The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/145,056, which was filed on Feb. 3, 2021, is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for connecting a handrail to a support structure. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to a connector for attaching a handrail to a newel, a wall, or another support structure and a method of attaching a handrail to a support structure with a connector.
In some examples, handrails can help to provide a physical barrier and/or hold-support for navigation along a stair or balcony in order to help prevent injurious falls. In addition to their utilitarian value, handrails also can contribute to the aesthetics of the stairway and/or balcony. Handrails may be offered in a variety of profiles and may be manufactured from wood and steel or other suitable materials.
In one example, a staircase can be installed by installing treads and risers followed by newel posts as needed. Balusters can be installed on the treads such as by drilling bores or holes in the treads and the balusters can be at least partially received in the holes so that the balusters extend upwardly from the holes in the treads. Alternatively, or in addition, balusters can be installed in holes formed along a landing, a balcony, etc. In some examples, bores can be drilled in an underside of a handrail and the handrail can be cut to length at a predetermined angle (e.g., so that the handrail can extend along the rake of the treads and risers or can extend horizontally along a balcony, a landing, etc.). The handrail can be positioned over the top ends of the balusters so that the tops of the balusters are at least partially received in the bores in the handrail. In some examples, the ends of the handrail can be fastened to the posts and/or walls and/or other suitable support structures with adhesive/glue, fasteners (e.g., screws, nails, nuts and bolts, etc.) and/or other suitable features. As a result, the balusters can be held at their top and bottom ends, which can help prevent removal of the balusters without damaging them. Subsequently, the balusters can be aligned and locked into place by securing the tops and/or bases of the balusters with adhesive/glue, fasteners (e.g., screws, nails, fine wire nails, etc.) and/or other suitable features where applicable.
An aspect of the installation of a handrail that can be improved and/or eased is the process of securing the top handrail to posts, walls, and/or other support structures. In many circumstances, creating a stable and aesthetically pleasing handrailing system can be a very laborious task and can take considerable craftsmanship and skill to ensure all the parts are properly aligned and suitably fastened together. In some examples, the handrail can be secured to a support with the use of hardware such as a hanger bolt, which can include two threaded sections, one adapted to screw into the post and the other adapted to receive a nut. For example, the first section of the hanger bold can be screwed into a pilot hole drilled in a newel post, a wall stud, or another support. A relatively large access hole can be drilled into the handrail from its bottom and a second through hole can be drilled inwardly from the end of the handrail until it intersects the access hole. Minor errors in measurement and/or drilling in the handrail and/or the support can result in misalignment of the handrail and/or support features, which can prevent the proper installation of the handrail. For example, if the access opening and the through hole in the handrail do not properly intersect, it may not be possible to tighten the nut on the hanger bolt.
Subsequently, the end of the handrail can be positioned relative to the support so that the second section of the hanger bolt is at least partially received in the through hole and advanced until the second end of the hander bolt resides in the access hole. A washer and a nut can be engaged with the second section of the hanger bolt via the access opening in the bottom of the handrail to secure the end of the handrail to the support via the hanger bolt. In some situations, this can be a difficult task due to the size of the access hole relative to the size of the washer, the nut, the fingers of the installer, and/or a wrench, pliers, and/or other tool used to tighten the nut. The access hole can limit the range of motion of the wrench, which can make tightening the bolt more challenging (e.g., by making it difficult to provide a proper amount of force to fully tighten the handrail bolt assembly). Further, in some circumstances, the position of the balusters and newel posts relative to the wrench can also interfere with tightening of the nut, especially for non-level handrails. In some examples, a plug can be installed to hide the assembly connection in the underside of the handrail and/or in the newel post. The plugs can be selected to match the material of the handrail and/or post and, for wooden handrails and/or newel posts, for alignment of the grain in order to disguise the plug.
In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a handrail attachment system. The system can comprise a connector comprising a body for being at least partially received in a recess in a support structure and an outer face for engaging an end face of a handrail. The connector can include a handrail mounting hole extending in the body for at least partially receiving a first fastener for at least partially mounting the connector to the end face of the handrail and a support mounting hole extending in the body for at least partially receiving a second fastener for mounting the connector to the support structure.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method of attaching a handrail to a support structure. The method can comprise obtaining a connector comprising a body and an outer face, mounting the connector to an end face of a handrail with the outer face of the connector engaging the end face of the handrail, positioning the body to be at least partially received in a recess in a support structure, and mounting the connector to the support structure.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a handrail and support assembly. The handrail and support assembly can comprise a handrail having an end face, a support structure having a recess defined therealong, and a connector mounted to the handrail with at least a first fastener and to the support structure with at least a second fastener. The connector can comprise a body at least partially received in the recess of the support structure and an outer face engaging the end face of the handrail.
Additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying figures.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages and other advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the below-listed drawing figures. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the above-discussed aspects be provided both individually and in various combinations.
According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.
Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbers throughout the drawings.
