US20110241505A1

US20110241505A1 - Modifiable modular furniture system with channel connector.

Info

Publication number: US20110241505A1
Application number: US12/751,489
Authority: US
Inventors: Varoujan Tashjian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-03-31
Filing date: 2010-03-31
Publication date: 2011-10-06

Abstract

Modular office furniture capable of being modified by connecting and disconnecting units of the furniture together by way of a channel connector that slides into preformed engraved channels formed on the external surfaces of the units. The design allows for units to be arranged in a way that is suitable for an end user.

Description

FIELD

The field of art to which this invention relates pertains to mechanical fastening systems, particularly to improved connectors or channel connectors for mechanically connecting units or multiple units of furniture together to form a single unit.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this background section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In the furniture industry there is currently a need for connecting multiple units of a modular furniture system together without the use of fasteners such as grommets, screws, nails, or the like, which can damage both the interior and exterior aspects of the units. The fasteners often cause damage to the body of the units which effects the aesthetics of the units and prevent a user from modifying the arrangement because of the damage that has occurred to the exterior and interior aspects of the units.
Thus, a drawback of conventional available modular furniture systems is the inability to modify the arrangement of the units after they have been assembled without damaging the interior and/or exterior of the furniture units. Another drawback of known modular furniture systems is that they require special tools to fasten the units together.
A modular furniture system which can be easily arranged and connected together without the use of tools or fasteners causing damage would facilitate the rearrangement and assembly of individual units together to provide greater flexibility to accommodate the needs of different users.

SUMMARY

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, there are provided various exemplary embodiments of a modular furniture system that enable a user to attach multiple furniture units to each other from their corners to become one connected unit. The modular furniture system can be rearranged by removing or adding one to four units to each individual unit with the use of a connector that slides into a preformed engraved channel.
Each unit of the modular furniture system is flat cornered in shape and has a set of at least two preformed engraved channels on the external portion of the unit on adjacent sides. This set of preformed engraved channels is complimentary to the dimensions of the connector which slides into the channel. The unit can have a set of preformed engraved channels on one, two, three, four, or any number of the corners of the unit.
Each connector has at least one branch formed by two adjacent legs and corresponding lips which compliment the dimension of the preformed engraved channels. The lip and a portion of the leg of each branch slide into the preformed engraved channel to connect the multiple units of the modular furniture system together. The units can be taken apart by removing the connector and rearranged as the user sees fit. The ability to rearrange the units provides the user with flexibility to add additional units or remove units as needed and in an arrangement that fits with existing structures which are not easily modified such as floors, walls, or other structural elements.

DRAWINGS

The drawings herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 depicts a single branch connector capable of filling the corner of a modular furniture system;

FIG. 2 is a two branch connector capable of attaching together two units of the modular furniture system;

FIG. 3 depicts a four branched connector capable of attaching together four units of the modular furniture system;

FIG. 4 shows three units of the modular furniture system connected together with the connector shown in FIG. 1 and the connector in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view of three units connected together with the connector of FIG. 3 and two connectors like that shown in FIG. 2 and two corner connectors like that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows and exploded view of modular furniture system depicted in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a single unconnected unit of the modular furniture system;

