Panel Fastener

Abstract

The panel fastener has two components, each of which is mounted on an end piece of a wall panel and which are slid together to secure adjacent wall panels together. The two components have mating shapes that cause the components to move towards each other as components slide together in order to move and secure the pair of panels together in a tightened manner.

Description

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application 61/587,164 filed Jan. 17, 2012 and is a Division of U.S. Ser. No. 13/723,307, filed Dec. 21, 2012.

The invention relates to a panel fastener. More particularly, this invention relates to a panel fastener for cooler room walls.

As is known, panel fasteners have been incorporated into the sides of panels that are used to connect adjacent panels together to form a wall or walls in various types of structures, for example, a refrigerator wall panel as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,006. In such constructions, two or more panel fasteners are usually located in the wall panels along the side edges and each includes a hook which can be rotated into or out of engagement with a cooperative pin in an adjacent panel.

Generally, panel fasteners are made in a symmetrical manner with a hook assembly sandwiched between a pair of plates. The hook assembly usually has a hub rotatably mounted in the plates via a boss or the like in each plate, an, eccentric mounted on the hub for rotation therewith and a hook mounted on the eccentric for rotation therewith. In addition, the hub is provided with a socket at each end to eventually receive a wrench. As the hub rotates, so also does the hook rotate. Examples of such panel fasteners are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,365,851 and 4,574,537. One of the problems associated with these panels is the need for a wrench to secure adjacent panels together. As a result, time is required in order to manipulate the wrench to adjust each hook assembly of a panel in order to secure the panel to an adjacent panel. In addition, time may be lost when a suitable wrench is not readily available.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a panel fastener that does not require a wrench for activation.

It is another object of the invention to be able to construct a cooler room wall in a minimum of time.

It is another object of the invention to simplify the process of securing wall panels together to form a wall.

Briefly, the invention provides a panel fastener for securing adjacent panels of a cooler wall or the like together in side-by-side relation.

The panel fastener is formed of two components that are constructed to be individually mounted on facing sides of two adjacent wall panels and to mate with each other in a slide fit manner when the wall panels are brought together.

One component of the panel fastener is formed as a female component and has a back wall including at least one opening for passage of a mounting element therethrough in order to mount the component on the side edge of a wall panel as well as a front wall having a longitudinally disposed slot aligned with the opening in the back wall. In addition, the front wall is spaced from and parallel to the back wall to define a cavity therewith.

In one embodiment, the first component is made of metal and the back wall has a pair of longitudinally spaced apart openings while the slot in the front wall has a pair of enlarged sections, each of which is aligned with a respective opening in the back wall.

The other component of the panel fastener is formed as a male component and has a back wall including at least one opening for passage of a mounting element therethrough in order to mount the component on the side edge of second wall panel as well as a projection extending from the back wall. This projection has a T-shaped cross-section including a longitudinally extending stem to be received in the slot of said panel fastener component and a longitudinally extending flange to be received in the cavity of said first component.

In the first embodiment of the panel fastener, the second component is also made of metal and the back wall of the component has a pair of longitudinally spaced apart openings with the projection disposed between the openings.

The two components are constructed so that the flange of the projection of the one component can slide into the cavity of the other component when the two components are longitudinally slid together while the stem of the projection slide through the slot of the other component.

In a second embodiment of the panel fastener, the two components have mating shapes that cause the first component and the second component to move towards each other as the components slide together to move a pair of panels together in a tightened manner. In this embodiment, the second component has a body of U-shaped cross-section received in the slot of the first component and a pair of flanges extending outwardly from the body and received in the cavity of the first component.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a pair of walls of a cooler that employ wall panels and panel fasteners in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a female panel fastener component mounted on a section of an end piece of a wall panel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the male panel fastener component of FIG. 2 mounted on a section of an end piece of a wall panel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the female component of the panel fastener in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the male component of the panel fastener in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a modified male panel fastener component mounted on a section of an end piece of a cooler wall in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a modified female panel fastener component for cooperating with the female panel fastener component of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the panel fastener components of FIGS. 6 and 7 in mated relation.

Referring to FIG. 1, a pair of cooler walls 10 are disposed in perpendicular relation to each other and are connected together at a corner (not shown). In this respect, only two walls 10 of the cooler need be illustrated for an understanding of the invention.

Each cooler wall 10 is constructed of a plurality of wall panels 11 that are disposed in side-by-side co-linear relation.

