Patent ID: 8056885

Claim:
A railing system, comprising: a set of vertically disposed baluster assemblies, each of the baluster assemblies comprising: a base member having an upper surface defining a pair of opposing upper insert bores extending downwardly therein and defining a given shape; a pair of opposing vertical plates, each of the pair of plates having: a bottom portion with a shape substantially equal to the given shape to fit within a respective one of the upper insert bores; and a plurality of throughbores defining opposing throughbore pairs within the pair of plates when the bottom portions of the pair of plates reside in the upper insert bores ; and a number of insert members equal to the number of the pairs of the throughbores, each of the insert members: having a member throughbore with a given cross-section; and shaped to insert between and within each of the pairs of opposing throughbores of the opposing plates such that, when the insert members are disposed between the pair of plates and the plates are inserted in the upper insert bores of the base member, each of the insert members rotatably moves therewithin; and a plurality of railing members having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the given crosssection such that, when the base members are fixed at an installation location with each one of the base members being a distance away from at least one adjacent other one of the base members and the insert members are disposed between the pair of plates and the plates are inserted in the upper insert bores of the base members, each railing member passes, in a lonsitudinal direction of the railing member, first through an opposing throughbore of a first one of the opposing vertical plates in the pair of vertical plates, second through the member throughbore of one of the insert members, and, third, through an opposing throughbore of a second one of the opposing vertical plates in the pair of opposing vertical plates in at least two of the baluster assemblies, where the insert members pivot to align the member throughbores at an angle from horizontal that is dependent upon a vertical difference of adjacent ones of the fixed base members.