Patent ID: 9249818
Filing Date: 2016-02-02
CPC Classification: A47B,B21D,F16B

Claim Text:
1. A connector assembly for use with posts having a cylindrical cross-section of diameter D with a wedging sleeve to position shelves along a longitudinal axis of the post, the sleeve having a frusto-conical outer surface with a first, small sleeve end and a second, larger sleeve end with both ends encircling the longitudinal axis during use, the connector comprising: a first collar having first and second mating collar parts which when mated form a frusto-conical surface sized to encircle and wedge against the sleeve during use, each collar part having two distal ends with a projection on each distal end, the projections on the first collar part extending in the same direction along the longitudinal axis, the projections on the second collar part extending in the same direction along the longitudinal axis but opposite to the direction of the first projections during use, each collar part having an inner surface extending along the frusto-conical surface of the collar, the distal ends being separated by a gap sufficiently large to allow the post to pass laterally through the gap during use, each projection forming a side of a recess adjoining each projection, the recess extending in a direction along the longitudinal axis that is opposite the direction of the projection adjoining that recess, each recess configured to receive a projection on the other collar part, the recesses extending entirely through a thickness of the collar part in which the recess is formed; and a tab extending outward from the second mating collar part a distance sufficient for a person to engage the tab with a finger and move it along the longitudinal axis when the connector assembly is assembled.