CABINET CONNECTOR
A connector for interconnecting vertical panels of adjacent cabinets comprises male and female connector elements releasably mounted in opposed openings in the sidewalls of adjoining cabinet modules. Each connector element comprises a body that is shaped to fit into a compatible opening in a sidewall of a cabinet. The body desirably has locking tabs extending radially outwardly therefrom. The locking tabs fit into the opening in the sidewall and then are rotated into locking slots in the sides of the openings. A projection with an enlarged head on the male connector element fits in a keyhole slot in the female connector element to lock the two connector elements together.
The present invention comprises a cabinet connector for releasably connecting together individual modules of a suspended cabinet system that is suspended from a ceiling or wall.
Suspended cabinet systems are typically manufactured in modules and connected together side by side and mounted to a wall or ceiling. Usually, one module is mounted to the building structure and then the next module is held in place adjacent the first module while it is attached to the first module and attached to the wall or ceiling. This generally takes two or three people to do and is somewhat difficult. Releasable connectors are sometimes used to connect adjacent panels of cabinets, but the releasable connectors frequently are time consuming to install and involve more work than simply bolting the two panels together.
An object of the present invention is to provide an easy to mount and easy to install connector for interconnecting adjacent vertical panels of cabinet sections. Another object of the invention is to provide a rigid connector that can support a substantial amount of weight. Prior releasable connectors have typically been flimsy and unable to support the weight of adjoining cabinets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the present invention, a connector for interconnecting vertical panels of adjacent cabinets comprises male and female connector elements releasably mounted in opposed openings in the sidewalls of adjoining cabinet modules. Each connector element comprises a body that is shaped to fit into a compatible opening in a sidewall of a cabinet. The body desirably has locking tabs extending radially outwardly therefrom. The locking tabs fit into the opening in the sidewall and then are rotated into locking slots in the sides of the openings. A projection with an enlarged head on the male connector element fits in a keyhole slot in the female connector element to lock the two connector elements together.
While connector elements that are inserted and rotated into locking engagement are preferred, connector elements can be attached with screws that extend through the sides of the connector elements.
These and other features, objects, and benefits of the invention will be recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art and by those who practice the invention, from the specification, the claims, and the drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to the drawings, a pair of cabinets 10 and 12 are shown in
In the present invention, the connector mechanism includes a plurality of connectors (3 in this case), with each connector including a female connector element 20 and a corresponding male connector element 22. As shown in
As stated above, each connector includes a female connector element 20 and a male connector element 22 that releasably lock together.
As shown in
Female connector element 20 comprises a cylindrical body 38 having outwardly extending tabs 40 spaced at regular intervals around the tubular sidewall 42 of the body. Tabs 40 are spaced away from an outer surface 44 that covers a front end of the body. Tabs 40 preferably are spaced away from front end 44 by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of square sidewalls 30. A keyhole slot 46 comprising an enlarged opening 48 at one end and a more narrow slot 50 at the other end is formed in front surface 44 of the body.
Connector element 20 is inserted into cabinet sidewall opening 26 in the orientation shown in
The male connector element 22 is formed and mounted in a manner similar to the female connector element, as shown in
The outer surface 64 of the male connector element (as well as the female connector element) includes a pair of spaced openings 80 therethrough. These openings receive projections from a wrench-like tool that is inserted in the openings and rotated in order to angularly rotate the connector element into its locking position in the opening in the sidewall (the locking position being shown in
Outer edges 82 of the tabs are rounded or beveled downwardly, so that the tabs cam under the edges of square opening 28 in moving between their released and locked positions.
As shown in
With the connector elements 20 and 22 being mounted in position, as shown in
An advantage feature of the connector system of the present invention is that screw 74 is not merely a wood screw threaded into the side of a wood cabinet and sustained in position by the threads on the screw. Instead, the screw is mounted securely in the non-wood male connector element, so the screw is much less subject to being dislodged from the threaded opening. The connector element may be formed of metal or an appropriate synthetic resin. Further, the screw is not held in place in the wood sidewall by its own threads, but is held in place by the entire body of the connecting element 22, and this connection with the wood occurs over a substantial bearing surface provided by all four tabs of the connector element.
Additional details of the female connecting element 20 are shown in
With the construction of the present invention and employing three connectors in the manner shown in
While the foregoing embodiment wherein a square opening is positioned over a circular opening is preferred, it is also possible to fabricate openings in the sidewalls of different shapes and still realize benefits from of the present invention.
