Knockdown article of furniture and fittings therefor

Claim 2

A knockdown article of furniture formed of a plurality of panels, all but one of said panels having cooperating male and female fittings secured thereto, each said male fitting on one of said panels slidably interengageable with a female fitting on another of said panels, whereby said panels may be joined together, means limiting the sliding interengagement movement of said fittings to thereby dispose said joined panels in predetermined aligned relation with one another, said all but one of said panels having grooves formed in their surfaces adapted to register with one another when said panels are in said aligned position to slidably receive therein said one panel, and means on said one panel and on one of said other panels for securing the same to one another, to thereby secure said panels into unitary structure.

Claim 3

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 1, wherein said panels are five in number.

Claim 4

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 1, wherein said male fittings are secured on edges of panels and said female fittings are secured to surfaces of panels.

Claim 5

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 1, wherein each said female fitting comprises an elongated channel member having a narrowed opening and each said male fitting comprises an H-bar, including two sides and a web connecting said two sides, said bar disposed by one side on a surface of a panel with its other side engageable within the channel member of said female fittinG and its web disposed within said narrowed opening of said channel member.

Claim 6

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 4, wherein said channel member of said female fitting is formed with a flange extending laterally outwardly from at least one side of said channel member of said female fitting.

Claim 7

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 4, wherein each said female fitting receiving panel is formed with a grooved channel for receiving said channel member.

Claim 8

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 4, wherein the panel contacting side of said H-bar is formed with outwardly extending flanges normal to said side, said flanges encompassing between them a portion of the panel to which said male fitting is secured.

Claim 9

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 4, wherein said panels include a top and side panels and ornamental pilasters for the edges of said side panels, and means securing said pilasters to said edges, said edges each having a female fitting secured thereto longitudinally thereof and said pilaster having a male fitting slidably engageable in said female fitting secured thereto longitudinally thereof, said male fitting having a portion thereof projecting above the top edge of said pilaster, said projection portion comprising a rod portion extending above said surface contacting side thereof and having its end portion offset at substantially right angles thereto in a direction overlying said pilaster, and means on the underside of said top panel adapted to engage under said offset end of said projecting portion.

Claim 10

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 4, wherein a panel contacting surface of each said fitting is formed with a longitudinally arranged projection means and the surface of each said panel contacting said fitting surface is formed with a groove for receiving and guiding said projection means.

Claim 11

The knockdown article of furniture of claim 1, wherein the means for securing said one panel and said one of said other panels to one another comprises threaded posts set into the outer face of one of said two panels and an angle bar secured to the other of said two panels at an edge thereof by one side thereof, the other side of said angle bar having openings formed therein adapted to fit over said threaded posts, and threaded nuts engaged on said threaded posts outwardly of said other angle bar side when said other angle bar side is fitted over said threaded posts.

Claim 12

Cooperating, interengageable fittings for attachment to panels of knockdown articles of furniture comprising a male fitting and a female fitting, such said female fitting comprising an elongated body having a channel formed longitudinally thereof, said channel having a narrowed opening formed by flanges extending from the edges of the sides of said channel and overhanging the same; said male fitting comprising an elongated body including a pair of longitudinally extending spaced sides connected by a web, one of said sides adapted to slidably fit within said channel of said female fitting with said web thereof disposed within said narrowed opening of said channel, and means on said male fitting and said female fitting for securing the same to a panel comprising spaced parallel flanges extending outwardly from a side of the body of one of said fittings in normal relation to said side and adapted to encompass between them a marginal edge portion of a panel, and a laterally extending flange from at least one side of the body of the other of said fittings normal to said side and adapted to overlie a surface portion of a panel on which said other fitting is disposed.

Claim 13

Cooperating, interengageable fittings for attachment to panels of knockdown articles of furniture comprising a male fitting and a female fitting, such said female fitting comprising an elongated body having a channel formed longitudinally thereof, said channel having a narrowed opening formed by flanges extending from the edges of the sides of said channel and overhanging the same; said male fitting comprising an elongated body including a pair of longitudinally extending spaced sides connected by a web, one of said sides adapted to slidably fit within said channel of said female fitting with said web thereof disposed within said narrowed opening of said channel, and means on said male fitting and said female fitting for securing the same to a panel comprising spaced parallel flanges extending outwardly from a side of the body of one of said fittings in normal relation to said side and adapted to encompass between them a marginal edge portion of a panel, and a laterally extending flange from at least one side of the body of the other of said fittings normal to said side and adapted to overlie a surface portion of a panel on which said other fitting is disposed.

Claim 14

The cooperating fittings of claim 11, wherein said parallel flanges extend from said other side of said male fitting and said lateral flange extends from an edge of a side of said channel of said female fitting and substantially continuous with one of said overlying flanges.

Claim 15

The cooperating fittings of claim 11, wherein a lateral flange extends from the edge of each sidE of said channel of said female fitting, substantially continuous with the adjacent one of said overlying flanges.

Claim 16

The cooperating fittings of claim 11, wherein said means securing said fittings to a panel comprise lateral extensions of said other side of said body of said male fitting, each projecting beyond the longitudinal edges of the channel-engaging side thereof, one of said flanges having an extension at its outer edge disposed at an angle of about 45* thereto and overlying said body, the other of said flanges having an extension at its end, offset at an angle thereto and parallel to the extension of said first flange; and lateral flange extensions from the edge of each side of said channel of the body of said female fitting, each said channel side extension continuous with the adjacent one of said channel overlying flanges, one of said last-named laterally extending flanges having an extension at its outer edge at a substantially 45* angle thereto and overlying said female fitting body, the other of said flanges of said female fitting having an extension at its end offset at an angle thereto and substantially parallel to the flange extension of said one flange thereof.

Claim 17

The cooperating fittings of claim 14, wherein the flange extension of said one flange of each said fitting is formed with a longitudinally extending rib on its inner face.

Claim 18

The cooperating fittings of claim 14, wherein said one lateral flange of one of said fittings is formed with a longitudinally extending groove and one lateral flange of said other of said fittings is formed with a rib adapted to be slidably received and guided within said groove.