US3351365A - Furniture joint - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1967 BlCKL 3,351,365

FURNITURE JOINT Filed June 9, 1965 k Y I F /G.3

INVENTOR United States Patent 3,351,365 FURNITURE JOINT Joseph Bicltl, 110 Lebeau, Montreal 9, Quebec, Canada Filed June 9, 1965, Ser. No. 462,576 1 Claim. (Cl. 287-127) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLUSURE The present invention relates to a furniture joint consisting of an elongated body, of rectangular or square cross-section, of the type having coplanar tongues protruding from the opposite lateral faces of said body in the center of said faces for fitting within grooves of adjacent furniture panels to interconnect said panels, said body further having dowelled pins protruding from the opposite main faces of said body, at spaced intervals along said body, for making connection with other furniture members at substantially right angles to the firstnamed panels, said body being characterized by the fact that it is made of two parts, each having interfitting and contacting stepped surfaces opposite the main surfaces, said stepped surfaces defining a step face medially of the body and at right angles to the main surfaces of the body, whereby the joint may be taken apart or assembled by movement of the two parts of the joint :body solely in a direction at right angles to said main surfaces, to enable easy disassembly of an already assembled piece of furniture provided with joints of the present invention.

This invention relates to furniture joints, and more particularly to a type of wooden molding to be used to secure together plywood sheets without the use of nails or other like hardware.

Plywood sheet is widely used both in the construction industry and by the amateur home builder to provide built-in type furniture, panelled walls, cupboards, bookshelves and so on. Furniture of this type has become popular over the years for many reasons, namely: ease of working and a growing taste for the simple, useful and space-saving furniture that may be constructed with plywood material. However, to the present time no universal device has been provided which may be used to easily and simply form joints between adjacent plywood sheets in the same plane or planes perpendicularly related one to the other.

The problem with which this invention is concerned is that of providing a furniture joint that may be used either to permanently secure together adjacent plywood sheets or provide a detachable union of the sheets with the purpose in mind of adding to or altering the arrangement of the plywood sheets at some furture time, wherein the sheets may be easily taken apart for the necessary modifications to be made thereto.

The object of the invention therefore, is to provide a simple and inexpensive furniture joint which may be utilised in the construction of plywood furniture to provide a detachable type joint between related plywood sheets for the purpose of simplifying this type of furniture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a furniture joint that is relatively inexpensive which may be utilised to ease and speed the construction of furniture made with plywood sheet material.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a universal type joint strip between adjacent plywood sheets that has a decorative and pleasing appearance in the formation of exterior visible corners and which is sub stantially concealed in the formation of interior joints between plywood sheets.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the union of two molding strips similar to that depicted in FIGURE 1, in a typical interior joint with wooden dowels inserted.

FIG. 3 is a sectional end view depicting the manner in which plywood sheets are secured by means of the joint depicted in FIGURE 2.

FIG. 4 is an end view showing a modified joint suitable for jointing plywood sheets to form corners wherein the joint is exposed.

Referring to FIG. 1 in greater detail, reference numeral 10 designates generally a molding formed from a wooden strip having a generally rectangular cross-section comprising an exterior face 11, and a relatively narrower perpendicular face 12 provided with a longitudinal tongue 13. Opposite exterior surface 11 is formed a right-angled step having a perpendicular face 14 substantially along the mid-vertical section of molding, horizontal faces 15 and 16 having thereby substantially equal widths. Vertical holes 17 are provided centrally clear through molding 10 at given intervals. Dowels or pegs 18 made of wood, plastic or metal having a diameter substantially equivalent to the diameter of holes 17 and a length greater than thickness of molding between faces 11 and 15 are provided to be used in conjunction with molding 1G to form joints in the manner herein-below described. It will be noted from a study of FIGURES 1 and 2 that each end of dowel 18 is provided with a slot 19 to ease insertion of ends of dowels 18 into holes 17.

