Abstract:
A railing mounting system for use on decks, balconies, fences or patios to provide additional surface space. In addition, the frame can be used to contain plantings, herb gardens, coolers, grills or other outdoor items. The mounting system is quickly and easily installed for use and just as easily removed and stored for subsequent use.

Description:
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/573,145 filed Sep. 14, 2011. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a railing extension device for supporting various articles, and more specifically to a device that mounts to a railing and can support various items, including but not limited to a beverage cooler, trash can, a cooler, an electric grill, a glass surface for containing serving dishes and glasses, plants and/or an herb garden. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Decks, balconies and patios are prevalent in homes and restaurants and often contain a railing system of sorts to assist in providing a safety measure and barrier for occupants as decks, balconies and patios are often above ground level and/or may be near hazards such as water. Most decks, balconies and patios contain tables and chairs in order to provide places for people to eat and put their beverage glasses. The addition of tables and chairs often limits the amount of space available for people to stand and/or walk around on. Due to this, occupants often place plates and glasses on railings. These can easily be knocked off or slide off as the surface of the railing is not even due to warping or in the case of balconies the railing may only be one inch wide and therefore not useable for holding items. 
     To meet the problem of providing additional surface space for decks and patios, a frame and strap system has been developed which can quickly attach to any shape or size railing and may extend outward away from and/or inward on the deck, balcony or patio. The frame can be made of various durable materials, including but not limited to wood (including teak), aluminum, wrought iron, stainless steel, titanium, or a polymer/plastic material. The device has a rectangular frame shape, but could be square, circular, triangular or any polygonal shape if desired. In addition, the device can have one or more points of contact between the railing and the proximal portion of the frame for attachment of the device. One benefit of the device is its ability to adjust and attach to various shaped railings and various sized railings. The device also contains another member which is an additional point of contact from the frame to the floor/base of the deck, balcony or patio. This member is angled from the most external/distal portion of the frame to the base/floor. This member can be telescoping and can be attached to the frame via a hinge in order to allow for it to fold up and minimize space of the device when not in use. This member or leg could also occur on both sides of the device, with the second member/leg contacting the bottom horizontal brace of the railing or balcony. 
     Therefore, a need exists for a lightweight device that can quickly, easily and releasably attach to a railing, fence or the like, to provide additional surface area and/or additional display area for occupants to place various items including but not limited to food items or glasses. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed to a railing extension device which provides a support frame that releasably attaches to a railing. The device can quickly and easily be attached to a railing or fence and then when it is no longer in use it can just as quickly and easily be removed and stored. The preferred embodiment of the device contains two brackets that mount to the proximal portion of the support frame (hereinafter frame). These brackets are permanently attached to the frame and contain an L shaped protrusion which accommodates a strap or cable member. The L shaped bracket could be replaced with various other well known means for holding the strap or cable in place and work just as efficiently. The strap or cable can be made from a variety of materials, including but not limited to nylon, rubber (synthetic or natural) or stainless steel. The strap member continues through a cinching buckle and can be tightened accordingly to maintain the position of the frame. The cinching buckle could also be replaced with other well known means for holding tension on a cable or strap and work just as well. Other types of tightening mechanisms can be used to tighten and secure the strap to the desired tension, including but not limited to a wench type mechanism, a rack and pinion type mechanism, or a spring loaded clamp mechanism. The strap from the buckle is attached at its other end to a U-shaped bracket. The U shaped bracket is moveable and can be of various lengths, widths and sizes and resides sandwiched between the frame and the railing. This allows the weight of whatever is put on top of the frame to further anchor the device to the railing. The U shaped bracket is uniquely locked in place by the use of a detent pin that is inserted through a slot in the side of the U shaped bracket and traverses across the entire width of the U shaped bracket and out a slot on the opposite side of the U shaped bracket. The pin resides in the slots and keeps the U shaped bracket locked in place. Lastly, the distal portion of the frame has a telescoping member or leg that is pivotally attached to the frame. Once extended, the leg contacts the surface of the deck, balcony or patio to provide additional support for the frame. 
