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REFERENCE TO PENDING PRIOR PATENT APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/815,491, filed Mar. 11, 1997 abandoned, by John A. Belli for BRACKETS FOR RETAINING POST AND BOARD ENDS, which in turn claimed benefit of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/013,123, filed Mar. 11, 1996 by John A. Belli for SURFACE MOUNT FLANGES, and prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/039,642, filed Feb. 24, 1997 by John A. Belli for FLANGES. The specification and drawings of which are hereby also incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to bracket devices for mounting objects, such as posts or boards, to surfaces of support members for such objects. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It often is desirable to mount a rail or board to a post, or to mount a post or board to a flat surface. Unfortunately, in many situations, this can be inconvenient or difficult to accomplish. For example, in post and rail fences, holes in the posts are adapted to receive the ends of the rails. The holes are spaced a standard distance apart on the posts. However, sometimes it is desirable to vary the distance between the rails. Further, replacement of broken rails can be difficult, particularly where the pair of supporting posts are securely mounted in the ground and where other good rails are still retained by the posts. In this situation it can be difficult to remove the bad rail and even more difficult to position a replacement rail. 
     Further, it often is desired to mount a post on a horizontal surface, such as, for example, a railing post on a wooden deck, the legs of equipment such as swings and other children&#39;s play devices on a concrete surface, the posts of swimming ladders on concrete decks, and fence posts on rock ledge, to mention only a few of the many possible post-to-surface mounting situations. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide devices by which a post or board or rail may be mounted on a surface which is horizontal, vertical, or inclined. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for quickly and easily mounting a post, board, or rail on a surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other objects of the present invention are addressed by the provision and use of a novel bracket for mounting on a surface and for retaining an end of an elongated object, the bracket comprising a flange portion for connection to the surface, and a tubular wall portion extending from the flange portion and having an open end for receiving the end of the elongated object, the tubular wall portion being continuous and endless circumferentially of the tubular wall portion for completely surrounding the end of the elongated object. 
     The objects of the present invention are further addressed by the provision and use of a method for mounting an elongated object on a surface, the method comprising the steps of: providing a bracket comprising a flange portion, and a tubular wall portion extending from the flange portion, the tubular wall portion having an open end for receiving an end of the elongated object and being continuous and endless circumferentially of the tubular wall portion for completely surrounding the end of the elongated object; and fixing the flange portion of the bracket to the surface and inserting the end of the elongated object through the open end of the tubular wall portion into a space defined by the tubular wall portion, whereby to mount the elongated object on the surface. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects and features of the present invention will be more fully disclosed or rendered obvious by the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which are to be considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts, and further wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an illustrative embodiment of bracket for mounting a post to a substantially flat surface; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bracket shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bracket shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the bracket shown in FIGS. 1-3; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of bracket for mounting a post to a substantially flat surface; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the bracket shown in FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of bracket for mounting a post to a substantially flat surface; 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line  8 — 8  of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 8A is a view like that of FIG. 8, but showing another alternative form of bracket for mounting a post to a flat surface; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of still another alternative embodiment of bracket for mounting a post to a substantially flat surface; 
     FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the bracket shown in FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a post cap for capping the end of a post; 
     FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of another alternative embodiment of bracket, shown for mounting fence rails on posts; 
     FIG. 13 is an end view of a bracket shown in FIG. 12; 
     FIG. 14 is an enlarged side elevational view of the bracket of FIG. 13, with the bracket being modified slightly from the form shown in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of bracket, somewhat similar to the bracket of FIG. 14 but showing a plurality of discrete flange members; 
     FIG. 15A illustrates how the bracket of FIG. 15 may be formed out of tubular stock; 
     FIGS. 15B-15D illustrate how the bracket of FIG. may be formed out of stamped sheet stock; 
     FIG. 16 is an end view of still another alternative embodiment of bracket for mounting fence rails on posts; 
     FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of the bracket of FIG. 16; 
     FIG. 18 is an exploded view of a fence post and rail arrangement, showing an alternative embodiment of bracket in centerline section and the post and rail in side elevation; 
     FIG. 18A is a sectional view taken along line  18 A— 18 A of FIG.  18 . 
     FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of a stair rail assembly including an alternative embodiment of bracket; 
     FIG. 20 is an enlarged side elevational view of a bracket of FIG. 19; 
     FIG. 21 is a front elevational view of the bracket shown in FIG. 20; 
     FIG. 22 is a side elevational view of a portion of a stair tread assembly including brackets similar to the bracket of FIG. 1, but somewhat modified; 
     FIG. 23 is a front elevational view of a mounted stair tread and brackets as shown in FIG. 22; and 
     FIG. 24 is a partial schematic view of a portion of the stair tread assembly of FIGS. 22 and 23, but showing a modified form of bracket. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This patent application claims benefit of pending prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/013,123, filed Mar. 11, 1996 by John A. Belli for SURFACE MOUNT FLANGES, the specification and drawings of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference; and pending prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/013,123, filed Feb. 24, 1997 by John A. Belli for FLANGES, the specification and drawings of which are hereby also incorporated herein by reference. 
     Looking first at FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a first type of bracket  5  for mounting a post  10  to a substantially flat surface  15 . Bracket  5  generally comprises a tubular wall portion  20  for receiving and surrounding the distal end  21  of post  10 , and a flange portion  25  for seating against flat surface  15 . Bracket  5  also comprises a web portion  30  (FIGS. 2-4) for engaging the distal end surface  31  of post  10  (FIG.  3 ). Openings  35  are formed in the bracket&#39;s tubular wall portion  20  and web portion  30  for receiving fasteners (such as nails or screws or the like) for securing bracket  5  to post  10 . Openings  40  are formed in flange portion  25  for securing flange portion  25  to substantially flat surface  15 . The exact number of openings  35  and openings  40  which are provided in bracket  5  will depend on the application. For many applications, it has been found that four openings  35  and four openings  40  work well, although more or less than that number may be provided. In fact, holes  35  may be provided only in tubular wall portion  20  and not in web  30 , or they may be provided in web  30  and not in tubular wall portion  20 , or they may be omitted altogether. It will be appreciated that, by securing post  10  to the bracket&#39;s tubular wall portion  20 , and by securing the bracket&#39;s flange portion  25  to flat surface  15 , post  10  will be effectively secured to flat surface  15 . 
     Looking next at FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown a second type of bracket  5 A. Bracket SA is substantially the same as bracket  5  shown in FIGS. 1-4, except that with bracket  5 A, openings  35  are omitted from the bracket&#39;s tubular wall portion  20 , and openings  35  and openings  40  are disposed in different numbers and in locations about flange portion  25 . 
     Looking next at FIGS. 7 and 8, there is shown a third type of bracket  5 B. Bracket  5 B is substantially the same as bracket  5  shown in FIGS. 1-4, except that with bracket  5 B, tubular wall portion  20 B is much shorter than the tubular wall portion  20  provided for bracket  5 , and tubular wall portion  20 B lacks openings  35 . In effect, in bracket  5 B, tubular wall portion  20 B comprises a shallow rib for stabilizing the distal end  21  of post  10  relative to bracket  5 B. 
     Alternatively, if desired, tubular wall portion  20 B can be replaced by forming a corresponding sort of recess  41  (FIG. 8A) in the proximal surface  42  of the bracket&#39;s flange portion  25 , with the recess being sized and shaped so as to receive and seat the distal end  21  of post  10 . 
     Looking next at FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown a fourth type of bracket  5 C. Bracket  5 C is substantially the same as bracket  5  shown in FIGS. 1-4, except that with bracket  5 C, web  30  is omitted entirely and the bracket&#39;s flange portion  25  simply surrounds the open distal end of tubular wall portion  20 . This design can be advantageous where the distal end surface  43  of post  10  does not lie substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of post  10 , such as is schematically illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     The brackets shown in FIGS. 1-10 are preferably formed out of cast aluminum, although plastic, wood, steel, or any other rigid material can also be used to form the brackets. 
