Joinery System and Method
OwnerLorin Dean Frieseninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An end-lock joinery system allows the formation of one or more elongated members configured to lock end portions with each other. An elongated member can have an end portion that includes, but is not limited to, a protrusion, a shoulder, and a recess, the protrusion and recess each having a width that smoothly tapers from a wider portion to a narrower portion. Various embodiments of the end-lock joinery system can provide different modular configurations to join elongated members and present curved surfaces. The end-lock joinery system can be formed via various methods, including, but not limited to, using a computer numerical control (CNC) machine.
Claims20
A first elongated member comprising:
- a first end portion comprising a protrusion, a shoulder, and a recess;
- the protrusion formed from no more than a first half of a thickness of the first elongated member, and having a width that smoothly tapers from a wider portion proximate to the shoulder to a narrower portion distal from the shoulder and proximate to an end of the first elongated member;
- and
- the recess formed from no more than a second half of the thickness of the first elongated member and having a width that smoothly tapers away from a wider mouth proximate to the shoulder to a narrower portion distal from the shoulder and closer to a second end portion of the first elongated member.
A lap joint comprising:
- a first protrusion and a first recess formed in a first member, the first protrusion and the first recess lapped and mated with a matching second recess and second protrusion formed in a second member;
- the first protrusion comprising a width tapering along a length of the first protrusion, outward from a shoulder of the first member and terminating in an arcuate end, and configured to mate with the second recess;
- the first recess comprising a width tapering along a length of the first recess, inward from a shoulder of the first member to an arcuate end, and configured to mate with the second protrusion;
- the second protrusion comprising a width tapering along a length of the second protrusion, outward from a shoulder of the second member and terminating in an arcuate end, the second protrusion configured to mate with the first recess;
- and
- the second recess comprising a width tapering along a length of the second recess, inward from a shoulder of the second member to an arcuate end, and configured to mate with the first protrusion.
A method of cutting an elongated member for use in a lap joint, the method comprising:
- loading a computer readable file defining a lap joint design to be cut into a first end portion of the elongated member;
- the design including definitions usable to cut a protrusion, a shoulder, and a recess;
- the design defining the protrusion to be cut from no more than a first half of a thickness of the elongated member, and having a width that smoothly tapers from a wider portion proximate to the shoulder to a narrower portion distal from the shoulder and proximate to an end of the elongated member;
- the design defining the recess to be cut from no more than a second half of the thickness of the elongated member, and having a width that smoothly tapers away from the shoulder to a narrower portion distal from the shoulder and closer to a second end portion of the first elongated member;
- and
- cutting the elongated member in accordance with the computer readable file.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.