Patent Abstract:
A sturdy aluminum pedestrian and bicyclist safety railing that reduces the amount of welding required during construction, comprising top and bottom rigid bars, each having a longitudinal, radially extending exterior passage and a plurality of aluminum pickets mounted within said bar top and bottom channels and held apart by a plurality of spacer plugs that interlock and snap snugly into each top and bottom bar channel and act as spacers to separate the pickets. The top and bottom bars may be welded together at each end of the railing to hold the entire unit together, retaining the plurality of rigid pickets that are substantially perpendicular (or inclined) to the top and bottom bars. The pickets are supported in the top and bottom bar channels without welding for increased strength and reduced cost of construction.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to a pedestrian railing used as a barrier or guard to protect pedestrians and bicyclists, and specifically, to an aluminum picket railing and the method of construction that reduces production costs significantly, while increasing structural strength. 
   DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
   Guard railings are used near public conveyances such as walkways and bicycle paths to protect pedestrian traffic and cyclists for safety purposes. Although there are many variations in the construction of barriers, one type of guard railing uses a plurality of vertical, spaced apart aluminum pickets that are welded at top and bottom to horizontal or inclined bars. Metal posts are connected at spaced intervals that anchor the guard railing to the ground. 
   The disadvantages of welding numerous vertical aluminum pickets (at both ends) to top and bottom horizontal or inclined bars are loss of material strength and its expense. Although welding certainly provides very rigid construction and prevents removal or separation of the pickets from the railing itself, welding does weaken aluminum within one inch of the weld joint and is very costly and time consuming at the time of construction. The choice of aluminum is because of its ability to withstand harsh outdoor environments without rusting or severe oxidation. Aluminum is a difficult metal to weld. 
   The prior art shows a variety of different types of railing constructions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,872, issued Aug. 31, 1982 shows a balustrade construction that employs screw fasteners in construction. U.S. Pat. No. 2,590,929 issued Apr. 1, 1952 shows a railing that is pre-fabricated. U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,688 issued Jul. 22, 1997 shows railings with continuous spacers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,240 issued Apr. 6, 1993 shows an aluminum railing apparatus that uses screw fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,697, issued May 6, 1986 shows another balustrade construction from extruded aluminum. U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,954 issued Feb. 29, 2000 shows a railing assembly that utilizes screw fasteners for construction. U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,486 issued Mar. 28, 2000 shows a method of assembling a fence. 
   When used by government for pedestrian walkways or bicycle paths, the barrier or guard railing should be rigidly constructed for use not only in protecting pedestrian traffic on walkways or cyclists on pathways but also to prevent theft or damage by people trying to deliberately damage public property. Thus, it is important that the railing be of a rigid, permanent type construction that cannot be readily disassembled, while at the same time being of reduced cost and complexity. This is especially true in the public arena where there is a requirement for large numbers of pedestrian and bicycle railings. 
   The present invention provides an improved pedestrian railing and method of construction that includes a rigid structure and method of manufacture that greatly reduces construction costs without reducing strength or rigidity of the entire structure. The improved pedestrian railing and method of construction is also easier to install and allows for replacement of pickets without the need for a welder. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A pedestrian railing and the method of construction comprising top and bottom parallel horizontal or inclined bars that each include a recessed, specially configured channel, disposed continuously along a predetermined segment of the railing bar exterior surface facing or projecting outwardly substantially radially. Each of the railing bars (top and bottom) has the same specially configured channel, viewed in cross-section. 
   Each pedestrian railing top and bottom bar external channel that protrudes from a peripheral section is substantially u-shaped in cross section. The channel walls parallel sides have coplanar, perpendicular, inwardly directed tabs, mid-length, separated at their ends by a space. The coplanar tabs divide the bar channel into two separate passageways. The railing bar channel is sized in width to receive (snugly) the end portion of a rectangular picket that fits into the recessed railing bar channel portions between the channel side walls. When the picket is in place, each picket end engages each bar channel and, abuts vertically the channel tabs that are used for holding each vertical picket in position in the vertical direction between top and bottom railing bars. The end face of each rectangular picket may be formed or cut at a ninety degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the picket for railings that are substantially positioned horizontally on flat ground but may be cut at an angle when used with top and bottom bars in a railing that is disposed inclined on a hill wherein the pickets are at relatively acute angles between the top and bottom rails. The end face of each picket in the inclined case can be cut at the appropriate angle, so that the angle between the top and bottom rail and the picket is equal to the end face angle cut on each of the picket ends to make each picket fit snugly within the channel. 
