Cover Caps With Pegs For Inserting In A Series Of Holes

Abstract

Improved integral strip of pegs with cover caps for furniture production and mounting. A plurality of such pegs in predetermined distances from one another are supported by a common integral strip and can be inserted in a row of holes at the surface of the furniture by striking over the strip, the latter being disposed to be broken out along prepared breakout lines around the circumferences of said caps.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to save the time of skilled craftsmen, rows of holes have been provided in furniture at the inside wall surfaces support pegs can be inserted into which at desired spacing bearing pins to support intermediate shelf-plates, hinges, etc.

It is often customary to cover the unused holes by caps but a considerable time for closing every single hole is necessary. Therefore many furniture producers tolerated the presence of rows of open holes despite their unsightly appearance.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to means for covering rows of holes in a new and essentially more economic manner. The is achieved by providing a plurality of caps with pegs in spaced apart distances corresponding to rows of holes supported by a common strip with prepared break points, whereby the strip, after the pegs are inserted into the holes, is merely torn off. Thus the strip to which the caps are preferably integrally molded is inserted with the first peg thereof into the first hole and then is struck over the row of the holes. Since the distance of the caps is adapted to that of the holes, the holes within seconds are closed more or less automatically. The caps are preferably provided with the decor of the wall surface of the furniture, so that a pleasant overall surface of the walls of the furniture is attained. The lengths of the strips depend obviously on the actual mode of of the furniture production, of the machine tools and must be pre-planned from case to case.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection wit the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and illustrate merely by way of example embodiments of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2, are a plan view and crossection of a first embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 3 shows a modification of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 shows the production of two cap strips made of a single plastic strip

FIG. 5 the crossection along line V--V of FIG. 4

FIG. 6 a modification of FIG. 5

FIG. 7, 7a, 8 views similar to that of FIG. 4 with modified break lines,

FIG. 9 a section of a tool with pivoted intermediate plate,

FIG. 10 a view of the intermediate plate of FIG. 9

FIG. 11 a plan view of two paper strips with caps integrally molded between them

FIG. 12 a paper strip with laterally integrally molded caps

FIGS. 13 - 20 crossections or views of various shapes of pegs

FIG. 21 caps with additional centrally prepared break-out lines

FIGS. 22 and 23 supporting strips with closely spaced caps.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now in more detail to the drawings illustrating preferred embodiments by which the invention may be realized, there is shown in FIG. 1 and 2 a plastic strip 1 with a layout according to the surface of the inner wall of the furniture. Pegs 2 are formed on to the strip by a molding tool not shown. Simultaneously breakout points or break-away lines 3 are produced by the same tool for the production of the caps 4. When such a strip of a certain length for example 8 feet is applied with the first peg 2 to the first hole of a vertical row holes, all subsequent pegs 2, each one lying automatically before a hole, may be pressed in by striking over the strip by hand without additional auxiliar means. Thereafter the strip, which is provided with the prepared break-out lines, can be simply pulled off, so that the entire row of holes is correctly closed at once. By a proper shape of the molding tool a peg of the shape as shown in FIG. 3 can be also obtained wherein the cap has a certain convex shape in order to adhere to the wall furniture by suction.

In view of the fact that in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 - 3 much strip material is wasted, it is also possible according to FIG. 4 to arrange on that one plastic strip a meandering cut line 5 whereby two cap strips 6 and 7 are simultaneously produced. FIG. 5 shows in crossection the separated strips 6 and 7, and FIG. 6 shows a similar section with convex caps'.

A still more advantageous separation into two strips 8 and 9 is shown in FIG. 7. In this case the caps 4, 4' are joined to the strips only at nearly pointlike break-out areas 10 and 11 and are cut at the remaining circumference, while the final separation of both strips is obtained by the cuts 12. The prepared break-out areas 10, 11 are situated at such positions on the circumference 3 of the caps where the latter runs approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the strip. By this arrangement the eventual removing of the strip is much facilitated.

According to FIG. 7 a the break-out lines 12' furthermore can be positioned so that they actually end at the break points 10 and 11, in order to minimize the irregularities on the circumference of the cap and for simplify the tool. By using the constructions of FIG. 7 and 7a and in view of FIG. 4, a considerable amount of strip material can be saved.

When the distances of the holes and the diameters of the caps permit it even four strips of caps may be produced from one plastic foil.

In all embodiments which have been described above the method of production can be also continuously performed, that is instead of and 8 foot long strip being molded in a corresponding long form, which would be very expensive and only possible under great difficulties as to molding techniques, an endless strip may be lead through a molding form so that one or preferably a plurality of peg-sockets are formed simultaneously and the strip accordingly advanced to form the next sockets .

Eventually lengths of strip with equal peg distances can be cut off. Obviously also more than one strip, for example 5 or 10 can run through side by side each one of the inserted strips being suitable to yield a double strip with caps.

Another process for reducing the tool dimensions is represented in FIG. 9 and 10. In this case the strip 1 is wound on a movable part 13 and then by unwinding about pivot 14 is enclosed between two molding halves 15 and 16 whereupon pegs 6' are formed thereon.

In many instances it is sufficient, to form caps colorless without decor design or in one color only similar to the color of the wall surface of the furniture as close as possible. In such case a pair of paper strips 19 and 20 may serve as a support or there may be caps 4 being formed on both sides of the strip 21 as shown in FIG. 12. The paper strips may run at the underside of the caps so that they do not affect the upper surface of the cap. In case of FIG. 12 the strip is used in such manner that at first one row of caps is inserted into a row of holes whereby the other row of caps makes way automatically. After removing the supporting strip from the first row of holes the rest is available for a further row of holes.

FIGS. 13 - 20 show various crossections of caps with pegs thereon. In FIG. 14 a convex cap 4' with a smooth cylindrical hollow peg 6' is shown, The latter may be slotted and is dimensioned so that it can be fitted in a prepared hole of the row of holes.

FIGS. 14-20 show various other arresting means such as barb-noses 22 (FIG. 14), elongated rectangular noses 23 near the end of the peg (FIG. 15), semi-spherical bosses 24 (FIG. 16), pyramid-shaped bosses 25 (FIG. 14), cone-shaped bosses 26 (FIG. 18), oval-shaped ribs 27 (FIG. 19), or elongated rectangular barb-noses in the central part (FIG. 20).

According to FIG. 21 each cap 4 has in addition to the circumferential break-out line 3 a further central break-out line 29, the diameter of which corresponds to the inner bore 30 of the peg 2'. The disc 31 which is formed thereby may be used as a self-locking wedge for an inserted support pin 32 in the bore 30 for a shelf board or the like.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show the possibility to arrange caps at close distances from one another in a strip 33. By this arrangement more pegs than in former cases may be placed on a given length of strip. When the caps are inserted in a row of holes, the distances are not quite correct but since all caps are attached to a common strip, also in this case a mounting advantage is still obtained.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. An elongated planar strip of flexible plastic material having a plurality of capped pegs integrally formed therewith, said pegs being spaced at regular intervals along the longitudinal axis of said strip, said pegs being spaced on predetermined centers along said axis, said pegs being insertable into holes for closing said holes, said holes being spaced in correspondence to the spacing of said pegs, said caps lying against the openings of said holes when said pegs are inserted in said holes, each of said caps having circular breaking lines along the entire circumference thereof for manually severing said caps from said strip after insertion of said pegs into said holes, said caps having convex heads extending out of the plane of said strip, said breaking lines weakening the adherence of said caps to said strip so that said caps are severable from said strip by application of unaided manual force.