Abstract:
A railing assembly comprising at least one infill assembly formed from a top member, a bottom member and a barrier member extending between the top and bottom members. At least one post member is included 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 is 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. The assembly may also include a top rail adapted to lockably engage with the top member. The railing assembly provides a quickly constructed unit that does not require any fasteners to connect together the assembly components while still providing a rattle-free construction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    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. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    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. 
         [0003]    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. 
         [0004]    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. 
         [0005]    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. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    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. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, the present invention provides a railing assembly comprising: 
         [0008]    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; 
         [0009]    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. 
         [0010]    In a preferred arrangement, there is included a top rail adapted to lockably engage with the top member. 
         [0011]    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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Aspects of the present invention are illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a railing assembly according to an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 1A  is a detailed view of an alternative infill assembly; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of a partially assembled railing assembly; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic top view of a corner post member; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of a completed railing assembly; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a detail view of a post member; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectioned view of the structure of the assembled railing taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3  showing lockable interconnections between components of the railing assembly. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an exploded view of the components of an exemplary railing assembling  2  according to a preferred embodiment. In  FIG. 1 , the railing assembly comprises an infill assembly  4  and a post member  6 . The infill assembly comprises a top member  10 , a bottom member  12  and a barrier member  14  extending between the top and bottom members to define a barricade against movement of people or objects past the railing. The components of the present railing system can be formed from various materials such as aluminium, plastic, composite material or other materials from which conventional modular railing systems are formed. For example, top and bottom members  10  and  12 , respectively, may be extruded aluminium formed into U-shaped channels of a desired length. In the interest of making modular infill assemblies  4 , each assembly may be formed in standard lengths of 10 feet or 20 feet, however, assemblies having dimensions in the range of 2 feet to 24 are possible. 
         [0021]    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. 
         [0022]    Other barrier members are possible. For example, instead of the pickets of  FIG. 1 , the barrier members may comprise one or more glass partition  20  extending between top and bottom members  10  and  12  with top and bottom ends retained in suitable mounting brackets as shown in  FIG. 1A . 
         [0023]    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. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 2 and 3  show generally the manner in which an infill assembly  4  (with pickets  16 ) is mounted to and supported by a post  6 . Post  6  includes a mounting structure  33  adjacent its lower end for anchoring of the post to a surface. In the illustrated embodiments of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , mounting structure  33  is a plate with bolt holes  34  extending therethrough for attachment to a generally horizontal surface. Other known mounting structures are possible to permit attachment to, for example, a generally vertical surface. 
         [0025]    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  12   a  and  12   b.  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 . 
         [0026]    Gap  29  is aligned with anchored post  6  and the post is introduced into the gap such that the discontinuous portions  12   a  and  12   b  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. 
         [0027]    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. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary constructed railing assembly with top rail  28  in place. Note that the railing assembly of  FIG. 3  differs from that shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 3  shows two posts connected to a longer infill assembly, while  FIG. 2  shows a single post about to be connected to a shorter infill assembly. As shown in  FIG. 3 , each post  6  requires its own gap  29  in the bottom member  12 , and each post has its own lower support  26  and upper support  25  for interconnecting the posts and the infill assembly. The lower supports  26  are shown by dashed lines in  FIG. 3  as they are concealed within the interior of bottom member  12  in the constructed railing assembly. Similarly, upper supports  25  and top member  10  are shown by dashed lines as they are concealed within the interior of top rail  28 . 
         [0029]    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. 
         [0030]    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. 
         [0031]      FIG. 2A  shows a schematic top view of an alternative upper support  25  adapted to be used on a post  6  positioned at a corner where a pair of infill assemblies meet. In this case, the corner is a right angle, and upper support  25  includes two portions  25   a  and  25   b,  each adapted to support an end of an infill assembly. The top member  10  and the top rail of each infill assembly are cut at complementary angles for a smooth join at the corner. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , there is shown details of the locking system that allows the posts, infill assembly and top rails of the illustrated embodiments to be joined together without the use of fasteners. 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , upper support  25  of post member  6  preferably comprises a flat plate  27 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , when a railing assembly is constructed, top member  10  rests atop plate  27  such that the bottom surface  35  of the top member is supported. Plate  27  is generally rectangular and is fixedly mounted to the upper end of post  6 . Plate  27  includes an upper channel  30  defined by a pair of upstanding flanges  32  to engage the lower outer edges  11  of top member  10  to prevent lateral movement of the top member on the plate along axis X as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . At the same time, locking engagement of the infill assembly  4  with either upper support  25 , lower support  26  or both prevents vertical movement of the infill assembly along axis Y as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . Still further, as best shown in  FIG. 2 , plate  27  is dimensioned to span the distance  40  between adjacent pairs of pickets  16  thereby preventing movement of top member  10  with respect to the post  6  along axis Z. The result is that installation of the infill assembly  4  onto a post  6  provides a secure, rigid interconnection of the components without play that can be achieved by pressing together components thereby avoiding the need for fasteners between components. 
         [0034]    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  FIG. 2  or  4 , two support portions  50 , each one extending from an opposite side of the post, are provide to accommodate interrupted portions  12   a  and  12   b  of an infill assembly which extends by the post in a linear configuration. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2A , which shows a corner post  6 , support portions  50  extend from adjacent sides of the post to engage with a pair of infill assemblies extending from the corner post at an angle to each other. 
         [0035]    As best shown in  FIG. 5 , which is a cross-section taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 , each support portion  50  is lockably engagable with the bottom member  12  by a locking system comprising pairs of inter-engagable locking flanges  52 , 54  on the bottom member and the support portion. A first pair of flanges  52  are formed on opposite sides of inner surfaces  56  of bottom member  12  which has a cross-section of an inverted generally U-shaped configuration. A second pair of flanges  54  are formed on opposite sides of support portion  50 . Bottom member  12  fits over support portion  50  for interlocking engagement between the first and second pairs of flanges. 
         [0036]    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  FIG. 1 . However, to provide redundancy and additional locking strength, a second locking system between top member  10  and plate  27  may be provided. Referring again to  FIG. 5 , plate  27  may be lockably engagable with the top member  10  by a locking system comprising pairs of inter-engagable locking flanges  32 , 58  on the top member and the upper support. The lower outer edges  11  of top rail  10  are preferrably formed with flanges  58  adapted to engage with flanges  32  defining the walls of channel  30  to lock together the top rail and the plate. Once again, this locking system alone is sufficient to reliably interconnect the post and the infill assembly by preventing motion in the vertical direction. Lateral and transverse motion in the x and z axis directions are constrained as described above. Including both an upper support locking system and a lower support locking system is also possible for added strength of the interconnection between post and infill assembly. 
         [0037]    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  FIG. 5 , a pair of flanges  64  are formed on opposite sides of inner surfaces  66  of the top rail and a pair of corresponding flanges  62  are formed on opposite sides of the outer surfaces  68  of the top member. The top rail  28  is shaped and dimensioned to fit over and enclose top member  10  with interlocking engagement of rail flanges  64  below top member flanges  62 . 
         [0038]    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. 
         [0039]    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. 
         [0040]    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.