Abstract:
Disclosed is a railing panel and a method of forming the panel. The panel comprises a planar member extending between first and second ends defining a panel plane. The railing panel further has a hand railing integrally thermoformed with the planar member along a top edge thereof and a bottom rail integrally thermoformed with the planar member along a bottom edge thereof. Also disclosed is a railing panel support for supporting the panel comprising an upright member sercurable to a base surface and to at least one of the railing panels for supporting the plurality of railing panels in a substantially vertical orientation. The method comprises thermoforming a hand railing into the top edge of a planar sheet around a hand railing mold and thermoforming a bottom rail into the bottom edge of the planar sheet of around a bottom rail mold.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to railings in general and in particular to a method and apparatus for forming a railing having hand and bottom railings thermoformed therein. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Guard or hand railings are typically located proximate to a periphery of a balcony, deck, as a divisional barrier or along stairs. Such railings typically include a top railing and a barrier portion comprising a plurality of spindles or a barrier sheet of glass, wood or the like. 
         [0005]    Conventional railings have several limitations. Railings constructed of metal or wood for the posts, spindles or hand rails restrict the visibility of people attempting to see through them. In addition, railings of a conventional construction need to be cut to size and assembled on site to suit the particulars of the installation. The necessity to assemble the many components of a railing on location is time consuming. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a railing panel comprising an elongate planar member extending between first and second ends defining a panel plane. The railing panel has a top hand railing integrally thermoformed with the planar member along a top edge thereof and a bottom rail integrally thermoformed with the planar member along a bottom edge thereof. 
         [0007]    The top railing may comprise a sheet of material continuously formed with the planar member extending out of the panel plane. The top rail may have a material thickness substantially equal to the material thickness of the planar member. The sheet of material of the top railing may form a channel. The channel may have a curved cross section. The top railing may have a question mark shaped cross section. The channel may have a segmented cross section. The bottom rail may comprise a curved sheet continuously formed with the planar member extending out of the panel plane. 
         [0008]    At least one of the first and second ends may include a connector for securing the at least one of the first or second ends to an other of the first or second ends of an adjoining planar member. The connector may comprise a lip offset from the plane panel so as to support the other of the first or second ends of an adjacent railing panel when abutted thereagainst. 
         [0009]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a railing system comprising at least one railing panel and a plurality of railing panel supports. The at least one railing panel comprises an elongate planar member extending between first and second ends defining a panel plane. The railing panel further has a top hand railing integrally thermoformed with the planar member along a top edge thereof and a bottom rail integrally thermoformed with the planar member along a bottom edge thereof. The railing panel support comprises an upright member sercurable to a base surface and to at least one of the railing panels for supporting the plurality of railing panels in a substantially vertical orientation. 
         [0010]    The upright may have proximate and distal ends wherein the proximate end has a fastening surface securable to a horizontal surface and distal end has a railing connector connectable with the hand railing of the railing panel. The railing connector may comprise an exterior surface sized to be closely received within a corresponding channel within the hand railing. 
         [0011]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a method of forming a railing panel comprising providing a substantially planar sheet of thermoplastic material having top and bottom edges and first and second ends. The method further comprises thermoforming a hand railing into the top edge of the planar sheet around a hand railing mold and thermoforming a bottom rail into the bottom edge of the planar sheet of around a bottom rail mold. 
         [0012]    The hand railing and bottom rail may be thermoformed simultaneously around a common mold having the hand railing mold and the bottom rail mold. The common mold may further include a central elongate planar portion between the hand railing mold and the bottom rail mold wherein the common mold further forms a substantially planar central portion on the hand railing. The common mold may further include a curvature having an axis extending between the hand railing and bottom rail molds so as to form a railing panel having a vertically oriented curvature. The hand railing and the bottom rail may be thermoformed independently. 
         [0013]    The method may further comprise thermoforming a stepped connector into one of the first or second ends of the sheet. The method may further comprise securing a strip of material along one of the first or second ends of the sheet so as to form a stepped connector therein. 
