Patent Abstract:
The invention is directed to a removable end rail system that can be removed from the end of a bleacher, folded and stored upon the bleacher deck so that the end rails are concealed when the telescoping bleacher are folded away for storage. The end rail system is comprised of a base member and an end rail member. The end rail member is designed to protect occupants when used on bleachers in gymnasiums and other spectator areas. The end rail member is comprised of vertical pickets and is designed to be installed and then removed after each use of the bleachers. The end rail member is fastened to the base member by using a set of thumb screws. The end rail is hinged through the vertical center so that it can then be folded and stored flat upon the deck of the bleachers for storage purposes.

Full Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority from provisional application No. 60/249,021 filed on Nov. 15, 2000. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to bleacher safety equipment to prevent injury to people who are occupying bleachers during sporting and other spectator events. More particularly, the present invention relates to bleacher end rails that protect bleacher occupants from falling off the edges of the bleachers wherein the end rails can be folded and stored when the bleachers are not in use.  
         PRIOR ART  
         [0003]    Bleacher end rails are used to protect bleacher occupants during spectator events by preventing them from falling off of the edges of the bleachers. Bleachers are designed to allow each row of seated viewers to have a commanding view of the spectator area by elevating each subsequent row, with the first row having the lowest elevation and the last row having the highest elevation. The elevation of the upper bleacher rows can exceed twenty feet or more which could cause serious injury or death to a spectator who were to fall from such elevations.  
           [0004]    For telescoping bleachers there are two basic types of end rail systems. The first is a self storing end rail system. The self storing end rail system has vertical pickets that are permanently mounted to the bleacher and are slanted outward from the bleacher at an angle. The angular orientation of the end rails allows the end rails to automatically stack and extend when ever the bleachers whenever the bleachers are operated. These systems are costly and are not concealed when the bleachers are not in use.  
           [0005]    The second is a removable end rail system, usually made of aluminum in a post and picket design where all guards are in the vertical position except for the top rail, which is used for a hand rail. On telescoping bleachers, the post and pickets are in the vertical position and the top hand rail is on a diagonal, following the slope of the bleachers from row to row. With this post and picket guard rail, the end rail is removed from the bleachers as a single section and then it is compressed together in a scissor action and stored upon the deck of the bleacher. This end rail design is too heavy to be removed by a single individual and are very costly to produce. Prior art devices do not provide for a cost effective, light weight removable bleacher end rail system that stores out of site when not in use.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    This invention may be described as a novel and improved removable end rail system that can be removed from the ends of a bleacher, folded and stored upon the bleacher deck so that the rail ends are concealed when the telescoping bleachers are closed. The end rail system is comprised of a base member and an end rail member. The end rail member includes vertical guards designed to protect occupants when used on telescoping bleachers in gymnasiums and other spectator areas. The end rail includes vertical pickets and is designed to be installed and then removed after each use of the bleachers. The end rail is fastened to the bleacher by use of the base member. The end rail is hinged through its vertical center so that it can then be folded and stored flat upon the deck of the bleacher for storage. The bleacher can then be moved rearward and compressed against the building walls. When the bleachers are to be used again for spectator seating the bleacher is extended. The guard rails are then fitted into the base member and secured with a thumb tightening screw rendering the bleachers ready for use.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the end rail system of the present invention connected to a telescoping bleacher;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an end rail;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an end rail vertically displaced above a base member;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partially folded end rail; and  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an end rail showing one-half being folded over the other half. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]    While the present invention will be described fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a particular embodiment is shown, it is understood at the outset that persons skilled in the art may modify the invention herein described while still achieving the desired result of this invention. Accordingly, the description which follows is to be understood as a broad informative disclosure directed to persons skilled in the appropriate arts and not as limitations of the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 illustrates an end rail system  10  for a telescoping bleacher  12  with a first end rail  14  vertically displaced from a base plate  16 . Also illustrated is another end rail  14  folded and laying on the deck  18  of the bleacher  12 . When the end rails  14  are connected to the bleacher  12 , the spacing between subsequent rows of end rails  14  is minimal. The telescoping bleacher  12  is a seating system that is designed to stage the elevation of seated spectators so that the entire audience would have a clear view of the center stage activities. When the telescoping bleacher  12  is not in use, it is longitudinally collapsed by moving the first row of the bleacher  12  toward an attachment wall. When fully collapsed, the bleacher  12  forms a wall with risers  20  of the bleacher visible. The telescoping bleacher systems  12  typically include a seat portion  22 , the deck portion  18  and the riser portion  20 . Each portion  18 ,  20 , and  22  are comprised of longitudinal planks that are fastened to a framework (not shown). When the telescoping bleachers  12  are collapsed, the deck portion  20  and the seat portion  22  move rearward beneath the rearward riser  20 . When fully expanded, the seat portions  22  vary in elevation from row to row.  
         [0014]    The removable end rail system  10  is comprised of the end rail  14  and the base plate  16 . The base plate  16  includes a plate member  28 , a first socket  30  and a second socket  32  as shown in FIG. 3. The plate member  28  is fabricated from steel plate stock and is rectangular in shape. The width of the plate member  28  is sized to be equal to or almost equal to the width of the deck portion  18 . The plate member  28  further includes a plurality of apertures  34  that allow the plate member  28  to be fastened to the deck portion  24  with bolts or other types of fasteners.  
