Abstract:
An insertion connector ( 1 ) is provided for hollow profiled elements ( 17, 18 ) of spacers or mullions for insulating glass panes. The insertion connector includes lateral walls ( 3 ) and at least one central wall ( 2 ) having at least one long opening ( 9 ) extending along the longitudinal axis  23 ) of the connector. At least one holding element ( 7 ) projects from the central wall ( 2 ). The holding element ( 7 ) is arranged adjacently to the through-opening ( 9 ). The insertion connector ( 1 ) can include other holding elements on the lateral walls ( 3 ).

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a United States National Phase application of International Application PCT/EP2009/062684 and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of German Patent Application DE 20 2008 013 046.8 filed Oct. 2, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention pertains to a plug-in connector with spacers or staves for insulating glass panes, wherein said the plug-in connector has at least one middle wall and side walls as well as at least one retaining element. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Such plug-in connectors are known from practice. They are used to connect hollow sections of spacers or staves for insulating glass panes and may be designed as angle brackets or straight connectors. The plug-in connector has at least one middle wall and side walls as well as one or more retaining elements, which are arranged in practice at the free edges of the side walls. 
         [0004]    It is, furthermore, known for other plug-in connectors that clamps can be pushed from the outside through the hollow sections and the plug-in connector into end plugs of staves arranged opposite each other. Plug-in connectors with large-area openings at the bottom for passing through the clamp are known for this purpose, in which case three narrow webs are present at the ends and in the middle of a straight plug-in connector instead of an area-covering middle wall. 
         [0005]    In addition, it is known from other areas that massive bottom parts or middle walls can be equipped with lamellae or spring bosses as retaining elements, which mesh with ribs, rows of perforations or similar elevations at the adjacent inner wall of the hollow section. The bottoms or middle walls of the plug-in connector are arched concavely or have recessed grooves for receiving the spring. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The object of the present invention is to show a plug-in connector, which can be used universally and which is also suitable for the use of clamps or other fastening elements for external attached parts. 
         [0007]    According to the invention, a plug-in connector is provided for hollow sections of spacers or staves for insulating glass panes. The plug-in connector has at least one middle wall and side walls as well as at least one retaining element. The middle wall has at least one elongated passage opening extending along the connector longitudinal axis as well as at least one projecting retaining element. 
         [0008]    The plug-in connector has one or more passage openings at least one middle wall, which permit the passage of clamps or other fastening elements. The passage openings are made narrow and have a limited length. They have an elongated shape and may also extend centrally as well as in the longitudinal direction of the connector. This is advantageous for the passage and positioning of clamps or the like. Furthermore, the middle wall can be made rather massive as a result and impart high rigidity to the connector. The plug-in connector being claimed, especially in the form of a straight connector, combines, due to this shape, a high mechanical stability with suitability for an at least extensively unobstructed passage of clamps or other fastening elements. 
         [0009]    Due to the fact that a small area is required for the passage opening, it is possible to additionally arrange retaining elements, for example, opened spring bosses, at the middle wall. These may be coordinated with rows of perforations that may be present and positioned correspondingly. Optimized retaining action can be achieved as a result. 
         [0010]    The plug-in connector being claimed is especially suitable for so-called warm edge sections of spacers, which may consist in part of plastic or have a very small wall thickness, e.g., in case of stainless steel sections. It is favorable for such connections if the plug-in connector has an essentially Ω-shaped cross section. Optimized adaptation to the shape of the hollow section with absorption of the tolerances of the hollow section as well as an especially good retaining action can be achieved by means of lateral bulges of the bent side walls and formation of spring bridges. 
         [0011]    A closely spaced and adjoining arrangement of the one or more retaining elements at the passage opening offers advantages in terms of manufacturing technology, especially for plug-in connectors that are designed as punched and bent parts made of metal. Opening of the passage opening and of the retaining elements, of which there preferably is a plurality which are arranged in pairs and on both sides of the passage opening, can thus be achieved in one punching operation along with the bending out of these retaining elements. 
         [0012]    The present invention is represented as an example and schematically in the drawings. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a plug-in connector with passage openings and retaining elements at its bottom-side middle wall; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the plug-in connector from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is the corresponding and enlarged front view of the plug-in connector from  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the plug-in connector from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a cut-away and enlarged bottom view of a middle wall with passage openings and retaining elements; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a cut-away and enlarged perspective view of the area of the passage opening and of two adjacent retaining elements; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a schematic and partly cut-away side view of a plug-in connector in two spacer hollow sections with a clamp shot through along with an end piece attached thereto; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a front view of a hollow section with a plug-in connector. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    The present invention pertains to a plug-in connector  1  for hollow sections  17 ,  18  of spacers or staves for insulating glass panes. The present invention pertains, furthermore, to an arrangement of hollow sections  17 ,  18  with a plug-in connector  1  and with an additional attached part, which is fixed by means of a clamp  19  passed through the plug-in connector  1  or of another fastening element. 
