threads of the threaded projection 53. The second part of the coupling 51 also has a coupling opening 55 with two conically recessed surfaces 56, 57.

- 8 MGS ref .: 355

[0034] The connector assembly 45 can be used to connect the first part of the furniture 46 to the second part of the furniture 47 in a manner similar to that described above for the connector assembly 20. The difference in connecting two parts of the furniture 46, 47 by means of an assembly connector 45 consists in that the second connector part 51 is attached to the first connector part 50 via a threaded projection 53. When assembling the two furniture parts 46, 47, the first connector part 50 is attached to the first furniture part 46. The second part of the coupling 51 is screwed onto the threaded projection 53 and placed in the pre-formed recess of the second part of the furniture 47. The threaded projection 53 allows the second part of the coupling 51 to rotate around the first part of the coupling 50. The second part of the coupling 51 can therefore be conveniently adjusted to align connector hole 55 with a pre-made hole in the other part of the furniture 47, whereby one of the conically recessed surfaces 56, 57 is exposed so that it contacts the pin 49.

[0035] The threaded bolt 49 is attached to the second part of the furniture 47 in a similar manner to that described above for the threaded bolt 25.

[0036] Referring to Figures 10, 11 and 12, there is shown a connector assembly 61 with four components for connecting a first furniture part 62 to a second furniture part 63. The connector assembly 61 has a two-piece threaded connector 65, a threaded bolt 66 and a pin housing 67. Threaded connector 65 has a connector hole 60 with two conically recessed surfaces around the connector hole 60. The link assembly 61 is similar to the link assembly 45 described above except that the threaded bolt 66 is retained in the pin housing 67 when the link assembly 61 is assembled.

[0037] The housing of the pin 67 has a cylindrical shape with an arched sidewall 69 and a base wall 7 0. The sidewall 69 has two openings in the housing 72, 73 on opposite sides of the sidewall 69. The inner surface of the sidewall 69 has a thread 74 which may engage with threaded bolt thread 66. Inner wall surface

- 9 MGS ref. 355

The base 70 has a recess in the housing 75 to accommodate the tip 76 of the threaded bolt 66.

[0038] Connecting the first piece of furniture 62 to the second piece of furniture 63 using the link assembly 61 requires steps similar to those described above for the link assembly 45. The difference in connecting two pieces of furniture 62, 63 using the link assembly 61 is that the housing the pin 67 is placed in the pre-made hole of the second piece of furniture 63 before the threaded connector 65 is placed in the second piece of furniture 63. The housing of the pin 67 is placed in a pre-made opening of the second part of the furniture 63, whereby two holes in the housing 72, 73 open into the pre-made recess. The threaded fitting 65 is then placed and aligned with the pre-formed recess of the second piece of furniture 63. The housing of the pin 67 is placed in the pre-made hole of the second part of the furniture 63 to allow the threaded connector 65 to pass through the two holes in the housing 72, 73 and align it with the hole 60 in the housing cavity 68. When the connector assembly 61 is assembled and the two parts of the furniture 62 , 63 are connected to each other, the threaded bolt 66 is screwed to the bolt housing 67 and positioned substantially in the center of the opening of the fitting 60 of the threaded fitting 65. This is illustrated in Figures 10 and 12.

[0039] Referring to Figure 13, a connector assembly 80 with three components not according to the invention is shown for connecting a first furniture part 85 to a second furniture part 86. The connector assembly 80 has a one-piece threaded coupling 81, a threaded bolt 82 and a pin housing 83. The connector assembly 80 is similar to the connector assembly 61 described above except that the threaded fitting 81 is a one-piece and not a two-piece threaded fitting. Threaded fitting 81 is similar to threaded fitting 24 of the coupler assembly 20 described above.

[0040] Connecting the first furniture part 85 to the second furniture part 86 requires steps similar to those described above for the connecting assembly 61. [0041] Figure 14 shows an alternative pin housing that is similar to those previously described except that it has no wall base. Alternative pin housing 90 is substantially cylindrical with

- 10 MGS ref .: 355

The internal threaded surface 91 and opposite holes 92 in the side wall.

BENEFITS OF THE INVENTION [0042] Advantages of preferred embodiments of the connector assembly include that they have relatively few parts and provide a close and aesthetic finish. The connection formed by the connector assembly has the advantage of both longitudinal and lateral forces that make breaking the connection difficult.

VARIATIONS OF THE INVENTION [0043] Of course, it will be appreciated that the above description is given by way of illustrative example of the present invention, and all of the given and other modifications and variations obvious to those skilled in the art are within the broad scope and limits of the present invention set forth herein.

[0044] In the description and claims of the present specification, the word "contain" and variations of the word such as "contains" and "containing" are not intended to exclude other additions, components, integers or steps.

Małgorzata Gizińska-Schohe patent attorney

- 11 MGS ref .: 355

PL / EP 2 235 384