Furniture leg with anchoring means

• US 5,720,457 A
• Filed: 12/11/1996
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Furniture Attachments Systems Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: S & M Furniture Mfg., Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, James R., Miller, Terry K., Smith, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Braun, Leslie A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERRY JR, WILLIE WENDELL
• Application Number:
  US08/763,406
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 248/188, 248/188.1, 248/188.4, 248/188.8, 248/551, 297/445, 297/440.1
• US Class Current: 248/188
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 13/021 Fastening devices of the feet or legs A47B13/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2230/0011 Hooks and loops as in hook and look-type fastener
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 12/44 Leg joints; Corner joints

Abstract

A furniture leg attached to the underside of the frame of a piece of furniture. The furniture leg has a vertical bore through which a bolt is threadedly screwed into an internally-threaded insert on the frame, entrapping the furniture leg between the head of the bolt and the frame. In some embodiments, at least one, and preferably two, teeth extend upwardly from the upper surface of the furniture leg and pierce through the upholstery and into the frame, preventing the furniture leg from rotating about the axis of the bolt. In other embodiments, at least one, and preferably two, corrugated joiners extend upwardly from the upper surface of the furniture leg and pierce through the upholstery and into the frame, preventing the furniture leg from rotating about the axis of the bolt. One of the corrugated joiners may span a seam between bondedly and abuttingly joined pieces of the furniture leg, thereby also providing additional structural joining of the pieces of the furniture leg. In another embodiment, coacting hook-and-loop fasteners or joiners, spaced from the axis of the bolt on the upper surface of the furniture leg and the undersurface of the piece of furniture, prevent rotation of the furniture leg. All embodiments simultaneously secure the leg from rotation as the bolt draws the leg to the frame.

Claims

1. In combination,

(a) a furniture leg for attachment to a piece of furniture, said piece of furniture having a frame and said frame having an underside, said furniture leg having an upper surface and said furniture leg having a bore therethrough extending from said upper surface of said furniture leg and passing downwardly completely through said furniture leg;

and

(b) anchoring means for securely attaching said furniture leg to said underside of said frame so that said furniture leg is secured from rotation about any axis with respect to said frame, said anchoring means comprising;

i. fastener means for fastening said furniture leg to the underside of said frame through said bore, said fastener means including a body having a first end and a threaded second end, said fastener means further including a head attached to said first end of said body, said threaded second end of said body being adapted for insertion through said bore and for threaded engagement with respect to said frame so that said furniture leg is entrapped between said frame and the head of said fastener means when said threaded second end of said body is threadedly engaged with respect to said frame; and

ii. at least one tooth extending upwardly from said upper surface of said furniture leg and radically spaced from said bore, said at least one tooth having a pointed distal end outwardly remote from said upper surface of said furniture leg for piercing said underside of said frame without engagement with any pre-formed hole into said frame, said tooth being fixedly secured to said furniture leg before, during, and after attachment of said leg to said piece of furniture, whereby said tooth is adapted to pierce the underside of the frame when the bolt draws the leg upper surface into contact with said frame to thereby prevent rotation of the leg while bolt continues to be tightened.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1, in which said at least one tooth is integral with said furniture leg and said distal end of said at least one tooth is sharp.

3. The combination as recited in claim 1, in which said furniture leg is molded plastic, and in which said at least one tooth is an integrally molded part of said furniture leg and said distal end of said at least one tooth is sharp.

4. The combination as recited in claim 1, in which said at least one tooth includes a lower portion extending into and beneath said upper surface of said furniture leg, said lower portion being entrapped by said furniture leg.

5. In combination,

(a) a piece of furniture, said piece of furniture having a frame and said frame having an underside;

(b) a furniture leg attached to the underside of said frame, said furniture leg having an upper surface and said furniture leg having a bore completely therethrough extending from said upper surface of said furniture leg and passing downwardly through said furniture leg; and

(c) anchoring means for securely attaching said furniture leg to said underside of said frame with said upper surface of said furniture leg abutting the underside of said frame and with said furniture leg being secured from rotation about any axis with respect to said frame, said anchoring means comprising;

i. a single threaded bolt having a head, said threaded bolt being screwingly inserted through said bore and threadedly engaged with respect to said frame so that said furniture leg is entrapped between said frame and the head of said bolt; and

ii. at least one tooth extending upwardly from said upper surface of said furniture leg and radically spaced from said bore, said tooth having a pointed distal end outwardly remote from said upper surface of said furniture leg in piercing engagement with said underside of said frame without engagement with any pre-formed hole into said frame, said tooth being fixedly secured to said furniture leg before, during, and after attachment of said leg to said piece of furniture, whereby said tooth is adapted to pierce the underside of the frame when the bolt draws the leg upper surface into contact with said frame to thereby prevent rotation of the leg while the bolt continues to be tightened.

6. The combination as recited in claim 5, in which said at least one tooth is integral with said furniture leg and said distal end of said at least one tooth is sharp.

7. The combination as recited in claim 5, in which said furniture leg is molded plastic, and in which said at least one tooth is an integrally molded part of said furniture leg and said distal end of said at least one tooth is sharp.

8. The combination as recited in claim 5, in which said at least one tooth includes a lower portion extending into and beneath said upper surface of said furniture leg, said lower portion being entrapped by said furniture leg.

9. In combination,

(a) a furniture leg for attachment to a piece of furniture, said piece of furniture having a frame and said frame having an underside, said furniture leg having an upper surface and said furniture leg having a bore completely therethrough extending from said upper surface of said furniture leg and passing downwardly through said furniture leg, said bore having a longitudinal axis;

and

(b) anchoring means for securely attaching said furniture leg to said underside of said frame so that said furniture leg is secured from rotation about any axis with respect to said frame, said anchoring means comprising;

i. fastener means for fastening said furniture leg to the underside of said frame through said bore, said fastener means including a body having a first end and a threaded second end, said fastener means further including a head attached to said first end of said body, said threaded second end of said body being adapted for insertion through said bore and for threaded engagement with respect to said frame so that said furniture leg is entrapped between said frame and the head of said fastener means and so that said furniture leg is drawn toward said frame when said threaded second end of said body is threadedly engaged with respect to said frame; and

at least one anti-rotation means extending upwardly from the upper surface of said furniture leg and radially spaced from said bore, said anti-rotation means being fixedly secured to said furniture leg before, during, and after attachment of said leg to said piece of furniture whereby said anti-rotation means is adapted to pierce the underside of the frame when the fastener means draws the leg upper surface into contact with said frame to thereby prevent rotation of the leg while the fastener means continues to be tightened.