Abstract:
An ornamental guardrail system that has an improved base assembly, which allows water and debris to escape from the deck surface. The system uses a mounting arrangement that supports the glass panels above the surface of the deck without using full-height posts. This mounting arrangement makes a structural glass railing useful in many types of construction projects that require the surface water to sheet flow under the railing system, or to achieve a certain visual style.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the invention 
   This invention relates to a building construction for mounting vertical panels, and relates specifically to a structural glass guardrail system for use on interior and exterior balconies, decks, walkways, landings, and stairways. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Glass panel railing systems that utilize thick, glass panels as the sole vertical support are widely used as guardrails and handrails in the construction of commercial and residential building structures. These systems are typically found on elevated surfaces, acting as functional and aesthetically pleasing guardrails. Moreover, structural glass railing systems are preferred by many over other systems utilizing vertical support posts because they present much less obstruction to the visual field. Additionally, structural glass railing systems have less exposed metal in the system, which serves to lower the amount of maintenance associated with the railing. 
   The base of such systems are typically found in interior applications and mounted directly to the substrate. One example of such a glass guardrail is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,643. This patent discloses a glass guardrail in which the panels are secured directly to the floor structure. Because the base is mounted as a continuous run to the substrate, it acts as a dam that blocks the flow of water when it is installed on an exterior deck, balcony, or landing surface. Consequently, prior art systems such as these are mostly utilized in interior applications where drainage is not an issue. 
   Designs have been developed that elevate the panels above the ground surface. Examples of these can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,155,540 and 4,690,383. In both of these cases, vertical posts are used to either hold the glass panels directly or to support a top rail that carries the panels. In both cases, the glass panels are positioned above the ground surface. However, in both cases, a full height vertical post is used for support. These posts do form part of the design, but act as visual breaks in the otherwise glass wall. Although these designs do eliminate the damming problem, they do so at the cost of a different visual presentation. 
   A need therefore exists for a means of suspending the base extrusion above the deck surface, allowing the water and other debris to be evacuated under the railing, and thus creating a system that is applicable to a wide range of exterior applications and that provides a better visual presentation. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The instant invention is an improved apparatus for mounting structural glass panel railing for use as guardrails and handrails and the like. The apparatus includes a base assembly with a number of spaced support posts that elevate the base above a mounting surface, without the need for full height posts. The new system provides for the evacuation of water and other debris and creates a unique visual appeal for a structure. Without this elevated base feature, typical structural glass systems would not be applicable for exterior applications where water/debris must flow under the railing system. 
   This new invention reduces the amount of components and labor associated with a typical post-supported railing. This new invention also solves the drainage problems created by the prior art systems, and allows structural glass railing to be commercially viable for exterior mounting applications. 
   The glass guardrail system comprises a series of tempered glass infill panels set in a base assembly with an adhesive. A top rail completes the design. Note that because the support posts are not full height, they do not impede the flow of the base show or top rail. Thus, one sees a solid run of rail, base shoe and glass, presenting a pleasing and clean image. Such an image was only possible before by placing the base shoe solidly against the floor surface, which impedes the flow of water as discussed above. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portion of the invention as fully assembled. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective exploded view of a section of the railing system. 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation of the glass railing system as fully assembled. 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional, partially exploded view of the railing system. 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded detail of the post and base shoe assembly. 
       FIG. 6  is an assembled detail of the post and base assembly. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective detail view of the splicing system used with the base sections. 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-section for the post member. 
       FIG. 8   a  is a top view of the post member, 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-section of the assembled post, base and glass panel. 
       FIG. 10  is an end view of the assembled post and base with an end cap in place. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the top rail splice. 
       FIG. 12  is a detail view of the railing-to splice groove of the inset  12  of  FIG. 11 . 
       FIG. 13  is a side detail view of the railing splice. 
       FIG. 13   a  is a front cross-sectional view of the rail and splice as assembled. 
       FIG. 13   b  is an inset view of the splice detail of  FIG. 13   a.    
       FIG. 14  is a perspective exploded view of the top rail end cap assembly. 
       FIG. 15  is a perspective exploded view of the base end cap assembly. 
       FIG. 16  is a detail end view of the top rail. 
       FIG. 17  is an end view of the top rail splice sleeve. 
