Composed element and corner connection applied herewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10285499-B2
Application number	US-201816165156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2018
Priority date	Feb 8, 2012
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

Composed element, with at least two wood-based panel-shaped elements; wherein said panel-shaped elements can be coupled to each other at an angle and with a miter joint by means of a locking tongue and groove connection; wherein the tongue consists of a split tongue, with thus at least a first tongue portion and a second tongue portion, as well as a slit situated there between; characterized in that said slit, seen in cross-section, globally extends according to a direction which deviates from the direction of the center line of the panel-shaped element on which the tongue is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A composed element, which comprises at least two panel-shaped elements, each with respective panel surfaces, wherein for each panel-shaped element a center line is defined centrally between the two panel surfaces of that panel-shaped element;
wherein said panel-shaped elements are manufactured of wood-based material;
wherein said panel-shaped elements can be coupled to each other at an angle by means of a locking tongue and groove connection and thereby form an inner corner and outer corner, wherein the inner corner and outer corner define a theoretical miter line, this theoretical miter line being defined as a line connecting the inner corner and outer corner;
wherein said locking tongue and groove connection respectively is substantially formed of a tongue on one of said panel-shaped elements, of a groove on another of said panel-shaped elements, and of locking elements provided on said tongue and groove;
wherein said locking elements are only present at one side of the tongue and a corresponding side of the groove;
wherein the panel-shaped elements are configured such that they can be coupled to each other laterally and at an angle by means of a turning movement and/or a snap movement;
wherein said groove, on at least one side thereof, seen in cross-section, is bordered by a lip, which extends to beyond said theoretical miter line, said lip having a distal end;
wherein said lip in coupled condition extends along that side of the tongue which is situated closest to the formed outer corner and on its side facing the groove forms at least one contact surface with the tongue, which, in coupled condition, provides for a support for the tongue at least in the direction perpendicular to the center line of said panel-shaped element having said tongue;
wherein said lip at said side comprises a further surface, said further surface with respect to said lip being located closer to a distal end of said lip than said contact surface;
wherein said further surface is inclined in respect to the center line of the panel-shaped element comprising the groove; and
wherein, seen in cross-section of the coupled panel-shaped elements, said inclined further surface at least for its majority is located between a first plane defined by the center line of the panel-shaped element comprising the tongue and a second plane defined by the exterior surface of the panel-shaped element comprising the tongue.

2. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said lip opposite to the side comprising the further surface comprises an outer surface, said outer surface being located in the plane defined by the exterior surface of the panel-shaped element comprising the tongue.

3. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said tongue is eccentric in respect to the overall thickness of the panel-shaped element comprising the tongue.

4. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein the panel surface of the panel-shaped element having a groove at the side of the formed inner corner, continues at the height of this inner corner to beyond the theoretical miter line, as a result of which at that location a contact surface is formed, which coincides with a portion of said panel surface.

5. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said panel-shaped elements, in respect to the material from which they are manufactured, show one or more of following characteristics:
the panel-shaped elements substantially consist of a basic board formed of solid wood;
the panel-shaped elements substantially consist of a basic board formed of a wood-based pressed board;
the panel-shaped elements substantially consist of a basic board formed of wood fibers, more particularly MDF or HDF;
the panel-shaped elements substantially consist of a basic board formed of particle board;
the panel-shaped elements are formed of multi-layered and/or multi-part board;
the panel-shaped elements are formed of melaminated board;
the panel-shaped elements are constructed of a basic board with a covering, more particularly a covering of synthetic material or textile.

6. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said composed element is a piece of furniture or a furniture part.

7. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said angle is 90 degrees.

8. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said contact surface is mainly located at a portion of the tongue that in a coupled condition is located beyond the theoretical miter line.

9. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said tongue and groove are configured such that in the coupled condition thereof, the tongue and groove extend at least for a part thereof up to a position where they are partly located in the half of the panel-shaped element comprising the groove which half is located between the center line and the exterior surface of this panel-shaped element.

10. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said tongue and groove, as well as the locking elements are made in one piece from said wood based material.

11. The composed element of claim 1 , wherein said lip on a side thereof opposite to the side facing the groove defines a surface that is located in the plane defined by the exterior surface of the panel-shaped element comprising the tongue.

Assignees

• Unilin Bvba

Inventors

• Devos Pieter
• Maertens Luc
• Deman Luc

Classifications

• A47B47/042 Primary

  Panels connected without frames · CPC title

• F16B12/125

  using mortise and tenon joints · CPC title

• F16B2012/466

  using mortise and tenon joints · CPC title

• F16B12/46

  Non-metal corner connections · CPC title

• F16B2012/463

  for wooden members without additional elements · CPC title