Valance corner

Abstract

A valance corner including an engagement portion having first, second and third mating surfaces and a sealing edge, wherein the sealing edge includes first and second sealing extensions arranged orthogonal relative to each other and having first and second ends, respectively, each of the first, second and third mating surfaces are arranged orthogonal relative to the other mating surfaces and the first and second mating surfaces form the first and second ends of the sealing edge, respectively. The valance corner further includes a securing portion having first and second securing extensions arranged orthogonal relative to each other, the securing portion fixedly secured to the engagement portion. The first and second securing extensions are arranged parallel to the first and second sealing extensions, respectively.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This patent application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 365,599, filed Jul. 19, 2010, which application is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention broadly relates to protective cases, more specifically to valances for protective cases, and even more particularly to valance corners for protective cases.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Protective custom fabricated cases and / or containers are used to transport equipment from one location to another, e.g., case 10. Equipment is transported and stored in the case, and subsequently removed from the case for use. Such cases are known by several names, e.g., road cases, flight cases, hard-shell cases, ATA cases (Air Transport Association specification 300 Cat 1: Specification for Packaging of Airline Supplies), musical instrument cases and reusable shipping containers. These types of cases are used for goo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]It has been found that it is advantageous to provide an invention that is a valance corner with an integral tongue and groove that eliminates the need for specialized machinery and accuracy in fabricating a mitered corner while using currently available components and tools.

[0017]The present invention valance corner increases the speed with which fabricated cases can be built, is designed to work with currently available extrusion valances, and does not require any additional tools or equipment for a case builder. The present invention valance corner further provides the strength and rigidity needed to support the ninety degree corner of a case.

[0018]The present invention valance corner saves a case builder time during the fabrication a case and eliminates the need for specialized equipment and skill.

Problems solved by technology

Molded cases are restricted to the size of tooling used and cannot be adjusted to the size of the equipment inside.

Thus, many molds are needed to accommodate the wide variety of equipment stored inside, which molds are often expensive to fabricate.

The inherent problems with a fabricated case are joining the various panels together to produce a robust enclosure, while minimizing the weight by using the least amount of structure.

Such miter cutting is a time consuming process.

This specialized vertical cutting saw is a large expense compared to conventional cutting equipment that many fabricators can not economically purchase or justify.

Even with the specialized vertical cutting saw, miter cuts in the valance are made one at a time, or in other words, are excessively time consuming.

Both the corners and extrusions work together but can not be used with conventional case building parts, and thus cases manufactured using this system are more expensive than cases formed from more standard components.

Moreover, these plastic corner systems do not meet ATA 300 Cat 1 specifications for flight shipping, and therefore have limited application.

Heretofore, tradeoffs between cost and performance were required.

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