       FIG. 18  is a front view of the rail end cap. 
       FIG. 19  is a side view of the rail end cap. 
       FIG. 20  is a cross-section of the base extrusion. 
       FIG. 21  is a sectional view of a piece of extruded rubber used to protect the glass panels in the base. 
       FIG. 22  is a sectional view of a piece of rigid PVC used to protect the glass panels in the rail. 
       FIG. 23  is a side view of a base plate. 
       FIG. 24  is a top view of the base plate. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , my new railing system  1  has a number of sub components. Details of these sub components follow the general description of the system. First, is a top rail  2  is used to secure the tops of glass panels  3 . The glass panels are typically ½-inch thick tempered glass. The bottoms of the glass panels fit into an extruded base shoe  4 . This view also shows the ends of the rail  2  and shoe  4 , which are covered with end caps  2   a  and  4   a  respectively. 
   Unlike prior art designs, there are no full height posts. Moreover, the base shoe does not rest on the finished floor either. Instead, short support posts  5  are attached to the base shoe, as discussed below. These posts are typically grouted into a concrete slab  100  that forms the base floor of the building in which the system is used. Of course if concrete is not used, the posts are secured using techniques common to that particular art. 
     FIG. 2  shows a partially exploded view of the system. Here, the components are shown in a little more detail. The top rail  2  has an interior cross-section designed to accommodate splicing of rail (discussed below) and a notch  10  designed to receive a length of rigid PVC  11  (polyvinylchloride) plastic used as a protector for the top of the sheet glass  3 . The glass sheet  3  is fitted into a slot  12  in the base shoe  4 . Note that a flexible rubber protector  13  is placed in the slot  12  to protect the bottom of the infill panel. A bolt  14  is fitted into the base shoe before the glass and rubber are inserted. The bolt secures the base shoe to the post  5 . The posts are spaced at regular intervals to give support for the rail system. Note that in the preferred embodiment, the posts are fixed into the slab  100  using a 10,000 p.s.i. grout  15 . 
     FIG. 3  shows a side view of a typical length of panel. In the preferred embodiment, the posts  5  are set at an interval determined by project-specific criteria. The posts raise the base shoe above the finished floor level to allow for drainage and to prevent damming of water or other debris within the area bounded by the railing. Note that  FIG. 3  shows a typical spacing of a ½ inch gap  16  between the glass panels  3  and that there are no full height posts in the run. 
     FIG. 4  shows an exploded end view of a typical assembly. This view shows the top rail  2  with the end cap  2   a , the glass panel  3 , the base shoe  4 , the post  5 , the grout  15 , the floor surface  100 , and the PVC and rubber protectors  11  and  13 . 
     FIG. 5  is an exploded detail of the post and base shoe assembly. In this view details of the post  5  and base shoe  4  are shown. The post  5  is an aluminum extrusion in the preferred embodiment. The post  5  has an internal structure  5   a  that is formed as part of the extrusion. The internal structure gives the post strength as well as providing a channel for the bolt  14  to keep the bolt centered in the post. The post  5  has a base washer  5   b  as shown. Note that this view also shows the securing nut  14   a  that secures the bolt  14  in place. 
     FIG. 6  is a detail view of the assembled post and base shoe assembly. Here, the glass panel  3  is shown in place along with the base protector  13 . Note that after the glass is installed in the base shoe  4  it is sealed in place with 10,000 p.s.i. grout or other suitable adhesive. This figure also shows the bolt  14 , Note that in the preferred embodiment, this bolt is a ½ inch (12 mm) diameter T-slot stainless steel bolt (available from the McMaster-Carr Company, as part no. 90321A740) or equivalent. The head of the bolt  14  has a tee head that fits into the T slot formed at the bottom of the base shoe. When the nut  14   a  is tightened, the bolt secures the base shoe to the post securely. 
     FIG. 7  is a perspective detail showing the technique used for splicing straight sections of base shoe. Here, two sections of base shoe  4  and  4 ′ are shown in alignment. Two pins  18  are used for each splice. The pins are secured in the holes  19  formed in the base shoe as shown. In the preferred embodiment, the pins are 316 alloy stainless steel dowel pins 0.250 in (6 mm) diameter by 1 inch (25 mm) long, the pins are secured in one length of base shoe, a second length of base shoe is aligned with the pins and the two lengths are pushed together until the pins are seated and the shoe sections are flush. 