         [0023]    The plug-in connector  1  may be designed optionally as an angle bracket or as a straight connector. A straight connector is shown in the exemplary embodiments shown. The features thereof may also be extrapolated to an angle bracket with a corresponding adaptation. 
         [0024]    As is illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the plug-in connector  1  is used, e.g., to connect two hollow sections  17  of a spacer frame for an insulating glass pane. The other parts of the insulating glass pane are not shown for the sake of clarity. The spacer frame with the sections  17  surrounds on the outside an inner, hollow pane interior space  22  in a ring-shaped manner. The aforementioned attached parts, which are designed, e.g., as hollow sections  18 , e.g., stave sections, as end plugs  20  or the like and are fixed to the spacer frame and hollow sections  17  thereof in a suitable manner by one or more fastening elements  19 , may be located in said pane interior space  22 . These fastening elements may be, e.g., essentially U-shaped clamps, which are led from the outside through the hollow section  17  and the plug-in connector  1  into the pane interior space  22  and act there, e.g., on an end piece  20  of a stave section  18  consisting of plastic and fix same. The clamps or fastening elements  19  are shot, e.g., through the hollow section  17  and the plug-in connector  1  with compressed air. The stave section  18  is placed on the end piece  20  in a positive-locking manner and on the outside and is led hereby in the pane interior space  22  and held by means of a flat contact of the end piece  20  fixed on the inside of the hollow section  17 . 
         [0025]    The plug-in connector  1  is designed in a suitable manner for the passage of one or more fastening elements  19 . In the preferred embodiment shown, it has an Ω-shaped cross section and has lateral bulges  11 .  FIGS. 3 and 8  illustrate this design. In addition, it is seen in  FIG. 8  that the hollow section  17  has a corresponding hammerhead shape with two lateral bulges  11  at the lower edge or bottom area pointing towards the pane interior space  22 . The plug-in connector  1  is adapted to the inner shape of the hollow section  17 . If the hollow section  17  is a stave section itself, the cross-sectional shape of the plug-in connector  1  is correspondingly different. In another variant of the preferred embodiments shown, the cross section of the plug-in connector  1  may be essentially U-shaped. It may also have a closed box shape. 
         [0026]    The plug-in connector  1  has at least one middle wall  2  and two side walls  3  adjoining on both sides. In addition, it has at least one retaining element  6 ,  7 ,  8 , which ensures mechanical retention, e.g., by digging into the hollow section  17 , which locks it against being pulled out. In the embodiment shown, the plug-in connector  1  has a hollow interior space  14 , which is continuously open axially and through which a desiccant not shown present in the hollow section  17  can flow. Obliquely positioned tongues  16 , which originate from the middle wall  2 , may be located at the open front sides  15 . 
         [0027]    In the embodiment shown, the plug-in connector  1  is installed in the hollow section  17 , e.g., according to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , such that its middle wall  2  forms a bottom part and points towards the pane interior space  22 . The middle wall  2  has at least one elongated and narrow passage opening  9  and at least one projecting retaining element  7 . 
         [0028]    The passage opening  9  extends along the longitudinal axis  23  of the plug-in connector  1  and is arranged in the inner area of the middle wall  2 , preferably centrally. The orientation of the passage opening  9  may be exactly axial or oblique with a predominantly axial direction component. The passage opening  9  has no cover and permits free passage of the fastening element  19 . 
         [0029]    The retaining element  7  is arranged next to the passage opening  9  and preferably such that it adjoins same. The inner edge of the retaining element  7  forms part of the edge of the passage opening  9 . Two retaining elements  7  each are preferably arranged in pairs opposite each other on both sides of the passage opening  9 . In the exemplary embodiment being shown, the plug-in connector  1  has a passage opening each extending in the connector longitudinal direction  23  on both sides of a transverse center line  5  with two pairs of retaining elements  7 . 
         [0030]    The retaining elements  7  are designed as opened spring bosses, which are bent outwardly from the preferably flat middle wall  2  and project downwardly away from the bottom of the connector in the installed position. The middle wall  2  may have, as an alternative, an arch directed towards the interior space  14  and extending over its width. 
         [0031]    The retaining elements  7  are arranged in the area of a longitudinally extending perforation  21  of the hollow section  17 .  FIG. 8  illustrates this position. The obliquely opened spring bosses  7  may have an oblique edge at the free end. They can act on the inwardly projecting perforations  21  in a positive-locking manner. The mutual distance between the retaining elements  7  may deviate from the spacing of the perforations  21 , so that a retaining boss  7  will mesh with a perforation projection in a positive-locking and clamping manner with certainty. 
