Frame connector structure

Claim 1

A frame connector structure adapted to be closely telescopically received within, and forming a rigid joint with, a longitudinally extending tubular frame member including a frame bottom-panel lying along a bottom-plane and a frame apertured top-panel, said frame connector structure comprising: A. a longitudinally extending rigid body of inverted U-shape configuration having two upright body-ends including a fore-end and a rear-end, said body component comprising a forwardly apertured horizontal wall extending longitudinally between the body-ends and including horizontal outer and inner surfaces, said apertured wall between the apertured portion and the body rear-end being provided with transversely extending spring member mounting means located a small finite-distance below said wall inner surface and between the aperture and the body rear-end, said body component also comprising a pair of parallel and transversely separated flanking-walls, the flanking-walls having longitudinally extending horizontal co-elevational bottom-edges defining a horizontal bottom-plane for the body component; and B. a spring member in elevation having a generally J-shaped configuration and including longerleg, shorterleg therebelow, and curvilinear juncture portions together provided by a single length of permanently bent springy metallic material, Bi. the spring member longerleg portion extending longitudinally horizontally from rearward-end to a forward-end merging at said curvilinear juncture portion, said longerleg having generally planar parallel upper and lower surfaces with a vertical separation of substantially said finite-distance, said longerleg being held by said body component spring member mounting means in a condition whereby the major longitudinal length thereof is immediately alongside the apertured wall inner surface, said spring member longerleg immediately rearwardly its forward-end being provided with an upwardly extending locking projection surrounded by said body wall aperture, and Bii. at least a portion of the spring member shorterleg lying in elevation below said body component bottom-plane, whereby: when the frame connector structure is telescopically received within a said tubular frame member, the frame member bottom-panel forces the spring member shorterleg wholly above said bottom-plane and induces unrelieved stress along the entire spring member which stress increases the broad frictional contact between the apertured connector wall and the frame top-panel and also assists in maintaining the longerleg locking projection within the top-panel aperture.