VERTICAL RAILING

Abstract

A railing system is depicted that includes a top rail, a spacer positioned adjacent the top rail, a bracket configured to be connected to a support post, a cross-pin configured to secure the spacer to the support post, a bottom rail, and a plurality of balusters extending between the top rail and the bottom rail.

Claims

1. A railing system comprising: a top rail; a spacer positioned adjacent the top rail, wherein the spacer has a pair of aligned apertures; a bracket configured to be connected to a support post, wherein the bracket has a pair of aligned apertures; a cross-pin configured to be received in the aligned apertures of the spacer and the aligned apertures of the bracket; a bottom rail; and a plurality of balusters extending between the top rail and the bottom rail.

2. The railing system of claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of apertures configured to receive upper ends of the plurality of balusters.

3. The railing system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of apertures in the spacer includes a projection configured to engage a corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters.

4. The railing system of claim 3, wherein the projection comprises a circular head portion connected to a linear body portion.

5. The railing system of claim 4, wherein the corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters comprises a wider portion configured to receive the circular head portion and a narrow portion configured to engage the linear body portion.

6. The railing system of claim 1, wherein the bracket comprises a pair of upwardly extending flanges and the spacer comprises a pair of receiving channels configured to receive the upwardly extending flanges.

7. The railing system of claim 1, wherein the bottom rail comprises a plurality of holes configured to receive lower ends of the plurality of balusters.

8. A method of assembling a railing system, comprising: positioning a bottom rail between two support posts; inserting a plurality of balusters into the bottom rail; placing a spacer adjacent upper ends of the balusters, wherein the spacer has a pair of aligned apertures; attaching a bracket to each support post, wherein each bracket has a pair of aligned apertures; and inserting a cross-pin through the aligned apertures of the spacer and the aligned apertures of the brackets.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising engaging projections in apertures of the spacer with corresponding channels in the upper ends of the balusters.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the projections comprise circular head portions connected to linear body portions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the corresponding channels in the upper ends of the balusters comprise wider portions configured to receive the circular head portions and narrow portions configured to engage the linear body portions.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein attaching the bracket to each support post comprises inserting upwardly extending flanges of the bracket into receiving channels of the spacer.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising positioning a top rail over the spacer after inserting the cross-pin.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein positioning the top rail comprises attaching the top rail to the spacer with a friction fit.

15. A railing panel comprising: a bottom rail; a plurality of balusters extending upwardly from the bottom rail; and a spacer positioned adjacent upper ends of the balusters, wherein the spacer includes a pair of aligned apertures configured to receive a cross-pin for securing the railing panel to support posts.

16. The railing panel of claim 15, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of apertures configured to receive the upper ends of the balusters.

17. The railing panel of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of apertures in the spacer includes a projection configured to engage a corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters.

18. The railing panel of claim 17, wherein the projection comprises a circular head portion connected to a linear body portion.

19. The railing panel of claim 18, wherein the corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters comprises a wider portion configured to receive the circular head portion and a narrow portion configured to engage the linear body portion.

20. The railing panel of claim 15, wherein the spacer comprises a pair of receiving channels configured to engage with upwardly extending flanges of brackets attached to the support posts.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present disclosure is described in detail herein with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

[0024] FIG. 1 depicts an example of a cross-pin vertical support bracket, in accordance with exemplary aspects hereof;

[0025] FIG. 2 depicts an exploded perspective view of a vertical support bracket, in accordance with aspects hereof;

[0026] FIG. 3 depicts an exploded perspective view of a top rail, a spacer, and a bottom rail, in accordance with aspects hereof;

[0027] FIG. 4 depicts an exploded perspective view of a top spacer, a bottom rail, and a baluster, in accordance with aspects hereof;

[0028] FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a cross-section view of a baluster in engagement with the spacer, in accordance with aspects hereof;

[0029] FIG. 6 depicts an exploded perspective view of a cross-pin railing, in accordance with aspects hereof;

[0030] FIG. 7 depicts an exploded perspective view of a bracket and a cross-pin, in accordance with aspects hereof; and

[0031] FIG. 8 depicts an exploded perspective view of a cross-pin railing, in accordance with exemplary aspects hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Aspects hereof provide apparatuses, systems, and/or methods directed to a cross-pin railing structure. Specifically, a vertical railing comprises a top rail, a bottom rail, a spacer, and a plurality of balusters extending between the top rail and the bottom rail. The balusters are loaded into the structure by first positioning each baluster to a securing structure on the bottom rail. The spacer is positioned adjacent to the upper ends of the balusters and between vertical support posts. A bracket is attached to the support posts and has aligned apertures formed therein. The spacer also has aligned apertures formed therein. The aligned apertures of the bracket are aligned with the aligned apertures of the spacer. In this construction, a single cross-pin can be used to secure the spacer to the bracket.

