Abstract:
A glass pane connector comprises a pane holding assembly, a positioning assembly, a supporting assembly connecting the pane holding assembly and the positioning assembly, and at least one pivot assembly serving to changing an angle where the supporting assembly connects the pane holding assembly and the positioning assembly. The glass pane connector serves to position a glass pane at a predetermined installation site or to connect glass panes into a glass curtain wall.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   The present invention relates to glass construction technologies, and more particularly, to a glass pane connector that serves to position a glass pane with respect to another glass pane or a predetermined site of a building. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   In glass construction technologies, glass pane connectors are usually used to position a glass pane at a predetermined installation site on a building or to construct several glass panes into a glass curtain wall. In such application, holes have to be bored on the substantial structure of the installation site and the glass panes so that plural glass pane connectors can connect and hold the glass panes in position with respect to the installation site. 
   However, one difficulty of the conventional approach is to ensure the holds bored on the installation site and the glass panes well aligned. In the event that the holes are not properly arranged, such malposition would often not be found until some glass panes have been assembled by the connectors. To remedy the problem, the glass panes have to be disassembled and re-drilled, thereby spending additional time and energy. Besides, in reassembling the glass panes, it is impossible to use the connectors to fix peripheral areas of the previously mis-drilled holes, thereby causing the reassembly of the glass panes unfirm. 
   Moreover, when surface of the installation site is not even or when the mechanical strength the glass pane connectors apply to the glass panes is not uniform, surface of the assembled glass panes tend to be uneven. Consequently, the assembled glass panes have to be adjusted piece by piece, thus causing additional time and energy costs. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One object of the present invention is to provide a glass pane connector that serves to position a glass pane at a predetermined installation site or to connect glass panes into a glass curtain wall. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass pane connector that features automatic angle adjustment, wherein the glass pane connector is capable of automatically changing its angle according to holes formed on a predetermined installation site and glass panes so that when the holes are not well aligned, the glass pane connector can still firmly hold the glass panes with the installation site. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass pane connector that features automatic angle adjustment, wherein plural said glass pane connectors can such position a glass pane at a predetermined installation or such connect plural glass panes as a glass curtain wall that surface of the assembled glass panes remains even. 
   To achieve these and other objectives of the present invention, the glass pane connector of the present invention comprises: 
   a pane holding assembly, for piercing through and being fixed in a hole formed on a glass pane; 
   a positioning assembly, for being fastened to an installation site where the glass pane is to be assembled; 
   a supporting assembly, having one end connected with the pane holding assembly and another end connected with the positioning assembly, and 
   at least one pivot assembly, allowing the supporting assembly to change included angles between the supporting assembly and the pane holding assembly and between the supporting assembly and the positioning assembly. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an applied drawing showing glass pane connectors of the present invention assembled to a glass pane; 
       FIG. 2  is a partially enlarged drawing of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the glass pane connector and the glass pane; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the glass pane connector that connects the glass pane with an installation site; 
       FIG. 5  is another cross-sectional view of the glass pane connector that connects the glass pane with the installation site; and 
       FIG. 6  is an applied drawing showing the glass pane connectors connect plural glass panes. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   While a preferred embodiment is provided herein for illustrating the concept of the present invention as described above, it is to be understood that the components in these drawings are made for better explanation and need not to be made in scale. Moreover, in the following description, resemble components are indicated by the same numerals. 
   Please refer to  FIGS. 1 through 4  for glass pane connectors proposed by the present invention. Each said lass pane connector comprises a pane holding assembly  10 , a positioning assembly  20 , a supporting assembly  30 , and at least one pivot assembly  40 . 
   The pane holding assembly  10  pierces through and is fixed in a hole  91  formed on a glass pane  90 . 
   The positioning assembly  20  is fastened to an installation site. The installation site includes, but is not limited to, a substantial structure  92  of a building where the glass pane  90  is to be assembled. 
   The supporting assembly  30  has one end connected with the pane holding assembly  10  and another end connected with the positioning assembly  20 . 
   The pivot assembly  40  has a spherical receiving portion  41  and a spherical prominence  42 . The spherical receiving portion  41  and the spherical prominence  42  may be provided on the supporting assembly  30  and the pane holding assembly  10 , respectively for facing and combining with each other. Alternatively, the spherical receiving portion  41  and the spherical prominence  42  may be provided on the supporting assembly  30  and the positioning assembly  20 , respectively for facing and combining with each other. The pivot assembly  40  enables the supporting assembly  30  to rotate in all directions so as to change included angles between the supporting assembly  30  and the pane holding assembly  10  and between the supporting assembly  30  and the positioning assembly  20 . 
