Components for constructional purposes

Claim 2

Components for producing a modular joint comprising: a column component; a co-operating component; said column component comprising a central core and multi-sided sub-columns spaced at 90* from one another around and integral with the said core, each sub-column being adapted to form a male element of a joint; said co-operating component is a female component having a bore with a wall, said wall having sides substantially conforming to sides of the sub-columns; at least one side of the wall of the bore is omitted to form a lateral opening extending from the bore to the exterior of the female component and to form two relatively converging lips disposed obliquely to adjacent sides of the bore to enable the female component to be slid along a sub-column closely embracing the sub-column but prevented from rotation relative thereto or lateral withdrawal therefrom; and means for securing the female component to the sub-column.

Claim 3

Components for producing a modular joint comprising: a column component; a co-operating component; said column component comprising a longitudinally extending core of octagonal cross-section and sub-columns of octagonal cross-section like to that of each other and to the core; said sub-columns are spaced at 90* from each other around and are integral with the core, one side of each sub-column being common to and integral with a side of the core; each sub-column is adapted to form a male element of a joint; sides of the sub-columns and of the core form channels of rectangular cross-section between the sub-columns; said co-operating component is a female component having a bore with a wall whose sides conform to sideS of the sub-columns; at least one side of the wall of the bore is omitted to form a lateral opening extending from the bore to an exterior of the female component and to form two relatively converging lips disposed obliquely to adjacent sides of the bore to enable the female component to be slid along a sub-column closely embracing the sub-column but prevented from rotation relative thereto or lateral withdrawal therefrom; and means for securing the female component to the male element.

Claim 4

Components for producing a modular joint comprising: a column component; a co-operating component; said column component comprising a longitudinally extending core of octagonal cross-section and sub-columns of octagonal cross-section like to that of each other and to the core; said sub-columns are spaced at 90* from each other around and are integral with the core, one side of each sub-column being common to and integral with a side of the core; each sub-column is adapted to form a male element of a joint; sides of the sub-columns and of the core form channels of rectangular cross-section between the sub-columns; said co-operating component is a female component having a bore with a wall whose sides conform to sideS of the sub-columns; at least one side of the wall of the bore is omitted to form a lateral opening extending from the bore to an exterior of the female component and to form two relatively converging lips disposed obliquely to adjacent sides of the bore to enable the female component to be slid along a sub-column closely embracing the sub-column but prevented from rotation relative thereto or lateral withdrawal therefrom; and means for securing the female component to the male element.

Claim 5

Modular joint components according to claim 2, in which only one side of the wall of the bore of the female component is omitted and the sides of said wall adjacent to the lateral opening thus formed are defined by two relatively converging oblique lips and each said channel between sub-columns of the column component is adapted to accommodate one said lip and a lip of a like female component side-by-side in parallelism.

Claim 6

Modular joint components according to claim 2, in which two adjacent sides of the wall of the bore of the female component are omitted to provide the lateral opening and the two lips so that the female component can embrace a sub-column and lie at an angle of 45* to the axes intersecting the centers of the core and the sub-columns.

Claim 7

Modular joint components according to claim 1, in which the female component is externally shouldered and has a spigot at its end remote from its bore for accommodating a connecting member, the female component having at least one tapped hole situated so that a grub screw can be screwed in from a free end of the spigot through one side of the wall of the bore to engage at right angles a side of a sub-column.

Claim 8

Modular joint components according to claim 1, in which the female component is externally shouldered and has a spigot at its end remote from its bore for accommodating a connecting member, the female component having at least one tapped hole situated so that a grub screw can be screwed in from a free end of the spigot through one side of the wall of the bore of said component to engage a side of a sub-column at right angles thereto, the free end of the spigot being channelled parallel to said bore and having a base, said tapped hole extending through the base.

Claim 9

Components for producing a modular joint comprising: a column component; a co-operating component; said column component comprising a central core and multi-sided sub-column spaced at 90* from one another around and integral with the said core, each sub-column being adapted to form a male element of a joint; said co-operating component is a female component having a bore with a wall, said wall having sides substantially conforming to sides of the sub-columns; at least one side of the wall of the bore is omitted to form a lateral opening extending from the bore to the exterior of the female component to enable the female component to be slid along a sub-column closely embracing the sub-column but prevented from rotation relative thereto or lateral withdrawal therefrom; and the female component is externally shouldered and has a spigot at its end remote from its bore for accommodating a connecting member, the female component having at least one tapped hole situated so that a grub screw can be screwed in from a free end of the spigot through one side of the wall of the bore of the said component to engage a side of a sub-column, the free end of the spigot being channelled parallel to the said bore and having a base with at least one tapped bore through which a grub screw can be screwed in through one side wall of the bore of the said component to engage a side of a sub-column, and said female component having plain holes which open into each side of the channel so that when the connecting member has been engaged with the spigot and located by the shoulder self-tapping screws can be passed through holes in the connecting member into the said plain holes to secure the connecting member Component in tight gripping engagement with the spigot.

Claim 10

Components for producing a modular joint comprising: a column component; a co-operating component; said column component comprising a central core and multi-sided sub-column spaced at 90* from one another around and integral with the said core, each sub-column being adapted to form a male element of a joint; said co-operating component is a female component having a bore with a wall, said wall having sides substantially conforming to sides of the sub-columns; at least one side of the wall of the bore is omitted to form a lateral opening extending from the bore to the exterior of the female component to enable the female component to be slid along a sub-column closely embracing the sub-column but prevented from rotation relative thereto or lateral withdrawal therefrom; and the female component is externally shouldered and has a spigot at its end remote from its bore for accommodating a connecting member, the female component having at least one tapped hole situated so that a grub screw can be screwed in from a free end of the spigot through one side of the wall of the bore of the said component to engage a side of a sub-column, the free end of the spigot being channelled parallel to the said bore and having a base with at least one tapped bore through which a grub screw can be screwed in through one side wall of the bore of the said component to engage a side of a sub-column, and said female component having plain holes which open into each side of the channel so that when the connecting member has been engaged with the spigot and located by the shoulder self-tapping screws can be passed through holes in the connecting member into the said plain holes to secure the connecting member Component in tight gripping engagement with the spigot.

Claim 11

Modular joint component according to claim 7, in which the female component is of rectangular cross-section and shouldered to form a rectangular section and comprising a connecting member in the form of a rectangular section tube proportioned to closely fit the spigot so that its external surface will come flush with the external surface of the female component when the tube is fitted over the spigot up to the shoulder.

Claim 12

Components according to claim 1 and connecting members, assembled to form a framework for supporting a table top or shelves.

Claim 13

Components according to claim 1 and connecting members assembled to form a framework supporting a table top with the column components forming legs of a table.