Patent Publication Number: US-11661738-B2

Title: Latch connector for profile beams and tubes

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to devices for assembling modular office partitions. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A majority of interior space in the market consists of a space which is divided into a plurality of smaller spaces of varying size. Oftentimes, undivided space is provided to allow tenants added flexibility to customize the space as they see fit. Sometimes, spaces such as restaurants, retail space, office space and the like require partitions and walls to be erected to create either additional privacy or to section off portions of the space from the rest of the space. Modular partition kits and components are available to allow tenants to construct partitions and barriers to build dividers, restaurant booths, walls, cubicles, enclosures, fences, kiosks and even offices of custom sizes and orientations. These components include elongated extrusions which can be used to form vertical columns and horizontal beams to which walls, windows, doors, screens, partitions and a variety of other structures can be mounted to. Assembling these components to transform a bare space (or an already existing divided space) into customized ergonomic space requires time and effort to assemble the constituent components into the desired orientations. A significant part of the effort required is consumed by attaching horizontal beams to vertical columns. Generally, this is accomplished by using fasteners such as screws and bolts in combination with brackets to mount the beams and columns together. This of course requires various tools and precise measuring as well as significant labor in order to build the desired construction. Disassembling the construction in order to re-configure the space also requires tools and significant labor. The process of assembling and dissembling the component beams and columns would be significantly simplified if the components could be assembled and disassembled without the need of tools. A system for securely mounting beams and columns together without the need for tools is therefore desirable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a partition construction consisting of first and second elongated members mounted together by a latch mechanism. Each of the elongated members consists of an extrusion having a square profile with four sides, four corners, a central portion, and four channels with each channel positioned between adjacent corners. The elongated members each have an end. The latch mechanism includes a strike plate mounted to an end of one of the elongated members. The strike plate is a square flat member having four corner portions separated from each other by a gap with each corner portion being linked to a central hub portion by an arm, each corner portion having a pair of hooks projecting from a first side of the corner portion, the strike plate dimensioned such that the strike plate fits flush onto the end of the elongated members with the corners of the strike plate overlapping the corners elongated members. The latch mechanism further includes a latch having a base mountable to the second elongated element, the latch having a bail pivotally mounted to the base. The bail is dimensioned and configured to engage two of the hooks of the strike plate such that the bail engages one hook on adjacent corner portions of the bail when the latch is positioned adjacent the strike plate. The latch is movable between an elevated position wherein the bail is free of the hooks and a locked position wherein the bail engages the bail and biases the first elongated member towards the second elongated member. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided partition construction consisting of first and second extrusions which are mounted together with a latch mechanism. Each of the extrusions have identical rectangular profiles, each profile having a width, four sides, four corners, a central portion, and four channels with each channel positioned between adjacent corners, with each elongated member having an end. The latch mechanism includes a latch mounted on one extrusion which is configured to mount to a strike plate mounted on the other extrusion. The strike plate consists of a rectangular member having a flat surface and a width equal to the width of the profile, the rectangular member having four side edges with each side edge having a pair of hooks projecting from the flat surface. Each pair of hooks is separated by a distance which is less than the width of the strike plate. The rectangular member also has a hub mountable to the central portion of the extrusions. The strike plate is mounted to the end of the first extrusion such that the rectangular member aligns with the profile of the first extrusion. The latch is mounted to the side of the second extrusion adjacent the second extrusion&#39;s end for perpendicularly mounting the end of the second extrusion to end of the first extrusion. The latch has a bail which is movable between locked and opened positions. The bail is dimensioned and configured to be less wide than the width of the strike plate but wide enough to engage the pair of hooks at one of the side edges of the strike plate when the latch is in its locked position, the latch configured to position the bail to be free of the hooks when the bail is in it&#39;s opened position. The latch is further configured to bias the first extrusion towards the second extrusion when the bail is in its locked position. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a latch mechanism for mounting up to five elongated extrusions at their ends, each extrusion having identical rectangular profiles, each profile having a width, four sides, four corners, a central portion, and four channels with each channel positioned between adjacent corners. The latch mechanism consists of a strike plate mounted to an end of one of the elongated extrusions and latches mounted on the ends of each of the other four elongated extrusions. The strike plate has a central portion and four sides, each side having a channel opening and a pair of hooks, the strike plate dimensioned and configured to mount flush on the end of the elongated extrusions with the channel openings aligned with the channels. Each of the latches has a base and a bail, the base configured to attach to the end of one of the elongated extrusions, and the bail is dimensioned to engage one of the pair of hooks. The bail is pivotally mounted to the base and movable between an open position wherein the bail is positioned away from the base and a locked position wherein the bail engages the pair of hooks and is positioned closer to the base. The strike plate, bails and hooks are dimensioned and configured such that up to four of the latches can be latched to the strike plate to simultaneously mount four elongated extrusions around the fifth elongated extrusion. 
