Corner piece for valance interface in cases and containers
A unitary, bent corner piece for a valance frame has an extending tongue at each end shaped to interfit the hollow cross-section of an adjacent, extruded, valance frame member. Complementary corner pieces so formed provide part of a valance interface between the lid and body of a container, ensuring sealing continuity around corners fitted with such corner pieces. Each corner piece is provided with a mating valance surface for presentation to the valance interface to provide an intimate engagement with the mating valance surface of the complementary, opposed corner piece. Gaskets fitted within the corner pieces may form part of the interface. Tongues formed a at the respective ends of a corner piece are provided with a groove to accommodate the inclusion of a gasket into the interior core of the longitudinal frame members. Corner pieces may also be formed with two or more cavities beneath the valance surface, such cavities being defined by bridging walls extending from an inside surface of the corner piece to an outside surface of the corner piece. The outside surface of a corner piece may be provided with one or more perforated fastener openings, penetrating the outside wall of the corner piece, for attaching sidewalls of a container to the corner piece.
1. A valance frame assembly mating two objects, comprising a first and second planar valance frame subassembly, with each planar valance frame subassembly comprising:
a) a plurality of longitudinal frame members, each longitudinal frame member comprising:
i. a recess at each end thereof; and
ii. a frame member mating valance interface surface along an edge thereof; and
b) a plurality of corner pieces, each corner piece comprising:
i. an extending tongue at each end of the corner piece, the extending tongue being shaped to engage with the recess of one of the longitudinal member; and
ii. a corner piece mating valance interface surface along an edge thereof;
each longitudinal frame member being joined at its respective ends to a respective corner piece;
the corner piece mating valance interface surface of each corner piece being aligned with the frame member mating valence interface surface of each joined longitudinal frame member to form a subassembly mating valence surface;
each subassembly mating valence surface comprising an inner shoulder coplanar with an outer shoulder, such that when the first and second planar valance frame subassemblies mate, abutment of the shoulders defines a mating plane,
wherein:
the subassembly mating valence surface of the first valance frame subassembly comprises:
i. one or more ridges that extend below the mating plane; and
ii. one or more grooves that extend above the mating plane, each groove having a continuous gasket recess at a base therein for receiving a gasket;
the subassembly mating valence surface of the second valance frame subassembly comprises:
i. one or more ridges that extend above the mating plane; and
ii. one or more grooves that extend below the mating plane, each groove having a continuous gasket recess at a base therein; and
wherein the first and second valance frame subassemblies are mated such that:
i. the longitudinal members of the first planar valance frame subassembly are positioned above the longitudinal members of the second planar valance frame subassembly;
ii. the corner pieces of the first planar valance frame subassembly are positioned above the corner pieces of the second planar valance frame subassembly;
iii. each ridge and groove on the first valence frame subassembly are positioned opposite a complementary groove and ridge of the second valence frame subassembly, thereby forming one or more mating pairs of a mating ridge and a mating groove;
iv. for each mating pair, a surface of the mating ridge snugly engages with a surface of the mating groove; and
v. for each mating pair, the gasket recess comprises a gasket fitted at the base of the mating groove, with the gasket engaging the mating ridge, thereby providing a seal therebetween.
2. The valance frame assembly of claim 1 , wherein each corner piece is formed with one or more cavities underlying the corner piece mating valence interface surface, each cavity being defined by one or more bridging walls positioned perpendicular to a length of the corner piece.
3. The valence frame assembly of claim 2 , wherein each cavity is provided with one or more fastener openings penetrating an outside wall of the corner piece.
4. The valence frame assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
a. the frame member valance interface surface comprises a groove that intrudes into the recess thereby providing an internal longitudinal protrusion; and
b. the extending tongue of each corner piece has a cross-sectional shape that is provided with a tongue groove formed along a length of the extending tongue, so as to engage with the internal longitudinal protrusion within the longitudinal frame member.
5. The valance frame assembly of claim 4 , wherein each corner piece is formed with one or more cavities underlying the corner piece mating valence interface surface, each cavity being defined by one or more bridging walls positioned perpendicular to a length of the corner piece.
6. The valence frame assembly of claim 5 , wherein each cavity is provided with one or more fastener openings penetrating an outside wall of the corner piece.
7. The valence frame assembly of claim 4 , wherein each corner piece has an identical corner region, the corner region being a chamfered corner, a sharp corner or a radius corner.
8. The valance frame assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
a. one object is a lid and the second object is a body;
b. the lid and body together form a container; and
c. the first planar valance frame subassembly is carried on an inner surface of the lid and the second planar valance frame subassembly is carried on an inner surface of the body.
9. The valance frame assembly of claim 8 , wherein each corner piece is formed with two or more cavities underlying the corner piece mating valence interface surface, each cavity being defined by one or more bridging walls positioned perpendicular to a length of the corner pieces.
10. The valence frame assembly of claim 9 , wherein each cavity is provided with one or more fastener openings penetrating an outside wall of the corner piece for attachment of sidewalls of the container to the corner piece.
11. The valence frame assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sidewalls are attached to each corner piece by means of fasteners extending through said fastener openings.
12. The valence frame assembly of claim 8 , wherein each corner piece an identical corner region, the corner region being a chamfered corner, a sharp corner or a radius corner.
13. The valence frame assembly of claim 1 , wherein each subassembly mating valence surface has one ridge and one groove.
14. The valence frame assembly of claim 1 , wherein each subassembly mating valence surface has two ridges and two grooves.
15. The valence frame assembly of claim 1 , wherein each corner piece has an identical corner region, the corner region being a chamfered corner, a sharp corner or a radius corner.
16. The valance frame assembly of claim 15 , wherein each corner piece is formed with one or more cavities underlying the, corner piece mating valence interface surface, each cavity being defined by one or more bridging walls positioned perpendicular to a length of the corner pieces.
17. The valence frame assembly of claim 16 , wherein each cavity is provided with one or more fastener openings penetrating an outside wall of the corner piece.