The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method of connecting a handrail to a support structure. In embodiments, the disclosure includes a handrail connector that connects (e.g., universally connects) a handrail to a hollow or solid newel post or another suitable support structure. In some embodiments, the handrail connector can facilitate the installation of an angled handrail system, such as those associated with stairs or ramps, a handrail system having no angle (e.g., horizontal handrails along balconies, stair landings, etc.), and/or other suitable handrail assemblies. The handrail connector can be adaptable to be used with numerous different handrail systems and angles.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the handrails 7a, 7b can include a channel or route 8 along its underside (
In the illustrated embodiment, the connector 1 can be mounted to the end face or handrail profile 15a, 15b of the handrail 7a, 7b when the extrusion 3 is at least partially received in the route 8 and the outer face 21 of the body 2 is in face-to-face contact with the end face 15a, 15b of the handrail. For example, three handrail attachment screws 9 or other suitable fasteners can be inserted through the handrail mounting holes 4 in the body 2 from the recessed face 6 and can be screwed into the handrail 7a, 7b via the end face 15a, 15b. In some embodiments, pilot holes can be drilled into the end face 15a, 15b before screwing the screws 9 into the handrail. While three handrail attachment screws 9 are included in the illustrated embodiment, any suitable number of handrail attachment screws 9 could be used (e.g., one or more of the handrail mounting holes 4 could be left unused and/or in embodiments wherein the connector 1 has a different number of handrail mounting holes 4). In the illustrated embodiment, the heads of the screws 9 can be positioned within the cavity formed by the recessed face 6 and the rim 23 of the body 2 so that the screws 9 do not interfere with the positioning of the body 2 within the recess 13 of the newel post 12 or other support. In some embodiments, the rim 23 and the cavity can help provide additional thickness around the perimeter of the connector body 2 without adding an excess of material to the overall connector 1 (e.g., so that the connector is lighter and uses less material). With a larger surface area around the perimeter of the body 2, the seating and positioning of the connector 1 relative to the newel post 12 is further secured and allows the handrail 7a, 7b to be mounted to the support with fewer hands or clamps that otherwise may be needed to hold the handrail 7a, 7b in place during installation.
As shown in the cross-sectional view of
In exemplary embodiments, the route 8 along the bottom of the handrail 7a, 7b can partially conceal the attachment screw 11 between the sidewalls of the route, while the recess 13 of the newel post 12 at least partially conceals the connector 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the fillet 10a, 10b can be inserted into the route 8 after the screw 11 is secured in place to further conceal the mounting screw 11 and the extrusion 3 on the underside of the handrail 7a, 7b. As shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the handrail and support assembly 100 can be assembled by placing the connector 1 along the handrail profile face 15a, 15b, positioning the wedge-shaped extrusion 3 in the route 8 and positioning the outer face 21 of the connector 1 against the end face 15a, 15b of the handrail 7a, 7b. In an exemplary embodiment, the wedge-shaped extrusion 3 can fit tightly or somewhat tightly in the route 8 so that the interaction between the route 8 and the extrusion 3 can help hold the connector 1 in place against the handrail profile face 15a, 15b during assembly. Once the handrail connector 1 is in position, three screws 9 can mount the handrail connector 1 to the handrail profile 15a, 15b, as shown in
The handrail and support assembly 101 could be otherwise formed from the connector 1, the handrail 7a, 7b, and the newel post 12 or other support without departing from the disclosure. For example, the extrusion 3 could be omitted and the body 2 could be otherwise located on the end face 15a, 15b of the handrail 7a, 7b. In addition, any suitable number of fasteners 8, 11 could be used to secure the connector 1 to the handrail 7a, 7b and the newel post 12. Further, the recess 13 could be formed in the newel post 12 prior to attaching the connector 1 to the handrail 7a, 7b (e.g., the recess 13 can be pre-formed for easier assembly).
In the illustrated embodiment, the handrail connector 1 can provide a hardware insert that can allow for easy and rapid installation of a handrail to a support structure such as a newel post or a wall for handrails installed along the rake of a stair and for handrails installed horizontally. Further, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the attachment screw angle can provide several benefits for the overall system. For example, by angling the fastening hardware upwardly into the newel post 12 allows for a higher percentage of threaded contact into applications where a hollow newel post 12 is used verses a hanger bolt or another application that lacks an angled fastener. In another example, the angle of the fastener, as guided by the extrusion 3 and the oblique mounting hole 5, is accessible along different handrail types, such as level handrails and handrails mounted along the rake of a stair, and the angled fastener is more easily tightened to secure handrail 7a, 7b to the newel post 12. In addition, the body 2 of the connector 1 can help support the handrail 7a, 7b during assembly by resting in the recess 13 of the newel post 12 or other support structure, and, when the body 2 is in the form of a circular disk, it can be easy to measure and drill the recess 13, which can help simplify the preparation of the newel post 12 or other support for installation.
Any of the features of the various embodiments of the disclosure can be combined with, replaced by, or otherwise configured with other features of other embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
The foregoing description of the disclosure illustrates and describes various embodiments. As various changes could be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure covers various modifications, combinations, alterations, etc., of the above-described embodiments. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments, but various other combinations, modifications, and environments are within the scope of the disclosure as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore, certain features and characteristics of each embodiment may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/145,056 filed on Feb. 3, 2021.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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63145056 | Feb 2021 | US |