For instance, in
In
The male and female connector elements of this embodiment are similar in operation to the male and female connector elements of the prior embodiment. Female connector element 96 has a keyhole slot 106 formed in front surface 108 of the connector element. Male connector element 110, shown in
It should be understood that the foregoing is merely representative of the preferred practice of the present invention and that various changes in the details of construction in the arrangement of the embodiments disclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1-3. (canceled)
4. In a cabinet assembly wherein a plurality of elevated cabinets are interconnected by a connector mechanism that connects abutting vertical sidewalls of adjacent cabinets, the improvement wherein the connector mechanism comprises:
- interfitting male and female connector elements releasably mounted in opposed connector openings in the sidewalls of adjacent cabinets,
- the connector openings comprising recesses in the sidewalls, with locking slots extending laterally outwardly from peripheral edges of inner portions of the recesses, the slots being spaced between and separated from front and back surfaces of the sidewalls;
- each connector element including a body having a plurality of angularly spaced tabs extending radially therefrom, the body and the tabs being axially movable into and out of one of the recesses in the sidewall when the connector element is angularly oriented in a released position, the tabs fitting in the locking slots and locking the connector element from axial movement out of the connector opening when the connector element is rotated to a locked position,
- the female connector element having an outer surface with a keyhole opening therein, the keyhole opening having an enlarged opening at one end connected to a narrower width slot at an opposite end,
- the male connector element having a projection extending outwardly from an outer surface of the male connector, the projection comprising an enlarged head on a narrower shaft, the head being smaller than he enlarged opening of the keyhole slot but larger than the slot, the shaft being smaller than the slot, such that the male connector element is locked in the female connector element by inserting the head of the projection through the enlarged opening of the keyhole opening and sliding the shaft of the projection into the narrower slot of the keyhole opening.
5. A cabinet assembly as in claim 4 wherein the connector elements include a generally cylindrical body having inner and outer portions, the tabs being positioned at the inner portion of the body, the outer surface being positioned on the outer portion of the body, the connector opening recess in the sidewall of the cabinet having an outer portion as well as the inner portion, the tabs fitting through the outer portion into the inner portion when the connector element is oriented in a released position, the tabs being movable, by rotation of the body, into the locking slots when the tabs are located in the inner portion of the sidewall.
6. A cabinet assembly according to claim 5 wherein the keyhole slot is oriented horizontally when mounted in the connector opening, with the narrower slot extending horizontally away from the enlarged opening in the keyhole opening,
- the slot orientation being such that adjoining cabinets are connected together by horizontal movement of one cabinet with respect to the other, thereby permitting two cabinets to be positioned in abutting relationship with a ceiling and still being connectable together by interengagement of the projection on one cabinet with the keyhole slot on the other cabinet.
7. A cabinet assembly according to claim 5 wherein the connector elements are recessed in the connector openings in the vertical sidewalls of the adjoining cabinets sufficiently that the cabinets can be locked together with the adjoining sidewalls being in abutment with each other.
8. A cabinet construction according to claim 5 wherein:
- the body includes four equally spaced locking tabs;
- the outer portion of the opening in the sidewalls has a generally square configuration, with the corners of the square being shaped to receive the tabs therethrough, the square portion having sidewalls having a distance thereacross that is too small to permit the tabs to be inserted through the outer portion with the tabs oriented adjacent the midpoints of the sidewalls; and
- the inner portion of the opening is generally cylindrical and has a diameter sufficient to receive the tabs of the connectors therein,
- the connector element being insertable into the connector opening by orienting the tabs toward the corners of the outer portion and then axially inserting the connector element into the connector opening, the connector element thereafter being locked into the connector opening by rotating the connector element until the tabs are moved to a position wherein the square outer portion prevents axial removal of the tabs from the inner portion of the connector opening.
9. A cabinet construction according to claim 8 wherein the cylindrical body includes one or more beveled locking surfaces thereon adjacent the tabs but positioned so that they engage the sidewalls of the square portion of the opening and resiliently hold the connector in a desired rotational position when the connector is inserted in the opening and rotated to its locking position.
10. A cabinet assembly as in claim 4 wherein the locking slots are spaced apart, and wherein each locking slot extends for only a portion of the circumference of the connector opening, such that when the connector element is inserted in the connector opening and rotated from its released to its locked position, an end of the slot stops the tab when it is in its locked position.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 12, 2004
Publication Date: Sep 15, 2005
Inventor: Kevin Rouwhorst (Hamilton, MI)
Application Number: 10/799,136