IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0006384
(2011-01-13)
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등록번호 |
US-8657521
(2014-02-25)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Edell, Shapiro & Finnan, LLC
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
5 인용 특허 :
65 |
초록
▼
Joint assemblies for collapsible structures include a mating member and a receiving member connected together by a flexible member. The receiving member includes a socket section having a lumen with an internal surface and a longitudinal slot. The mating member includes a tip section that, at a firs
Joint assemblies for collapsible structures include a mating member and a receiving member connected together by a flexible member. The receiving member includes a socket section having a lumen with an internal surface and a longitudinal slot. The mating member includes a tip section that, at a first end thereof, has a non-circular cross-section that provides at least two points of contact with the internal surface of the socket section when the tip section is positioned within the lumen of the socket section. The joint assemblies include a slider that has an internal diameter that varies along the length of the slider to retain the tip section of the mating member within the lumen of the receiving member.
대표청구항
▼
1. A joint assembly for a collapsible structure, the joint assembly comprising: a mating member, wherein the mating member includes a tip section having a first end, a second end and a raised wedge on an exterior surface thereof that is characterized by a longitudinal slope;a receiving member includ
1. A joint assembly for a collapsible structure, the joint assembly comprising: a mating member, wherein the mating member includes a tip section having a first end, a second end and a raised wedge on an exterior surface thereof that is characterized by a longitudinal slope;a receiving member including a having a first end and a second end and defining a lumen having an internal surface, the socket section having a longitudinal slot through which the tip section of the mating member is received into the lumen, the socket section having a frustoconical exterior surface the diameter of which decreasing from the second end to the first end in accordance with the longitudinal slope, the frustoconical exterior surface being in circumferential alignment with the raised wedge on the tip section in an overlap region between the socket section and the tip section of the mating member when the tip section is positioned in the lumen of the receiving member; anda flexible member coupled to the receiving member and to the first end of the mating member. 2. The joint assembly of claim 1, further comprising a slider at least partially encompassing the mating member and displaceable along a portion of the length of the mating member. 3. The joint assembly of claim 2, wherein, the slider is sized and shaped to slide over the overlap region between the socket section of the receiving member and the tip section of the mating member when the tip section is positioned in the lumen of the receiving member so as to retain the tip section of the mating member within the lumen of the receiving member. 4. The joint assembly of claim 3, wherein the slider has an interior surface that is complementary to the frustoconical surface in the overlap region formed by the aligned raised wedge of the tip section and the exterior surface of the socket section. 5. The joint assembly of claim 2, wherein the mating member includes a plurality of circumferential ridges extending around a portion thereof that is removed from the tip section thereof. 6. The joint assembly of claim 5, wherein the slider has a protrusion extending from the interior surface of the slider so as to engage adjacent circumferential ridges to retain the slider in position thereat. 7. The joint assembly of claim 6, wherein the internal surface of the slider includes a non-sloped section of substantially constant internal diameter over the length thereof. 8. The joint assembly of claim 7, wherein the protrusion extends from the non-sloped section of the internal surface of the slider. 9. The joint assembly of claim 8, wherein the internal surface of the slider includes a rear section, the internal diameter of which varies along the length thereof in accordance with another slope. 10. The joint assembly of claim 9, wherein the slider includes a front edge and a rear edge, and where the mating section extends from the front edge of the slider. 11. The joint assembly of claim 10, wherein the rear section extends from the rear edge of the slider. 12. The joint assembly of claim 11, wherein the non-sloped section extends between the mating section and the rear section. 13. The joint assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving member further includes a relief area adjacent to the second end of the socket section. 14. The joint assembly of claim 13, wherein the relief area includes a relief slot that is sized and shaped to permit passage of the flexible connector as the mating member and the receiving member are relatively displaced. 15. The joint assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving member is formed with an angled portion. 16. The joint assembly of claim 1, further comprising a fastening mount positioned on the receiving member such that material can be secured to the joint assembly thereat. 17. A joint assembly for a collapsible structure, the joint assembly comprising: a mating member comprising a tip section having a first end and a second end and a raised wedge on an exterior surface thereof that is characterized by a longitudinal slope;a receiving member including a socket section having a first end and a second end and defining a lumen having an internal surface, the socket section including a longitudinal slot through which the tip section of the mating member is compelled into the lumen, the socket section having a frustoconical exterior surface, the external diameter of which decreasing along the length thereof in accordance with the longitudinal slope, the frustoconical exterior surface being in circumferential alignment with the raised wedge on the tip section in an overlap region between the socket section of the receiving member and the tip section when the tip section is positioned in the lumen of the receiving member;a flexible member coupled to the receiving member and to the first end of the mating member; anda slider configured to at least partially encompass the mating member and to be selectively displaceable thereon, the slider including an internal surface having a mating section, the internal diameter of which varies along a length thereof in accordance with the longitudinal slope of the socket section so as to form a non-locking taper fit between the socket section and the slider. 