Lattice with interlocking dovetails
OwnerFrederick M. Pettitinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lattice consisting of first and second flexible resilient criss-crossed strips each having beveled edges and mating dovetail cutouts oriented in face-to-face relationship with the dovetail cutouts of each of the strips having dovetail sides engaging the beveled edges of the other of the strips. A lattice with criss-crossed strips with one strip having dovetail cutouts with sides which engage mating beveled edges of the other strip. Lattice structures of the foregoing types which utilize hollow strips.
Claims21
A self-retaining interlocked lattice comprising a plurality of first strips each having a first longitudinal axis and a first front surface and a first rear surface and first opposite edges, said first opposite edges of each of said first strips including first edge portions which diverge away from each other as they extend from said first rear surface toward said first front surface, a plurality of spaced first dovetail cutouts extending inwardly into each first strip from said first front surface and extending across said first opposite edges, each of said first dovetail cutouts having first opposite dovetail sides which diverge from each other as they extend from said first front surface toward said first rear surface and which effectively terminate at a first inner surface on said first strips, a plurality of second strips each having a second longitudinal axis and a second front surface and a second rear surface and second opposite edges, said second opposite edges of each of said second strips including second edge portions which diverge away from each other as they extend from said second rear surface toward said second front surface, a plurality of second dovetail cutouts extending inwardly into each second strip from said second front surface and extending across said second opposite edges, each of said second dovetail cutouts having second opposite dovetail sides which diverge from each other as they extend from said second front surface toward said second rear surface and which effectively terminate at a second inner surface on said second strips, said first and second strips being oriented with said first and second longitudinal axes transverse to each other and with said first and second dovetail cutouts oriented with said first and second inner surfaces in facing relationship to each other and with said first opposite dovetail sides in locking engagement with said second edge portions and with said second opposite dovetail sides in locking engagement with said first edge portions.
A method of making and assembling a double-dovetail interlocked joint comprising the steps of providing first and second flexible resilient strips, forming first and second dovetail cutouts in said first and second strips, respectively, with said first dovetail cutouts having first dovetail sides and said second dovetail cutouts having second dovetail sides, forming first and second divergent edge portions on said first and second strips, respectively, placing said first and second dovetail cutouts in facing relationship with said first and second strips oriented transversely to each other, applying bending forces to said first and second strips in directions away from each other to thereby open said first and second dovetail cutouts, effecting relative movement of said first and second strips into said dovetail cutouts of the other of said strips, and releasing said bending forces to cause said resilient strips to return to their original unbent conditions to form interlocked relationships between said first dovetail sides and said second divergent edge portions and between said second dovetail sides and said first divergent edge portions.
A self-retaining interlocked lattice comprising a plurality of first strips each having a first longitudinal axis and a first front surface and a first rear surface and first opposite edges, said first opposite edges of each of said strips including first opposite edge portions which diverge away from each other as they extend from said first rear surface toward said first front surface, a plurality of cutouts each of which extend inwardly into said each first strip from said front surface and which extend across said first opposite edges and which effectively terminate at a first inner surface on said first strip, a plurality of second strips each having a second longitudinal axis and a second front surface and a second rear surface and second opposite edges, a plurality of spaced dovetail cutouts each of which extend inwardly into each second strip from said second front surface and extend across said second opposite edges and which effectively terminate at a second inner surface on said second strip, said first and second strips being oriented with said first and second longitudinal axes transverse to each other and with each of said cutouts and each of said dovetail cutouts oriented with said first and second inner surfaces facing each other and with a portion of said first strip in each of said dovetail cutouts and a portion of said second strip in each of said cutouts and with said dovetail sides of each of said dovetail cutouts of said second strips in locking engagement with said diverging edge portions of said first strips.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.