US 6,357,194 B1Granted

Tapered dovetail joint

OwnerArchie Valejo Jones, Jr.inventor

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Abstract

The tapered dovetail joint is a method of joining two boards, or other rigid materials such as particleboard, wafer board, etc., by a unique type of modified dovetail joint. The modification to the classic dovetail joint includes tapering the dovetail pins as well as the dovetail tails with the same angle of taper in the same direction. The mating of this tapered dovetail joint will be greatly facilitated due to these corresponding tapers. The tapered nature of this joint minimizes difficulties in assembly due to the wedging action that takes place as the two boards are brought into union to create the joint. This wedging action allows the joint to be assembled even when there is moderate damage to the tails or pins including swelling—due to moisture, from the time of manufacture to time of assembly, impact damage, as well as minor manufacturing tolerance deficiencies in cutting of the pins and tails.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A tapered dovetail joint comprising:

a first board;
and
a second board, said first board having a plurality of integral dovetail-shaped pins spaced therein, each said pin defined by a plurality of planar faces, one pair of said planar faces having a dovetail angle sloping outwardly in the direction of the length of said first board and a secondary taper sloping transverse to the width of said first board, the second board having a like plurality of integral dovetail-shaped tails spaced therein, each said tail defined by a plurality of planar faces, one pair of said planer faces having a dovetail angle sloping inwardly in the direction of the length of said second board and a secondary taper sloping transverse to the width of said second board, said planar faces of said pins at the end of said first board engaging said planar faces of said tails at the end of said second board such as to bring said pins of said first board into close converging relation with said tails of said second board thereby forming one said tapered dovetail joint.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/267,946Filed 11 Mar 1999
Granted: 19 Mar 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

F16B 12/125
For non-metal furniture parts, e.g. made of wood, of plastics: using mortise and tenon joints
A47B 2230/0096
Mortise and tenon joints or the like including some general male and female connections: assembling sheet parts by male and female parts formed in…
E04F 2201/0107
Joining sheets, plates or panels with edges in abutting relationship: by moving the sheets, plates or panels substantially in their own plane,…
E04F 2201/022
With separate protrusions: with tongue or grooves alternating longitudinally along the edge