FIG. 8 shows the modular furniture system with connectors like that in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 but with the connectors not all the way into the preformed engraved channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, application or uses.
According to various aspects of the present disclosure, there are provided various exemplary embodiments of modular furniture systems and connectors that enable the attachment of multiple furniture units together. The units are connected together by way of a connector that includes at least two branches. Each branch has a pair of legs, each leg has a lip that runs the length of the branch forming substantially right angles to each other where the lips on a pair of legs are located on the same side of the substantially right angle formed by the attachment of the two legs together. The connector slides into a complimentary preformed engraved channel running the length of two adjacent sides of a corner of the modular furniture system.
Further aspects of the present disclosure relate to a one branch or two legged connectors that are utilized to fill the preformed engraved channels of the modular furniture units that are not being connected to another unit.
Disclosed herein are modular furniture systems comprised of units of furniture attached to one another in non-damaging modifiable way by means of a connector that is slidably inserted into a preformed engraved channel and allows the system to be adjusted and adapted to accommodate the needs of the user based on a particular function or space requirements as is discussed herein. The individual units of the modular furniture system are generally, but not limited to box shaped with preformed engraved channels on at least two adjacent sides of a furniture unit. The engraved channels can also be located on three, four or any number of sides of the individual units to function similarly. The engraved channels are complimentary in size and shape to a connector that slides into the channel and allows multiple units to be attached together.
The individual units are made of rigid material such as wood, plastic, polymer, metal, composite, resin, or any rigid material suitable for such a use. They can be made of a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate the needs of the user. By way of example only, they can be fixed to a wall to be used as storage in a garage, basement or kitchen. The individual units can be made smaller to accommodate things like shoes, jewelry, accessories, or other small items.
The connector can be made of similar rigid materials including but not limited to wood, plastic, polymers, resins, metal, composite, or the like. The preformed engraved channel can be bored out with specialty tools, built as a void space by the addition of material to either side of the channel such that the shape of the channel fits the connector, or by molds whereby the material forming the unit is poured into a specific mold with the shape of the channel as part of the structure of the mold.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of one of the connectors, 100, used to fill the preformed engraved channel when the channels are not being utilized to connect nearby units. Lips 101 and 104 are attached to legs 102 and 103 at substantially right angles and the lips 101 and 104 are capable of being inserted into the preformed engraved channels located on the units as seen on the units in FIG. 7. Legs 102 and 103 are attached at substantially right angles from each other and substantially right angles from lips 101 and 104 respectively. Each attached adjacent pair of legs and corresponding lips form an individual branch of the connector 100.
FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of a connector with two branches, 200. This connector can connect two separate units together by inserting lips 201, 204, 206, and 207 into corresponding complimentary preformed engraved channels on two different units. Legs 202 and 208 and legs 203 and 205 are substantially at right angles to each other. Lips 201, 204, 206, and 207 run the length of the connector and are substantially at right angles from legs 202, 203, 205, and 208 respectively.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of a four branch connector 300, capable of connecting 2, 3 or 4 separate units together. Branches 301, 302, 303, and 304 have corresponding legs and lips at substantially 90 degree angels such as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Branches 301, 302, 303, and 304 additionally are attached at the back side of the legs of each branch.
FIG. 4 shows three units 401, 402, and 403 connected by a four branch connector as seen in FIG. 3, 300. In addition, the preformed engaged channel on the exterior corner of unit 401 has been filled by a two branch connector 100 as seen in FIG. 1. As previously disclosed, each unit has corresponding pairs of preformed engraved channels on adjacent sides of each box shaped unit.
FIG. 5 is a front view of three units connected by a four branch connector 300 and three branch connector 200 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 2, respectively.
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of three units that were previously connected by way of two branch connectors 200, 200 b and four branch connector 300.
FIG. 7 shows an individual unit 500. Each of the adjacent corners of the unit has preformed engraved channels located substantially equidistant from the edge of two sides of the unit. For example, engraved channels 501 and 502 are located on two adjacent corners and are depicted at substantially equal distance from the edge of two sides of the unit. The engraved channels can span the entire length of the unit or can stop at any distance from the back side of each unit while still serving the same function of providing a slot for insertion of a connector to either attach additional units or to fill the preformed engraved channels to prevent foreign debris from filling or clogging the channels. Preformed engraved channels 503 and 504 are also located substantially equidistant from the corner of a unit on adjacent sides. These preformed engraved channels, again do not span the entire distance of the unit but can do so to function the same, as a location for insertion of the connectors.
FIG. 8 shows FIG. 7 with all the components, units and connectors, located substantially in place.
The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A modular furniture system comprising:

at least one unit and at least one connector, the at least one unit is box, flat cornered, in shape with a preformed engraved channel on an exterior surface of at least two adjacent sides of the at least one unit, the preformed engraved channel spans a distance from a front of the at least one unit toward a back of the at least one unit, whereby the preformed engraved channel accommodate the at least one connector, the at least one connector comprising at least one branch, each at least one branch has a pair of legs, and each of the pair of legs is substantially rectangular in shape and each of the pair of legs are attached together at substantially a right angle, and each of the pair of legs has a lip that spans the length of each of the pair of legs, the lip is attached at substantially a right angle to the leg, the lips of each of the at least one branch are located internal to the substantially right angle formed between the pair of legs, wherein the at least one connector is capable of matingly engaging with the preformed engaged channel of the at least one unit.

2. The modular furniture system as described in claim 1 where a first unit is attached to a second unit, the first unit and second unit each have a preformed engraved channel on the external side of at least two adjacent sides, the preformed engraved channel of the first unit is juxtaposed to the preformed engraved channel of the second unit, an at least one connector having at least two branches is matingly engaged with the preformed engraved channel of the first unit one and the preformed engraved channel of the second unit.