     With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a partially exploded view of a latch connector made in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the latch connector shown in  FIG.  2    mounting one profile member to another profile member. 
         FIG.  3    is a partially exploded view of the latch connector shown in  FIG.  1    with the foot portion detached from the base portion. 
         FIG.  4    is a side view of the latch connector shown in  FIG.  1    showing the latch in its opened state with the bail free from the hooks of the strike plate. 
         FIG.  5    is a side view of the latch connector shown in  FIG.  1    showing the latch in its opened state with the bail positioned at the hooks of the strike plate. 
         FIG.  6    is a side view of the latch connector shown in  FIG.  1    showing the latch in its closed position with the bail engaging the hooks of the strike plate. 
         FIG.  7    is an exploded view of latches made in accordance with the present invention being used to mount four extrusion members to a fifth extrusion members. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of the latches of  FIG.  7    mounting the five extrusion members together. 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of the strike plate portion of the present invention. 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective view from above of the strike plate portion of the present invention being attached to an extrusion. 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective view from below of the strike plate portion of the present invention being attached to an extrusion. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring firstly to  FIG.  1   , a latch system for latching elongated extrusions together to form a construction is shown generally as item  10  and consists of latch  12  and strike plate  14  which mountable to extrusions  16  and  18 , respectively. Extrusions  16  and  18  have identical cross-sectional profiles. The profile of extrusions  16  and  18  have a central portion  20 , four corners  22 , four sides  24  and four elongated channels  26 . Channels  26  separate adjacent corners  22 . Central portion  20  has a threaded opening  28  which is configured to mate to bolt  30  which permits strike plate  14  to be mounted to the end of extrusion  18  by passing the bolt through aperture  32  in the strike plate. Strike plate  14  has a plurality of hooks  34  which are configured to engage with bail  36  of latch  12 . Latch  12  can be placed in a locked orientation as shown in  FIG.  1    and kept in the locked orientation by means of keeper  40  being inserted into catch  38 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  2   , extrusion  16  can be rigidly secured to extrusion  18  by positioning end  44  of extrusion  16  perpendicular to end  42  of extrusion  18  and placing latch  12  into its locked orientation while bail  36  engages hooks  34  on strike plate  14  which has been secured to end  42  of extrusion  18  by bolt  30 . When latch  12  is in its locked orientation and bail  36  engages hooks  34 , the latch biases ends  44  and  42  towards each other thereby securing extrusions  16  and  18  to each other. Keeper  40  and catch  38  ensure that latch  12  does not accidentally loosen the connection between the two extrusions. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  3   , latch  12  has base portion  42 , lever portion  48  and bail  36 . Base portion  42  is mountable to foot  44  which is dimensioned to fit within channel  26  and is attachable to the base portion by bolts  46 . When foot  44  is inserted into channel  26  and base portion  42  is attached to the foot by bolts  46 , the bolts can be tightened to firmly mount latch  12  to the end of extrusion  16 . Bail  36  has an outer width  37  and an inner width of  35  which are sufficiently wide to engage a pair of hooks  34 . Hooks  34  have a width  33  which is slightly less than inner width  35  of the bail to permit bail  36  to engage with the hooks. Width  37  of bail  36  is narrower than width  50  of strike plate  14 . The width  50  of strike plate  14  is preferably al little wider than width  52  of extrusion  18  so that bails  36  can engage hooks  34  of the strike plate with sufficient room so that up to four latches  12  can be latched to the strike plate (see  FIG.  8   ). Pin  41  can be attached to tapered hole  27  in order to fine tune how close extrusion  16  fits onto extrusion  18 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  9   , strike plate  14  consists of a substantially flat plate made of a rigid and strong material such as a high strength plastic, or a metal such as steel or aluminum Due to the low cost of steel stampings, strike plate  14  preferably consists of a substantially flat steel stamping. Strike plate  1  is substantially cross shaped to form a square having four side edges  58  and four corners  54  separated by gaps  56 . Corner portions  54  have a flat surface  65  from which hooks  34  project upwards. Each corner portion  54  is connected to central portion  60  by arms  62 . A pair of hooks  34  are formed on each corner portion  54  and set 90° to each other such that each side  58  has a pair of parallel hooks set on adjacent corner portions. The pair of parallel hooks formed on adjacent corner portions are separated from each other by gap  56 . Gap  56  is less than diameter  50  of the strike plate. Aperture  32  is formed on central portion  60  to permit the strike plate to be mounted by a screw or bolt. Gaps  56  communicate with openings  64  which prevent the strike plate from obstructing channels  26  (see  FIG.  1   ) of the extrusion when the strike plate is mounted to the end of the extrusion. It will be appreciated that the channels are often used to attach panels, windows, brackets and other items, so it is often important to give easy access to the channels without obstructing them. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  4   , latch  12  can be placed in an open orientation wherein bail  36  is positioned away from base portion  42  sufficiently to permit the bail to be free of hooks  34 . In this open position, end  39  of bail  36  is positioned further away from base portion  42 . Bail  36  is movably coupled to base portion  42  by attachment to lever portion  48  which is in turn pivotally connected to the base portion at point  47 . Grip  49  is positioned on lever portion  48  to permit the user to move the lever portion. Bolts  46  secure latch  12  adjacent end  44  of extrusion  16  by screwing onto foot  44  (see  FIG.  3   ). 
