Patent Publication Number: US-6341916-B1

Title: Device for connecting at least one lath element, and relative build-up structure

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a device for connecting at least one lath element, and to the relative build-up structure. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In the furnishing and building industry in general, connecting devices are known for reversibly connecting two or more elements, the whole formed by the connecting devices and connected elements at times defining a build-up, in particular a modular build-up, structure. 
     German Patent Application DE-A-3 510 920 (Holdapp), for example, describes a connecting device for reversibly connecting horizontal lath elements to a vertical supporting element, and which substantially comprises a central metal ring from which holes, possibly threaded, radiate in four perpendicular horizontal directions and cooperate with fastening means embedded in the horizontal lath elements. 
     In DE-A-3 510 920, the metal ring is fitted to the vertical supporting element by tightening a vertical lock element, which, however, fails to provide for sufficient stability of the horizontal laths, due to any stress on the horizontal laths being transmitted to the metal ring and loosening the grip of the lock element on the ring, thus impairing the overall rigidity of the structure. 
     Another German Patent Application DE-A-4 327 628 (Scholze) describes a device for connecting two lath elements, which comprises a main outer body formed in one piece from a first material, and a bush substantially housed inside the main outer body and made of a second material other than the first. The bush, however, is formed in one piece comprising two perpendicular threads for receiving complementary connecting means on the two lath elements. A drawback of the connecting device described in the above application is that some screws engage through the wood, thus preventing the connection of lath elements having narrow sections. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a device for connecting at least one lath element, the device being characterized by comprising a main outer body formed in one piece from a first material, and at least one resisting element having connecting means for connecting said at least one lath element; said resisting element comprising a number of parts substantially housed in the main outer body, and being made of a second material, other than the first material, for resisting mechanical stress. 
     The connecting device according to the present invention provides for reliable connection of the lath elements in terms of mechanical strength, as well as for attractive appearance by ensuring continuity of the material between the lath elements and the main outer body. 
     Moreover, the resisting element housed substantially inside the main outer body may be broken down easily into its component parts, which may be used to form connecting means in  2 - 6  perpendicular directions as required by the user. 
     Depending on the type of resisting element used, the connecting devices may either be formed in the factory or supplied by the maker in kits for on-the-spot assembly. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A number of non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 a  shows a section of a first embodiment of the connecting device according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 1 b  is an exploded perspective view of a brush as used in the embodiment of FIG. 1 a.    
     FIG. 2 shows the FIG. 1 connecting device in conjunction with a number of lath elements for forming a build-up, in particular a modular build-up, structure; 
     FIG. 3 shows the FIG. 1 device formed in one piece with a respective lath element forming part of a build-up structure; 
     FIG. 4 shows a view, with parts removed for clarity, of a second embodiment of the connecting device according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 a  is a perspective large-scale view of a pin structure employed in the embodiment of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5 b  is a perspective side view of a bell component employed in the embodiment of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5 c  is a perspective exploded view of a connecting element employed in the embodiment of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 a  is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention; 
     FIG. 7 b  is a side sectional view of element  171  as shown in FIG. 7 a.    
     FIG. 8 shows connecting means, complementary connecting means and fastening means which may be combined with the connecting device according to the present invention. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Number  1  in FIG. 1 a  indicates the connecting device as a whole for connecting at least one lath element (not shown in FIG. 1 a ). 
     Connecting device  1  in the first embodiment shown comprises a main outer body  2  (e.g. advantageously made of wood, plastic or glass) in turn comprising three through holes  3 ,  4 ,  5 , which may be combined with respective bushes  6 ,  7 ,  8  (FIG. 1 b ) to form a spiderlike resisting element  15 . Bushes  6 ,  7 ,  8  are in turn so formed that the central portions  6   c ,  7   c ,  8   c , when fitted one inside the other, form a central core  9  for resisting any mechanical stress generated by and on the lath elements; and the portions of bushes  6 ,  7 ,  8  not forming part of core  9  define a number of arms  9   a , perpendicular or not, comprising connecting means for connection to complementary connecting means on the lath elements  13 ′ (FIG.  2 ). More specifically, and as shown in FIG. 1 b , bushes  6  and  7  are each formed in one piece, whereas bush  8  comprises two portions  8   a ,  8   b  which are screwed together. Bushes  6 ,  7 ,  8  may advantageously be made of metal, in particular steel or aluminium, and each comprise at the ends respective female elements  10 ′,  10 ″;  11 ′,  11 ″;  12 ′,  12 ″ defining the connecting means for connection to the complementary connecting means (not shown in FIG. 1) on the lath elements (not shown in FIG. 1) combined with device  1 . 
     To anyone skilled in the art, it will be clear that female elements  10 ′,  10 ″;  11 ′,  11 ″;  12 ′, 12 ″ may be replaced by any male element for connecting device  1  to at least one lath element. 
     FIG. 2 shows a number of devices  1 ′ combined with a number of lath elements  13 ′ to form a build-up structure  14 ′, which may be used, for example, as the supporting structure of a piece of furniture (not shown), and which may comprise lath elements  13 ′ of different lengths. 
     Series of devices  1 ′ combined with series of lath elements  13 ′ may also be devised for forming modular structures  14 ′ for any application. 
     In FIG. 2, devices  1 ′ provide for connecting at least two lath elements  13 ′, which comprise, at the ends, complementary connecting means, in particular male means (not shown in FIG.  2 ), for connection to female elements  10 ′,  10 ″;  11 ′,  11 ″;  12 ′,  12 ″ of respective devices  1 ′. 
     It should be pointed out that, herein, a “build-up” element is intended to mean an element which may be connected to others to form a more complex structure; whereas a “modular” structure is intended to mean a structure comprising individual elements of the same size, or which are proportional to or multiples of one another. 
     FIG. 3 shows a build-up structure  14 ″ comprising both lath elements  13 ′ and  13 ″, and wherein lath elements  13 ″ house (at the ends) respective connecting devices  1 ′ defining connecting means for direct connection to other lath elements  13 ″, or for indirect connection to lath elements  13 ′ via the interposition of respective connecting devices  1 ′. 
     FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     In this case, the connecting device, here indicated  100 , comprises a main outer body  101 , and a number of parts  103  defining a spider  102 . 
     Each part  103  of spider  102  comprises a pin  104  (FIG. 5 a ) with connecting means described in detail later on; and pins  104  combine to form a central core  105  of spider  102  (FIG. 5 a ), extend in respective perpendicular directions from a central body, and comprise respective threads  104   a.    
     Main outer body  101  comprises a number of holes  106 ,  107 ,  108 ,  109  of such a diameter as to permit smooth insertion of respective component parts  103  of spider  102  inside main outer body  101 . 
     Each part  103  may be thought of as ideally comprising a pin  104  (even though connected integrally to the other pins  104  to form core  105 ), a respective bell  110  (FIG. 5 b ), and a respective connecting element  111  (FIG. 5 c ). Bell  110  and respective connecting element  111  define a respective arm  121  of spider  102 ; bell  110  comprises a cylindrical first portion  112  connected to a truncated-pyramid-shaped second portion  113 , the flat lateral faces  114  of which rest on the similar faces  114  of adjacent bells  110 ; and the top face  115  of truncated-pyramid-shaped second portion  113  comprises a through hole  116  slightly larger in diameter than pins  104  of core  105 . 
     As shown in FIG. 4, truncated-pyramid-shaped portion  113  of bell  110  comprises a truncated-cone-shaped inner surface, and supports a respective truncated-cone-shaped portion  117  of a respective connecting element  111  (FIG. 5 c ), which also comprises a further cylindrical portion  118  having through seats  119  for receiving tabs  119   a  retained elastically by a retaining ring  119   b . The respective inner surfaces of tabs  119   a  mate stably with advantageously skittle-shaped complementary connecting means (not shown in FIG. 5 c ) inserted inside an opening  120 ; and truncated-cone-shaped portion  117  of connecting element  111  comprises an internal thread  117   a  engaged by thread  104   a  formed on respective pin  104  of core  105 . 
     Assembly of core  105 , bells  110  and connecting elements  111  defining arms  121  is clearly understandable from FIG.  4 : 
     (A) Firstly, core  105 —which, as stated, is of such a size as to permit smooth insertion into main outer body  101 —is inserted through each of holes  106 - 109 . 
     (B) A bell  110  is inserted inside each of holes  106 - 109  in main outer body  101 , so that a pin  104  of core  105  is fitted through hole  116  in the top face  115  of bell  110 , and therefore projects inside bell  110 ; and 
     (C) A connecting element  111  is inserted inside respective bell  110  and screwed onto respective pin  104  of core  105  to tighten bell  110  inside respective hole  106 - 109  and against the other adjacent bells  110 . 
     In other words, faces  114  of truncated-pyramid-shaped portion  113  of each bell  110  rest on faces  114  of the adjacent bells  110 . In this case, too, core  105 , bells  110  and connecting elements  111  may be made of metal, in particular steel or aluminium. 
     FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. 
     For the sake of clarity, FIG. 6 does not show the main outer body, which, however, may be identical to body  2  in FIG. 1 or body  101  in FIG.  4 . 
