GB2237091A - Connecting means - Google Patents

Abstract

A connecting system, e.g. for furniture, comprises a peg (1) having a head at one or each end and a socket member (6) having a bore to accept said peg (1). A resiliently deformable portion at or adjacent one end of the socket member lockingly engages the head of said peg (1) to prevent its withdrawal. The socket member (6) has a mounting flange (9), and is dimensioned to project through a component (13), (14) of a pair of components to be assembled between a reverse surface (13b, 14b) of said component and an abutting surface (13a, 14a) thereof, whereby said mounting flange is located adjacent to and is affixable to said reverse surface. <IMAGE>

Description

CONNECTING MEANS AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF The present invention relates to peg and socket connecting means and a method of use thereof. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to connecting means which comprise snap-lockiny sockets, and a method of use thereof in assembling modular furniture.

As used hereinafter, the term "abutting surface" is defined as that surface of a component of a pair of components to be assembled which substantially abuts a second component of said pair of components.

The ease of fitment and use of this type of connecting means is its prime attraction.

It is known to provide a snap-locking socket which would simply be sunken into and nailed to one of the abutting surfaces of adjacent modular components to be joined together. In such cases a head of a peg may be inserted within the socket and relative compression of the peg and socket then forces the head of the peg into locking engagement with the socket. The joining of two adjacent modular components is accomplished using either a doubleheaded peg to fit into a snap-locking socket in each of the two components, or a single headed peg which is fixed to one of the modular components by alternative means and fits into a socket of the other.

Whilst the peg may be secured firmly to the or each socket, there is a significant problem with the above described connecting means in that the resulting joint is only as strong as the fixture of the or each socket to the respective component. It is an object of the present invention to overcome this problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a connecting system which comprises: a peg having a head at one end; and a socket member having a bore to accept said peg and having a resiliently deformable portion at or adjacent one end to engage lockingly the head of said peg to prevent its withdrawal, said socket member having a mounting flange, and being dimensioned to project through a component of a pair of components to be assembled between a reverse surface of said component and an abutting surface thereof, whereby said mounting flange is located adjacent to and is affixable to said reverse surface.

Preferably the peg is provided with two heads, one at each end, and a pair of said socket members is provided, each affixable to a respective one of said pair of components.

Preferably the socket member is constructed of nylon or other suitable plastics material.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of assembling modular furniture which comprises the steps of: providing a peg having a head at one end; providing a socket member having a bore to accept said peg and having a resiliently deformable portion at or adjacent one end to engage lockingly the head of said peg to prevent is withdrawal, said socket member having a mounting flange and being dimensioned so as to project through a component of a pair of components to be assembled between a reverse surface of said component and an abutting surface thereof that said mounting flange may be located adjacent to and be affixable to said reverse surface; projecting said socket member through a component of a pair of components of modular furniture to be assembled from a reverse surface of said component to an abutting surface thereof such that the mounting flange of said socket member abuts said reverse surface; affixing said socket via said mounting flange to said reverse surface; inserting said head of said peg into said socket member from the direction of the abutting surface; and pressing together said peg and said socket member to cause said head to become engaged lockingly with said resiliently deformable portion of said socket member, and thereby join together the pair of components.

Preferably said socket is fitted to said modular furniture component during manufacture of said component.

Preferably nail means are provided for affixing said socket to said reverse surface.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a peg of a preferred embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the peg of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a socket member of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the socket member of Figure 3; FIGURE 5 is a schematic perspective view of a connecting system embodying the present invention; and FIGURE 6 is a schematic perspective view of the connecting system of Figure 5 illustrating the method of use of the connecting system embodying the present invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a double-headed peg 1 which is a symmetrical item having a longitudinally extending shaft divided into two equal portions 2,2' by an annular flange 3. The outer extremity 5,5' of each shaft portion 2,2' is tapered but terminates in a head 4,4' of diameter substantially equal to that of the shaft portion 2,2'.

This head 4,4' creates an inner ledge 4a which during insertion of the peg into a socket faces rearwardly of the direction of motion of the peg 1.

A socket member 6 is shown in Figures 3 and 4 and is constructed of a tough, resilient plastics material such as nylon. The socket member 6 comprises a peg-receiving cylindrical portion 7a having a bore 8a, and a peg-locking frusto-conical portion 7b having a bore Sb. The peglocking portion 7b of the socket 6 has lateral slits 11 therein to enable radially outward resilient deformation and thus radial expansion of the portion 7b. An external flange 9 allows the socket member 6 to be affixed to a modular component of modular furniture. A pair of holes 10.

are provided in the flange 9 to accept nails or the like for fixture of the socket member 6.