In FIGURE 2 is illustrated the conjunction of two molding strips 10 and 10a in a typical internal joint between plywood sheets. Molding strips 10 and 10a are fitted with inner face 15 of molding 10 in direct contact with inner face 16 of molding 10a, and vice versa, thereby aligning vertical openings 17 to permit the insertion of wooden dowels 18. It should be noted that opposing tongues 13 extend horizontally and from faces 12, substantially midway between opposite exterior faces 11 of the two moldings 10 and 10a. This is not of course essential according to the invention; however it is preferable, as will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the construction of plywood furniture, as for instance a bookcase, horizontal plywood sheets are provided with a groove extending along appropriate edges thereof adapted to receive a tongue, while vertical plywood sheets are provided with circular holes along appropriate edges, the distances between the openings being substantially equivalent to the given distances between openings 17 in molding 10 as depicted in FIGURES 1 and 2. This is clearly illustrated in FIGURE 3 wherein horizontal plywood sheets 20 forming for instance the shelves of a book-case are provided with grooves adapted to receive tongues, while vertical plywood sheets 22 forming, for instance, dividing walls between shelves 20, are provided with drilled openings 23, adapted to receive the ends of dowels 18. It is apparent from the foregoing that grooves 21 are centrally formed in edges of plywood sheet 21 in order that correct alignment of plywood sheets 20, or shelves is simply achieved upon fitting over tongue 13. It should be noted from a study of FIGURE 3 that the two molding strips 10 and 10a in conjunction form a strip having a substantially square section substantially equal in dimensions to the thickness of plywood sheets 20 and 22. Variations in the thickness of molding strip 10 may be made to match the commonly used sizes of plywood sheet; for instance the molding strip may be provided with an exterior face 11, having widths of A",

' /2, and so on, the remaining dimensions being in proportion in each case according to the above description. In this manner the internal joints, as depicted in FIGURE 3 are concealed between the converging edges of the plywood sheets 20 and 22.

In the construction of an outer joint, as for example in a corner between the top of a bookcase and one perpendicular side as depicted in FIGURE 4, the tongue 13 is removed from the lower molding, and dowels 18 are driven flush with exterior face 11 of upper molding 10. The dowels 18 may, of course, be countersunk in openings 17 and the ends filled with plastic material 24 to provide a smooth surface before the finishing is applied thereto.

In the construction of permanent joints using this invention, inner surfaces 15 and 16 of moldings 10 and 10a are glued together as described. Edges of plywood sheets 22 provided with holes 23 are spread with glue and applied to the exterior surfaces 11 of upper and lower moldings 10 and 10a over dowels 18, while edges of horizontal plywood sheets provided with grooves 21 are similarly spread with glue and applied over tongues 13 to edges of upper and lower moldings 10 and 10a as shown in FIG- URE 3. e

An important feature of the invention is its use in constructing joints which later may be taken apart for additions or modifications to be made to the structure. In these cases edges of plywood sheets 20 and 22 are not supplied with glue before application over dowels 18 and tongues 11 respectively, friction being sufficient to hold the plywood sheets 20 and 22 in position.

It will be understood that while only one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, this is exemplary and not exhaustive of the invention since many variations and modifications may be made without departure from the inventive concept. Accordingly it is not intended that the invention be limited otherwise than as required by the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A furniture joint comprising an upper and a lower elongate member each said member having one at surface and opposing stepped surface defining a flat step face perpendicular to said flat surface, said step face running longitudinally along each said member, said step face being located centrally of said opposite surface, said step faces being of equal depth in said two members thereby to provide that inversion of one said member permits said two members to be removably fitted together into a substantially rectangular combined unit by movement of said two members solely in a direction at right angles to said fiat surfaces, a plurality of equally spaced holes located through each said members, perpendicular to said fiat surfaces, said holes in one of said members matching exactly said holes in the other of said members, and pin means having a substantially close friction fit in said holes, said pin means permitting firm jointing together of said two members, said pin means having greater length than combined thickness of said two members, measured from one said flat surface to the other said flat surf-ace, thereby permitting joining said two members together with other elements of a furniture structure having equally spaced holes corresponding to said holes in said members, both of said members being supplied with a flange extending outwardly from one side of each said member, said flange running longitudinally along each said member, said flange having a thickness equal to the height of said step, said flange having one surface common with said stepped surface at its thickest location, and additional furniture elements having grooves slidably locatable onto said flanges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,067,792 7/1913 Baron 52-586 2,088,128 7/1937 Benjamin 46-26 2,453,326 4/1945 Lambert 287-2092 3,146,497 9/1964 Short et a1 287-2092 X CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

W. L. SHEDD, Assistant Examiner.

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