         [0032]    The passage opening  9  has a length that is markedly shorter than the length of the leg of the bent or straight plug-in connector  1  from the center line  5  to the adjacent front side  15 . The opening length may equal, e.g., approx. two thirds of this leg length. The width of the passage opening  9  is substantially smaller than the width of the middle wall  2 . The width of the passage openings  9 , which are preferably arranged centrally in the transverse direction, may, in addition, be coordinated with the lateral distance between two rows of perforations  21 , on which the retaining elements  7  act. The opening width may be equal to or smaller than this distance between perforations. 
         [0033]    The retaining elements  7  have a clearance  10  in the middle wall  2 , which is, e.g., L-shaped and opens towards the passage opening  9 . The clearance  10  is covered by the opened retaining element  7  at least partly. The passage opening  9  and clearances  10  adjoining same on both sides may pass over into each other. The width of the retaining elements  7  adjoining the opening edges on both sides may be selected to be such that the retaining elements  10  are located in the projection within the area between the free edges of the bent side walls  3 .  FIG. 4  illustrates this arrangement. The obliquely downwardly or outwardly opened spring bosses point each towards the center line  5  for retention purposes. 
         [0034]    The plug-in connector  1  may consist of any desired and suitable material. In the embodiment shown, it consists of metal, especially cold-rolled steel. As an alternative, it may consist of another material. Furthermore, embodiments made of plastic or another material or even composites are possible. 
         [0035]    In the embodiment shown, the plug-in connector  1  is designed as a punched and bent part. The passage openings  9  and clearances  10  are punched out of the blank in a punching operation, and the spring bosses  7  are subsequently bent off. 
         [0036]    The one or two passage openings  9  may be coordinated with the usual dimensions of the clamps or other fastening elements  19 . The clamps  19  may be placed in an axial orientation along the longitudinal axis of the connector. They may also be placed obliquely. In addition, the clearances  10  may be used for the passage of the clamps  19  or fastening elements. In addition, it may be sufficient if only one leg extends through the passage opening  9  and/or a clearance  10  and the other leg passes through the middle wall  2  in the massive area in case of two-armed clamps  19  of the embodiment variant shown. 
         [0037]    In the case of the Ω-shaped cross section of the plug-in connector  1 , the side walls  3  are bent in a plurality of steps and form above the bulges  11  an upright web area with a free edge, which acts on the roof of the hollow section  17  and may have as a retaining element  8  one or more teeth projecting upwardly in the extension of the wall. These teeth may vary from one another in their height. In addition, they may be oriented obliquely to the left and/or right or mutually set. 
         [0038]    In the area of the center line  5  and the connection site of the hollow sections  17 , which site is located there, the side walls  3  may have a transversely extending separation  13 , which separates said upright web with the free side wall edge and also extends somewhat to the side in the direction of the bulge  11  at the lower end of the web. Such separations  13  may be present as multiple separations along the two legs of the connector at spaced locations. Spring bridges  12  are formed hereby. The side wall areas cut free by the separations  13  may be elastic in height or vertically and laterally. As is illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the upwardly projecting webs of the side walls  3  may also be directed obliquely outwardly above the bulges  11 . 
         [0039]    The spring bridges  12  may have a laterally acting retaining element  6  in the form of an obliquely outwardly opened spring boss at least at one edge area. The spring bosses  6 ,  8  press against the adjacent inner walls of the hollow section  17  and act, e.g., on the transition between the roof area and side wall as well as on the side wall area of the hollow section  17  located thereunder.  FIG. 8  illustrates this embodiment. The spring bosses  6  of the spring bridges  12  may have different height positions according to  FIG. 2  and act as a result at different points of the attached hollow section  17 , which increases the retaining action. 
         [0040]    The plug-in connector  1  may have a middle stop  4 . This is formed, e.g., by four obliquely opened spring bosses  6  arranged on both sides of the center line  5 . As an alternative, it may be formed by fixed stops, other spring bosses or in any other desired and suitable manner. 
         [0041]    Various variants of the embodiments shown and described are possible. This applies, on the one hand, to the cross-sectional shape of the plug-in connector  1  and the shape and arrangement of the retaining elements thereof at the side walls  3  or at another site. Furthermore, the shape and position of the passage openings  9  may vary. This applies to the number, shape and arrangement of the retaining elements  7 , which may also be designed in a manner other than as spring bosses. Ribs or other retaining elements  7  may be used, especially in case of a plug-in connector made of plastic. In addition, the retaining elements  7  may be arranged laterally from the passage opening  9  and make do without a clearance  19 . This is possible, e.g., in case of plastic connectors or in connectors made of a pourable material, e.g., a metal casting or the like. 
         [0042]    While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.