     In another embodiment the device could contain drop in compartments for various items, including but not limited to a cutting board and utensils. It is also contemplated that the device could be adapted for marine applications as well as tailgating applications or with fences that have a horizontal cross member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded assembly view of the Deckmate device 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the Deckmate device 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the telescoping leg assembly 
         FIG. 4  is a close up view of the strap and buckle assembly 
         FIG. 5A  is a close up view of the L bracket assembly, the Deckmate device facing outward from the railing 
         FIG. 5B  is a close up view of the Deckmate device attached to the railing and facing inward from the railing 
         FIG. 6  is a close up view of the Deckmate in use holding a cooler 
         FIG. 7  is a second close up view of the Deckmate in use holding a cooler 
         FIG. 8  is a close up view of the Deckmate spanning space inside and outside the railing 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the frame 
         FIG. 10  is an isometric view of the glass insert for the frame 
         FIG. 11  is a bottom view of the frame with a mesh top insert 
         FIG. 12  is an isometric view of the L bracket 
         FIG. 13  is an isometric view of the U bracket 
         FIG. 14  is an isometric view of the tabs that support the glass insert with the frame 
         FIG. 15  is an isometric view of the top portion of the telescoping leg 
         FIG. 16  is an isometric view of the bottom portion of the telescoping leg 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Particular embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in the drawings and as described throughout the following description, and as is traditional when referring to relative positioning on an object, the terms “proximal” and “trailing” may be employed interchangeably, and should be understood as referring to the portion of a structure that is closer to a user during proper use. The terms “distal” and “leading” may also be employed interchangeably, and should be understood as referring to the portion of a structure that is farther from the user during proper use. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the rail mounting system  10  consists of a frame  20 . The frame  20  can be various shapes, but is D-shaped in the preferred embodiment. In the preferred embodiment there are two first strap brackets with an L shaped feature, herein after called the L brackets  30  which are permanently mounted to the proximal portion of the frame  20  with the use of Phillips head screws, but could also be mounted with various well known techniques including but not limited to riveting and welding. Referring additionally to  FIGS. 4 ,  5 A,  5 B,  12  and  13 , the L brackets  30  utilize this L shaped member to contain the strapping  70  and use the vertical portion  74  of the L shape to prevent it from sliding off the L bracket  30 . The strapping  70 , defining a first strap member, continues and connects to a cinching type buckle  72  which connects to a second strap member, the second piece of strapping  75 , that together form a first adjustable strap assembly  71 . From the buckle  72  the second piece of strapping  75  connects to a second strap bracket  30   a  of a U shaped bracket  40  so that the buckle  72  can be tightened accordingly to maintain the position of the frame. Preferably, two U shaped brackets  40  are used and they are placed between the railing  80  and the frame  20 , thus looping the strapping  70  and  75  around the railing  80 . The U shaped bracket  40  contains a slot  46  on either side to accommodate detent pin  42  which is used to attach the U shaped bracket  40  to the frame  20 . As noted in  FIG. 2 , the frame  20  has adjustment holes  24  to accommodate various placement locations of the U shaped bracket  40 . Once the U shaped bracket  40  is in place, the strapping  70 ,  75  can be tightened to secure the frame  20  to the railing  80 . The placement of the U shaped bracket  40  under the frame  20  and on top of the railing  80  serves a unique purpose in that it allows for the weight that is placed on the frame  20  to further secure the frame  20  in place. 
     The frame  20  also contains a post feature  25  on its distal side. The post feature  25  comprises two upright members  26  which have a through hole  27  for detent pin  28  to reside. The post  25  mates with a telescoping leg  50 , whereby its proximal end also contains a through hole  53  to mate with detent pin  28 . The telescoping leg  50  contains adjustment holes  56  along its length to accommodate various heights between railing  80  and floor  90 . The adjustment holes  56  utilize detent pin  57  and through hole  54  on the upper leg portion to lock the telescoping leg  50  into place. The telescoping leg  50  also has a foot  52  which rests on the floor surface  90 . The foot  52  consists of an L shape rigid member that rests on both the top and side surface of the floor  90 . The foot  52  may also be screwed into place into the floor surface to prevent any movement of the telescoping leg  50 . It is also contemplated that this foot  52  could be angularly adjustable to accommodate various unevenness that may occur with floor surfaces  90 . The telescoping leg  50  provides additional support for the railing mounting system  10 , much like a tripod would by providing a third support point. It is also contemplated that there could be more than one telescoping leg to support the frame. The legs may be all on the same side of the frame or on both the proximal and distal ends of the frame. 
     Lastly, the frame  20  contains securing tabs  62  that are mounted to the frame  20  by screws  63 . A piece of glass  60  or metal mesh  61  is fitted to match the shape of the frame  20  is placed into the top of the frame  20  and the securing tabs  62  are placed over the glass  60  and alongside the side of the frame  20  and are screwed into place to prevent the glass  60  from moving. 
     The rail mounting system  10  can be utilized for supporting various items including glassware, plates, centerpieces, candles etc. The rail mounting system  10  is designed to be easily removed from the railing  80  and stored for future use. The various detent pins  28 ,  42  and  57  need just be removed and the telescoping leg  50  retracted, and the frame  20  with the glass  60  secured in place can be lifted off the railing  80  and the unit stored for later use. 
     In another embodiment, see  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the third strap member  70   a  and fourth strap member  75   a  of each of a pair of second adjustable strap assemblies  71   a  span from the proximal part of the frame  20  to the distal part of the frame  20  and hangs loosely between the two ends of the frame  20 . The third strap member  70   a  and fourth strap member  75   a  each being coupled to a respective fixed strap bracket with an L shaped feature  30   b . Next a cooler can be placed through the frame  20  and into contact with the third strap member  70   a  and fourth strap member  75   a  such that the bottom surface of the cooler touches the top surface of the strapping third strap member  70   a  and fourth strap member  75   a  and holds the cooler upright with the additional support of the frame  20 . 
     In another embodiment, the frame and brackets could be formed monolithically. 
     In yet another embodiment, the frame  20  may span both inside and outside the deck, balcony or patio perimeter as noted in  FIG. 8 . As shown, the frame  20  is secured to the railing  80  with a pair of adjustable strap assemblies  71 , each adjustable strap assembly  71  connects between a first U shaped bracket  40  and second U shaped bracket  40   a  that are each coupled to the frame  20  by respective detent pins  42  to oppose one another. This provides more surface area for containing various items including but not limited to a drop in tray that may contain recesses for holding utensils or for various herbs. This embodiment contains two telescoping arms  50  to provide support on both sides of the railing  80  since the frame  20  spans across both sides of the railing  80 . The telescoping arm  50  that resides inside the railing rests on the bottom horizontal cross member of the railing, as depicted in  FIGS. 5B and 8 . 
     In yet another embodiment, the device may be installed such that it is extending inward from the railing as depicted in  FIG. 5B , to serve as a table or countertop for instance.