   A plurality of picket separating spacer plugs are used in the pedestrian railing construction to rigidly separate (at top and bottom) each vertical picket from an adjacent picket, and to hold the vertical pickets firmly in place. The spacer plugs are elongated, rigid, metal bars that are shaped in cross section to interlock and snap into each top and bottom railing bar channel. 
   A spacer plug has a cross-sectional shape and area (somewhat like an I-beam cross section) that is used to hold each bar picket in position laterally and is employed between each picket within the bar channel. Because of the spacer plug&#39;s unique cross-sectional shape, the spacer plug snaps snugly longitudinally into the top and bottom railing bar channels during the manufacture of the entire railing assembly when the pickets and spacer plugs are inserted. Once in place, each adjacent picket is separated rigidly by a separate snap-in spacer plug that is mounted in the top railing bar channel and the bottom railing bar channel. The spacer plug has end faces that are at a ninety degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the spacer plug when used in railings wherein the railing is mounted on flat ground representing the horizontal earth plane. In the situation where the entire railing is inclined at an angle relative to the earth&#39;s horizontal plane, such as a hill, the end face of each spacer plug may be angularly cut (not perpendicular) relative to the longitudinal axis of each spacer plug to accommodate the inclined angle so that the end face of each spacer plug fits snugly against the picket end portion in the bar channel that is used for the inclined environment. The cross-sectional shape of the space plug can be made to save the amount of metal used. 
   The ends of the pedestrian railing assembly are rigidly held together by vertical end bars that are welded to both the top and the bottom horizontal railing bars, once the pickets and spacer plugs are in place, adding tremendous rigidity to the entire rectangular structure. The last picket at each end of the entire guard railing structure is welded in place, top and bottom, to lock in the other pickets and spacer plugs. 
   A plurality of vertical support posts, which are preferably aluminum, are permanently attached to the ground in concrete pads and the top railing bar and the bottom railing bar. The posts are vertically disposed and placed apart as necessary and support the entire railing structure above the ground. The pickets can be arranged in a plumb line on an incline as are the support posts under certain hill conditions if required. 
   By using snap-in, rigid spacer plugs along with a plurality of pickets that all fit within top and bottom railing bar channels that project radially away from the periphery of the top bar and the bottom bar, the entire picket and railing bar assembly can be assembled and manufactured without welding each of the pickets individually to the top and bottom railing bars, except for the end pickets. 
   It is an object of this invention to provide an improved, aluminum pedestrian safety railing of increased strength and at reduced construction costs. 
   It is another object of this invention to provide an improved safety guard railing for use as a safety barrier along public walkways to protect pedestrian traffic and bicycle paths to protect cyclists that is non-complex to assemble, yet rigid in construction. 
   These and other important objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become clear as this description proceeds. 
   It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the general description, serve to explain principles of the present invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a pedestrian and bicycle guard railing in accordance with the present invention, in a front elevational view. 
       FIG. 2  shows a side elevational view in cross section through A—A of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a back elevational view partially cut away, of the railing post. 
       FIG. 4  shows a cutaway, exploded, perspective view of segments of the top and bottom bars, a picket, and top and bottom snap-in spacer plugs used in the present invention. 
       FIG. 5   a  shows a side elevational view in cross section of a post connected to the top bar in the present invention. 
       FIG. 5   b  shows a side elevational view in cross section of a post connected to the bottom bar in the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  shows the top end of a post in a perspective view without the top bar for connection of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  shows a perspective view, partially cutaway, of the top bar, a picket and the spacer plug mounted in the top bar channel. 
       FIG. 8   a  shows a side elevational view, partially cut away (with some pickets deliberately left out for clarity) mounted on an inclined hill. 
       FIG. 8   b  is a side elevational view, partially cut away, showing a portion of the top rail as it is connected to at least two pickets and two spacer bars at an incline. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1 , the present invention is shown as a pedestrian or bicycle guard railing  10  made of aluminum that is used particularly for pedestrian walkways or bicycle paths as a guard or barrier. The railing  10  may be made in any desired length depending on the particular environment. The guard railing  10  is typically firmly mounted and connected to concrete base  21  which may be a walkway or retaining wall. The railing  10  is anchored by rigid aluminum posts  16  mounted to aluminum plates  20  that are bolted with anchor bolts  20   a  into the concrete base  21 . This allows the railing  10  to be anchored to the ground in a vertical, upright position and held firmly in place. The anchor bolts  20   a  (including anchor nuts) can be used to anchor the railing  10  into concrete base  21  with metal plate  20  that is rigidly attached to the railing post  16  described below. As shown in  FIG. 1 , two vertical aluminum posts  16  are used to rigidly support the railing  10  in a vertical position and attach the railing  10  firmly to concrete  21 . The railing  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  on level ground. 