The wall panels 11 are of similar or identical construction. For example, each wall panel 11 has a main section 12 of any suitable construction and a pair of vertical end pieces 13, 13′ as viewed. One end piece 13 is formed with a longitudinally extending groove 14 that extends over the length of the end piece 13 while the other end piece 13′ is formed with a longitudinally extending rib 15 that is sized to mate within the groove 14 of an adjacent wall panel 11.

The main section 12 of each wall panel 11 is made of any suitable materials. For example, the main section 11 may be made of wood, foamed-in-place materials, or any other conventional construction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the end piece 13 of each panel 11 has one component 16 of a two-component panel fastener mounted thereon within the groove 14 while the other end piece 13′ has a second component 17 of the two-component fastener mounted on the rib 15. Each component 16, 17 of the panel fastener is illustrated as being mounted mid-height of the wall panel 11. However, the components 16, 17 of a panel fastener may be mounted at any suitable height of a wall panel and two or more panel fasteners may be used to secure two wall panels together as is conventional.

Referring to FIG. 2, the panel fastener component 16 is formed as a female component and is disposed to fit across the base of the groove 14 while being recessed within the plane of the groove 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, the rib 15 of the end piece 13′ is provided with a rectangular recess 18 and the panel fastener component 17 is fitted within the recess 18 in a recessed manner. The longitudinal length of the recess 18 is sufficient to allow the female panel fastener component 16 to be fitted into the recess 18 and to thereafter slide into mating relation with the other panel fastener component 17.

Referring to FIG. 4, the panel fastener component 16 has a back wall 19 including a pair of openings 26, such as counterbores, for passage of a pair of mounting elements, such as wood screws (not shown), and a front wall 20 having a longitudinally disposed slot 21 aligned with the openings 26 in the back wall 19. The front wall 20 is spaced from and parallel to the back wall 19 to define a cavity 22 therewith. As shown, the panel fastener component 16 is of a cubic shape and may be easily manufactured.

The slot 21 and cavity 22 of the female fastener component 16 from a T-shaped passage within the component to slidably receive the other fastener component 17. The slot 21 also has a pair of enlarged recesses 23 on opposite sides in alignment with the openings 21 to allow for the passage of the mounting elements when the female fastener component is secured to the end piece 13 (see FIG. 2).

Referring to FIG. 5, the panel fastener component 17 is formed as a male component and has a back wall 24 including a pair of openings 25 for passage of a pair of mounting elements, such as wood screws, and a projection 26 extending from the back wall 24 of the component 17. The projection 26 has a T-shaped cross-section including a longitudinally extending stem 27 to be received in the slot 21 of said first component 16 and a longitudinally extending flange 28 to be received in the cavity 22 of the first component 16.

In use, the components 16, 17 of each panel fastener are mounted on the end pieces 13, 13′ of each wall panel 11 as indicated in FIG. 1, for example, during manufacture of each wall panel. Thereafter, the end of one wall panel 11 is brought adjacent to the end of another wall panel 11 with the groove 14 of the one wall panel 11 aligned with the rib 15 of the other wall panel and with the panel fastener components 16, 17 longitudinally aligned one above the above within the recess 18. One wall panel 11 is then moved vertically relative to the other wall panel 11 to pass the projection 25 of the male component 17 into the cavity 22 of the female component 16 while the stem 26 slides through the slot 21. For example, one wall panel 11 is moved so that the female fastener component 16 is moved downwardly to pass over the projection 26 of the male fastener component 17 with the stem 27 of the projection 26 sliding through the slot 21 of the female fastener component 16 and the flange 28 sliding into the cavity 22.

A downward vertical movement of the two wall panels 11 relative to each other is limited by the wall panels 11 bottoming on a common support surface or by the fastener component 16 bottoming in the recess 18 in the end piece 13′.

Referring to FIG. 1, the fastener components 16, 17 are mounted in the end pieces 13 in a recessed manner so as not to project from the plane of the respective end piece 13. Typically, the surface of the flange 28 of the male component 17 is flush with the plane of the surface of the rib 15 of the end piece 13′.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts as above, in another embodiment, the panel fastener components 29, 30 have mating shapes that cause the two components to move with an x-vector so that, as the two components 29, 30 slide together, the two components 29, 30 also move the wall panels on which they are secured together laterally in a tightened manner.

Referring to FIG. 6, the male panel fastener component 29 is mounted within a recess 18 in the rib 15 of an end piece 13′ of a cooler wall and is secured in place, for example, by mounting elements such as wood screws (not shown) that pass through openings 25 (only one of which is shown) in the component 29.

As illustrated, the male panel fastener component 29 is of one-piece construction with a body 31 of U-shaped cross-section from which two flanges 32 extend outwardly. The component 29 is shaped such that one end is larger than the opposite end. That is, the body 31 of U-shaped cross-section tapers from one end to the opposite end.