3. The modular furniture system as described in claim 1 whereby a first unit, a second unit and a third unit are attached together by an at least three branch connector, each of the first unit, second unit and third unit have a preformed engraved channel located on the exterior side of at least two adjacent sides of each of the first unit, second unit, and third unit, the preformed engraved channel of first unit, second unit and third unit are juxtaposed and the at least three branch connector is matingly engaged with the preformed engraved channel of the first unit, second unit and third unit.

4. The modular furniture system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of units are attached together by a plurality of connectors.

5. A modifiable modular furniture system capable of rearrangement comprising: a first unit attached to a second unit by a connector matingly engaged to the first unit and the second unit by way of a preformed engraved channel on the exterior surface of the first unit and a preformed engraved channel on the exterior surface of the second unit, said first unit and second unit are polygonal and have an opening on a front side of the polygonal shape, the preformed engraved channel of the first unit and the second unit spans from the front side to a back side, the connector has at least one branch, each at least one branch has two legs attached together forming an “L”, each leg has a lip running the length of the leg forming an “L,” the lips of the at least one branch are both located on the interior side of the angle formed between the two legs, the size and shape of the preformed engraved channel accommodates the size and shape of the connector, the connector slides into position in the preformed engraved channel of the first unit and the preformed engraved channel of the second unit for matingly engaging the first unit and second unit together.

6. A connector means for matingly engaging a channel in a modular furniture system with a at least one branch, the at least one branch has at least a pair of legs attached together along an elongated side of each of the at least a pair legs at substantially a ninety degree angle, each of the at least a pair of legs has a lip attached opposite the angle, the lip is located on the interior side of the ninety degree angle, the shape of the lip is complimentary to the channel of the modular furniture system.

7. The connector means of claim 6 with at least two branches, the at least two branches are attached along an elongated length of a leg of the at least a pair of legs of the first branch and an elongated length of a leg of the at least a pair of legs of the second branch such that the first branch and second branch form substantially a “T” shape.

8. The connector means of claim 7 with a third branch, said third branch is attached along the elongated length of the leg of the second branch and an elongated length of the leg of an at least a pair of legs of the third branch such that the three branches form substantially a “t” shape.

9. The connector means of claim 8 with a fourth branch, said fourth branch is attached along the elongated length of the leg of the third branch and an elongated length of a leg of an at least a pair of legs of the fourth branch such that the four branches form substantially a “t” shape.

10. A modular furniture system with a first unit and a second unit attached together with the connector means of claim 8, the first unit and second unit are box shaped and have an opening on a front side of each unit, each unit has at least a pair of preformed engraved channels along an external side of two adjacent sides of the each unit perpendicular to the opening, the at least a pair of preformed engraved channels start on the front side of the unit and span toward a back side of the unit, the units are attached by matingly engaging the lips of an at least a pair of legs of the first branch of the connector means to the at least a pair of preformed engraved channels of the first unit and matingly engaging the lips of the at least a pair of legs of the second branch of the connector means with the at least a pair of preformed engraved channels of the second unit.

11. A modular furniture system with a first unit attached to a second unit attached to a third unit with the connector means of claim 9, each unit is box shaped and has an openings on a front side and each unit has at least two preformed engraved channels along two adjacent sides perpendicular to the front side, the first unit is attached to the second unit by way of matingly engaging the lips of the first branch of the connector means and the at least two preformed engraved channels of the first unit and matingly engaging the lips of the second branch of the connector means and the at least two preformed engraved channels of the second unit and matingly engaging the lips of the third branch of the connector means with the at least two preformed engraved channels of the third unit.

12. A modular furniture system with a first unit attached to a second unit attached to a third unit attached to a fourth unit with the connector means of claim 10, each unit is box shaped and has an opening on a front side of each unit and at least two preformed engraved channels along two adjacent sides perpendicular to the opening, the first unit is attached to the second unit by way of matingly engaging the lips of the first branch and second branch of the connector means to the at least two preformed engraved channels of the first unit and the at least two preformed engraved channels of the second unit, the third unit is connected by matingly engaging the lips of the third branch to the at least two preformed engraved channels of the third unit, the fourth unit is attached by matingly engaging the lips of the fourth branch of the connector means and the at least two preformed engraved channels of the fourth unit.

13. A modular furniture system comprising a plurality of units, said plurality of units are polygon shaped, said plurality of units each have an opening on a front side, said units have a pair of preformed engraved channels on at least two sides of the exterior of the unit perpendicular to the front side, said plurality of units are attached together by a plurality of connector means as claimed in claim 6 by matingly engaging the plurality of connectors means with the at least a pair of preformed engraved channels of the plurality of units.