Patent ID: 7234687

Claim:
A spacer block for attaching a guard rail to a post, comprising: a pair of spaced apart opposing side walls having respective first ends and second ends; a top panel disposed proximate the first end of said side walls; a bottom panel disposed proximate said second end of said side walls; said top panel, said bottom panel and said side walls forming a generally rectangular block having a first front face and a second rear face; an engagement mechanism operably coupled proximate said top panel, said engagement mechanism operable to engage said spacer block with said post, the engagement mechanism including a tab operably coupled to the top panel, the tab extending beyond the second rear face of the spacer block, at least two spaced apart fingers operably coupled proximate a distal end of the tab, the fingers extending from a bottom surface of the tab and forming a gap between the fingers and the second rear face of the spacer block, the gap between the fingers operable to engage respective sides of a web on an I-beam support post and the gap between the fingers and the second rear face of the spacer block operable to engage respective sides of a flange on the I-beam support post; at least one mounting bore extending therethrough said spacer block from said first front face to said second rear face; and an alignment mechanism operably coupled to at least one side wall.