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 - 45 . (canceled)  
     
     
         46 . A bed base including 
 four side members, each having opposed edges and opposed ends,    said side members having at opposed ends one component of a two-component connector,    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,    one pair of side members having the same length, each side member of said one pair having a keyhole component at both opposed ends thereof, and    another pair of side members having the same length, each side member of said other pair having a locking component at both opposed ends thereof,    the pairs of opposed side members being substantially symmetrical,    said side members assembled into a substantially rectangular structure with the side members of the one pair being opposed to each other and the side members of the other pair being opposed to each other,    said rectangular structure having corners formed by adjoining and adjacent opposed ends of the pairs of side members by interlocking the keyhole and locking components of each two-component connector at said corners,    each said two-component connector having one component including a catch element and the other component including a receptacle, upon connecting adjoining and adjacent side members said catch element moving into locking engagement with the receptacle to be seated in the receptacle to connect securely the adjoining and adjacent side members.    
     
     
         47 . The bed base according to  claim 46  where the keyhole component has 
 a first opening with an enlarged central portion and a pair of narrow portions extending outward in opposite directions from the central portion, and    a second opening with an enlarged central portion and a pair of narrow portions extending outward in opposite directions from the central portion,    said first and second openings being spaced apart a predetermined distance and each said openings being equidistant from a central longitudinal axis of the side member to which the keyhole component is attached.    
     
     
         48 . The bed base according to  claim 47  where the locking component has 
 first and second outwardly extending finger elements that each have an enlarged head on a narrow neck, said head sized to pass through a central portion of an opening in a keyhole component but larger than the narrow portions of said opening and said narrow neck being sized to be received in one of the narrow portions,    said first and second finger elements being spaced apart a distant equal to the predetermined distance that said openings are spaced apart and offset with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the side member to which the locking component is attached a distance sufficient to bring the opposed edges of the side members together so that said edges are substantially flush upon assembly of the side members to form the rectangular structure.    
     
     
         49 . The bed base according to  claim 46  where, upon manually engaging the two components of the two-component connectors, one component moves laterally over a face portion of the other component to attain the interlocking relationship between the catch element and the receptacle.  
     
     
         50 . The bed base according to  claim 46  where said components are made of a malleable, metallic material and the catch element and receptacle are formed in the malleable, metallic material, with the catch element extending outward from one component and the receptacle being a hole in the other component, said catch element and receptacle being positioned at a predetermined locations along their respective components to attain said interlocking relationship.  
     
     
         51 . A bed base including 
 four side members each having a central longitudinal axis, opposed edges, opposed ends, and each being of substantially the same width and symmetrical about its individual longitudinal axis,    said side members having at opposed ends one component of a two-component connector,    the first component being a keyhole component and the second component being a locking component,    said keyhole component having    a first opening with an enlarged central portion and a pair of narrow portions extending outward in opposite directions from the central portion, and    a second opening with an enlarged central portion and a pair of narrow portions extending outward in opposite directions from the central portion,    said first and second openings being spaced apart a predetermined distance and each said openings being equidistant from the central longitudinal axis of the side member to which the keyhole component is attached, and    said locking component having    first and second outwardly extending finger elements that each have an enlarged head on a narrow neck, said head sized to pass through a central portion of an opening in a keyhole component but larger than the narrow portions of said opening and said narrow neck being sized to be received in one of the narrow portions,    said first and second finger elements being spaced apart a distant equal to the predetermined distance that said openings are spaced apart and offset with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the side member to which the locking component is attached at distance sufficient to bring the opposed edges of the side members together so that said edges are substantially flush upon assembly of the side members to form a rectangular structure substantially rectangular structure with each side member supporting on one edge the rectangular structure.    
     
     
         52 . The bed base according to  claim 51  where each said two-component connector has one component including a catch element and the other component including a receptacle, upon connecting adjoining and adjacent side members said catch element moving into locking engagement with the receptacle to be seated in the receptacle to connect securely the adjoining and adjacent side members,  
     
     
         53 . A bed base including 
 a plurality of side members of the same width and made from metallic sheet material, each side member having 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, and    a two-component connector at each miter joint including a keyhole component and a locking component that are manually interlocked together to hold together said adjacent and adjoining side members forming said miter joint,    one component including a catch element and the other component including a receptacle, upon connecting adjoining and adjacent side members, said catch element moving into locking engagement with the receptacle to be seated in the receptacle to connect securely the adjoining and adjacent side members.    
     
     
         54 . The bed base according to  claim 53  where 
 one component has an opening with an enlarged central portion and a pair of narrow portions, said narrow portions extending outward in opposite directions from the central portion, and    the other component has an outwardly extending finger element that has an enlarged head on a narrow neck, said head sized to pass through the central portion of the opening in the first component but larger than the narrow portions and said narrow neck being received in one of the narrow portions.    
     
     
         55 . A bed base including 
 a plurality of side members of substantially the same width, each with opposed edges, each with opposed ends, each having a longitudinal axis, and each being substantially symmetrical about its longitudinal axis,    said side members assembled into a substantially rectangular structure with the members positioned to stand substantially vertically upright on their edges where opposed side members are of the same length and one opposed end of one side member is adjacent to one opposed end of an adjoining side member,    said adjacent and adjoining ends being connected by a two-component connector comprising a keyhole component attached to the opposed ends of each one of a first pair of opposing side members and a locking component attached to the opposed ends of each one a second pair of opposing side members,    each said keyhole component extending lengthwise along the end to which it is attached and including a pair of openings, each opening having a center equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the side member to which each said keyhole component is attached, and    each said locking component extending lengthwise along the end to which it is attached and having a pair of outwardly extending finger elements that individually interlock with individual openings upon connecting the components of the two-component connector together.    
     
     
         56 . The bed base according to  claim 55  where the each pair of said locking components attached to one side member is at an offset positioned from the longitudinal axis of said one side member, so that, when the adjacent and adjoining side members are assembled to form the substantially rectangular structure, the respective edges of the side members are substantially flush with each other.  
     
     
         57 . The bed base according to  claim 56  where the side members have a substantially C-shape cross-sectional configuration.  
     
     
         58 . The bed base according to  claim 57  where the opposed ends of each side member are at an angle of substantially 45°, so that, upon assembly of the side members into a rectangular structure, the ends of adjoining side members form a miter joint.  
     
     
         59 . A bed base including 
 four side members, each having opposed edges and opposed ends and each having the same width and being symmetrical about its respective longitudinal axis,    said side members being assembled into a rectangular structure with said side members positioned to stand vertically upright on one edge with opposed side members being of the same length and connected at adjacent ends by two-component connectors,    each two-component connector including a keyhole component attached to an end of one adjoining and adjacent side member and a locking component attached to an end of the other adjoining and adjacent side member,    each said keyhole component extending lengthwise along the end to which it is attached and having pair of openings, one opening on one side of the longitudinal axis of the side member to which said keyhole component is attached and the other opening being on the other side of said longitudinal axis, and    each said locking component extending lengthwise along the end to which it is attached and having pair of finger elements, one finger element on one side of the longitudinal axis of the side member to which said locking component is attached and the other finger elements being on the other side of said longitudinal axis,    and each said locking component being offset a predetermined distance in the same direction from the longitudinal axis of the one side member to which it is attached,    said predetermined distance enabling the keyhole components and second components to engage and move laterally upon being connected to bring the respective edges of the side members into a position relative to each other so said respective edges are substantially flush with each other.