Fastening device

A concealable newel post fastening device for rigidly securing in a flush arrangement a vertical newel post having a bottom end surface to a horizontal surface of a structural element having a flat horizontal surface and a recessed cavity with a predetermined peripheral depth therein, said concealable fastening device having a configuration to minimize the moment of force of the newel post about the horizontal surface of the structural element, said device comprising:

• (a) an elongated, unitary, rigid, threaded bolt member having a head portion at one end thereof, said threated bolt member for the adjustable securement into the bottom portion of a vertical newel post and essentially having a generally uniform cross-sectional shaft portion extending from its head portion, and,
• (b) a solid, rigid, incompressible and rectalinear plate member for insertion and securement into the recessed cavity of a horizontal surface, said plate member having an upper surface, a lower surface and predetermined opposing peripheral thickness portions not greater than the peripheral depth of the recessed cavity, said upper surface essentially being flat and dimensionally smaller than the bottom surface portion of the newel post for concealing the device when in use, said plate member further having a single keyhole aperture through its solid structure for receiving the head portion of said threaded bolt member, said keyhole aperture further having an inclined bottom surface of a uniform slope which extends downward from generally its circular aperture to the end of its elongated slotted portion, said plate member further having means for securing said plate member within the recessed cavity of a horizontal surface, said securing means comprising a plurality of apertures disposed about said keyhole aperture in said plate member and wherein said plate member has opposing side edges of generally equal thickness to maintain said plate member in a generally flush configuration with a horizontal surface when placed in a recessed cavity thereof, whereby, subsequent to securing said threaded bolt member to the bottom portion of a vertical newel post and the securement of said plate member within the recessed cavity of a horizontal surface, the head portion and the uniform cross-sectional shaft portion of the bolt member can be inserted through the circular aperture of the keyhole aperture and forcibly slid along the elongated slotted portion thereof to secure the vertical newel post to a horizontal surface in a flush arrangement by securing the bottom portion of the vertical post to the upper surface of said solid plate member to thereby, conceal said fastening device between the newel post and the horizontal structural surface and to rigidly secure the newel post in a configuration that minimizes the moment of force of the post about the plate member.

A fastening device for securely joining two structural members in a flush arrangement, said device comprising a solid, incompressible and rigid plate member for securement in a recessed portion of a first structural member and for contact with a surface of the second structural member, said plate member being of a generally rectangular slab configuration of a generally uniform thickness and having a single keyhole aperture extending therethrough and further having a slanted bottom portion defined by a generally triangular prism portion removed from the bottom portion of the rectangular slab configuration and being axially disposed along said keyhole aperture to form two parallel sliding surfaces, one sliding surface being disposed on each side of said aperture, the slanted bottom portion having a uniform slope and increasing in thickness from generally the top to the bottom of said keyhole aperture, said plate member also having means to secure it to a first structural member, said means to secure being comprised of at least one peripheral aperture outside said sliding surfaces and screw means for insertion therethrough, said peripheral aperture further being countersunk to receive the head of said screw means to provide for the flush contact of the upper portion of said plate member to the surface of the second structural member, said device further having a bolt member for the adjustable securement into a second structural member, said bolt member having a unitary head portion for insertion into said keyhole aperture of said rigid plate member and to engage said parallel sliding surfaces, said head portion being smaller in width than the top portion of said keyhole aperture and being larger in width than the elongated bottom portion of said keyhole aperture, whereby, subsequent to adjustably securing said bolt member into the first structural member and securing the plate member in a flush configuration in the recessed portion of the second structural member, the head portion of said bolt member is inserted through the top of said keyhole aperture of the plate member and is forceably moved along the opposing parallel sliding surfaces to secure the two structural members in a flush arrangement due to the opposing forces exerted by the second structural member to the top of said solid plate member and by the bolt head on the parallel sliding surfaces on the bottom of said solid plate member.