Patent ID: 6789977
Filing Date: 2004-09-14
Classification: A47B,E04B,F16B,Y10T

Abstract:
A connector system for joining and rigidly fixing two substantially planar composite fiber building panels, each panel having a front and back surface bounded by a top, bottom, left vertical, and right vertical side edge surface, each edge surface having a width approximately equal to the thickness of the panel, said connector system comprising:a substantially flat and bilaterally symmetric shaped connector member, said connector member having a uniformly textured surface; a first recess formed into a right or left side edge of a first composite fiber panel, said recess having an elongated form and oriented along said side edge recess defining a shaped cavity for concealably receiving a portion of said connector member with a friction fit along a front recess surface and a rear recess surface, said recess being positioned at a specific distance from said front surface, said connector member being installed and affixed into said first recess such that a portion of the connector member is not contained within said first recess, said first recess being further sized to provide a free space above and below said connector member when said connector member is received therein and to provide for limited movement of said connector member within said free spaces; a second recess formed into a right or left side edge of a second composite fiber panel, said right or left edge being chosen so as to be an opposing edge to the first panel edge, said second recess also having the general form of a slot oriented along said side edge recess defining a shaped cavity for concealably receiving said portion of said connector member not contained within said first recess, said recess being positioned at said specific distance from said second panel front surface so that said first and second panels may be arranged with juxtapositioned opposing edges and may be assembled to each other by moving said first and second panels together, bringing the opposing edges in contact while said portion of the connector member acts as an alignment guide while being received into the second recess with a friction fit along a front recess surface and a rear recess surface, thus concealing the connector member and rendering the front surfaces of the two panels in a co-planar orientation, said second recess being further sized to provide a free space above and below said connector member when said connector member is received therein and to provide for limited movement of said connector member within said free spaces; and a securing means for retaining said connector member into said second recess.