Manufacture and method for forming structures and the structures resulting therefrom

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9593702-B2
Application number	US-201314032722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2013
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

A clip for assembling corners of hollow members such as the rails and stiles of an extruded aluminum door. The clip has an L shape and may feature a double L shape. A portion inserts into the hollow of a first member and is attached thereto. Another portion extends into the other hollow member for attachment thereto to form a sturdy joint without welding. Pairs of clips may be used at each corner.

First claim

We claim:

1. A structure, comprising:
a first member having an interior hollow and at least one slot aperture in a side thereof communicating with the interior hollow;
a second member having an interior hollow and an open end, the open end communicating with the interior hollow thereof; and
a clip for attaching the first member to the second member, the clip having a first leg, a second leg, a third leg and a panel, the second leg conjoined to the first leg at a first angle forming a first conjunction, the panel conjoined to the first leg distal to the second leg forming a second conjunction, the panel extending along the first leg proximate and substantially parallel to a surface thereof in a direction towards the first conjunction, the third leg conjoined to the panel distal to the second conjunction, the third leg extending parallel to the second leg, the first leg and the panel being received within the interior hollow of the first member, contacting the interior hollow of the first member, the second leg and the third leg extending through the at least one slot aperture in the first member outside of the interior hollow and inserting into the open end of the second member, the first leg and the panel fastened to the first member and the second leg and the third leg fastened to the second member.

2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the clip is formed from a continuous ribbon of metal bent at the first, second and third conjunctions to define the first leg, second leg, panel and third leg, respectively.

3. The structure of claim 2 , wherein the clip has a pair of longitudinally offset L shapes, the first and second legs forming a first L shape with the first leg forming an upright portion of the first L shape and the second leg forming a bottom portion of the first L shape and the panel and the third leg forming a second L shape with the panel forming an upright portion of the second L shape and the third leg forming a bottom portion of the second L shape, the first leg including a lower portion and an upper portion laterally offset relative to the lower portion, the panel conjoining to the upper portion of the first leg at the second conjunction, the offset rendering the upper portions of the L shapes substantially co-planar and permitting the second L shape to nest in the first L shape.

4. The structure of claim 3 , wherein the panel and the lower portion of the first leg contact a surface of the first member interior to the hollow.

5. The structure of claim 1 , further comprising at least one support wing that extends from the first leg and contacts an interior surface of the first member when the clip is fastened thereto limiting the motion of the clip relative to the first member.

6. The structure of claim 5 , wherein the at least one support wing includes a pair of support wings monolithic with the clip and extending from opposite sides of the lower portion of the first leg.

7. The structure of claim 6 , wherein the at least one support wing includes a pair of support wings monolithic with the clip and extending from opposite sides of the panel.

8. The structure of claim 5 , wherein the at least one support wing has a connected portion connected to the first leg, the connected portion extending away from the first leg in a direction opposite to the second leg, a lip portion extending at approximately 90 degrees from the connected portion and a bend portion intermediating between the connected portion and the lip portion.

9. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the second conjunction is in the form of a U shape and the panel abuts the first leg.

10. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first and second legs are at approximately 90 degrees relative to one another and the panel and the third leg are at approximately 90 degrees relative to one another.

11. The structure of claim 10 , wherein the first leg and the panel have fastener apertures and the first member has fastener apertures, the fastener apertures of the first leg and the panel are aligned with the fastener apertures of the first member and further comprising first fasteners extending through the aligned fastener apertures securing the clip to the first member and
wherein the second and third legs have fastener apertures and the second member has fastener apertures, the fastener apertures of the second and third legs aligned with the fastener apertures of the second member and further comprising second fasteners extending through the aligned fastener apertures securing the clip to the second member.

12. The structure of claim 11 , wherein the fasteners are blind fasteners.

13. The structure of claim 12 , wherein the blind fasteners are rivets.

14. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the side of the first member with the at least one slot aperture has a shallow U cross-sectional shape and the clip with stabilizer member has a mating shallow U cross-sectional shape.

15. The structure of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the second and third legs has a shallow U cross-sectional shape.

16. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one slot in the first member includes a pair of slots, a first slot accommodating the second leg that passes there through and a second slot accommodating the third leg that passes there through.

17. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first and second members are a stile and a rail of an extruded aluminum alloy door frame.

18. A structure, comprising:
a first member having an interior hollow and two slot apertures in a side thereof communicating with the interior hollow;
a second member having an interior hollow and an open end, the open end communicating with the interior hollow thereof; and
a clip for attaching the first member to the second member, the clip having a first leg, a second leg and a third leg, the second leg conjoined to the first leg at a first angle of about 90 degrees forming a first conjunction, the third leg conjoined to the first leg distal to the second leg at an angle of about 90 degrees forming a second conjunction, the third leg extending from the first leg substantially parallel to the second leg, the first leg being received within the interior hollow of the first member, contacting the interior hollow of the first member, the second leg and the third leg extending through corresponding ones of the two slot apertures in the first member outside of the interior hollow and inserting into the open end of the second member, the first leg fastened to the first member and the second leg and the third leg fastened to the second member, the clip having a pair of support wings extending from the first leg contacting the first member within the interior hollow, the first leg having at least one fastener aperture therein that aligns with a fastener aperture in the first member and the second and third legs each having at least one fastener aperture therein that aligns with a fastener aperture in the second member, a plurality of fasteners fastening the clip to the first and second members at the aligned fastener apertures.

19. The structure of claim 18 , further comprising a panel interposed between the first leg and the third leg and conjoined to the first leg at a U shaped conjunction and to the third leg at a 90 degree angle, the panel running parallel to the first leg and wherein the clip is formed from a continuous ribbon of metal bent to define the first leg, the second leg, the panel and the third leg, respectively.

20. The structure of claim 19 , wherein the clip defines a pair of longitudinally offset

Assignees

• Alcoa Inc
• Arconic Inc

Inventors

• Hooper Jr William J
• Barbulescu Ion-Horatiu
• Ling William

Classifications

• F16B5/0614 Primary

  in angled relationship · CPC title

• F16B12/44

  Leg joints; Corner joints · CPC title

• Y10T24/44

  Clasp, clip, support-clamp, or required component thereof · CPC title

• F16B12/50

  Metal corner connections · CPC title

• B23P15/00

  Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass · CPC title