Patent Abstract:
A railing system comprising a first longitudinal rail portion defining a channel into which pickets are insertable at spaced intervals. Fasteners are used to pivotally connect the pickets to the channel for orientation to a desired angle with respect to the first longitudinal rail portion. A second longitudinal rail portion is fittable onto the first longitudinal rail portion to form an assembled rail member in which the channel and fasteners are concealed within the interior of the assembled rail member. The railing system provides a simple and efficient way to install railings, and is particularly suited for assembly of railings at an incline to the horizontal.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to railing system useful to form a barrier, fencing or the like. In particular, the invention relates to a railing system in which the pickets are readily adjustable to an angle with respect to the railing to allow forming of a barrier on a horizontal or on an inclined surface.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Fencing and balustrades formed using a top railing supported by pickets or upstanding posts are commonly used on stairs, balconies and patios as a safety barrier with a pleasing appearance. They may be formed of materials such as wrought iron, vinyl, wood or aluminum. Aluminum is generally the preferred material. Aluminum 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]    In the installation of railing systems, particularly when the top railing is installed at an incline to the horizontal on stairs or sloped surfaces, for example, the problem of attaching the pickets to the top and bottom rails can result in considerable delay and in wastage of material. The conventional method of joining the pickets to the top and bottom rails is by welding. When the railings are inclined to the horizontal, it is necessary to measure the required angle and cut the ends of the pickets to the correct angle and length. If errors are made in transferring the measurements to the pickets then substantial waste can result. U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,249 to Zen discloses one solution to this problem by providing a railing structure having pivotable joints to mount the pickets to the railings for rotation to a desired angle to minimize wastage and maximize speed of construction.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention provides a railing system and railing member that also allows pivoting of the pickets with respect to the railing to simplify installation. The arrangement of the present invention conceals the pivoting attachment of the pickets to the railings to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  
           [0007]    Accordingly, the present invention provides a railing system comprising:  
           [0008]    a first longitudinal rail portion defining a channel into which pickets are insertable at spaced intervals;  
           [0009]    fasteners to pivotally connect the pickets to the channel for orientation to a desired angle with respect to the first longitudinal rail portion; and  
           [0010]    a second longitudinal rail portion fittable onto the first longitudinal rail portion to form an assembled rail member with the channel and fasteners concealed within the interior of the assembled rail member.  
           [0011]    The present invention also provides a railing system comprising a first longitudinal rail portion to pivotally support a plurality of pickets at spaced intervals for orientation to a desired angle and a second longitudinal rail portion fittable onto the first longitudinal rail portion to form an assembled rail member with the first longitudinal rail portion concealed by the second longitudinal rail portion.  
           [0012]    In a further aspect, the present invention provides a rail member comprising:  
           [0013]    a first longitudinal rail portion defining a channel into which pickets are insertable at spaced intervals to be pivotally supported for orientation to a desired angle with respect to the first longitudinal rail portion; and  
           [0014]    a second longitudinal rail portion fittable onto the first longitudinal rail portion to form an assembled rail member with the channel concealed within the interior of the assembled rail member. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    Aspects of the present invention are illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is an elevation of an inclined railing system according to the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the railing system of FIG. 1 configured in a substantially horizontal orientation of the railings;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a section view through a rail member according to the present invention which is the top railing member of FIG. 2;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 a  is a detail view of a preferred fastener used with the railing system;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a section view through the bottom railing member of FIG. 2;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention having at least one intermediate railing member between the top and bottom railing members;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a detail view of a connection member used with the railing system of the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is a disassembled view of the connection member of FIG. 6;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a detail view of a mounting member for connecting the railing system of the present invention to an essentially vertical bracing surface; and  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is a detail view of a connection member for mounting the railing system to a vertical or non-vertical surface. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]    [0026]FIG. 1 shows a set of railings that employ the rail members and the railing system of the present invention. The railing system includes a top rail member  4  and a bottom rail member  6  each attached to a plurality of pickets  2 . Rail members  4  and  6  are inclined at an angle to the horizontal to follow the rise of stairs  7 . As will be described in more detail below, the railing system of the present invention permits pivotal adjustment of the pickets with respect to the rail members to accommodate a wide range of slopes of inclined surfaces such that the pickets remain essentially vertical while attached rail members are supported substantially parallel to the inclined surface.  
         [0027]    It will be appreciated that the railing system of the present invention is also configurable for installation on a horizontal surface with the pickets extending at generally right angles to the rail members as shown in FIG. 2. Top rail member  4  and bottom rail member  6  are of similar construction and include a first longitudinal rail portion  8  which defines a channel  10  into which the ends of a plurality of pickets  2  are insertable at spaced intervals. Fasteners  12  are used to pivotally connect pickets  2  in channel  10  for orientation to a desired angle with respect to the first longitudinal rail portion. A second longitudinal rail portion  14  is fittable onto first longitudinal rail portion  8  to form the assembled rail member  4  or  6  with the channel  10  and fasteners  12  concealed within the interior of the assembled rail member.  
         [0028]    Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown a perspective and cross-sectional view of top assembled rail member  4 . First longitudinal rail portion  8  includes a lower surface  16  formed with a plurality of spaced openings  18  to receive the top end of picket  2  for insertion into channel  10 . In the case of a first longitudinal rail portion formed of aluminum, each opening  18  is preferably formed by punching an appropriately shaped hole through lower surface  16 . Each opening  18  is dimensioned to accommodate the pickets for pivoting over a range of angles to the first longitudinal rail portion  8 . In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, pickets  2  are formed with a hollow, generally rectangular cross-section and openings  18  are elongated in the longitudinal direction of the rail portion to allow pivoting of the pickets without the picket walls interfering with the edges of the openings. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that pickets  2  can be formed with any regular cross-sectional shape as long as openings  18  in lower surface  16  are appropriately shaped and dimensioned. Generally, in most applications, rail members  4  and  6  are oriented in the range of 0 to about 38 degrees to the horizontal (angle α in FIG. 1) which requires that openings  8  be dimensioned to permit pivoting of pickets  2  in a range between about 90 degrees and about 52 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the first longitudinal rail portion  8  (angle β in FIG. 1).  
         [0029]    First longitudinal rail member  8  is formed with a pair of spaced, upstanding side walls  20  that extend upwardly from the lower surface  16  to define channel  10  therebetween with an open top. Preferably, side walls  20  initially extend inwardly toward each other and upwardly at an angle to the lower surface and then extend upwardly in a spaced, parallel configuration.  
         [0030]    In order to pivotally connect pickets  2  between side walls  20 , aligned pairs of openings  22  are formed in the parallel portions of the side walls to accept fasteners  12 . As best shown in FIG. 3, openings  22  are alignable with corresponding openings  24  formed in the side walls of pickets  2 . The various sets of openings  22 ,  24  co-operate to receive a fastener  12  which is insertable through channel side walls  20  and the picket side walls to pivotally mount the pickets between the channel side walls.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 a  is a detail view of a preferred fastener  12  for securing of the pickets within channel  10 . The fastener is preferably formed from metal or plastic and comprises a rigid post  30  insertable through openings  22 . Post  30  has an enlarged head  32  at one end to engage with the exterior of one channel side wall and a deformable locking body  34  at the opposite end to engage with the exterior of the other channel side wall. Deformable locking body  34  comprises a tapered member that extends from a wide shoulder  36  to a narrow tip  38  with a slot  40  extending from the tip to the shoulder. Slot  40  permits constriction and one-way insertion of the tapered member through the aligned openings  22  and  24  and subsequent expansion such that shoulder  36  abuts against the channel side wall  20 . When installed in place within openings  22  and extending through picket  2 , rigid post is anchored between the side walls  20  to pivotally support picket  2 .  
         [0032]    Referring back to FIG. 3, note that the initially inward angle of side walls  20  defines a recessed region on either side of side walls  20  into which head  32  and deformable locking body  34  protrude without interfering with the installation and mounting of second longitudinal rail portion  14  over first longitudinal rail portion  8 .  
         [0033]    Preferably, first and second longitudinal rail portions  8  and  14  are press fittable together. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, second rail portion  14  includes depending side walls  42  with lower inwardly directed flanges  44  that are snap fitted into a longitudinal groove  45  in the side walls  20  of first longitudinal rail portion  8 . Side walls  42  cover and conceal first longitudinal rail portion  8 , the protruding ends of fasteners  12  and the pivotally secured ends of pickets  2  in channel  10 . Side walls  42  of the second longitudinal rail portion are joined by a top wall  46  that rests on the top edges of side walls  20  of the first longitudinal rail portion  8  to fully support the second longitudinal rail portion. As shown in FIG. 3, when used in a top rail member  4 , second longitudinal rail portion can be formed with a rounded surface  50  over top wall  46  to provide a comfortable gripping surface.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 is a section view through bottom rail member  6  which has substantially the same structure as the top rail structure of FIG. 3. The second longitudinal rail portion  14  is preferably a closer fit over first longitudinal rail portion  8  in the bottom rail member  6 . Rounded surface  50  is not formed in the second longitudinal rail portion  14 . It is the top wall  46  of the second longitudinal rail portion that is formed with openings  18  to receive the lower ends of pickets  2 . Openings  18  are dimensioned to accommodate pivoting of the pickets over a range of angles to the second longitudinal rail portion and the lower ends of the pickets are supported by fasteners  12  to extend upwardly through the open top of channel  10  formed in first longitudinal rail portion  8 .  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 5 is an exploded view of an alternative arrangement of the railing system of the present invention. The illustrated railing system includes an intermediate rail member  60  between top and bottom rail members  4  and  6 , respectively. It will be apparent that multiple intermediate rail members can be installed depending on the length of pickets  2 . All assembled rail members have the same basic structure as described above with a first longitudinal rail portions  8  having a channel  10  to pivotally support pickets  2  via fasteners  12  and a second longitudinal rail portion  14  that fits over the first rail member  8 . In the case of intermediate rail members  60 , both the first and second longitudinal rail portions  8  and  14  have aligned openings  18  to accommodate passage of the pickets through the assembled intermediate rail member.  
         [0036]    Referring to FIG. 1, a cap member  79  is preferably attachable to the end of an assembled rail member to seal the interior of the rail member. Cap member  79  preferably comprises a sleeve fittable over the assembled rail member.  
         [0037]    The first and second longitudinal rail portions that are fitted together to form an assembled rail member according to the present invention are preferably formed from extruded aluminum. The rail portions can be formed of other materials such as plastic. Pickets  2  are preferably also formed from aluminum so that the entire railing system provides a light weight, but sturdy arrangement that is weather resistant.  
         [0038]    Sets of railings assembled according to the system of the present invention are maintained in the desired configuration by supporting the railing sets using conventional anchoring posts or other support or bracing surfaces such as walls, columns, building faces etc. Generally, the ends of the rail members are fastened to a bracing surface. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the end of top rail member  4  is fastened to a vertical wall surface  84 . Cap member  79  can include a mounting surface  86  for mounting the cap member to a vertical support surface  84  such as a wall.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 6, 7 and  9  illustrate various preferred arrangements for connecting one set of railings constructed according to the present invention to a support surface or a second set of railings. FIG. 6 shows a first set of railings  70  configured with an essentially horizontal assembled top railing member  4  and a second set of railings  72  configured with an angled assembled top railing member. A connection member  74  is fitted over the ends of the top rail member  4  to join the first and second sets of railings. Connection member  74  includes two sleeves  75   a  and  75   b  adapted to fit over the adjacent ends of the railing members. In order to accommodate the change in angle between the horizontal and inclined top railings members, sleeves  75   a  and  75   b  are connected by pivoting joint  76 . FIG. 7 shows a preferred disassembled construction of joint  76 . A circular housing  78  is formed in sleeve  75   a  to rotatably receive an annular flange  79  formed on sleeve  75   b.  The walls of sleeve  75   b  are cut away in an arcuate configuration about annular flange  79  to permit the insertion of the flange into the housing and mating of the sleeves for pivoting with respect to each other in the same vertical plane. A fastener  80  extends along the pivoting axis of the joint and engages against the outer faces of the sleeves to maintain the housing and sleeve in rotatable engagement.  
         [0040]    In a modified form shown in FIG. 9, connection member  74  can be used to connect a set of railings  70  to a vertical or non-vertical support surface  84   a.  In this case, sleeve  75   a  is provided to fit over the top rail member  4  of a railing set and sleeve  75   b  is modified to include end plate  89  that is mountable to a non-vertical surface  84   a  instead of being fittable over the rail member of an adjacent set of railings. Joint  76  allows for end plate  89  to be mounted to a support surface  84  oriented at substantially any angle including a conventional vertical surface.  
         [0041]    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.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4