   The railing  10  includes a top picket support bar  12  which is extruded aluminum and a bottom picket support bar  14  which is extruded aluminum, which can be made in indeterminate lengths or cut as desired and as explained herein. The top bar  12  and the bottom bar  14  are identical in cross-sectional shape, configuration and size. Top bar  12  and the bottom bar  14  each have identical cross-sectional areas and shapes that include a longitudinal passageway (see  FIG. 4 ) disposed along a portion of the exterior surface (periphery) of each of the bars  12  and  14 . In fact, the top bar  12  is the same bar for use as bottom bar  14 . These bars  12  and  14  support a plurality of pickets  18 . 
   A plurality of pickets  18  are rigid aluminum bars that are vertically positioned and mounted between the upper bar  12  and the lower bar  14 , the picket ends within the longitudinal recessed channels of the upper bar  12  and the lower bar  14 . When the railing  10  is mounted on level ground, the pickets  18  are perpendicular to top rail  12  and bottom rail  14  and each picket end faces are cut perpendicular to the picket longitudinal axis. 
   At each end of the railing  10 , is a u-shaped curved, rigid aluminum bar  1120  that is welded at each end to top bar  12  and bottom bar  14 . The end bars  1120  give rigidity to the entire structure. The end pickets  18   e  are welded at top and bottom at  18   w  to hold the spacer plugs and other pickets  18  in place. 
     FIG. 2 , a side view through line A—A of  FIG. 1 , shows one of at least two vertical posts  16  that supports the entire railing  10  above the ground and is anchored to the ground. The post  16  is connected (welded) to the upper bar  12  and the lower bar  14 . The posts  16  are typically welded to the upper bar  12  and the lower bar  14  for rigidity and are spaced at regular intervals along the entire railing  10 . The posts  16  act to support the entire structure vertically and anchor the railing  10  to concrete in the earth for permanency. 
     FIG. 3  shows the post  16  in relationship to upper bar  12  and lower bar  14  disposed on one side of the railing  10  on the opposite side as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the structural relationship between the upper bar  12  and the identical lower bar  14  with respect to vertical pickets  18  is shown. The railing  10  is constructed by placing a plurality of pickets  18 , which in this case happen to be rectangular in cross section, and sized in width “w” to fit as the same width of the bar channel  12   a  to fit snugly within the elongated channel  12   a  disposed in top bar  12 . The channel  12   a  walls extend the entire length of each bar. Tabs  12   b  act as a stop for the upper end and lower end of each picket  18 . The width “w” of each picket  18  is such that each picket fits snugly within passageway  12   a  in the elongated channel along the length of the extruded, aluminum bar  12 . Note that because of the cross-sectional shape of the channel passageway and walls  12   a  and tabs  12   b  which project laterally and inwardly, the channel  12   a  can receive snap-in spacer plugs  22 , (which are extruded aluminum bars of a predetermined length, which also snap snugly into the elongated channel  12   a ) that are used to separate and retain pickets  18  apart from each other. Bar  14  is used as the lower support bar in the railing  10  shown in  FIG. 1  and also receives snap-in spacer plugs  22 . The vertical pickets  18  can be spaced and held physically apart by a snap-in spacer plug  22  the length of which determines the fixed distance between adjacent pickets which may be inches or feet as desired. During manufacture and assembly of the railing  10 , the snap-in spacer plugs  22  are manually snapped into the channel  12   a  and channel  14   a  and are positioned between each picket  18 . The snap-in spacer plugs  22  can be extruded and cut in desired lengths or can be cut on site when the railing  10  is assembled. Pickets  18  can also be cut in desired lengths. The snap-in spacer plugs  22  have a unique cross-sectional configuration. The walls  22   b  form a u-shaped portion that snugly engages or fits within walls  12   a  in the outer channel and a pair of flanges  22   a  that fit in inner channel  12   d  formed by tabs  12   b  to interlock the snap-in spacer plug in the channel. The tabs  12   b  are tapered on their ends to facilitate engagement with the flanges  22   a  of the snap-in spacer plugs  22 . Spacer plug flanges  22   a  are tapered and inclined from a center longitudinal axis off of the end portion of each spacer plug wall  22   b  to touch tabs  12   b  on the bottom for a snug fit while reducing the amount of aluminum material required by the tapered flange  22   a  construction. The snap-in construction of the spacer plugs renders the railing easier to install so that less labor is required to complete the task. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , it should be noted that once the railing  10  is assembled such that all the pickets  18  and snap-in spacer plugs  22  are in place, the end pickets  18   e  are welded at  18   w , and the end bars  1120  are then welded at each end top and bottom to bars  12  and  14  forming an integral, rigid unit from which the spacer plugs  22  and pickets  18  can not be removed. 
