Easy to assemble bed base, two-component connector & kit

Abstract

A bed base and bed base kit includes four side members, each being symmetrical about its longitudinal axis. The side members are assembled into a rectangular structure with the members positioned to stand vertically upright on their edges. Opposed side members are of the same length and are connected at adjacent ends by a two-component connector. A first component of the connector is attached to the opposed ends of each one of a first pair of opposing side members and a second component is attached to the opposed ends of each one a second pair of opposing side members. The second components are offset from the longitudinal axis of the one side member to which they re attached. Thus, when the side members are assembled to form the rectangular structure, the respective edges of the side members are substantially flush with each other.

1 . A corner connector for a bed base comprising a body member including a substantially right angle shaped channel providing a retainer for a corner of the bed base and a pair of spaced apart substantially orthogonally oriented, resilient sides forming outer portions of the channel, said sides being disconnected from each other to enable each side independently to flex upon connecting the corner connector to the bed base, at least one of the sides including one component of a two-component catch member, said one component adapted to connect to the other component of the two-component catch member upon connecting said corner connector to the bed base.  
   
   
       2 . The corner connector of  claim 1  being made from a single metallic sheet.  
   
   
       3 . A corner connector for a substantially rectangular bed base having vertically oriented side members forming corners of the bed base, 
 said corner connector comprising    a body member having an external side, an internal side, and an orthogonal corner comprising a substantially right angle shaped channel that receives and retains top or bottom edges of a corner of the bed base upon attachment to the bed base,    said channel including a floor and connected to the floor at substantially a right angle a first pair of substantially planar, substantially orthogonally oriented, resilient sides, and a second pair of substantially planar, substantially orthogonally oriented sides,    a planar stiffening member substantially parallel to the floor and offset therefrom,    said first pair of sides forming outer portions of the channel, said sides of the first pair being disconnected from each other to enable each side of the first pair independently to flex, and    said second pair sides forming inner portions of the channel, said sides of the second pair being connected together and to the planar stiffening member to provide a substantially rigid structure,    said channel having a predetermined width that enables adjoining top or bottom edges of the bed base forming a corner of the bed base to fit snugly into said channel.    
   
   
       4 . The corner connector of  claim 3  where at least one of the sides includes one component of a two-component catch member, said one component adapted to connect to the other component upon connecting said corner connector to the bed base.  
   
   
       5 . The corner connector of  claim 4  being made from a single metallic sheet.  
   
   
       6 . The corner connector of  claim 4  where said predetermined width is substantially equal to the top or bottom edges of the bed base forming a corner of the bed base.  
   
   
       7 . A corner connector for a bed base comprising 
 a metallic body member having a stiffening member and a substantially right angle shaped channel providing a retainer for a corner of the bed base,    said channel being formed by first and second pairs of substantially orthogonally oriented sides in substantially registration with each other,    said first pair of sides forming outer portions of the channel and being disconnected from each other to enable each side independently to flex upon connecting the corner connector to the bed base,    said second pair of sides forming inner portions of the channel and being connected to each other and the stiffening member to provide rigidity to the corner connector.    
   
   
       8 . The corner connector of  claim 7  where at least one of the sides includes one component of a two-component catch member that engages the other component of the catch member upon attaching the corner connector to the bed base.  
   
   
       9 . The combination of a corner of a bed base and a corner connector: 
 said corner of the bed base having top and bottom substantially orthogonally oriented edges of substantially the same width dimension and comprising a pair of vertically oriented side members having ends connected at substantially a right angle to form the corner, at least one of said ends including one component of a two-component catch member, and    said corner connector comprising 
 a body member including a substantially right angle shaped channel into which one edge the corner of the bed base is received, said channel having substantially the same width dimension as the width dimension of the one edge of the corner, and  
 a pair of spaced apart substantially orthogonally oriented, resilient sides forming outer portions of the channel, said sides being disconnected from each other to enable each side independently to flex upon inserting one edge of the corner of the bed base into the channel, at least one of the sides including the other component of a two-component catch member, said components of the catch member engaging upon inserting the one edge of the corner into the right angle shaped channel.  
   
   
   
       10 . The combination of  claim 9  where the corner connector is made from a single metallic sheet.  
   
