Furniture fastener system
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to furniture construction. 
     Furniture frames are often shipped in a disassembled condition either to an upholsterer or directly to a consumer who will then assemble the pieces into a completed frame. Bed frame rails have in the past utilized hooks for fitting into slots of headboards. However, such constructions have not been easily utilized for wood frame furniture such as chairs or sofas. A coupling system which could be formed at low cost in wooden furniture frame members to enable them to be rapidly connected together without tools, and in a fashion that produced a neat appearance without gaps, would have considerable value in the production of furniture frames that are to be shipped in a disassembled condition. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a simple coupling system is provided which enables the rapid assembly of furniture frames. The coupling system includes a plate-like hook member that can lie in the slot of a first furniture piece, with a pair of hooks extending out of the slot. Another slot is formed in a second furniture piece to receive the hooks. A pair of rods extending through the slot in the second furniture piece closely receive the hooks to prevent the furniture pieces from moving apart. The first furniture piece can be installed by moving the hooks downwardly as they are pressed into the slot of the second furniture piece. Where it is desired to prevent disassembly even by lifting up the first furniture member, a spring retainer can be utilized which automatically retains one of the rods in a corresponding hook. 
     The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective and partially sectional view of a furniture frame constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the frame of FIG. 1, but showing two furniture pieces prior to their assembly. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a panel furniture member constructed to receive a hook member of the type illustrated in FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the panel of FIG. 3, but showing a hook received therein. 
     FIG. 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of a portion of the hook of FIG. 2, showing how the retainer thereof is constructed and installed. 
     FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of an assembly line conveyor utilizing the coupling arrangement of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a hook member constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, and showing how the retainer can be deflected for disassembly of furniture pieces. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an assembled furniture frame 10 which utilizes the coupling system of the present invention to connect wooden frame members together to form a chair or sofa frame. The frame 10 includes, for example, a back rail member 12 and post member 14. As also shown in FIG. 2, the coupling system includes a hook member 16 which has a pair of hooks 18, 20 which are designed to hook over a pair of rods 22, 24 on the other furniture piece 14, so that the rods fit into upwardly-inclined recesses 23, 25 under the hooks. In order to install the hook member 16, a slot 26 is formed in the end of the first furniture member 12, the slot being deep enough to receive the hook member as shown, and being narrow to closely receive it. The hook member is fastened in place by installing a pair of fasteners 30, 32 transverse to the slot 26, so that the fasteners pass through a round hole 36 and an elongated hole 38 of the hook member. The fasteners 30, 32 can be dowel rods that are inserted into preformed holes of the wooden frame member 12, although nails or screws could be used. The hook member 16 has a coupling side 16C which forms the hooks, and which projects from the slot 26. 
     The second frame member 14 is formed with a narrow slot 40 designed to receive the hooks 18, 20. The rods 22, 24 can be formed by drilling holes transverse to the slot 40, and installing dowel rods. FIG. 1 shows a pair of such dowel rods 22, 24 installed at another location on the frame member 14. The hook member 16 is installed by moving it downwardly and into the slot 40 until the hooks 18, 20 hook over the dowel rods 22, 24 to complete the installation. It can be seen that the slot 40 has an upper portion 42 which receives the hooks as they are moving downwardly and deep into the slot 40. 
     In many furniture frame assemblies, it is sufficient for the frame to hold together only so long as none of the furniture members with hooks thereon are lifted, especially where nails or the like will later be utilized to provide permanent fastenings. However, it is often desirable that once the hooks are installed, that the furniture then be permanently fastened together, to the extent that it will not become disassembled when any frame member is lifted. To obtain such permanent installation, a retainer 50 is utilized which permits a rod such as 22 to pass up under the hook 18, but which then prevents the rod from moving down again. The retainer 50 can be formed, as shown in FIG. 5, of a strip of spring steel which has an attaching end held in an slot 52 of the hook member. The attaching end is formed in a loop which has a larger undeformed width than the slot so it is held therein by compression. Thus, after the assembly of furniture pieces, they will be permanently locked together. Disassembly can be achieved by inserting a special tool under the hook 18 to deflect the retainer 50 to one side, but in the absence of such deflection of the retainer the furniture will not come apart. 
     The wooden furniture frame member 12 can be connected not only to a thick wooden frame member such as 14 that can hold a pair of dowel rods 22, 24, but can also be connected to a panel member. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a panel member 60 which has been formed with a through slot 62 to receive the coupling side 16C of the hook member and to fasten thereto. A pair of rods 64, 66 are held over one face 68 of the panel member, which is opposite the face nearest the other frame member 12, by a pair of fasteners 70, 72. The rods 64, 66 and fasteners are portions of a single stamped element. Thus, when the hooks pass through the slot 62, they can move down onto the rods 64, 66 to hook the frame member 12 to the panel frame member 60. Each of the fasteners has sharp prongs 69 at its ends to hold it against shifting, with the hooks 18, 20 of the hook member preventing the fasteners from lifting off the panel. A small screw 71 is provided for each fastener to hold it temporarily in place prior to joining of the furniture pieces by the hook member. The large area of the fastener and rod assembly provides reliable coupling of the panel to another furniture piece. The hook member can include a retainer 50 to permanently hold the two frame members together. Also, a decorative cover 73 simulating a tenon and peg joint can be placed over the protruding hook member side 16C to conceal the hooks. 
     Although the hook member 16 installed at the end of a wooden frame member 12 is designed especially for fastening wooden frame members together, it also becomes useful for holding wooden frame members stationary while operations are performed on them. FIG. 6 illustrates a pallet 71 which holds a pair of supports 73 at either end of the pallet (one of them not shown) to support the wooden frame member 12 and others like it as they are being moved around a factory for operations such as spray painting of the members. The holder 73 is formed with pairs of horizontal rods 74, 75 that are vertically spaced by the same distance as the deepest parts of the recesses under the hooks 18, 20, so that a frame member 12 can be easily installed on a holder 73. An end member 76 is positioned at each end of each pair of rods 74, 75 to prevent the hook member 16 from falling off. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates another hook member 80 similar to that of FIG. 2 except that it employs an undercut slot 82 to hold the coiled, or looped, attaching end of a leaf spring retainer 84 in compression. This arrangement results in the retainer being held somewhat more securely, but makes it more difficult to install the retainer in the hook member. For both the hook member 80 and the hook members of the other figures, a simple tool 86 can be used to deflect the retainer for disassembly of a pair of furniture pieces. 
     Thus, the invention provides a coupling system which is especially useful for connecting wooden furniture frame members together. The coupling system includes a hook member with a pair of hooks that can hook onto rods of another frame member to connect the two members together. The hook member can lie in a slot at the edge of a first frame member, where it can be easily fastened in place. Where the other frame member is of beam-like shape, the rods can be easily installed as by drilling holes and inserting dowel rods so they extend through a slot. Where a panel frame member is utilized, the rods can be fastened over one face of the panel to extend perpendicular to the slot. A simple retainer can permanently hold a rod in a corresponding recess under a hook, to permanently connect the frame members together. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur, to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.