US 6,651,400 · Granted 2003-11-25
The Connector That Locks Foam Panels Together Without Glue
Imagine foam-core boards used for school projects or display stands. This patent covers a special connector with barbed heads that slides into channels carved into the foam's edges, then locks in place like tiny harpoons. No nails, no glue, no mess.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a connector device designed to join foam-core panels by inserting barbed attachment heads into cavities carved along panel edges. What's protected here is the specific geometry: a connector body with multiple attachment heads fitted to slide snugly into foam cavities, plus the barbed design on those heads that pierces the internal foam walls and prevents the connector from sliding back out.
Why it matters
Display and exhibition industries rely on quick, reusable assembly systems. This patent gives Rapid Displays a way to lock panels together without permanent adhesives or mechanical fasteners that damage the foam. That means panels can be reconfigured for different trade shows, retail displays, or temporary installations—a practical advantage in an industry built on speed and flexibility.
Real-world use
When you see a trade show booth, pop-up retail display, or modular exhibition stand, the foam-core walls holding it up might be connected using this exact mechanism.
Original USPTO abstract
The present invention discloses a connector used to join two or more panels having a foam core and having a cavity defined in a edge thereof. The connector includes a connector body having at least two attachment heads which are dimensioned to fit snugly within the corresponding cavities bounded by internal sidewalls defined in the foam core. Barbs provided on each attachment head are configured to pierce the internal sidewalls of the panels and inhibit withdrawal of the attachment head from the cavity defined in the foam core.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,651,400
- Filing date
- 2001-10-18
- Grant date
- 2003-11-25
- Assignee
- Rapid Displays, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- MURPHY TERRY J.
- CPC class
- F16B21/084
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