     FIG. 8  is a cross-section of the post.  FIG. 8   a  is a top view of the post showing the shape and arrangement of the center extrusion. 
     FIG. 9  shows a cross-section of the base shoe and post assembly as fully assembled and installed in a finish floor. In this view, the glass panel  3  is shown in the base shoe held by grout. Note that the glass panel is typically installed after the posts have been installed on the floor. The bolt is shown in position in the base shoe. The base shoe is shown sitting on top of the post. The bolt is shown passing through the post and the bottom washer, where it is secured by the nut. Note that the washer is oversized to provide a solid grout lock. Once this is done, the entire assembly is placed in the finished floor in a grout bed. Once finished and the grout is cured, the posts and base shoe are immobile. The glass panels can then be added to finish the installation. 
     FIG. 10  is a view of the base-shoe and post assembly as set in a typical concrete slab. In this application, the slab  110  is formed with reinforcing bars  112  as normal. In the locations designated for posts, a 4-inch (100-mm) diameter, 4-inch (100-mm) deep core pocket  114  is formed in typical applications. This pocket accepts the post  5  as shown. The post is then secured in the pocket  114  by a bed of grout  15  as discussed above. Note also that this figure shows an end cap  4   a  installed on the end of the base shoe. Note that four screws  22  are used to hold the end cap  4   a  in place. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , at the top of the glass panels is a cap rail  2 . The cap rail is made of extruded aluminum. Details of the rail and splice joints are shown in  FIGS. 11–17 .  FIG. 11  shows the top rail  2  aligned with another section of rail  2 ′. A splice member  21  is shown inserted into the rail  2 . In the preferred embodiment, the splice member  21  is secured into one end of the rail with epoxy. Only one end is secured to allow for thermal expansion. As shown, the splice member  21  has two grooves  24 . These grooves are designed to fit around the extrusions  25  that are formed inside the top rail. See also  FIG. 12 , which is an inset detail of the tubing and the top rail extrusion. 
     FIG. 13  is a side view of the rail  2  and the splice  21  in place showing the splice aligned with a second piece of rail  2 ′.  FIG. 13   a  is a front cross-section showing again how the splice  21  fits around the extrusions  25 .  FIG. 13   b  is an inset view of the splice and extrusion from a front view. 
     FIG. 14  is a detail showing the end cap  2   a  aligned with the rail  2 . The end cap  2   a  is held on the rail  2  by screws  22  that pass through holes  26  formed in the end cap. The screws are screwed into the extrusions  25  that are formed in the rail  2  as discussed above. 
     FIG. 15  shows the details of the end cap  4   a  for the base shoe  4  here, four screws  22  pass through holes  27  in the end cap. The screws are screwed into sockets  19  formed in the base shoe, as discussed above. 
     FIG. 16  is a detail end view of the top rail  2 . This view shows the relative dimensions of the rail. 
     FIG. 17  is an end view of the top rail splice sleeve  21 . Again, this view shows the shape of the splice. 
     FIG. 18  is a front view of the rail end cap  2   a.    
     FIG. 19  is a side view of the rail end cap  2   a . This view shows the screw holes  26 . Note that the screw holes  26  can be countersunk, depending on the style of hardware used. 
     FIG. 20  is a cross-section of the base extrusion  4 . This view clearly shows the dimensional relationships of the structure. 
     FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional view of a piece of extruded rubber  13  used to protect the glass panels in the base. 
     FIG. 22  is a cross-sectional view of a piece of rigid PVC  11  used to protect the glass panels in the rail. 
     FIG. 23  is a side view of a base washer  5   b , showing the through hole  5   c  used for the bolt  14 . 
   Finally,  FIG. 24  is a top view of the base washer  5   b , showing the through hole  5   c  used for the bolt  14 . 
   The present disclosure should not be construed in any limited sense other than that limited by the scope of the claims having regard to the teachings herein and the prior art being apparent with the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein and which reveals details of structure of a preferred form necessary for a better understanding of the invention and may be subject to change by skilled persons within the scope of the invention without departing from the concept thereof.