     Looking next at FIG. 11, there is shown a post cap  45  for capping the top end of post  10 . Post cap  45  comprises a wall portion  50  for fitting over a proximal end  44  of post  10 , and an end portion  55  for closing off the proximal end of wall portion  50 . Openings  60  are formed in wall portion  50  for receiving fasteners (such as nails or screws or the like) for securing post cap  45  to post  10 . Post cap  45  is preferably cast as a single piece out of aluminum or some other satisfactory material, and surrounds the proximal end  44  of post  10  with a secure band of material so as to prevent the proximal end of the post from splitting. 
     Brackets generally similar to those heretofore described are particularly applicable to post and rail fences, and allow the fence rails to be placed at any height along the fence posts, and facilitate easy replacement of a bad or broken rail. 
     More particularly, and looking now at FIG. 12, such brackets  65  may be attached to each end of a rail  70 , and then the complete rail assembly slipped into place, without disturbing the posts  80  or the other rails  70 . Then the brackets are nailed or screwed to the posts  80  at the desired height along the post. 
     Looking now at FIGS. 12-14, post and rail bracket  65  may comprise a cylindrical portion  85  for receiving the end of rail  70 . Holes  90  preferably are formed in cylindrical portion  85  whereby bracket  65  can be attached to rail  70 . Bracket  65  also comprises the flange portion  91  for attachment to post  80 . Holes  100  preferably are formed in flange portion  91  whereby flange portion  91  can be attached to post  80 . The exact number of holes  90  and holes  100  which are provided in bracket  65  will depend on the fencing application. For many fencing applications, it has been found that two holes  90  and two holes  100  work well, although more or less than that number may be provided. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the post and rail bracket  65  is made of cast aluminum, but plastic, wood, steel, or any rigid material can also be used to form the bracket. 
     For a uniform appearance, brackets  65  should be used for the entire construction of the fence. However, if desired, brackets  65  can be used to replace one or more damaged rails in an existing fence. 
     One or more nails or screws (not shown) preferably are used to secure the bracket&#39;s cylindrical portion  85  to the rail end. One or more thin ribs  105  (FIG. 13) may be formed on the inner diameter of the bracket&#39;s cylindrical portion  85  to prevent rail  70  from rotating once it has been placed into bracket  65 . Two or more nails or screws are preferably used to secure the bracket&#39;s flange portion  91  to post  80 . Flange portion  91  of bracket  65  is typically provided with a flat back  110  (FIG. 14) for placement against post  80 . Such an arrangement works well with rectangular posts and with many circular posts. However, if desired, flange portion  91  of bracket  65  may also be formed with a curved back (not shown) for use on round posts. 
     The present invention is also applicable to stockade-type fences of the type where vertical barrier members are hung on a post and rail skeleton. With such stockade-type fences, the present invention can be used to attach the skeleton rails to the skeleton posts (not shown), whereupon the remainder of the fence can then be mounted to the skeleton elements. It is to be appreciated that the mounting brackets of the present invention can be used with stockade-type fences for both initial construction purposes and/or repair purposes. 
     In FIG. 15 there is shown a bracket  65 A which is similar to the bracket  65  shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, except that the flange portion  91 A comprises a plurality of discrete flange members  115 . Bracket  65 A can have as many discrete flange members  115  as may be desired. 
     As noted above with respect to bracket  65 , bracket  65 A can be formed out of a cast material such as aluminum or plastic. However, if desired, the bracket  65 A shown in FIG. 15 can be formed out of tubular stock, such as in the manner illustrated in FIG.  15 A. In this situation the discrete flange members  115  can be cut from the tubular stock and then bent outward at a right angle so as to form the desired structure. 
     Alternatively, the bracket  65 A shown in FIG. 15 can also be formed out of punched stock and then curled on itself so as to form bracket  65 A. More particularly, and looking now at FIGS. 15B-15D, a flat part  116  (FIG. 15B) may be punched from a flat sheet of virgin metal stock, and then this flat part  116  curled (FIG. 15C) so that it forms the complete bracket  65 A (FIG.  15 D). In such a situation, where the bracket  65 A is to have four flange members  115 , five flanges  115  will preferably be formed on flat part  116 , whereby one of the flanges  115  will overlie another of the flanges  115  on the assembled bracket  65 A. Of course, it will also be appreciated that flange members  115  need not necessarily overlie one another when flat part  116  is curved into the bracket  65 A, in which case only as many flange members  115  will be formed as the bracket  65 A is to have. 
