Adjustable column connection

Abstract
An adjustable connector that can slide along a rod or tube and can be secured from axially translating in infinite positions along the entire length of the tube. It also has the capability of attaching itself to a surface or structural element such as a shelf.
Description




CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS




Not Applicable




STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT




Not Applicable




REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX




Not Applicable




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The invention is in the field of joints and connections. A particular need arose for the construction of inexpensive and easily constructed shelving. Shelving schemes that I am aware of are of the box variety with sides and backs, those that use special standards with incremental spacing that have to be attached to a wall and those with frames that are assembled with nuts and bolts. The inventor felt the need for something different and so conceived of this particular article. Many devices, some quite old (U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,880 to Kaysing 1938),(U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,134 to Shemtov 1979)and (U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,466 to Dennis 1985) have used the coupling shown in some embodiments of this invention but none to my knowledge have used it in this unique way.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The primary objective of the current invention is to provide the means to create an adjustable support system that can utilize inexpensive, thin wall electrical tubing. The essence of the invention is a two or three-piece coupling that consists of a hollow cylindrical body, gland nut and split clamping ring or split clamping collar.




It can slide along the tube and be locked at any point without marking or piercing the tube. The connector has the capability, as well, to attach to another element such as a shelf. It's application though, is not at all limited to shelving but can be used create other types of structures.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

shows an exploded view of the first coupling.





FIG. 2

shows a sectional view of the first coupling.





FIG. 3

shows a typical mounting hole in a generic surface.





FIG. 4

shows an exploded view of the second coupling.





FIG. 5

shows a sectional view of the second coupling where only the mounting surface is cut away.





FIG. 6

shows an isometric view of the third coupling.





FIG. 7

shows a typical use of any coupling.











REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS






10


general designation of the first coupling






12


split annular locking ring






14


gland nut of the first coupling






16


rod or tube






18


typical mounting surface






20


barrel with machine thread






22


wood thread






24


mounting body of first coupling






26


chamfered edge on bore






28


interior space of the gland nut






30


split in clamping ring






32


general designation of the second coupling






34


holes for fasteners






36


gland nut of the second coupling






38


shoulder for centering






40


recess for spanner wrench






42


fasteners






44


bore






46


starting chamfer






48


radially extending flange of the first coupling






50


radially extending flange of the second coupling






52


typical hole in mounting surface






54


radially split clamping collar of the third coupling






56


split clamping collar cap screw




DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring now to the drawings that illustrate the first, second and third couplings, the only essential difference between them being the way in which they attach to the mounting surface and/or clamp to the rod or tube. The reference numeral


10


designates the ensemble of the first coupling (FIGS.


1


and


2


). This consists of a gland nut


14


similar to a packing gland. This nut has a inwardly facing peripheral flange with a sloping inside face that creates a relieved interior


28


to contain split annular locking ring


12


, it also has six flat surfaces on the outside, enabling it to be tightened with a conventional wrench. Locking ring


12


is C shaped in cross section and split


30


to allow for expansion and contraction, the edges of the ring are sharp the better to grip the rod. Mounting body


24


is a hollow cylinder with a radially extending flange


48


about midway up the cylinder, it has a bore


44


of constant diameter that extends the entire length of the cylinder. This bore is of sufficient diameter to allow rod


16


to loosely pass completely thru. One end


20


, a threaded barrel, of body


24


has machine threads to engage nut


14


, the same end has a small circumferential chamfer


26


at the edge of the bore that opposes the sloped area of


14


to force the locking ring towards the rod when the nut is tightened and the annular space is compressed thus gripping the rod firmly. The other end having a wood engaging thread


22


, of body


24


is constructed in such a way as to make it easy to thread into wood. This is accomplished by making the threads fairly coarse and deep with a sharp root angle. This end also has a circumferential chamfer


46


, on the outside of the cylinder to aid in engaging the inside of hole


52


(

FIG. 3

) thru mounting surface


18


. Flange


48


has two small diametrically opposed holes


40


in the annular face to accommodate a spanner wrench for the purposes of tightening the body to the mounting surface.




The second coupling


32


(

FIGS. 4 and 5

) differs from coupling one by the way it attaches to the mounting surface. Radially extending flange


50


has several holes


34


for fasteners


42


, there is also a concentric raised shoulder


38


at the base of the threaded barrel


20


to center the connection in surface mounting hole


52


. Gland nut


36


is identical to


14


in every respect except it has no hex flats on the outside, instead it has small recesses


40


for the use of a spanner wrench.




The third coupling shown in

FIG. 6

is a variation that differs in the method of attaching to rod


16


by having a integral radially split clamping collar


54


with cap screw


56


. When screw


56


is tightened the collar contracts and grasps the rod. All other aspects of coupling three are similar to one and two.




All three couplings can be manufactured from either metallic or non-metallic material. The most economical way most likely being injection molding.




Although the above couplings imply a supported surface made of wood, a surface or element of another material can easily be adapted to.

FIG. 7

gives an example of how the connection might be used in a shelving system.




It is an important object of the invention that a connection be provided that when locked offers significant resistance to axial displacement and yet can be easily unlocked and repositioned. Also, the rigidity of the connection to the surface that it is mounted on offers resistance to racking in free standing shelves.




While the couplings have been described, it is apparent that many modifications and configurations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A coupling comprising:a gland nut having an inwardly facing peripheral flange, at one end, having a sloping, inside face; a bore extending through the entire gland nut; the bore being threaded except at the sloping, inside face; a locking ring; a mounting body comprising a hollow cylinder having a radially extending flange; wherein the radially extending flange has at least one hole; the cylinder having threads on an outside surface of the cylinder; an end of the cylinder having a circumferential chamfer at an edge of the end of the cylinder; the threaded bore matingly coupled to the threads on the outside surface of the mounting body; the locking ring being interposed between the sloping, inside face and the circumferential chamfer.
  • 2. The coupling as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking ring is C-shaped.
  • 3. The coupling as claimed in claim 2, wherein the locking ring is split.
  • 4. The coupling as claimed in claim 1, or claim 3, wherein the inwardly facing peripheral flange has at least two recesses at the end of the gland nut.
  • 5. The coupling as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mounting body has a shoulder between the threads and the radially extending flange.
  • 6. The coupling as claimed in claim 4, wherein the radially extending flange is located midway of the hollow cylinder.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Number Name Date Kind
1166408 Blood Dec 1915 A
1781222 Fischer Nov 1930 A
2187880 Kaysing Jan 1940 A
2255673 McDermott Sep 1941 A
3009747 Pitzer Nov 1961 A
3344756 Kelson Oct 1967 A
3424111 Maslow Jan 1969 A
3972547 Itoya Aug 1976 A
4159134 Shemtov Jun 1979 A
4508466 Dennis Apr 1985 A
4676533 Gerondale Jun 1987 A
5002247 Dispenza et al. Mar 1991 A
5433551 Gordon Jul 1995 A
6003696 Hsiu-Chen Dec 1999 A
6065407 Wang May 2000 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
2060803 May 1981 GB
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Page From Decor Cable Inovations Catalog 660 W. Randolph St Chicago, Ill 60661-2114 (Shelf Support) Above Page says Component MCS on Bottom).