Connecting member

Claim 2

A connecting member for connecting together two structural elements with an edge of one of the elements confronting a face of the other, said one element having a dovetail end portion, said connecting member comprising a body member of channel shape in cross section including a base and converging flange means for receiving the dovetail end of said one element, spigot means integral with said base and extending oppositely to said flange means for extending into the other element, and a mask for covering said body, said mask comprising a tubular sheath for location on said one element, said sheath including a mouth part having lip means for engagement with said dovetail end portion to retain the sheath in position against said other element.

Claim 3

In a construction comprising a plurality of treads and two side stringers and a connecting member for connecting said treads to said stringers, said stringers having blind bores, said treads having dovetailed ends, said connecting member comprising a channel-sectioned strip member of constant cross section and having converging flanges to receive a dovetailed end of one of said treads, said strip member further having hollow cylindrical spigots formed in and integrally with the base of said channel section of said strip member so as to extend from said base in a direction opposite said flanges to be received in said blind bores in said stringer, and a sheath member being provided on said treads, said sheath comprising an endless strip conforming to the shape of the end of said tread and shaped to provide a flaring bell end thereon so that it has a smaller dimensioned lip engaging a tread and a larger dimensioned lip adapted to engage said stringer and mask said connecting member.

Claim 4

In a construction comprising a plurality of treads and two side stringers and a connecting member for connecting said treads to said stringers, said stringers having blind bores, said treads having dovetailed ends, said connecting member comprising a channel-sectioned strip member of constant cross section and having converging flanges to receive a dovetailed end of one of said treads, said strip member further having hollow cylindrical spigots formed in and integrally with the base of said channel section of said strip member so as to extend from said base in a direction opposite said flanges to be received in said blind bores in said stringer, and a sheath member being provided on said treads, said sheath comprising an endless strip conforming to the shape of the end of said tread and shaped to provide a flaring bell end thereon so that it has a smaller dimensioned lip engaging a tread and a larger dimensioned lip adapted to engage said stringer and mask said connecting member.