Patent ID: 8234983
Filing Date: 2012-08-07
Classification: A47B

Abstract:
1. In a post and beam furniture construction with at least two posts that are elongated members extending generally upward from a floor end to an opposite terminal end and that have a length from the floor end to the terminal end, and with at least one beam interconnected between the two posts, an improved connection, comprising: a mounting surface extending along the length of each post with the two posts comprising first and second posts and being spaced apart with their mounting surfaces facing one another, each mounting surface having two opposing edges that extend along the post length with a rail portion extending along each opposing edge and a plurality of openings disposed along the length between the rail portions, each of said plurality of openings being adapted to receive an end of a beam and each of said plurality of openings defining a rung portion between the rail portions, each rail portion having an array of accessory receptacles defined along the rail portion; a beam having an elongated body with a length, with a first beam end, and with an opposite second beam end, each beam end having a jaw portion with an upper jaw comprising an upper and lower pair of downward extending teeth, the upper jaw being adapted to releasably capture a selected one of said rung portions therein, the upper jaw of the first beam end capturing a selected one of said rung portions of the first post, the upper jaw of the second beam end capturing a selected one of said rung portions of the second post that aligns with the selected rung portion of the first post, the first beam end jaw portion being a separable member having an elongated jaw body with a jaw end and an opposite tail end that slides along the beam length in telescoping engagement; a fastener that secures the tail end of the jaw body to the body of the beam at a predetermined position relative to the beam length; and an accessory connected with one of the accessory receptacles of the first and second posts; one of the first and second beam end jaw portions has a lower jaw with a pair of upward extending teeth that cooperate with the upper jaw and captures the selected one of said rung portions; and wherein the lower pair of downward extending teeth, together with the pair of upward extending teeth, pass through a single one of the openings in the mounting surface of the first post.