Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PANEL CONNECTORS
BACXGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and useful improve-
ments in elongated clips or mouldings adapted to hold panel
portions together either at right angles to one another by
adjacent edges in the form of a corner or to hold a panel
in perpendicular relationship to another panel or rail and
to facilitate the assembly of such panels.
Metal clips are known which engage over panels
in order to hold them together, but such clips are often
unable to retain the engagement with the panels due to
lack of frictional engagement of the clips with the panel
surfaces or grooves.
Furthermore, such clips are usually intermittent
in position and therefore look unsightly and furthermore do
not shield or cover the grooves in which they engage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these disadvanta-
ges and in accordance with the invention there is provided
an elongated slightly flexible clip for attaching two panel
portions together substantially at right angles to one ano-
ther~ said clip including a first flange and a second flange
extending at an angle from said first flange with said flan-
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ges having a common elonyated apex and a yroove enyaying
bead parallel to but spaced slightly from -the outer edge
of at least one of said flanges and upon the inner surface
thereof and an elongated friction key extending from the
inner surface of said bead intermediate the upper and low-
er elongated sides thereof.
Another aspect of the invention in conjunction
with the flexible clip hereinbefore described is to provi-
de a pair of panels situated at right angles to one ano-
ther and engaging one another by adjacent edges thereof to
form a corner construction, an elongated bead groove form-
ed in the outer surface of at least one of said panel por-
tions spaced and parallel to said edge thereof, said bead
snap engaging within said groove and means to secure the
other leg of said elongated clip to the outer face of the
other of said panel portions.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide
an elongated clip or moulding which is easily extruded pre-
ferably from plastic and which can snap engage and hold a
pair of panel portions at right angles to one another.
Still another aspect of the invention is to pro-
vide a device of the character herewithin described which
is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and
otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designedO
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With the foregoing in view, and okher advantac~e3
as wi]l 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 accompany-
ing drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a descrip-
tion of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles
of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DR~WINGS
Figure 1 is a fragmentary isometric view of one
embodiment of the clip or moulding enlarged in size with
reference to some of the other views.
Figure 2 is a top plan view showing the moulding
of Figure 1 in engagement with a pair of panel portions
situated at right angles to one another in a corner forma-
tion.
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but show-
ing an alternative construction.
Figure 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of an
alternative embodiment of the moulding enlarged in size with
reference to some of the other views.
Figure 5 shows the moulding of Figure 4 adapted
to hold a panel portion perpendicular to a further panel
portion or rail.
Figure 6 is a front elevation of the panel por-
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tion or rail of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a fragmentary view o~ the perpendi~
cular panel portion of Figure 5.
Figure 8 is the fragmentary isometric view of
an alternative embodiment of the moulding of Figure 1 en-
larged in size with reference to some of the other views.
In the drawings like characters of reference in-
dicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAI~ED DESCRIPTION
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention
in detail, reference should first be made to Figure 1 in
which 10 illustrates generally, an elongated clip or mould-
ing extruded preferably from plastic and including a pair
of flanges 11 and 12 formed together with a common apex 12A
and it should be noted that the two flanges are situated
relative to one another at slightly less than 90. The
plastic (or metal) forming the moulding is preferably
fairly rigid, but slightly resilient so that the two flan-
ges can open Ollt to approximately 90 when engaged over the
corner or a pair of panel portions 13 and 14 as shown in
Figure 2.
In this particular embodiment illustrated in
Figure 1, elongated beads 15 are formed adjacent the outer
edges 16 of each of the flanges and spaced slightly inward-
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ly thereErom with the inner sur~ace of ~he ~lanye 17 yra-
dually increasing in thickness and then extending inward-
ly at right angles to the plane of the flange to form a
substantially triangular bead when viewed in end eleva-
tion as clearly shown in Figure 1.
Intermediate the elongated outer edge 18 and
the inner edge 19 of the inner surface of the bead, there
is provided a key 20 which is edge-sharpened and inclines
outwardly towards the outer edge 18.
In the formation of the moulding or clip 10,
it is desirable that the outer surface o the outer edges
21 of the two flanges be rounded slightly to blend in with
the outer surfaces 22 of the panels when installed.
In Figure 2, both of the panels 13 and 14 are
provided with an elongated bead engaging groove 23 formed
in the outer surfaces 22 and 24 thereof respectively and
spaced from the edges 25 and 26 of the two panels. The
panels are positioned at right angles to one another to
form a corner as illustrated in Figure 2 whereupon the elon-
gated moulding is pressed over the corner and expanded to
approximately 90 so that the beads 15 snap engage within
the bead grooves 23 with the ~eys 20 frictionally engaging
the adjacent vertical walls 27 of the bead grooves 23 thus
holding the two panels firmly in position and preventing or
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at least reducing relative movement therebetween.
If desired, panel 13 may be provided with an
elongated groove 28 on the inner surface thereof and the
end wall 26 of the panel 14 may be provided with a cor-
responding shoulder 29 which engages the groove 28 thus
further stiffening the junction.
Figure 8 shows an alternative construction in
which the bead 15 is only provided on one flan~e 11 with
the other flange being clear and being stapled as shown
at 30, to the surface of the panel 14.
It should be noted that the extending edges 16
overlies the far walls 27A of the bead grooves 23 thus
hiding them completely when the moulding is snap engaged
into position as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
The alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4
is also for connecting a panel portion 31 perpendicular to
a further panel portion or rail 32. In this case, an elon-
gated groove 33 is formed in the panel portion or rail 32
to receive the edge portion 34 of the other panel portion
31.
The moulding collectively designated 35 and
shown in Figure 4, includes a first flange portion 36 simi- :
lar to the flange portion 11 of Figure 1 and including the
elongated bead` 15 with the outwardly extending friction key
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20. The other flange 37 which extends at right angles
frorn the inner edge 38 of the first flange, is of a width
to be seated within groove 33 and to be held therein as
by staples 39 or any other means.
A bead engaging groove 40 is formed in -the out-
er surface 41 of panel 31 spaced from the edge 34 thereof
and once the moulding 35 has been secured within the hase
of the groove 39, with the flange 36 extending perpendicu-
larly therefrom, the panel portion 31 may also be engaged
within the groove and snap engaged with the bead 15, once
again holding the two panel portions firmly in position
with the key 20 providing additional frictional engagement.
Although it is preferable that the clips or
mouldings be formed by extrusion, of plastic, nevertheless
similarly formed metal clips or mouldings can be used.
Since various modifications can be made in my
invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently
widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit
and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit
and ScQpe, it is intended that all matter contained in the
accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustra-
tive only and not in a limiting sense.