     In this case, the connecting device, here indicated  150 , comprises a main outer body (not shown); and a spider  155  made of different material from the main outer body, and in turn comprising a number of parts  151 ,  152 ,  153 ,  154 . In this case, core  156  of spider  155  comprises a number of pins  151   a ,  152   a ,  153   a ,  154   a  integral with the bottom of respective bells  151   b ,  152   b ,  153   b ,  154   b , and which are forced inside respective seats  153   c ,  154   c ,  151   c ,  152   c  formed in the bottom of respective bells  153   b ,  154   b ,  151   b ,  152   b.    
     In the FIG. 6 embodiment, pin  151   a  is obviously forced inside seat  153   c  formed in the bottom of the opposite bell  153   b , and likewise for all the other pins. The concave portions of bells  151   b ,  152   b ,  153   b ,  154   b  house respective skittles  151   d ,  152   d ,  153   d ,  154   d , which, together with respective bells  151   b ,  152   b ,  153   b ,  154   b , define respective arms  157  comprising connecting means engaged by complementary connecting means on the lath elements (not shown in FIG.  6 ). In other words, skittles  151   d ,  152   d ,  153   d ,  154   d  in this embodiment perform the same function as connecting elements  111  in the FIG. 4 and 5 c  embodiment. 
     It is important to note that, in the FIG. 6 embodiment, the bottom of bells  151   b ,  152   b ,  153   b ,  154   b  is substantially truncated-cone-shaped, and devices  150  may be formed with a core  156  comprising two, four or six pins  151   a ,  152   a ,  153   a ,  154   a . Obviously, if only skittles  151   d  and  152   d , for example, are to be used, holes  106 - 109  corresponding to skittles  153   d  and  154   d  may either be plugged during manufacture of device  150 , or not formed at all in the main outer body (FIG.  4 ). 
     The fourth embodiment in FIG. 7 is similar to the one in FIG. 6, and shows a connecting device  170  comprising a main outer body (not shown for the sake of simplicity), and a spider  174  in turn comprising parts  171 ,  172 ,  173 . Core  175  is defined by substantially fork-shaped pairs of pins  171   b ,  171   c ;  172   b ,  172   c ;  173   b ,  173   c  integral with the bottom of respective bells  171   a ,  172   a ,  173   a , and which engage the corresponding perpendicular pairs of pins  171   b ,  171   c ;  172   b ,  172   c ;  173   b ,  173   c  integral with adjacent bells  171   a ,  172   a ,  173   a . As before, bells  171   a ,  172   a ,  173   a  may also house respective skittles  171   d ,  172   d ,  173   d  (only one shown in FIG. 7 b ), which, together with respective bells  171   a ,  172   a ,  173   a , define respective arms  176  of spider  174  for mating with complementary connecting means on the lath elements. 
     Obviously, to prevent detachment, the tightness provided for in the FIG. 6 and 7 embodiments is calculated as a function of the axial load produced on each pair of pins  171   b ,  171   c ;  172   b ,  172   c ;  173   b ,  173   c  by the respective lath element. 
     In particular, in the FIG. 6 and 7 embodiments, provision may be made for injecting appropriate resins into the main outer body, through the holes formed in the body, to lock the component parts of the spider stably to one another and to the body. 
     FIG. 8 shows, purely by way of example, connecting, complementary connecting, and fastening means which may be applied to the device according to the present invention. 
     More specifically, in FIG. 8, the connecting, complementary connecting, and fastening means are applied to a connecting device  1  integral or not with a first lath element (FIGS. 2,  3 ) and connected to a second lath element  13 . 
     The bushes, here indicated  200   a ,  200   b , are conventional types identical to those described with reference to FIG. 1; a threaded hole  201  is engaged by the threaded head  202  of a cylindrical male element  203  comprising, at the other end, a pin  204 , the projecting portions of which are free to slide vertically inside a longitudinal opening  205  formed in a tubular element  206 ; and tubular element  206  rotates freely inside a tubular bush  207  inserted tightly inside a seat  208  on lath element  13 . 
     Tubular element  206  is closed at the innermost end by a projecting disk  209  resting on the edge of tubular bush  207 ; a normal coil spring  210  presses at one end on the inner face of disk  209 , and rests at the other end on male element  203 ; and a gear  211  extends from disk  209  inside seat  208 , and meshes with a bevel pinion  212  forming part of a tubular tool  213  inserted inside a guide  214 . 
     When turned in a first direction, tool  213  turns disk  209  to rotate male element  203 , so that the threaded head  202  of male element  203 , which also travels vertically by virtue of opening  205 , engages threaded hole  201  of bush  200   a  to bring together and tighten the two supporting elements. Conversely, when turned in the opposite direction, tool  213  releases lath element  13  and connecting device  1 . 
     Clearly, changes may be made to the connecting device as described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope of the present invention.