   More particularly, the pane holding assembly  10  comprises a piercing portion  11  and a fastening ring  12 . The piercing portion  11  has a tubular piercing segment  111  and a retaining segment  112  integrally formed at one end of the piercing segment  111 . The piercing segment  111  passes through the hole  91  formed on the glass pane  90  and then combined with the fastening ring  12  by means of threads so that the retaining segment  112  and the fastening ring  12  contact surfaces  901  of the glass pane  90  and thereby jointly sandwich the glass pane  90 . When the fastening ring  12  is further screwed to the piercing segment  111 , a mechanical strength the retaining segment  112  and the fastening ring  12  applying to the glass pane  90  can be enhanced so as to combine the pane holding assembly  10  and the glass pane  90  with improved firmness. In the same reason, the pane holding assembly  10  is enabled to hold glass panes with different thickness. 
   To describe the supporting assembly  30  in detail, it comprises a supporting shaft  31  and a first positioning sleeve  32  as well as a second positioning sleeve  33  that combine with an outer surface of the supporting shaft  31  by means of threads. 
   As to the detailed structure of the pivot assembly  40 , the spherical prominence  42  is formed at an end of the supporting shaft  31  and the spherical receiving portion  41  is formed inside an annular seat  43 , wherein the annular seat  43  is combined with an end of the piercing portion  11  by means of threads. By the spherical connection between the spherical prominence  42  and the spherical receiving portion  41 , the supporting shaft  31  is allowed to rotate in all directions. Furthermore, contacting surfaces between the annular seat  43  and the first positioning sleeve  32  may be formed as an arched receiving concave  431  and an arched convex  321 , respectively, so that when the first positioning sleeve  32  is further screwed into the supporting shaft  31 , the arched receiving concave  431  and the arched convex  321  abut against each other, thereby achieving close and firm combination. 
   Referring to the positioning assembly  20 , it includes a fastening portion  21 , a shaft connecting portion  22  and an arm  23  connecting the fastening portion  21  and the shaft connecting portion  22 . There are plural holes  211  formed on the fastening portion  21  for allowing a plurality of fasteners passing therethrough so as to fix the fastening portion  21  to the aforesaid substantial structure  92 . The shaft connecting portion  22  comprises a slot  221  for allowing an end of the supporting shaft  31  passing therethrough. The shaft connecting portion  22  is sandwiched by the first positioning sleeve  32  and the second positioning sleeve  33  so that when the second positioning sleeve  33  is further screwed into the supporting shaft  31 , a mechanical strength the first positioning sleeve  32  and the second positioning sleeve  33  applying to the shaft connecting portion  22  is enhanced so as to combine the shaft connecting portion  22  and the supporting assembly  30  with improved firmness. In the same reason, the supporting assembly  30  is enabled to hold shaft connecting portions  22  with different thickness. 
   Reference is now made to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the pivot assembly  40  enables the supporting assembly  30  to rotation in all directions so as to change included angles between the supporting assembly  30  and the pane holding assembly  10  and between the supporting assembly  30  and the positioning assembly  20 . Thereby, the disclosed glass pane connector features automatic angle adjustment. Even when holes made on the glass pane  90  and the substantial structure  92  where the glass pane  90  is to be assembled are not well aligned, the disclosed glass pane connector can also function effectively and ensure firm position of the glass pane  90 . The glass pane connectors depicted in  FIGS. 1 to 5  are implemented to position a single glass pane. 
   In  FIG. 6 , an alternative positioning assembly  20  includes a fastening portion  21 , two shaft connecting portion  22  and two arm  23  connecting the fastening portion  21  and the shaft connecting portions  22 . Two of such positioning assemblies  20  are such placed that the fastening portions  21  thereof are vertically connected. Some screws pass the holes  211  on the fastening portions  21  to combine the positioning assemblies  20 . Plural glass panes  90  have the pane holding assemblies  10  and supporting assemblies  30  assembled with the shaft connecting portions  22 , respectively, so that the glass panes  90  are assembled side by side into a glass curtain wall. Since the glass pane connectors function with automatic angle adjustment, they can construct the glass panes  90  in a coplanar manner. According to  FIG. 6 , a pad  25  is provided between two said fastening portions  21 . By using pads with difference thickness, a distance between two adjacent said fastening portions  21  can be changed so that a distance between two adjacent said glass panes  90  can be in turn adjusted. 
   Although the particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous variations will be possible to the disclosed embodiment without going outside the scope of the invention as disclosed in the claims.