   
       11 . A bed base including 
 four side members, each having opposed edges and opposed ends, and assembled into a substantially rectangular structure,    said side members having at opposed ends one component of a two-component connector and one component of a two-component catch member,    said two-component connector including a keyhole component and a locking component, said locking component being received in said keyhole component upon connecting said components together,    said rectangular structure having corners formed by adjoining and adjacent opposed ends of pairs of side members by interlocking the keyhole and locking components of each two-component connector at said corners, and    at least one corner connector at each corner of the bed base, said corner connector comprising a body member including a substantially right angle shaped channel into which one edge of an individual corner of the bed base is received and a pair of spaced apart substantially orthogonally oriented, resilient sides forming outer portions of the channel, said sides being disconnected from each other to enable each side independently to flex upon connecting the corner connector to the bed base, at least one of the sides including the other component of a two-component catch member, said components of the catch member engaging upon inserting one edge of an individual corner into the right angle shaped channel.    
   
   
       12 . The bed base of  claim 11  where the side members and corner connector are each formed from a single metallic sheet.  
   
   
       13 . A bed base including 
 a plurality of side members, each having opposed edges and opposed ends with each end having one component of a two-component connector,    said two-component connector including a keyhole component attached to one individual side member and a pair of spaced apart locking components attached to an adjoining side member to form a corner of the bed base upon connecting together said keyhole component and the locking components,    said keyhole component comprising a substantially L-shaped member having a first leg attached at one end of said individual side member and a second leg extending outward from said one individual side member substantially at a right angle thereto, said second leg having a pair of spaced apart openings therein, each opening having a predetermined shaped that receives and interlocks with one of said pair of spaced apart locking components attached to said adjoining side member,    each individual locking component comprising a rivet element that is connected directly to the adjoining side member without any connecting plate, said rivet element having an elongated shaft member with a first enlarged end that abuts an exterior surface of the adjoining side member and a second enlarged end spaced from an interior surface of the adjoining side member.    
   
   
       14 . The bed base according to  claim 13  where each opening has an enlarged central portion and a pair of narrow portions extending outward in opposite directions from the central portion, said enlarged central portion sized to allow the second enlarged end of an individual rivet element to pass therethrough and said shaft member being sufficiently long to facilitate interconnecting the keyhole component and the locking components by allowing an individual shaft member to slide along the either narrow portion of an individual opening while the second enlarged end rides on an exterior surface of the second leg the keyhole component.  
   
   
       15 . The bed base according to  claim 13  where 
 each side member is formed from metallic sheet material, and has substantially the same width and has a substantially central planar portion of substantially rectangular configuration with a central longitudinal axis and opposed edges and opposed ends at an angle of substantially 45°,    each said individual side member being substantially symmetrical about its individual longitudinal axis and having a pair of longitudinal planar support members extending outward in the same direction at substantially a right angle to the planar portion, with one support member being along one of said edges and the other support member being along the other of said edges, said support members being formed by bending the metallic sheet material,    said side members being assembled into a substantially rectangular structure, each side member standing upright on one of its support members, and one opposed end of one adjoining side member being adjacent to one opposed end of another adjoining side member, said ends of adjoining side members forming a miter joint.    
   
   
       16 . The bed base according to  claim 13  where 
 the side members are connected to form a substantially rectangular structure with four corners and each side member has one component of a two-component catch member, and    at least one corner connector attached to each individual corner,    each said corner connector comprising a body member including a substantially right angle shaped channel providing a retainer for an individual corner and a first pair of spaced apart substantially orthogonally oriented, resilient sides forming outer portions of the channel,    said sides being disconnected from each other to enable each side independently to flex upon connecting the corner connector to the bed base, at least one of the sides including the other component of the two-component catch member,    said components of the two-component catch member interlocking upon connecting an individual corner connector to one corner of the bed base.    
   
   
       17 . The bed base according to  claim 16  where 
 the body member has an orthogonal corner and the channel has a predetermined width that is substantially the same as a width of top or bottom edges of an individual corner to which the connector is attached.    
   
   
       18 . The bed base according to  claim 16  where 
 the channel includes a floor and the resilient sides are connected to the floor at substantially a right angle, and the connector additionally includes a second pair of substantially planar, substantially orthogonally oriented sides and a planar stiffening member substantially parallel to the floor and offset therefrom,    said first pair of sides forming outer portions of the channel and said second pair sides forming inner portions of the channel, said sides of the second pair being connected together and to the planar stiffening member to provide a substantially rigid structure.    
   
   
       19 . The bed base according to  claim 18  where the channel has a predetermined width that enables adjoining top or bottom edges of the side members forming a corner of the bed base to fit snugly into said channel.  
   
   
       20 . The bed base according to  claim 18  where the corner connector is formed from a single metallic sheet.