As illustrated in Figure 5, connection of a head 4' of the peg 1 and a socket member 6 is accomplished by first inserting the head 4' of the peg 1 into the bore 8a of peg-receiving portion 7a of the socket member 6, and then pressing together the socket member 6 and the peg 1 sufficiently hard that the peg head 4' deforms the socket member peg-locking portion 7b outwardly to expand the bore 8b thereof and pass therethrough. Once the peg head 4' has penetrated through the locking portion 7b it is prevented from subsequent withdrawal by resilient return of the locking portion 7b to constrict around the tapered part 5' of the peg shaft portion 2' whereby an end of the locking portion 7b, abuts the inner ledge 4a of the peg head 4'.

Penetrating motion of the peg head 4' is then halted by abutment of the annular flange 3 of the peg 1 against the peg-receiving portion 7a of the socket member 6.

Installation of a pair of socket members 6 and use of the complete connecting system to assemble two components of modular furniture is illustrated in Figure 6.

The peg-receiving portion of each socket member 6 is projected through a hole penetrating a respective component 13,14 from a reverse second surface 13b,14b thereof to an abutting surface 13a,14a thereof, where the respective abutting surfaces 13a and 14a are those surfaces of components 13 and 14 which substantially abut each other at joining.

The mounting flange 9 of each of said socket members 6 is fixed to the respective reverse surface 13b,14b by nails 12 inserted in the holes 10 of the flange 9. This fixture is sufficiently strong to hold each socket member 6 against the respective reverse surface 13b,14b while the components 13,14 are being compressed relatively to force the respective heads 4,4' of the peg 1 to penetrate the respective locking portions 7b of the component mounted socket members 6.

Upon locking engagement of each head 4,4' of the peg 1 with a respective socket member 6, the nails 12 mounting each respective socket member 6 to the respective component reverse surfaces 13b,14b become effectively redundant, being replaced by the far stronger joint formed by the peg 1 linking the socket members 6 and holding the components 13 and 14 securely together by means of the flanges 9 bearing on the respective reverse surfaces.

Whereas the preferred form of the peg is doubleheaded, a single-headed peg may be used which is pre-fixed or later attached to one of the pair of components to be joined by an alternative type of fixture such as, for example, by soldering or screwing.

A plurality of connection means embodying the present invention may, of course, be used to join a pair of components of modular furniture. Indeed, because of the nature of the peg and socket joint, having a rotational degree of freedom, thereabout, it may be desirable to use more than one peg and socket connecting means in joining two components, to prevent any such rotation.

Although it is envisaged that the present invention will be of greatest value in the modular furniture industry (where the term furniture covers sheds, awnings, trellises and other outdoor furniture constructions in addition to indoor furniture) the connecting means and method embodying the invention may be applied wherever a secure, simple to use and rapidly fitted joint is required that does not need to be very close fitting or releasable. If a close fitting joint is required, the holes may be countersunk to accept the flange 3 of the peg between them.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS:

1. A connecting system which comprises: a peg having a head at one end; and a socket member having a bore to accept said peg and having a resiliently deformable portion at or adjacent one end to engage lockingly the head of said peg to prevent its withdrawal, said socket member having a mounting flange, and being dimensioned to project through a component of a pair of components to be assembled between a reverse surface of said component and an abutting surface thereof, whereby said mounting flange is located adjacent to and is affixable to said reverse surface.

2. A connecting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peg is provided with two heads, one at each end, and a pair of said socket members is provided, each affixable to a respective one of said pair of components.

3. A connecting system as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the socket member is constructed of nylon or other suitable plastics material.

4. A connecting system substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A method of assembling modular furniture which comprises the steps of: providing a peg having a head at one end; providing a socket member having a bore to accept said peg and having a resiliently deformable portion at or adjacent one end to engage lockingly the head of said peg to prevent its withdrawal, said socket member having a mounting flange and being dimensioned so as to project through a component of a pair of components to be assembled between a reverse surface of said component and an abutting surface thereof with said mounting flange located adjacent to and affixable to said reverse surface; projecting said socket member through a component of a pair of components of modular furniture to be assembled from a reverse surface of said component to an abutting surface thereof such that the mounting flange of said socket member abuts said reverse surface; affixing said socket via said mounting flange to said reverse surface; inserting said head of said peg into said socket member from the direction of the abutting surface; and pressing together said peg and said socket member to cause said head to become engaged lockingly with said resiliently deformable portion of said socket member, and thereby join together the pair of components.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said socket is fitted to said modular furniture component during manufacture of said component.

7. A method as claimed in either claim 5 or claim 6, wherein nail means are provided for affixing said socket to said reverse surface.

8. A method of assembling modular furniture substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.