Interlocking lock-nail connector set of male lock-nail stud connector and female lock-nail recess connector

Abstract

An interlocking lock-nail connector set that includes male and female lock-nail connectors. The male connector includes a head with integral male connecting structure and integral nail, and the female connector includes a head with integral female connecting structure and integral nail. The male and female heads are aimed to facilitate driving of the nails into separate standalone pieces of wood without the need for holding the nails separately. The integral male connecting structure is compatible with the integral female connecting structure, allowing the male head to securely interlock with the female head, for enabling the user to connect the two standalone pieces of wood.

Description

[0001] Interlocking Lock-Nail Connector Set of Male Lock-Nail Stud Connector and Female Lock-Nail Recess Connector

[0002] Description

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present invention refers to an Interlocking Lock-Nail Connector Set that includes a Male Lock-Nail Stud Connector and a compatible Female Lock-Nail Recess Connector, for connecting together standalone raw wooden pieces or standalone pieces made of other materials into which possible to hammer nails and / or screw screws and the term "wooden" in this disclosure and in the claims refers to wood and such kind of materials.

[0005] Background of the invention

[0006] Children love building imaginative structures using raw pieces of wood, typically connecting them by hammering nails. However, young children often injure themselves while doing so, as they must hold the nail steady with their fingers while striking its head with a hammer— a task that requires precision they may not yet have. As a result, they frequently miss and hit their fingers instead.

[0007] Additionally, when joining two relatively thick pieces of wood— such as those measuring seven or eight centimeters— a child must use a long, often thick nail and repeatedly hammer it in to achieve a secure connection. This process can be difficult and time-consuming for a young builder.

[0008] The present invention provides an effective solution to these challenges, making the construction process safer and more accessible for children.

[0009] The drawings

[0010] FIGS la and lb depict the male lock-nail connector (20).

[0011] FIGS 2a and 2b depict the female lock-nail connector (30). FIGS 3a and 3b depict the male lock-nail connector (20) with the channel (24).

[0012] FIGS 4a and 4b depict the male lock-nail connector (20) with the channel (24).

[0013] FIGS 5a and 5b depict the female lock-nail connector (30) with the channel (34).

[0014] FIG. 6 depicts female and male connectors in process of connecting two separate standalone pieces of wood.

[0015] FIG. 7 depicts female and male connectors connecting two separate standalone pieces of wood.

[0016] The Invention

[0017] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an Interlocking Lock-Nail Connector Set (10), which comprises a Male Lock-Nail Stud Connector (20) and a compatible Female Lock-Nail Recess Connector (30), designed for securely connecting together two standalone raw wooden pieces (100).

[0018] In this disclosure, the term "nail" also encompasses a "screw", and accordingly, the term "hammering" includes the action of "screwing".

[0019] The Male connector (20) consists of a male head (21) with an integral male connecting structure (22) and an integral nail (23), which is integrally connected to the male head.

[0020] The Female connector (30) consists of a female head (31) with an integral female connecting structure (32) and an integral nail (33), which integrally connected to the female head.

[0021] The integral nails are affixed to the heads (male or female) in such a way that, when the connector is oriented vertically with the nail perpendicular to the wooden piece, striking the head with a hammer allows the nail to penetrate the wood without causing any relative movement between the nail and the head. The nail is securely fixed to the head via sufficient friction, adhesive bonding, or through a single-piece construction of the entre unit. The male and female connecting structures (22) (32) are designed to be compatible, allowing the male head to connect easily with the female head. These integral connecting structures may take a variety of well-known forms, such as pin and groove, recess and stud (similar to LEGO™ connections), and others. The term "compatible" refers to male protrusions (bumps) and female recesses, or equivalent mechanisms, which allow the connectors to interlock to each other by "clicking" the male structure into the female structure.

[0022] Is it preferably that the head of the nail that is an integral part of the connector will be positioned inside the head of the connector in such a way that the head of the nail will be on the same plane (or even slightly higher) than the uppermost plane of the head of the connector, so that the head of the nail will directly receive the blows of the hammer.

[0023] In another embodiment of the present invention, the Male connector (20) consists of a male head (21) with an integral male connecting structure (22) and an integral nail guide channel (24), designed to receive a nail (41). In a further embodiment, the Female connector (30) comprises a female head (31) with an integral female connecting structure (32) and an integral nail guide channel (34), designed to receive a nail (41).

[0024] The heads may include an indent (42) to accommodate the head (43) of the nail (41), allowing the nail heads to be recessed (leveled) within the male or female head. This ensured that the nail heads are flush with the surface of the connector, preventing any interfering of the connection. It is desirable that the head of the channel be on the same plane (or even slightly higher) than the uppermost plane of the head of the connector, so that the head of the nail directly receives the blows of the hammer until it is completely stuck, to a state where the head of the nail is positioned into the indent. The use of the connector set (10) simplifies the hammering action, makes it easier for children to use. It eliminates the need for them to hold a nail with their fingers and prevents the risk of accidentally injuring their fingers with the hammer.

[0025] These connectors with the channels enable the child to drive a nail into the channel in such a way that the tip of the nail protrudes slightly from the hole towards the wood, so that when the connector is placed on a piece of wood, the tip of the nail may touch the wood. At this point, the child can hit the head of the nail with a hammer and drive it into the wood to attach the connector to the wood; This while the child holds the head of the connector with his fingers, so that the fingers are protected from the blows of the hammer. At the same time, the nail stands firmly in the channel, and can be vertically hit with a hammer to drive it into the wood without having to hold it or stabilize it with the fingers. Similarly, this is the case with the use of the connectors with the integral nail.