     Referring now to  FIG.  5   , latch  12  can be moved towards its locked orientation in order to secure extrusion  16  to extrusion  18 . While latch  12  is still in its open orientation, bail  36  is lowered such that end  39  of the bail is immediately adjacent hooks  34 . Grip  49  can then be engaged by the user to pivot lever portion  48  towards base portion  42 . As the lever portion is positioned towards base portion  42 , end  39  is moved towards the base portion. As shown in  FIG.  6   , when latch  12  is fully in its locked position, grip  49  of lever portion  48  is positioned close to base portion  42  causing end  39  of bail  36  to firmly engage hooks  34  and bias extrusion  18  towards extrusion  16 . Catch  38  is clear of grip  49  allowing the latch to be secured in its locked orientation by the use of keeper  40  (see  FIG.  1   ). 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  7  and  8   , the latch and strike plate mechanism of the present invention can be used to join up to five separate extrusions together by latching four extrusions perpendicularly around a central fifth extrusion. In the case illustrated in  FIG.  7   , extrusion  18 ′ acts the central extrusion and extrusions  16 ′ surround the central extrusion. Each extrusion  16 ′ is provided with a latch  12  mounted thereto, adjacent the end of the extrusion. Strike plate  14  is mounted onto the end of extrusion  18 ′ by bolt  30 . The ends of extrusions  16 ′ are positioned against the end of extrusion  18 ′ such that latches  12  are adjacent strike plate  14 . Bails  36  of each latch is then positioned to engage hooks  34  of the strike plate and placed in their locked orientation as shown in  FIG.  8   . The latches then be secured in their locked orientation by use of keepers  40 . Bails  36  are sufficiently narrow and hooks  34  are sufficiently close such that the bails of different latches are sufficiently far away from each other that they do not interfere with each other. The bails being narrower than the strike plate make it possible for all four latches to be mounted to the same strike plate. 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  10  and  11   , each strike plate has at least one indexing member  100  located at a bottom portion of the strike plate. Indexing members  100  permit the strike plate to be self-positioning on the end of extrusion  18  such that the strike pate and extrusion are coaxially aligned. Preferably, indexing members  100  consist of bumps formed in the strike plate which are dimensioned and positioned to project inwardly in spaces  102  in the end of extrusion  18  thereby aligning the strike plate squarely on the end of the extrusion. Other indexing structures may be used such as grooves or fingers. 
     The present invention has several advantages. Firstly, it is possible to quickly assemble and disassemble a partition by the use of latches and strike plates. As a first step, a strike plate can be firmly attached to the end of a first extrusion and a latch can be loosely attached to the end of a second extrusion which is to be attached to the first extrusion. The second extrusion can be moved into position against the end of the first extrusion and the position of the latch can be adjusted by moving along the second extrusion until the latch is ideally placed to firmly engage the strike plate when the latch is locked. The ideal position of the latch can then be carefully measured and the remaining extrusions can be fitted with the latches position accordingly. The user can then simply position the horizontal extrusions to the vertical extrusion and manually engage the latches without the aid of tools. It is possible to quickly assemble the framework for a series of partitions and offices by pre-attaching the strike plates and latches to the extrusions and them simply positioning them in the desired orientation and latching them into place by hand. This makes assembly easy and quick. The construction can be disassembled just as quickly by hand without the use of tools. The latch and strike plate combination make it possible to assemble and disassemble these constructions much more quickly than by using standard screw in bolts and brackets. 
     It will be appreciated that while the strike plate and latch combination of the present invention are particularly useful for building partitions, they can also be applied to any construction where up to four members need to be quickly mounted to a central members, such as in a temporary barrier structure, a path divider, temporary fencing and the like. The present invention can also be used to quickly erect temporary walls and partitions to form kiosks, displays, restaurant dividers, signs and screens/partitions used to limit the person to person transmission of pathogens. In fact, the present invention is suitable for constructing any sort of structure, either permanent or temporary where multiple horizontal members need to be quickly attached or detached from central column members. 
     A specific embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed; however, several variations of the disclosed embodiment could be envisioned as within the scope of this invention. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims