Panel Assembly

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, Malaysian Patent Application No. PI2024004358, filed Jul. 25, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to a panel assembly. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a panel assembly with a reinforced joint for easy assembly into different furniture configurations.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a furniture unit is assembled from a plurality of panels with each panel having a hole which aligns with a corresponding hole of another panel when the panels are assembled together. The aligned holes may have a fastening means insertion therethrough for ensuring the panels are secured firmly as an assembly to form the furniture unit. However, such furniture unit is not desirable as it would often require more than one person to assemble the furniture unit. Therefore, such inconvenience causes consumers to gradually shift from conventional furniture unit to furniture unit which does not require fasteners or tools and which is easily assembled while still being stable. By way of example, the furniture unit may have the panels configured with built-in connectors such as plug and tongue, which can be secured by a corresponding hole or groove of another panel to form the furniture unit without an external fastening means.

Although various configurations of the panels are available, yet, the panels heretofore used to assemble the furniture units without involving the external fastening means have not been fully satisfactory. It is common for the panels to be manufactured from wood chips. Therefore, it is inevitable for the built-in connectors to suffer from damages such as cracks and fractures as most of the built-in connectors are formed integrally with the panels. The tongue may be damaged during its manufacture, for example, sharp edges of the tongue may be fractured when a cutting means removes part of the panels to form the tongue. Furthermore, the built-in connectors of the panels may not be able to withstand stresses within the assembled furniture unit and cause significant physical damage to the built-in connectors.

There are a few patented technologies over the prior art relating to the panel assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,564A discloses a readily assemblable furniture composed of plural, precision sized, covered, panels and a module assembly. The module assembly comprises releasably secureable connector members and a precision sized, covered, support panel having an end surface. At least a first one of the plural panels is secured to the support panel by at least one pair of the connectors consisting of a plug member and a rod-like member. The plug member has a recess in its periphery and is adapted to be disposed within a respective cylindrical bore in the support panel. The rod-like member has a threaded end for securement to the first panel and an oppositely disposed end having a head for disposition within the recess in the plug member.

Another panel assembly is disclosed in CN103565136B. The patent discloses a method of assembling wooden boards and a method of assembling the furniture, the profile column is mainly used, and a multi-angle fastener wood block structure, assembled to form a tubular polygonal pillar of the frame, and is fitted on the polygon structural members, wood furniture board is constituted. Wherein the upright profile, the appearance of a hollow cylindrical section, the outer wall is provided with at least one mounting slot and a slot knotting, its visible surface, with a layer of the coating layer.

However, the connectors for panel assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,564A and CN103565136B are not equipped with any feature to strengthen its structural integrity. Therefore, the panel assembly in the above-mentioned prior art is susceptible to the problems highlighted above.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a panel assembly with a reinforcement feature to ensure structural integrity at its joint portions during both manufacturing and assembly into various furniture configurations.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a panel assembly comprises a first panel having one or more projecting tongues formed on at least one edge of the first panel by a milling process; and a second panel having one or more complementary groove channels formed on the second panel by a routing process; wherein the projecting tongues are engaged with, and being inserted in, the groove channels to form an interlocking joint for joining the first and second panels.

Preferably, at least one of the projecting tongues can be provided with a laminate on at least one surface of the projecting tongue for providing improved structural integrity to the tongue while nevertheless allowing relative sliding movement between the projecting tongue and the groove channel.

Preferably, the projecting tongue with the laminate can be further provided with a further laminate to entirely or partially cover the laminate.

Preferably, at least one of the projecting tongues may have a dovetail tongue configuration with a first engaging surface, a second engaging surface and a third engaging surface joining the first and second engaging surfaces, whereby the first and second engaging surfaces can be slanted inwardly to form a generally trapezoidal cross-section. Preferably, the laminate can be disposed on the third engaging surface.

Preferably, at least one of the groove channels may include a first section and a second section, whereby the first section, has a cross-sectional area wider than the second section, is configured to initially receive one portion of the projecting tongue profile with a wider tolerance of insertion angles than the second section and to subsequently guide the projecting tongue to slide towards the second section at a designated orientation.

Preferably, the second section may have a dovetail groove configuration that are complimentary to the dovetail tongue configuration of the projecting tongue, and the first section may have a square groove configuration.

One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments described herein are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawing the preferred embodiments from an inspection of which when considered in connection with the following description, the invention, its construction and operation and many of its advantages would be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view diagram illustrating a first panel and a second panel of a panel assembly.

FIG. 2 is a top view diagram illustrating an embodiment of a groove channel on the second panel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view diagram illustrating an embodiment of a projecting tongue of the first panel.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view diagram illustrating a milling process for forming the projecting tongue on an edge of the first panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a panel assembly as illustrated therein generally comprises a first panel 10 and a second panel 20. Preferably, the first panel 10 comprises one or more projecting tongues 30 formed on at least one edge of the first panel 10. The second panel comprises one or more complementary groove channels 40 formed on or adjacent an edge of the second panel 20. The projecting tongues 30 are engageable with, and insertable in, the groove channels 40 to form an interlocking joint for joining the first and second panels 10, 20. The first and second panels 10, 20 may be made of various wood materials, such as, but not limited to, particleboards, medium-density fiberboards, plywoods, solid woods, hardboard, melamine, veneered woods, and laminate. Preferably, the first and second panels 10, 20 are engineered wood panels, which tend to be brittle at certain portions, such as the projecting tongues 30 and/or the groove channels 40, during assembly. This brittleness can cause the panels 10, 20 to suffer fractures and cracks upon impact or when subjected to elevated stresses. Solutions to these problems will be discussed later in the specification.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the groove channels 40 is illustrated. The groove channels 40 extend continuously along a length of the second panel 20. Although the groove channels 40 are shown as continuous, they can also be divided into segments. The groove channels 40 can be formed on the second panel 20 via a routing process which involves using a router with one or more bits to hollow out an area of the second panel 20. The shape and configuration of the groove channels 40 depend on the shape of the bits. By way of example, the bits can be straight bits, dovetail bit, half-dovetail bit, square or rectangular bit and etc. Preferably, at least one of the groove channels 40 has a dovetail groove configuration, with both of its inner sidewalls slanted to form a trapezoidal cross-section. Depending on the configuration of the projecting tongues 30, the groove channels 40 may have a half-dovetail groove configuration, with only one of its side wall is slanted and the other side wall is in an upright configuration to form a right-angled trapezoid cross-section.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of the groove channels 40 is illustrated. Preferably, at least one of the groove channels 40 can be provided with two groove profiles. For instance, each groove channel 40 comprises a first section 41 and a second section 42. The first section 41 has a wider cross-sectional area compared to the second section 42. The first section 41 is configured to initially accommodate one portion of the projecting tongue 30 with a wider range of insertion angles than the second section 42. Subsequently, the first section 41 guides the projecting tongue 30 to slide towards the second section 42 in a predetermined orientation. By way of example, the second section 42 has a dovetail groove configuration and the first section 41 has a square groove configuration. Such configuration ensures smooth and effortless insertion of the projecting tongue 30 into the groove channels 40, thereby reducing the risk of damage during their initial engagement.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of the projecting tongues 30 is illustrated. Preferably, the projecting tongues 30 extend continuously along the edge of the first panel 10. Similar to the groove channels 40, although the projecting tongues 30 are shown as continuous, they can also be divided into segments. Preferably, the projecting tongues 30 have a dovetail tongue configuration with a first engaging surface 31, a second engaging surface 32 and a third engaging surface 33 joining the first and second engaging surfaces 31, 32. The first and second engaging surfaces 31, 32 are slanted inwardly to form a generally trapezoidal cross-section. The dovetail groove configuration is complementary to the dovetail tongue configuration, allowing the projecting tongues 30 and the groove channels 40 to connect and form tongue-and-groove interlocking joints. Alternatively, the projecting tongues 30 may have a half-dovetail configuration, with the first engaging surface 31 slanted and the second engaging surface 32 upright, creating a right-angled trapezoidal cross-section.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the projecting tongues 30 are each provided with a laminate 51 on at least one surface of the projecting tongues 30 for providing improved structural integrity to the projecting tongues 30 while nevertheless allowing relative sliding movement between the projecting tongues 30 and the groove channels 40. The laminate 51 can further reduce deflection induced within the projecting tongues 30 during their manufacturing process or assembling of the panel assembly. In other words, the laminate 51 reduces occurrence of fractures in the surfaces 31-33 of the projecting tongues 30. Specifically, the laminate 51 is disposed on the third engaging surface 33 of the projecting tongues 30 such that the laminate 51 is sandwiched between the projecting tongues 30 and groove channels 40 during their engagement. The laminate 51 can be but is not limited to melamine, high-pressure laminate, lower-pressure laminate, acrylic, polyvinyl chloride, and thermoplastic foil.

Referring to FIG. 4, a milling process for forming the projecting tongues 30 on at least one edge of the first panel 10 is illustrated. In the first stage of the process, the laminate 51 is attached to the corresponding edge of the first panel 10 using a bonding material. The laminate 51 is then heat-treated to secure itself to the first panel 10 and allowed to cure. This heat treatment generates pre-stressing forces on the edge of the first panel 10, making it more resistant to fractures and cracks during manufacturing. In the second stage of the process, the configuration of the projecting tongues 30 is formed by using a milling machine or a router equipped with one or more cutters 60 or bits to cut away specific portions of the first panel 10. The shape and configuration of the projecting tongues 30 depend on the shape of the cutters 60 or bits. By way of example, the shape of the cutters 60 or bits can be straight, dovetail, half-dovetail, square or rectangular and etc. In the dovetail tongue configuration, the slanted first and second engaging surfaces 31, 32 are created after the specific portions of the first panel 10 are removed. The laminate 51 reduces the stress induced by the cutting, resulting in smoother, less fracture-prone projecting tongues 30. In the third stage of the process, a further laminate 52 can be provided to fully or partially cover the laminate 51. Preferably, the further laminate 52 is disposed directly onto the laminate 51, effectively sandwiching the laminate 51 between the first panel 10 and the further laminate 52. Generally, the further laminate 52 is detachable to offer an easier maintenance. Beside from being made from the same type of material as the laminate 51, the further laminate 52 can be further made of insect repellant material, moisture absorption material, sound insulation material, or any combination thereof. Not only the further laminate 52 can reinforce the structural integrity of the projecting tongues 30, it can also provide further functionalities depending on its material. By way of example, if the further laminate 52 is made of insect repellent material, the assembled furniture unit will have the feature of repelling insects.

The present disclosure includes as contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention.