Hinged connector plate

Claim 2

A joint for joining adjacent wooden structural members comprising: first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, said plates being arranged for embedment of their teeth into side faces of the structural members with the teeth of said first plate adapted for embedment into one of said members and the teeth of said second plate adapted for embedment into the other of said members such that the plate end portions overlap one another with their respective openings registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and the one member relative to said second plate and the other member, said pivotal connecting means including marginal portions of the plate surrounding the opening in the end portion of said first plate projecting through the opening in the end portion of said second plate and forming a bearing therefor.

Claim 3

A joint according to claim 1 wherein said marginal portions comprise a continuous band of metal extending from the end portion of said first plate through the opening in the end portion of said second plate and bent laterally away from said openings to clamp the marginal portions of said second plate about its opening between said first plate and the bent portion thereof.

Claim 4

A joint according to claim 1 wherein said marginal portion of said first plate includes a plurality of teeth struck from said first plate and extending through the opening in the end portion of said second plate, the tips of said latter teeth being bent over onto the margin of said second plate surrounding its end opening to clamp the plates one to the other with said latter teeth serving as a bearing surface therebetween.

Claim 5

A joint according to claim 1 wherein said plates are elongated and said teeth in each plate comprise elongated nail-like teeth struck to form longitudinally extending rows thereof with the slots left thereby in said plates extending from said teeth in a longitudinal direction.

Claim 6

A joint according to claim 4 wherein the teeth of said first plate project from the same side thereof as said projecting marginal portions.

Claim 7

A joint according to claim 4 wherein the teeth of said first plate project from the opposite side of said plate from said projecting marginal portions.

Claim 8

A joint according to claim 1 wherein said plates are elongated and said teeth in each plate comprise elongated nail-like teeth struck to form transversely extending rows thereof with the slots left in said plates extending frOm said teeth in a transverse direction.

Claim 9

A joint according to claim 7 wherein the teeth of said first plate project from the same side thereof as said projecting marginal portions.

Claim 10

A joint according to claim 7 wherein the teeth of said one plate project from the opposite side of said plate from said projecting marginal portions.

Claim 11

A joint for joining adjacent wooden structural members comprising: first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, said plates being arranged for embedment of their teeth into side faces of the structural members with the teeth of said first plate adapted for embedment into one of said members and the teeth of said second plate adapted for embedment into the other of said members such that the plate end portions overlap one another with their respective openings registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and the one member relative to said second plate and the other member, said plate end portions including coplanar projections on like sides of said plate, the axes of said openings extending through said projections such that the plates are pivotal substantially through 180 degrees.

Claim 12

A joint for joining adjacent wooden structural members comprising: first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, said plates being arranged for embedment of their teeth into side faces of the structural members with the teeth of said first plate adapted for embedment into one of said members and the teeth of said second plate adapted for embedment into the other of said members such that the plate end portions overlap one another with their respective openings registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and the one member relative to said second plate and the other member, said plate end portions including coplanar projections on like sides of said plate, the axes of said openings extending through said projections such that the plates are pivotal substantially through 180 degrees.

Claim 13

A wooden frame comprising at least three wooden structural framing members, means for pivotally connecting adjacent ends of two of said members, said pivotal connecting means including first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, the teeth of said plates being embedded into respective side faces of said two framing members with the teeth of said first plate being embedded into one of said members and the teeth of said second plate being embedded into the other of said members such that the plate end portions overlap one another with their respective openings registering one with the other, means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and said one member relative to said second plate and said other member, and means for joining the end of said one member remote from said joint to a third member of said frame whereby said one member is maintainable in a substantially rigid position in said frame.

Claim 14

A wooden frame comprising at least three wooden structural framing members, means for pivotally connecting adjacent ends of two of said members, said pivotal connecting means including first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, the teeth of said plates being embedded into respective side faces of said two framing members with the teeth of said first plate being embedded into one of said members and the teeth of said second plate being embedded into the other of said members such that the plate end portions overlap one another with their respective openings registering one with the other, means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and said one member relative to said second plate and said other member, and means for joining the end of said one member remote from said joint to a third member of said frame whereby said one member is maintainable in a substantially rigid position in said frame.

Claim 15

A structural device comprising first and second wooden members, means for pivotally connecting said first and second wooden members one to the other including first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, the teeth of said first plate being embedded into the side face of said first wooden member with the teeth of said second plate being embedded into the side face of said second wooden member with the plate end portions overlapping one another and the respective openings in the plate end portions registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and said one member relative to said second plate and the second member, the ends of Said first and second wooden members being spaced one from the other with the pivotal axis of the joint passing between the spaced ends of said first and second wooden members.

Claim 16

A structural device comprising first and second wooden members, means for pivotally connecting said first and second wooden members one to the other including first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, the teeth of said first plate being embedded into the side face of said first wooden member with the teeth of said second plate being embedded into the side face of said second wooden member with the plate end portions overlapping one another and the respective openings in the plate end portions registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and said one member relative to said second plate and the second member, the ends of Said first and second wooden members being spaced one from the other with the pivotal axis of the joint passing between the spaced ends of said first and second wooden members.

Claim 17

A structural device comprising first and second wooden structural members, means for pivotally connecting said first and second wooden members one to the other including first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, the teeth of said first plate being embedded into the side face of said first wooden member with the teeth of said second plate being embedded into the side face of said second wooden member with the plate end portions overlapping one another and the respective openings in the plate end portions registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and said one member relative to said second plate and the second member, the side of one of said wooden members at its end adjacent the end of the other wooden member being cut away such that the end portion of the other member is free to move to the opposite side of the pivotal axis of said joint for location within the cut away portion of said one member.

Claim 18

A structural device comprising first and second wooden structural members, means for pivotally connecting said first and second wooden members one to the other including first and second sheet metal planar plates, each of said plates having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom leaving a plurality of slots in said plate, an end portion of each said plate having an opening therethrough, said teeth being distributed over the major portions of the areas of said plates and spaced back from said end portions thereof, the teeth of said first plate being embedded into the side face of said first wooden member with the teeth of said second plate being embedded into the side face of said second wooden member with the plate end portions overlapping one another and the respective openings in the plate end portions registering one with the other, and means passing through at least one of said openings for pivotally connecting said first and second plates one to the other for swinging movement of said first plate and said one member relative to said second plate and the second member, the side of one of said wooden members at its end adjacent the end of the other wooden member being cut away such that the end portion of the other member is free to move to the opposite side of the pivotal axis of said joint for location within the cut away portion of said one member.

Claim 19

A joint according to claim 13 wherein the ends of the wooden members butt one antoher, the pivotal axis of said joint being spaced from said butting portions of said members and on the side thereof containing said cut away portion.