Patent Application
20140021423
This invention relates to railing system useful for forming a barrier, fencing or the like. In particular, the invention relates to a railing system in which the post and infill assembly components are readily interconnectable to each other without the need for fasteners.
Railings formed using an infill assembly supported by upstanding posts are commonly used on stairs, balconies and patios as a safety barrier with a pleasing appearance. The railing components may be formed of materials such as vinyl, composite material, or aluminum. Aluminum is generally a preferred material. Since it is easy to extrude and form and is lightweight yet sturdy and enjoys excellent weather resistance.
The fencing or balustrade is typically formed as a railing system that includes a top railing secured to pickets that extend vertically downwardly from the top rail and which are spaced at desired intervals. The pickets may extend into a wooden or concrete base or the like, or, more usually are also attached to a bottom rail which, in turn, is mounted to the stairs or balcony for which the railing system acts as a barrier.
Examples of prior art railing systems include U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,005 to Zen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,240 to Baker.
Construction of railings from preformed components can be a labour intensive job, particularly as conventional railing system use components that are designed to be fastened together using fasteners, welding or other fastening schemes that require a careful attention.
The present invention provides a railing assembly that avoids the use of fasteners or welding to connect together preformed parts. Instead, the present invention relies on components being snap-fitted together which greatly reduces construction time and costs.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a railing assembly comprising:
at least one infill assembly, each infill assembly comprising a top member, a bottom member and a barrier member extending between the top and bottom members;
at least one post member having an upper support to engage the top member and a lower support to engage the bottom member, at least one of the upper support and the lower support being lockably engagable with the top member and the bottom member, respectively, to retain the at least one infill assembly on the at least one post.
In a preferred arrangement, there is included a top rail adapted to lockably engage with the top member.
The present railing assembly provides a quickly constructed unit that is still strong, reliable and visually appealing. No fasteners are required to connect together the assembly components, yet a sturdy rattle-free construction is still achieved.
Aspects of the present invention are illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to
The barrier member preferably comprises a plurality of barrier members arranged in spaced, generally parallel relationship between the top and bottom members. In the illustrated embodiment, the barrier members comprise a plurality of pickets 16 extending between top member 10 and bottom member 12. Each of the top and bottom members are formed with openings 18 corresponding generally to the cross-sectional shape of the pickets 16 such that the pickets are insertable through the openings for connection between the members. In the illustrated example, pickets 16 are of rectangular cross-section and opposite ends of each picket are received in a pair of rectangular holes 18, but it will be apparent to the skilled person that other cross-sectional shapes or lengthwise configurations of the pickets are possible. In the case of aluminum or plastic components, the pickets can be joined to the top and bottom members by appropriate welding at openings 18 within the interior of the U-shaped members so that a clean, external appearance of the finished infill assembly 4 is achieved.
Other barrier members are possible. For example, instead of the pickets of
Each infill assembly 4 is supportable by at least one post member 6 having an upper support 25 to engage the top member 10 and a lower support 26 to engage the bottom member 12. At least one of the upper support and the lower support is lockably engagable with the top member and the bottom member, respectively, to retain the infill assembly 4 on the post 6 without the need for fasteners.
To accommodate post 6, bottom member 12 is cut to form an interruption or gap 29 in the length of the member to define discontinuous portions 12a and 12b. Gap 29 may be formed when the infill assembly is initially manufactured or the gap may be cut at the assembly site for the railing. Gap 29 is formed between an adjacent pair of barrier members to maintain structural integrity of the infill assembly 4. Post 6 must also be dimensioned to fit between adjacent pairs of barrier members and into gap 29.
Gap 29 is aligned with anchored post 6 and the post is introduced into the gap such that the discontinuous portions 12a and 12b of bottom member 12 are positioned on opposite sides of the post and brought into engagement with lower support 26 of the post. At the same time, the lower surface 35 of top member 10 engages with upper support 25. As will be described in more detail below, the upper support 25 and top member 10 or the lower support 26 and the bottom member 12 or both may be lockably engaged with each other to secure the infill assembly to the post.
In a preferred arrangement, a top rail 28 may be provided which is adapted to lockably engage with top member 10 to finish the appearance of the railing assembly. Top rail 28 will preferably be formed from the same material as the other components of the railing assembly to which the top rail is mounted.
Each railing assembly 2 can be manufactured to the appropriate length with the top member 10 being a single, continuous element, and the bottom member 12 being engaged with and supported by posts 6 at regular intervals. Alternatively, in the event that railing assemblies of pre-determined, standard lengths are used which are too short to span a particular gap, two adjacent railing assemblies can be joined together in a known manner using connectors (not shown) that engage within the interiors of abutting top members and abutting bottom members.
While posts 6 have been depicted and described above as having a generally rectangular cross-section, it will be appreciated that other shapes are possible.
Referring to
As shown in
In a preferred locking arrangement, lower support 26 of post 6 comprises a support portion 50 protruding from at least one side of the post to engage with the bottom member 12. In the embodiment of
As best shown in
An interlocking connection between bottom member 12 and lower support 26 is sufficient to reliably and rigidly join together the components of the railing assembly by restraining motion in the vertical direction (y axis). Top member 10 in channel 30 on plate 27 serves to prevent lateral motion (x axis) and plate 27 between pickets 16 serves to limit transverse motion (z axis) as best shown in
To finish the appearance of the railing assembly, top rail 28 may be lockably engaged with the top member 10 by a third locking system comprising pairs of inter-engagable flanges 62,64 on the top member and the top rail, respectively. As best shown in
As an alternative arrangement, top rail 28 may be lockably engaged directly with plate 27 via flanges 70,72 on the top rail and the plate, respectively. This locking system sandwiches the top member top 10 between the top rail 28 and the plate 27. It suffers from the disadvantage that the interconnection between top rail and plate occurs only at the posts whereas the system that relies on top rail 28 interlocking with top member 10 extends along the entire length of the infill assembly. As such, the locking system between top rail and plate 27 is best used in addition to the locking system between top rail and top member rather than as a substitute for the latter locking arrangement.
It will be appreciated that the locking systems described and illustrated above are only examples of preferred arrangements. It is contemplated that alternative locking systems relying on different arrangements of interlocking flanges are possible. The common factor between the various locking systems of the present railing system is that all rely on a press fit between parts to reached their interlocked state without the need for fasteners. By avoiding the need for fasteners, assembly of the railing system tends to be faster with less manual labour required.
Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practised within the scope of the appended claims.
