Cot and corner connector therefor
AssigneeThe Pet Cot Company
InventorGregory A. Squires
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A corner connector supports frame members that are securable to side margins of a support sheet to form a cot. The corner connector can be assembled from two parts, a base member and a cap. The base member can be configured to receive end portions of the frame members in an open-top channel. This can allow a subassembly of the support sheet and the frame members to be lowered into the corner connector base members when forming the cot. The base member and cap can include opposing portions configured to capture corner portions of the support sheet between them. The corner connector can include a shield member recess adjacent to a frame member recess to mount a shield member to extend alongside a frame member installed in the corner connector.
Claims21
A corner connector for use in a frame assembly of a cot, the corner connector comprising:
- a base member having an attachment portion defining a top of the base member and a support portion defining a bottom of the base member spaced apart from the top of the base member along an axis, the attachment portion comprising a first frame member attachment section and a second frame member attachment section, the first frame member attachment section defining a first frame member channel for receiving an end portion of a side frame member of the frame assembly, the first frame member channel having an open top end extending through the top of the base member, the second frame member attachment section defining a second frame member channel for receiving an end portion of another side frame member of the frame assembly, the second frame member channel having an open top end extending through the top of the base member and extending transverse to the first frame member channel;
- and
- a cap securable to the base member to extend over the open top ends of the first and second frame member channels.
A corner connector for use in a frame assembly of a cot, the corner connector comprising a body comprising a first frame member attachment section and a second frame member attachment section, each of the first and second frame member attachment sections defining a frame member recess configured to operatively receive a respective side frame member of the frame assembly and a shield member recess adjacent the frame member recess configured to operatively receive a respective shield member of the frame assembly, the frame member recess and the shield member recess of each of the first and second frame member attachment sections being shaped and arranged to mount the respective side frame member and the respective shield member on the corner connector so that the shield member extends alongside the side frame member immediately adjacent thereto when the frame member recess and the shield member recess operatively receive the respective side frame member and shield member.
A corner connector for use in a frame assembly of a cot, the corner connector comprising:
- a base member having an attachment portion defining a top of the base member and a support portion defining a bottom of the base member spaced apart from the top of the base member along an axis, the attachment portion being configured for attachment to first and second side frame members of the frame assembly whereby the corner connector mounts the first and second side frame members for extending from the corner connector in transverse directions, the base member further comprising a sheet attachment section;
- and
- a cap securable to the base member and including an opposing sheet attachment portion configured to oppose the sheet attachment section of the base member for capturing a corner margin of a support sheet of the cot between the sheet attachment section and the cap.
A corner connector as set forth in claim 17, wherein one of the sheet attachment section and the opposing sheet attachment portion comprises a groove located between the first and second frame member channels and the other of the sheet attachment section and the opposing sheet attachment portion comprises a tongue that is configured to be received in the groove when the cap is secured to the base member.
A method of assembling a cot comprising:
- assembling a subassembly comprising a plurality of side frame members secured to a plurality of side margins of a support sheet;
- installing the subassembly as a unit into base members of a plurality of corner members by lowering first and second end portions of each of the side frame members into respective frame member channels formed in the base members;
- and
- installing a cap on each of the base members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.