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US 4,052,832 AGranted
Joint and method for connecting structural members
AssigneePioneer Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsJames W. Jungers, Edwin R. Hoyt
Life of this patent
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AssigneePioneer Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsJames W. Jungers, Edwin R. Hoyt
Estimating the term…
Structural members, especially components of a modular building, are joined at longitudinally extending and abutting surfaces by a correspondingly elongate connector having a cross-shaped transverse section. Each such member surface is formed with a pair of intersecting saw-cut slots that extend lengthwise of the surface and have a V-shaped transverse section in which the apex of the V lies substantially at the surface and in which the legs of the V diverge inwardly into the member. The members are arranged with the apexes of their respective pairs of slots in mutually opposed registry to define a composite, transverse slot configuration that is the complement of the cross-shaped connector and the connector is inserted endwise into the slots with opposed pairs of connector legs interlocking with the opposed pairs of V-shaped slots, respectively, and is driven longitudinally into the joint. In order to follow the contour of a transversely curved joint, one embodiment of the connector is in the form of a transversely flexible member that bends into a conforming curve as it is driven into the joint. For another special application, the connector is longitudinally segmented and takes the form of a plurality of end-to-end arranged, alternately criss-crossed chips, each chip having a flat, rectangular shape that is received within transversely aligned slots of opposite members. In still a further embodiment, the connector coacts with a pair of mutually opposed elongate channels separately secured to the respective members, each in recessed relation to the abutment surface thereof and with the flanges of each channel being biased toward the center of the channel so as to interlock with one pair of legs of the connector.
In combination, first and second structural members adapted to be joined and connected together along predetermined, longitudinally extending surface portions thereof, an elongate connector having a transverse section in the shape of a cross that includes first and second pairs of outwardly diverging legs joined at the center of the cross, each said member having a pair of connector receiving slots that extend both longitudinally along the respective said surface and inwardly thereof to define in a transverse section therethrough a V-shape in which the apex of the V lies generally at said surface and the legs of the V diverge inwardly therefrom, said members when arranged with said surfaces abutting and with said V-shaped slots in mutually opposed registration defining a composite slot configuration that in transverse section is the complement of the cross shape of said connector so that said connector is insertable endwise into said slots with the first pair of connector legs transversely interlocking with the slots of one of said members and with the second pair of connector legs transversely interlocking with the slots of the other member thereby connecting said members against relative displacement in the transverse plane;
In combination, first and second structural members adapted to be joined and connected together along longitudinally extending and abutting surfaces thereof, an elongate connector having a transverse section in the shape of a cross including first and second pairs of outwardly divergent legs joined together at the center of the cross, means provided on each said member extending longitudinally of said respective surface and being inwardly recessed relative to the plane of such surface for receiving endwise insertion of said connector and interlocking with one of said pairs of connector legs, and wherein
In a modular building system, the combination comprising a plurality of roof panels each of which has elongate edge surfaces, and a plurality of wall panels each of which has elongate edge surfaces, said roof panels being dimensioned and arranged so that an edge surface of each of said roof panels is in longitudinally abutting relationship with an edge surface of at least one other of said roof panels, said wall panels being dimensioned and arranged so that an edge surface of each of said wall panels is in longitudinally abutting relationship with an edge surface of at least one other of said wall panels;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.