18. A joint assembly comprising: a receiving member and a mating member mechanically coupled one to another by a flexible member so as to be relatively displaceable while remaining coupled, a tip section of the mating member being selectively received into a socket section of the receiving member in an overlap region between the receiving member and the mating member, the mating member and the receiving member having respective surfaces that align in the overlap region to define a circumferential frustoconical surface exterior around both the receiving member and the mating member; anda slider having an interior surface that is complementary to the frustoconical surface around the receiving member and the mating member in the overlap region, the slider being coaxially aligned with and selectively displaceable into the overlap region to a location therein at which a non-locking taper fit between the frustoconical surface around the receiving member and the mating member and the complementary interior surface of the slider is formed. 19. The joint assembly of claim 18, wherein the socket section has a longitudinal slot formed therein communicating the exterior surface of the socket section with an interior surface of a chamber into which the tip section of the mating member is received, the longitudinal slot being resiliently deformable such that portions of the tip section that are broader than the longitudinal slot is wide can be compelled through the slot and be received into the chamber. 20. The joint assembly of claim 19, wherein the tip section has a proximal end at which the flexible member is mechanically coupled and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the tip section including a shaped tip at the proximal end thereof having a cross-sectional shape characterized on a line bisecting the cross-section of the tip section to extend from a top portion thereof to a bottom portion thereof, the cross-sectional shape of the shaped tip being narrower at the bottom portion of the tip section than at the top portion thereof. 21. The joint assembly of claim 20, wherein the distal end of the tip section has a cross-sectional shape defined by concentric circular sectors, a first sector having a cross-sectional diameter less than that of a second sector while the first sector extends through an angle greater than the second sector, the circular sectors being centrally aligned on the line bisecting the tip section. 22. The joint assembly of claim 21, wherein the cross-sectional diameter of the first sector is substantially equal to the diameter of the interior surface of the chamber in the socket section of the receiving member. 23. The joint assembly of claim 21, wherein the shaped tip extends from the proximal end of tip section a predetermined distance towards the distal end thereof at which location the cross-sectional shape of the shaped tip transitions to the cross-sectional shape of the first sector. 24. The joint assembly of claim 23, wherein the receiving member includes a relief area adjacent to the socket section at which the flexible member is mechanically coupled, the relief area having a stopped slot formed therein that continues the longitudinal slot in the socket section into the relief area. 25. The joint assembly of claim 24, wherein the coupling of the flexible member at the relief area of the receiving member and the coupling of the flexible member of at the proximal end of the tip section of the mating member align the bottom portion of the shaped tip with the longitudinal slot at one end of the region of overlap. 26. The joint assembly of claim 25, wherein the coupling of the flexible member at the relief area of the receiving member and the coupling of the flexible member of at the proximal end of the tip section of the mating member constrains the relative displacement between the receiving member and the mating member such that the bottom portion of the shaped tip precedes other portions of the tip section through the longitudinal slot. 27. The joint assembly of claim 26, wherein the second sector of the tip section occupies the longitudinal slot over the length of the overlap region when the first sector is received in the chamber of the socket section. 28. The joint assembly of claim 27, wherein the tip section and the socket section are symmetrical about the bisecting line of the tip section when the tip section is received into the socket section. 29. The joint assembly of claim 19, wherein the diameter of the exterior surface of socket section increases from a distal end thereof to a proximal end thereof to define the frustoconical surface on the receiving member. 30. The joint assembly of claim 29, wherein tip section includes a circular sector portion that occupies the longitudinal slot in the overlap region when the tip section is received into the socket section. 31. The joint assembly of claim 30, wherein the circular sector portion includes a raised wedge formed on an exterior surface thereof that extends from a distal end of the tip section towards a proximal end of the tip section at which the mating member is mechanically coupled to the flexible member, the raised wedge defining the frustoconical surface on the mating member that aligns with the exterior surface of the socket section to define the circumferential frustoconical surface around both the receiving member and the mating member in the overlap region. 32. The joint assembly of claim 18, wherein the slider is mounted on the mating member and is displaceable thereon into and out of the tip section. 33. The joint assembly of claim 32, wherein the mating member includes a plurality of circumferential ridges adjacent to a distal end of the tip section that is opposite a proximal end of the tip section at which the mating member is mechanically coupled to the flexible member, the ridges mechanically acting on the slider to retain the slider in a selected position until moved therefrom by a predetermined force. 34. The joint assembly of claim 33, wherein the slider includes an interior cylindrical surface adjacent to the interior frustoconical surface at which the ridges of the mating member mechanically act on the slider. 35. The joint assembly of claim 34, wherein the interior cylindrical surface of slider includes at least one protrusion formed thereon that engage between adjacent circumferential ridges to retain the slider in the selected position. 36. The joint assembly of claim 35, wherein the diameter of the interior cylindrical surface of the slider is equal to the smallest diameter of the interior frustoconical surface of the slider. 37. The joint assembly of claim 36, wherein the protrusion is formed on the interior cylindrical surface of the slider at a location such that when the non-locking taper fit is formed between the frustoconical surface around the receiving member and the mating member and the complementary frustoconical surface of the slider, the protrusion is removed from contact with the socket section of the receiving member in the overlap region. 38. The joint assembly of claim 18, wherein the mating member and the receiving member each comprise a pipe fitting end by which components of a collapsible structure can be joined by the joint assembly. 39. The joint assembly of claim 38, wherein the pipe fitting ends of both the mating member and the receiving member are coaxially aligned. 40. The joint assembly of claim 38, wherein axes of the pipe fitting ends of the mating member and the receiving member define an angle other than 180 degrees. 41. The joint assembly of claim 40, wherein axes of the pipe fitting ends of the mating member and the receiving member define a right angle. 42. The joint assembly of claim 41, wherein the mating member, the receiving member and the slider are formed from a polymeric material.
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