Referring to FIG. 7, the female panel fastener component 30 is mounted within a recess 33 in the groove 14 of an end piece 13 of a cooler wall and is secured in place, for example, by mounting elements such as wood screws (not shown) that pass through openings 26 in the component 30.

As illustrated, the female panel fastener component 30 is of one-piece construction similar to the component 16 of FIG. 4. In this respect, the component 30 has a back wall 34 including a pair of openings 26 for passage of a pair of mounting elements, such as wood screws (not shown), and a front wall 35 having a longitudinally disposed slot 36 aligned with the openings 26 in the back wall 34. The front wall 35 is spaced from the back wall 34 to define a cavity 37 therewith.

The component 30 is shaped such that one end is larger than the opposite end. That is, the front wall 35 tapers at an angle relative to the back wall 34 so that the cavity 37 is of smaller height at one end than at the opposite end.

As illustrated, the recess 33 in the end piece 13 receives the female panel fastener component 30 in a recessed manner to locate the component 30 in a fixed position and together with the mounting elements (not shown) provides a firm securement of the component 30 in place.

As in the first described embodiment, the components 29, 30 serve to secure two adjacent wall panels 10 together by sliding of the two components 29, 30 together into mating relation and into a position as shown in FIG. 8. In this respect, the female panel fastener component 30 is fitted into the recess 18 above the male panel fastener component 29 (see FIG. 6) with the larger end of the female panel fastener component 30 facing the larger end of the male panel fastener component 29. As the two adjacent panels move vertically relative to each other, e.g. with a y-vector, the female panel fastener component 30 moves over the male panel fastener component 29. During this time, the spacing between the front wall 35 of the female component 30 and the flanges 32 of the male component 29 narrows until the front wall 35 and flanges 32 come into contact. Thereafter, the front wall 35 slides on the flanges 32 causing the two components 29, 30 and the wall panels on which they are secured to move with an x-vector thereby closing any gap between the wall panels.

In other embodiments, the wall panels 11 may be provided with two or more panel fasteners 16, 17 in spaced apart relation for securing pairs of wall panels together at two or more points as in conventional.

Further, the panel fasteners 16, 17 may be used to secure two wall panels 11 together in perpendicular or angular relation by a suitable arrangement of the end pieces 13, 13′ relative to the remainder of the wall panels 11.

Thus, the invention provides a panel fastener that does not require a wrench for activation.

Further, the invention allows the construction of a cooler room wall in a minimum of time and in a simple manner as there is no need for special tools to secure adjacent panels together.

10

Claims

1. A panel fastener comprising a first component having a back wall including at least one opening for passage of a mounting element therethrough and a front wall having a longitudinally disposed slot aligned with said opening in said back wall, said front wall being spaced from said back wall to define a cavity therewith; and

a second component having a cross-sectional shape for slidably mounting in said slot and said cavity of said first component, said second component having a body of U-shaped cross-section received in and extending through said slot of said first component and a pair of flanges extending outwardly from said body and received in said cavity of said first component.

2. A panel fastener as set forth in claim 1 wherein said U-shaped body of said second component tapers from one end to an opposite end whereby said second component has one end larger than an opposite end.

3. A panel fastener as set forth in claim 2 wherein said front wall of said first component tapers at an angle relative to said back wall of said first component and said cavity is of smaller height at one end than at an opposite end thereof.

4. A wall comprising

a pair of panels, each said panel having a vertically disposed end piece facing a vertically disposed end piece of the other of said pair of panels; and

at least one panel fastener securing said pair of panels together, said panel fastener having a first component having a back wall secured to said end piece of one of said pair of panels and a front wall spaced from said back wall to define a cavity therewith, said front wall having a longitudinally disposed slot therein; and a second component slidably mounted in said first component and having a body of U-shaped cross-section received in and extending through said slot of said first component and a pair of flanges extending outwardly from said body and received in said cavity of said first component.

5. A wall as set forth in claim 4 wherein said first component and said second component have mating shapes that cause said first component and said second component to move towards each other as said components slide together to move said pair of panels together in a tightened manner.

6. A wall as set forth in claim 5 wherein said front wall of said first component tapers at an angle relative to said back wall of said first component and said cavity is of smaller height at one end than at an opposite end thereof and said second component has one end larger than an opposite end thereof.

7. A wall as set forth in claim 5 wherein said U-shaped body of said second component tapers from one end to an opposite end and said front wall of said first component tapers at an angle relative to said back wall of said first component and said cavity is of smaller height at one end than at an opposite end thereof.