     Bracket  65 A can also be formed with a rectangular cross-section is desired. 
     In FIGS. 16 and 17, there is shown a bracket  65 B wherein the bracket is provided with a wall portion  85 B defining a sleeve  120  which is rectangular rather than cylindrical, for receiving rectangular rails. If desired, wall portion  85  can be formed sufficiently large that the ends of the rails do not have to be tapered down to fit in the sleeve  120 . 
     Referring to FIG. 18, it will be seen that bracket  65 C may be provided with wall portion  85 C of a frustoconical configuration, allowing rails  70  to extend from posts  80  at other than right angles. Thus, for example, rails may be angled from a post on relatively high ground to a post on relatively low ground. Alternatively, rails  70  can be angled to follow a curved path, e.g., about a circular driveway. 
     FIG. 18A illustrates how a side land  121  may be added to wall portion  85 C to form a secure attachment to rails  70  about a hole  90 C. More than one side land  121  may be provided if desired. 
     The conical shape of bracket  65 C may also be utilized in others of the brackets formed in accordance with the present invention, e.g., it may be utilized in the bracket  5  shown in FIGS. 1-4. 
     FIG. 19 discloses a stair rail assembly including stair rail posts  125  and stair rails  130  fixed to posts  125  by brackets  5 D, shown in greater detail in FIGS. 20 and 21. Bracket  5 D is similar to bracket  5  of FIGS. 1-4 except that its wall portion  20 D is inclined from the plane of its flange portion  25 D, permitting the rails  130  to follow the incline of the stairs  140 . The web  30  of bracket  5  may or may not be incorporated in bracket  5 D, as desired. FIG. 21 shows bracket  5 D formed without a web  30 . It should also be appreciated that brackets  50  may be positioned against vertical objects other than stair rail posts  125 . By way of example, brackets  5 D can be placed against the sides of buildings, trees, etc. 
     In FIGS. 22 and 23, there is shown a stair tread assembly  145  including stringers  150  between which extend stair treads  155 . The ends of each stair tread  155  are nested in brackets  5 E which are similar to the bracket  5 D of FIGS. 20 and 21, but in which the wall portion  20 E extends normal to flange portion  30 E. Brackets  5 E are fixed to stringers  150  by screws or other fasteners which extend through holes  40 E which extend through the flanges of the brackets. 
     Preferably brackets  5 E are formed out of a suitable cast material, e.g., cast aluminum, although they may also be fabricated in other ways consistent with the present invention, e.g., out of stamped metal which is appropriately bent into the desired shape. If desired, the bottom side  160  of flange portion  30 E may be enlarged somewhat relative to the top side  165  of flange portion  30 E, so that more screws or nails may be applied to the underside of the bracket and thereby provide improved attachment to the stringer  150 . See, for example, FIG. 24, which shows a bracket  5 E joining a stair tread  155  to a stringer  150 , where bracket  5 E is formed out of stamped sheet metal and where the bottom side  160  of the bracket&#39;s flange portion  30 E is enlarged somewhat relative to the topside  165  of flange portion  30 E. 
     There are thus provided several embodiments of brackets for interconnecting posts and horizontal surfaces, rails and posts, stair rails and stair rail posts, and staircase stringers and treads. While such uses of the brackets disclosed herein are of demonstrable value, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many uses not mentioned herein are within the scope of the invention, it being the thrust of the invention to provide brackets for fixing together two structural objects. Accordingly, the invention is by no means limited to the particular constructions herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the claims.

Summary:
A bracket for mounting on a surface and for retaining an end of an elongated object, wherein the bracket includes a flange portion for connection to the surface, and a tubular wall portion extending from the flange portion and having an open end for receiving the end of the elongated object, the tubular wall portion being continuous and endless circumferentially of the tubular wall portion for completely surrounding the end of the elongated object.