Frame assembly and a method of manufacturing the same
AssigneeQuanex Building Products Corporation
InventorsJeff V. Sawyers, Ron J. Pich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A frame assembly supports an article. The frame assembly comprises a frame member having a plurality of walls extending between a first end and a second end. The walls define an interior of the frame member. The frame assembly also comprises at least one foldable cornerlock. The foldable cornerlock has first and second body portions movable relative to each other. A method of manufacturing the frame assembly comprises the steps of forming at least one notch in the frame member spaced from the ends of the frame member, inserting the foldable cornerlock into the notch, and bending the frame member about the notch of the frame member.
Claims25
A frame assembly comprising:
- a frame member having a plurality of walls extending between a first end and a second end spaced from said first end, with said walls defining an interior of said frame member and also defining at least one notch spaced from said ends of said frame member wherein at least one of said plurality of walls is continuous between said ends of said frame member and is bendable at said notch to form a corner of said frame member;
- at least one foldable cornerlock comprising first and second body portions movable relative to each other for inserting said foldable cornerlock into said notch of said frame member with said foldable cornerlock further comprises at least one arm member spaced from one of said body portions thereby defining a gap between said one of said body portions and said arm member with at least one of said walls of said frame member disposed within said gap.
A method of forming a frame assembly for supporting an article, the frame assembly comprising a frame member having a plurality of walls extending between a first end and a second end which is spaced from the first end, with the walls defining an interior of the frame member and also defining at least one notch spaced from the ends of the frame member wherein at least one of the plurality of walls is continuous between the ends of the frame member, and at least one foldable cornerlock having first and second body portions movable relative to each other with at least one arm member spaced from one of the body portions thereby defining a gap between one of the body portions and the arm member, said method comprising the steps of:
- forming the at least one notch in the frame member spaced from the ends of the frame member;
- inserting the foldable cornerlock into the notch such that the body portions of the foldable cornerlock extend into the interior of the frame member;
- bending the at least one of the plurality of walls that is continuous between the ends of the frame member at the notch to define a corner of the frame member;
- disposing at least one of the walls of the frame member within the gap defined between the at least one arm member and one of the body portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.