         [0014]    Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view, 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a panel system of the present disclosure applied proximate to a peripheral edge of a deck or balcony. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a panel of the system of  FIG. 1  according to a first embodiment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a vertical cross sectional view of the panel of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  3 - 3 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a horizontal partial cross-sectional view of one edge of the panel of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  4 - 4 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a post of the panel system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a panel of the system of  FIG. 1  according to a further embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a railing system according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown generally at  10 . The railing system  10  illustrated in  FIG. 1  comprises a plurality of panels  20  supported by a plurality of posts  60  as will be further described below in greater detail. The plurality of panels  20  may be connected together to form a continuous barrier while the posts  60  support the panels. As illustrated, the railing system  10  may be located adjacent to a perimeter edge  12  of a horizontal surface  14  such as a deck or other similar surface to form an edge or other barrier therearound. The railing system  10  may also be located at other locations not proximate to an edge  12  so as to form a barrier at such location. 
         [0023]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , an exemplary panel  20  is illustrated. The panel  20  illustrated in  FIG. 2  is a flat panel, however it will be appreciated that curved or corner panels  22  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 6  may also be utilized as well. The panel  20  comprises a substantially planar member having first and second ends,  26  and  28 , respectively, and top and bottom edges,  30  and  32 , respectively. The panel  20  includes a substantially flat planar central portion  24 , a hand railing  34  proximate to the top edge  30  and a bottom rail  36  proximate to the bottom edge  32 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the top and bottom edges  30  and  32  are parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the first and second ends  26  and  28  so as to form a panel for use above a horizontal surface. It will also be appreciated that the top and bottom edges  30  and  32  may be angularly oriented away from the first and second ends  26  and  28  for use above a staircase. The panel  20  may have a height selected to suit the needs of a user or as dictated by local regulations. It will be appreciated that the panel  20  will also need to be shorter in a vertical direction for use on a stair case so as to maintain the hand railing  34  at a desired height. The central portion  24  defines a panel plane  38  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0024]    The panel plane  38  is oriented substantially vertically above the horizontal surface  14 . Although the panel plane  38  is illustrated as continuous along the length of the panel  20 , it will be appreciated that the first and second ends  26  and  28  of the panel  20  may have instantaneous panel planes  38  wherein each instantaneous panel plane  38  may be oriented vertically above the horizontal surface  14  and angularly to each other. In such embodiments, the first end  26  may have a first instantaneous panel plane  38   a  and the second end  28  may have a second instantaneous panel plane  38   b.  As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the first and second instantaneous panel planes  38   a  and  38   b  may be perpendicular to each other with a bend portion  40  therebetween so as to form an angle panel  90 . The bend portion  40  may have a radius of curvature, generally indicated at  42 , as desired by a user which may be selected from any suitable radius that is aesthetically pleasing or as limited by the equipment utilized to form the panel  20  as described below. By way of non-limiting example, it has been found that a bend portion  40  having a radius of curvature of between  12  and  24  inches has been useful. The angle panel  90  may be manufactured to any required angle such as, by way of non-limiting example 90 degrees as illustrated in the accompanying figures, although it will be appreciated that other angles may be formed as well as desired for aesthetic purposes or as limited by available equipment. 
         [0025]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , a cross sectional view of the panel  20  is illustrated. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the panel  20  has front and back surfaces,  44  and  46 , respectively, wherein the back surface  46  is oriented towards the perimeter edge  12  of the horizontal surface  14 . The hand railing  34  in  FIG. 3  comprises a continuous sheet of material with the panel formed into a channel extending from the central portion  24  of the panel. As illustrated, the channel of the hand railing  34  extends the material of the panel  20  out of the panel plane  38  and therefore provides structural rigidity to the panel  20 . As illustrated, the hand railing  34  may extend first towards the front surface  44  of the panel  20  and thereafter extend towards the back surface  46  while crossing the panel plane  38 . It will also be appreciated that the hand railing may first extend towards the back surface  46  before extending towards the front surface. 
         [0026]    The channel of the hand railing  34  may also have a downturned portion  52  at a distal end thereof so as to provide a continuous surface for grasping by the hand of a user. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the channel may comprise a c-shaped channel having a gap, generally indicated at  48 , between the end of the downturned portion  52  and the central portion  24  of the panel  20 . The gap  48  assists in retaining a post or other support within the channel as will be further described below and may have a distance of  1  inch or greater by way of non-limiting example. 
         [0027]    Similarly, the bottom rail  36  comprises a continuous sheet of material with the panel formed into a c-shaped channel extending from the central portion  24  of the panel out of the panel plane  38  so as to provide additional rigidity to the panel. The c-shaped channel of the bottom rail  36  may have a radius of curvature indicated at  50  of between 1 and 2 inches. Although a c-shaped channel is illustrated for the hand railing and bottom rail  34  and  36 , it will be appreciated that other shapes may also be useful as well, such as, by way of non-limiting example, ovaloid or a segmented channel such as square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, or triangular. 
         [0028]    It will be appreciated that the shape of the hand railing  34  should consist of a shape selected to suit the user without being excessively small so as to provide adequate strength for the panel. The hand railing  34  should also have outer dimensions selected to comply with local regulations or the preferences of a user. In practice, it has been found that an overall width of the hand railing  34  of between 2 and 3 inches has been useful although it will be appreciated that other widths may be useful as well depending upon the application and strength requirements of the panel  20 . Similarly, the bottom rail  36  may have a depth out of the panel plane  38  of between ⅞ and 2 inches to provide strength for the panel, although other distances may also be useful as well. 
         [0029]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a partial cross-sectional view of the panel  20  is shown illustrating the first end  26  of the panel. The first end  26  includes an offset lip  54  for supporting the second end  28  of an adjacent panel  20 . As illustrated, the offset lip  54  includes a front surface  56  substantially aligned with the back surface  46  of the panel  20  such that when an adjacent panel  20  is located thereagainst, the front surfaces of the two panels  20  will be substantially aligned. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the railing system  10  may also include a plurality of posts  60  as shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5 . The post  60  comprises an upright member  62  having bottom and top ends,  64  and  66 , respectively. The bottom end  64  is adapted to be secured to the horizontal surface  14 , such as for example a deck, balcony or the like. The top end  66  includes a hand railing holder  68  having an exterior surface  70  therearound. The exterior surface  70  is sized and shaped to be closely received within the channel of the hand railing  34  of the panel  20  so as to retain the hand railing holder  68  within the channel so as to thereby support the panel  20  while allowing for the panel  20  to move horizontally along the railing holder  68  under expansion and contraction of the panel. The post  60  should be sized to support the panel  20  above the horizontal surface  14  at a distance desired by the user or as required by safety regulations. It will be appreciated that the bottom end  64  of the post  60  may be secured to the horizontal surface by lag bolts or the like. Additional material may also be laminated to the bottom end  64  so as to increase the rigidity at the mounting point to reduce the overall material thickness requirements of the remainder of the post  60 . As illustrated, the post  60  may include a single rib, however it will be appreciated that other styles of posts may also be utilized, such as, by way of non-limiting example, multiple rib, box or c-shaped channel. 
         [0031]    Additional components may be included with the panel  20  and posts  60  as described above to form a continuous barrier around a deck or balcony such as a gate hinge  80  and a wall bracket  82  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0032]    The panel  20  of the present system is formed utilizing a thermoform molding process. Such molding processes are well known and typically include placing a sheet of thermoplastic material above a mold. The sheet of thermoplastic material may then be heated to a pliable forming temperature so as to permit the material to be formed or molded to the mold. The material may be assisted in being formed to the mold by vaccum, gravity or any other known process. The sheet of material utilized for the above process will be a single sheet of material so as to form a panel  20  as a single unit of material. 
         [0033]    In forming the panels of the present disclosure, the top edge  30  of the sheet of material is the thermoformed over a hand railing mold so as to form the hand railing  34 . The bottom edge  32  is thermoformed over a bottom railing mold to form the bottom rail  36 . In some embodiments, the hand railing  34  may be formed first whereas in other embodiments, the bottom rail  36  may be formed first. Still in other embodiments, the hand railing and bottom rail  34   20  and  36  may be formed simultaneously on a common mold having both the hand and bottom railing molds therein. Such a mold may also have a central planar portion adapted to form the central portion  24  of the panel  20  and may also optionally include a curvature adapted to form the bend portion  40  therein as described above. The offset lip  54  may also be thermoformed in the panel  20  simultaneously with the hand railing and bottom rail  34  and  36  or in a separate step. In some embodiments, the offset lip  54  may comprise a strip of material adhered or otherwise secured to the edge of the panel. 
         [0034]    The materials utilized in the above process may be of any suitable thermoformable material such as, by way of non-limiting example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, (PE), polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or acrylic. Although the above materials are provided for example purposes only, it will be appreciated that many other materials may also be suitable. The materials utilized to form the panels  20  and posts  60  may also be of any color including transparent such that a user may readily see through the railing of the present system. It will also be appreciated that the materials for use in forming the present railing may also be recycled including through the use of defective or broken panels  20  and posts  60 . 
         [0035]    While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.