         [0015]    The first socket  30  has a square cross-section and has a top end  34  and a bottom end  36 , an exterior surface  38  and an interior surface  40 . The first socket  30  is fabricated from rectangular steel tubing but other materials could be used known to those skilled in the art. The top end  34  of the first socket  30  is adapted to accept the end rail  14 . The bottom end  36  of the first socket  30  is connected to the plate member  28  by welding or other fastening means known to one skilled in the art. The first socket  30  includes a threaded aperture (not shown) that extends from the exterior surface  38  through to the interior surface  40 . The threaded aperture (not shown) is adapted to accept a thumb screw  44  that secures the end rail  14  to the first socket  30 .  
         [0016]    The second socket  32  is also square in shape and includes a top end  46 , a bottom end  48 , an exterior surface  50  and an interior surface  52 . The top end  46  of the second socket  32  is adapted to accept the end rail  14 . The bottom end  48  of the second socket  32  is connected to the plate member  28  by welding or other fastening means known to one skilled in the art. The second socket  32  includes a threaded aperture  54  that extends from the exterior surface  50  through to the interior surface  52 . The threaded aperture  54  is adapted to accept a thumb screw  56  that secures the end rail  14  to the second socket  32 . The second socket  32  also includes a support flange  58  that is connects the second socket  32  to the plate member  28 . The support flange  58  includes apertures  60  to allow the base plate  16  to be further connected to the bleacher  12  with fasteners for additional support.  
         [0017]    The end rail  14  is comprised of a first rail section  62  and a second rail section  64 , as shown in FIG. 2. The end rail  14  is preferably fabricated from aluminum tube stock but could be made using other materials known to those skilled in the art. The end rail  14  is adapted to be connected to the base plate, as shown in FIG. 3, to secure the end rail  14  to the bleacher  12 . The first rail section  62  is comprised of an inboard picket  66 , a central picket  68  and an outboard picket  70 . The outboard picket  70  includes a horizontal end portion  72  and a vertical end portion  74  interconnected by a 90 degree bend  76 . The vertical end portion  74  includes a lower end stubshaft  80  that is connected to the first socket  30  of the base plate  16 . The stubshaft  80  is fastened to the first socket  30  by use of the thumb screw  44 . The horizontal end portion  72  ends at the interconnection with the inboard picket  66 .  
         [0018]    The central picket  68  is oriented between the inboard picket  66  and the outboard picket  70  and includes an upper end  84  and a lower end  86 . The upper end  84  of the central picket  68  is connected to the horizontal end portion  72  of the outboard picket  70  and the lower end  86  is connected to a horizontal plate  82  that interconnects the three pickets  66 ,  68  and  70 .  
         [0019]    The inboard picket  66  includes an upper end  88  that connected to the horizontal end portion  72  of the outboard picket and further includes a lower end  90  connected to the horizontal plate  82 . The inboard picket  66  further includes a pair of hinge halves  92  to allow the first rail section  62  to be pivotally connected to the second rail section  64 .  
         [0020]    The second rail section  64  is also comprised of an inboard picket  94 , a central picket  96  and an outboard picket  98 . The outboard picket  98  includes a horizontal end portion  100  and a vertical end portion  102  interconnected by a 90 degree bend  104 . The vertical end portion  102  includes a lower end stubshaft  106  that is connected to the second socket  32  of the base plate  16 . The stubshaft  106  is fastened to the second socket  32  by use of the thumb screw  56 . The horizontal end portion  100  ends at the interconnection with the inboard picket  94 .  
         [0021]    The central picket  96  is oriented between the inboard picket  94  and the outboard picket  98  and includes an upper end  108  and a lower end  110 . The upper end  108  of the central picket  96  is connected to the horizontal end portion  100  of the outboard picket  98  and the lower end  110  is connected to a horizontal plate  112  that interconnects the three pickets  94 ,  96  and  98 .  
         [0022]    The inboard picket  94  includes an upper end  114  that connected to the horizontal end portion  100  of the outboard picket  98  and further includes a lower end  116  connected to the horizontal plate  112 . The inboard picket  94  further includes a pair of hinge halves  118  to allow the second rail section  64  to be pivotally connected to the first rail section  62 .  
         [0023]    The first rail section  62  is pivotally connected to the second rail section  64  by hinges  120  and  122 . The hinges  120  and  122  allow the end rail  14  to be folded upon itself so that it can be stored upon the deck  18  when not in use, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and  5 . When the telescoping bleachers  12  are to be used, they are pulled out from a wall of a gymnasium and fully extended. The end rails  14 , one on each end of a row of seating are removed from the deck  18  of the bleacher  12 . The two rail sections  62  and  64  of the end rail  14  are unfolded and the stub shafts  80  and  106  are inserted into the first and second socket  30  and  32 . Once the end rail  14  is positioned in the first and second socket  30  and  32 , thumb screws  44  and  56  are tightened to secure the end rail  14  to prevent removal of the end rail  14  from the base plate  16 . The end rails  14  for each row of seating is installed in the same fashion until every row is completed.  
         [0024]    When the event is over and the bleacher  12  is to be stored, the end rails  14  can be removed by loosening the thumb screws  44  and  56  and removing the end rails  14  from their respective base plate  16 . The end rails  14  are then folded in half and stored upon the deck portion  24  of the bleacher  12 . The benefit of the end rail  14  design is their light weight, allowing a single individual to set up the bleachers without the assistance of others. Also, if the entire bleacher  12  does not need to be used, it can be opened part way and the end rails  14  can be installed only for the open portion of the bleacher  12 .  
         [0025]    Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the illustrated embodiment of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate, and that the invention is to be given its fullest interpretation within the terms of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4