Structure for fastening facing structural units

• US 5,375,802 A
• Filed: 11/17/1993
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bill Branham Designs Limited
• Original Assignee: Bill Branham Designs Limited
• Inventors: Branham, William K. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Application Number:
  US08/153,641
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 248/231.4, 248/323, 248/220.4, 248/221.2, 248/221.4, 248/220.3, 248/221.1, 248/221.3, 248/225.1, 248/225.2, 248/231.8, 248/316.4, 52/36.4, 52/36.5, 211/94
• US Class Current: 248/221.11
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0846 Display panels or rails with elongated channels; Sliders, brackets, shelves, or the like, slidably attached therein

Abstract

A structural assembly for fastening together and disengaging a slotted supporting unit and a supported unit having adjustable gripping means mounted thereon cooperable with the slotted supporting unit to apply compressive forces to the supporting unit and resulting tensile forces to the supported unit in order to maintain the fastened together units in facing planer relationship.

Claims

1. A structural arrangement for fastening together and disengaging oppositely facing structural units one of which is a supporting unit and the other of which is a supported unit comprising:

longitudinally extending grip receiving means on said supporting unit;

a pair of relatively adjustable gripping means independently and separately mounted in spaced relation on said supported unit to be preselectively positioned to engage with said grip receiving means on said supporting unit; and

,

adjusting means for at least one of said pair of adjustable gripping means to apply compressive fastening forces to said supporting unit and tensile forces to said facing supported unit when said grip receiving means and said adjustable gripping means are engaged with said structural units in facing relation.

2. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 1, said grip receiving means comprising at least one longitudinally extending slot positioned in said supporting unit to extend between opposed side edges of said supporting unit.

3. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 1, said grip receiving means comprising at least one pair of spaced longitudinally extending horizontal slots extending between opposed vertical side edges of said supporting unit.

4. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 1, said grip receiving means comprising at least one longitudinally extending slot in said supporting unit and said adjustable gripping means comprising at least one pair of spaced adjustable clip members with at least one of said pair of clip members having a U-shaped cross-sectional configuration to engage in said longitudinally extending slot in said supporting unit.

5. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 4, one of said pair of clip members being adjustable and the other being stationary to allow suspension of said supported unit on which it is mounted while the other of said clip members of said pair is adjusted for gripping engagement with said grip receiving means.

6. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 1, said adjustable gripping adjusting means including spring loading means cooperative therewith for applying said compressive and tensile forces to said supporting and supported units, respectively.

7. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 1, said grip receiving means comprising at least one longitudinally extending slot in said supporting unit and said adjustable gripping means comprising at least one pair of spaced adjustable clip members both having a U-shape cross-sectional configuration to allow slot engagement, one of said spaced pair of clip members being of one unitary piece to allow engagement and support of said supported unit relative said supporting unit and the other of said pair of clip member including at least two relatively moveable sections one of which sections is fastenable to said supported unit and includes a guide post for the other section which is spring-load mounted on said guide post for relative spring-loaded movement therebetween.

8. The structural fastening arrangement of claim 1, and locking means cooperable with said adjustable gripping means to lock the same in place when engaged in said grip receiving means.

9. The structural arrangement of claim 1, said grip receiving means comprising at least one longitudinally extending slot positioned in said supporting unit to extend between opposed side edges of said supporting unit, said slot including an interior pocket portion bounded by a rear wall, a front wall and an entrance bisecting said front wall, said front wall extending from the edges of said rear wall forwardly in an arcuate configuration and having terminal lip-like portions forming the edge of said entrance;

a locking assembly mounted on said adjustable gripping means including an arcuate base locking bar complementary to the arcuate configuration of said front wall of said pocket portion of said slot and having a width less than the width of said entrance of said slot, and a threaded hole in the center portion of said locking bar; and

, a threaded stud projecting from said adjustable gripping mean and cooperable therewith, said threaded stud having one end fitted and threaded in said threaded hole of said locking bar for insertion of said locking bar into said pocket portion of said slot to be positioned between said adjustable gripping means and the rear wall of said pocket portion of said slot when said locking bar is in alignment with the width of said entrance of said slot for selective movement of said stud in said pocket portion against the rear wall of said pocket portion so that turning said threaded stud in said threaded hole of said locking bar and in abutment with said rear wall selectively moves said locking bar threaded thereon in and out of locking engagement with said adjustable gripping means.

10. A structural arrangement for fastening together and disengaging oppositely facing structural vertical panel units, one of which units serves as a vertical supporting panel and the other a vertical supported panel unit to be supported thereby in facing relation comprising:

at least one pair of spaced horizontal slots extending between the spaced vertical side edges of said vertical supporting panel;

two pairs of spaced clip members fastened to the upper and lower corners of said supported panel, each of which clip members includes a slot gripping portion of U-shaped configuration to nestingly engage with one of said horizontal slots of said vertical supporting panel, each of one of said pairs of clip members fastened to the upper corners of said supported panel being a stationary unitary piece to allow suspension of said supported panel from the upper horizontal slot of said supporting panel and each of the other of said pairs of clip members fastened to the lower corners of said supporting panel including at least two relatively moveable sections one of which sections includes said U-shaped configuration to be engageably fastenable to the lower horizontal slot of said supporting panel and is spring-loaded and guidably moveable relative the other section which is fastened to said supporting panel so as to apply compressive forces to the supporting panel portion between said spaced horizontal slots and resultant tension forces to the supported panel on which said clip members are fastened and bar locking means insertable in said slots and cooperable with said clip members when fastened in said slots to lock the same in place.