   The anchoring posts  16  are welded to the top bar  12  as shown in  FIGS. 5   a  and  6 .  FIG. 5   a  also shows how picket  18  fits within the passage  12   a  and the fact that post  16  is welded along  16   a  to firmly attach the upper bar  12  to the post  16 .  FIG. 6  shows the top portion of post  16  and the rectangularly shaped end face  16   a  that are formed in the upper portion in  FIG. 6  of post  16  that engages a flat segment on the support bars  12  suitable for welding for attaching the bar  12  to the top portion of post  16  at end face  16   a .  FIG. 5   b  shows how the bottom bar  14  is attached typically to vertical post  16 . The bottom bar  14  has a cut recessed portion  14   c , which is a rectangular cutout portion from the bar  14  to allow the bar  14  to be welded along points  14   w  at the top and bottom of the bar to the post  16  exterior surface. This is different than the attachment to the top bar  12  to post  16  as shown in  FIG. 5   a . The vertical picket  18  end would fit within channel  14   a  along the bottom bar  14 . By cutting out a rectangular segment along the length of bar  14  that fits the width of post  16 , there is a snug fit in conjunction with the weld points  14   w  to rigidly hold the bar  14  and support the entire unit to post  16 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 7 , the snap-in spacer plug  22  is shown mounted between pickets  18  with respect to the upper bar  12  in a typical arrangement. The top and bottom ends of each of the pickets  18  fits in the lower portion of the passage  12   a  against the tabs  12   b . The spacer plugs  22  fit snugly against each of the pickets  18  holding each picket firmly in place on each side. In this way, the pickets  18  cannot be removed from the railing. The snap-in spacer plugs  22  hold each picket  18  vertically and firmly in place at top and bottom. Note that there is no welding between the pickets  18  and the top bar  12  and the bottom bar  14  (except the outermost end pickets) and the spacer plugs  22 . Spacer bar flange  22   a  engages tabs  12   b  and wall segment  12  cc that retains and interlocks snap-in spacer bar  22  in place in inner channel  12   d.    
   The method of assembling the railing  10  without having to weld the pickets  18  to the top and bottom bars  12  and  14  while still maintaining the pickets  18  spaced apart rigidly in an integral unit greatly increases strength and reduces the cost of the manufacture of the railing while maintaining a rigid structure. The structural integrity of the railing and safety as a guard and barrier is not sacrificed in its construction. The perpendicular end faces of the pickets engage the top and bottom bar channel walls  12   cc  while the perpendicular end faces  22   a  of spacer plugs  22  engage the sides of pickets  18 , firmly holding all of the pieces in place. 
     FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  show an alternate embodiment of the invention. The railing  100  as shown in  FIG. 8   a  is mounted on an earth incline relative to gravity and a plumb line (such as a hill) that may have an angle alpha relative to a flat (perpendicular to a plumb line) area. In this case the pickets  180  are mounted plumb vertically and parallel to the plumb vertical support posts  160  which would represent a plumb line relative to the ground. The configuration top support bar  120  and the bottom support bar  140  remain the same as shown in the preferred embodiment in  FIGS. 1 through 7  in terms of their cross-sectional shape and the relationship between the spacer bars and the pickets. However, to ensure a snug fit on an incline, the ends of the pickets  180 , the end face  180   a  and the bottom end face of the picket  180   a  must be angled to accommodate fitting snugly in the bar channel  120  for receiving the pickets. Also, spacer bars  220  have their end faces  220   a  cut at an angle alpha to properly engage the sides of each picket  180  for a flush engagement as shown in  FIG. 8   a . Thus in the method employed as shown in  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b , once the angle of incline is determined, then the end faces  180   a  of the pickets  180  are cut at a similar angle so that the pickets fit in the top and bottom support bar  120  and 140 channels. Also the spacer plug end faces  220   a  are cut at the same angle that is necessary to ensure snug engagement against adjacent pickets  180  to keep them firmly in place. The spacer bar lengths can be individually cut in length of different lengths for a “custom fit” to space the pickets at different distances apart in the same railing. 
   The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4