Frame construction

In a frame construction including tubular panel edging elements for framing a panel each element defining a pair of opposed arcuate leg portions and an interconnecting bight portion, said legs defining spaced inturned distal ends supported solely by said bight portion and cooperatively defining a panel edge receiving space, and being arranged to grip the opposite sides of said panel edges therebetween, an improved corner connector for connecting the ends of a pair of said edging elements comprising:

• a body portion defining first and second perpendicularly related portions;
• a first pair of separate tongues extending in spaced parallel relationship from said first portion, each tongue having a segmentally cylindrical outer surface adapted to frictionally engage an arcuate leg portion of a first of said edging elements and a planar inner surface adapted to frictionally engage one of said first edging element leg distal ends and maintain the leg distal ends against spreading apart to provide an improved effective support of the associated panel edge;
• and
• a second pair of separate tongues extending in spaced parallel relationship from said second portion end surface in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of said first pair of tongues, each tongue of said second pair having a segmentally cylindrical outer surface adapted to frictionally engage an arcuate leg portion of a second of said edging elements and a planar inner surface adapted to frictionally engage one of said second edging element leg distal ends and maintain the leg distal ends against spreading apart to provide an improved effective support of the associated panel edge, the distal end of said inner surface of each pair of tongues being inclined to define a pair of diverging planar beveled guide surfaces for facilitating insertion of the tongues into the end of the associated edging element, said body portion further defining a segmentally annular planar stop shoulder radially outwardly of said tongue segmentally cylindrical outer surfaces and at the inner end of each pair of tongues for abutment by the distal end of the edging element in the connected arrangement thereof.