[0026] The set of the present invention enables users, primarily children, to attach a male connector to one piece of wood and a female connector to another piece of wood that they wish to connect. The two connectors (male and female) are then easily joined together with a simple "click" action.

[0027] Users can attach the male and female connectors to various pieces of wood, allowing them to build and assemble a wide range of structures based on their imagination. They can also easily disassemble and reassemble these structures as desired while the connectors are connected to these pieces of wood.

[0028] The term "standalone raw wooden pieces" (100) in this disclosure means that the connectors are not limited to pieces of wood specifically designed to be compatible with them. Instead, the connectors are intended to work with any piece of wood that the child has on hand, allowing them to build structures for their own enjoyment. In summary, the present invention refers to the interlocking lock-nail connector set (10) that includes: (a) the male lock-nail connector (20) that comprises the male head (21) and the integral nail (23), the male head includes the integral male connecting structure (22), and the integral nail (23) of the male connector is affixed to the male head; and (b) the female lock-nail connector (30) that comprises the female head (31) and the integral nail (33), the female head includes the integral female connecting structure (32), and the integral nail of the female connector is affixed to the female head. The male and female heads are configured to facilitate driving of their respective nails into two separate standalone pieces of wood (100) without the need for holding the nails separately. The integral male connecting structure is compatible with the integral female connecting structure, allowing the male head to securely interlock with the female head; thereby enabling the user to connect these two standalone pieces of wood.

[0029] The present invention refers also to the interlocking lock-nail connector set (10) that comprises the: (a) male lock-nail connector (20) that comprises the male head (21) and the integral nail guide channel (24) that is designed to receive a first nail (41a), the male head includes the integral male connecting structure (22); and (b) the female lock-nail connector (30) that comprises the female head (31) and the integral nail guide channel (34) that is designed to receive the second nail (41b), the female head includes the integral female connecting structure (32). The nail guide channels are configured to guide the nails through the channels into standalone pieces of wood (100), facilitating the driving of the nails into the pieces of wood without the need for holding the nails separately. The integral male connecting structure is compatible with the integral female connecting structure, allowing the male head to securely interlock with the female head; thereby enabling a user to connect said two standalone pieces of wood.

[0030] The present invention refers also to a method for connecting a first standalone piece of wood (100a) to a second standalone piece of wood (100b). The method includes the following means and steps: (a) providing the interlocking lock-nail connector set as explained above, (b) Providing the first and the second standalone pieces of wood, (c) Hammering the nail of the male lock-nail connector into the first piece of wood, (d) Hammering the nail of the female locknail connector into the second piece of wood; and (e) connecting the male lock-nail connector to a first standalone piece of wood.

[0031] Figures la and lb depict the male lock-nail connector (20), Figures 2a and 2b depict the female lock-nail connector (30), Figures 3a and 3b depict the male lock-nail connector (20) with the channel (24), Figures 4a and 4b depict the male lock-nail connector (20) with the channel (24), Figures 5a and 5b depict the female lock-nail connector (30) with the channel (34), Figure 6 depicts the female and male connectors in process of connecting two separate standalone pieces of wood, and Figure 7 depicts the female and male connectors connecting two separate standalone pieces of wood.

Claims

ClaimsWHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An interlocking lock-nail connector set (10) comprising:(a) a male lock-nail connector (20) comprising a male head (21) and an integral nail (23), wherein the male head includes an integral male connecting structure (22), and the integral nail (23) of the male connector is affixed to the male head;(b) a female lock-nail connector (30) comprising a female head (31) and an integral nail (33), wherein the female head includes an integral female connecting structure (32), and the integral nail of the female connector is affixed to the female head; wherein the male and female heads are configured to facilitate driving of their respective nails into two separate standalone pieces of wood (100) without the need for holding the nails separately; wherein the integral male connecting structure is compatible with the integral female connecting structure, allowing the male head to securely interlock with the female head, thereby enabling a user to connect said two standalone pieces of wood.

2. An interlocking lock-nail connector set (10) comprising:(a) a male lock-nail connector (20) comprising a male head (21) and an integral nail guide channel (24) designed to receive a first nail (41a), wherein the male head includes an integral male connecting structure (22);(b) a female lock-nail connector (30) comprising a female head (31) and an integral nail guide channel (34) designed to receive a second nail (41b), wherein the female head includes an integral female connecting structure (32); wherein the nail guide channels are configured to guide the nails through the channels into standalone pieces of wood (100), facilitating the driving of the nails into the pieces of wood without the need for holding the nails separately;wherein the integral male connecting structure is compatible with the integral female connecting structure, allowing the male head to securely interlock with the female head, thereby enabling a user to connect said two standalone pieces of wood.

3. A method for connecting a first standalone piece of wood (100a) to a second standalone piece of wood (100b), comprising:(a) providing the interlocking lock-nail connector set of claim 1 or 2;(b) providing the first and the second standalone pieces of wood;(c) hammering the nail of the male lock-nail connector into the first piece of wood;(d) hammering the nail of the female lock-nail connector into the second piece of wood; and(e) connecting the male lock-nail connector to a first standalone piece of wood.

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