[0033] Installation of traditional vertical railing is a labor-intensive process that includes initially mounting a bottom rail between two post members or other structures. The bottom rail typically has holes precut therein to receive the balusters. After the bottom rail is installed, the individual balusters are positioned in the holes on the bottom rail. The top rail is then positioned above the upper ends of the balusters positioned on the bottom rail. The top rail also has precut holes therein that will receive the top ends of the balusters. The top ends of the balusters will have to be aligned with the holes in the top rail as the top rail is put in place between the post members. The balusters during this process are often not maintained in exact vertical position and may in essence flop around in the holes on the bottom rail. This makes positioning the top rail difficult and labor-intensive, often requiring two people to do the installation. The above type of installation is referred to as a stick build type installation. Another type of traditional installation is a lay flat or a prebuilt installation where the balusters are positioned between a top and bottom member or rail and secured thereto, before the railing section is positioned between the vertical posts. This is also a labor-intensive process where the entire railing framework needs to be lifted into place and secured to the posts. This can be particularly unwieldy as the rail sections can be anywhere from 6 to 10 feet long.

[0034] Aspects herein contemplate a vertical railing including a top rail, a bottom rail, a spacer, and a plurality of balusters extending between the top rail and the bottom rail. The balusters are loaded into the structure by first positioning each baluster to a securing structure on the bottom rail. The spacer is positioned adjacent to the upper ends of the balusters and between vertical support posts. A bracket is attached to the support posts and has aligned apertures formed therein. The spacer also has aligned apertures formed therein. The aligned apertures of the bracket are aligned with the aligned apertures of the spacer. In this construction, a single cross-pin can be used to secure the spacer to the bracket.

[0035] The provision of the cross-pin aids the ease of construction of the vertical railing. A single individual can install the bottom rail and the spacer between the corresponding vertical posts. The railing system can be assembled in place, and then a single pin can be used to hold the whole structure together and secure it to the vertical support members.

[0036] The aspects contemplated will be discussed in greater detail and with respect to the figures.

[0037] Turning to FIGS. 1-8, the figures depict an example of a vertical railing system 100 in accordance with aspects hereof. Railing system 100 is comprised of a top rail 102, a plurality of balusters 104 and 106, and a bottom rail 108. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the railing system 100 can include a spacer 110 that is used to mount and maintain the balusters 104, 106 in their vertical positions. Spacer 110 is attached to and extends between the vertical posts 112, 114. Spacer 110 is attached to posts 112, 114 by a cross-pin bracket 116. The cross-pin bracket 116 includes a pair of holes 117 formed therein, and for attaching the bracket 116 to the support posts 112, 114. Any suitable fastener can be used for this connection, such as a screw, nail, or bolt. The bracket 116 also includes a pair of horizontally aligned apertures 118 for receiving a cross-pin 119, as will be more fully described below. The bottom rail 108 also can be connected to the posts 112 and 114 via, for example, the brackets 116, as will be more fully described below. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom rail 108 can have a plurality of horizontally spaced holes 120 extending along a bottom rail top surface 122. The holes 120 correspond to the laterally spaced locations of the balusters 104, 106 and are configured to receive the lower ends 123 of the balusters 104, 106. The bottom rail 108 can be constructed with additional support base rail 109.

[0038] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, one spacer 110 is described. Spacer 110 includes a bottom wall 130, a first vertical sidewall 132, and a second vertical sidewall 134. With reference to FIG. 3, the first vertical sidewall 132 and the second vertical sidewall 134 each have an overlapping section (e.g., sections 136, 138). The sections 136, 138 are joined by a fold line 140. Sections 136, 138 form channel 142 that is configured to receive flange portions 144 of bracket 116. Sections 136, 138 also have aligned apertures 146 that are aligned with the apertures 118 of the bracket 116 when the flange portions 144 of the brackets 116 are positioned in channels 142. The cross-pin 119 is received in aligned apertures 146 and aligned apertures 118. Spacer 110 can be made of a semi-rigid material such that the first vertical sidewall 132 and the second vertical sidewall 134 can be compressed toward each other to aid in securement to the vertical posts 112, 114. This can be done by any suitable nut or fastener structure (not shown) that can be positioned on the ends of the cross-pin 119. Spacer 110 has a plurality of apertures 150 formed therein to receive the upper ends 152 of the balusters 104, 106. Each aperture 150 has projection 154 associated with the aperture 150.

[0039] With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the figures illustrate a cross-sectional depiction of two example head portion and rail engagements according to various embodiments. In particular, in FIG. 5A, the projection 154 includes a circular head portion 156 and a linear body portion 158. Projection 154 can be formed with the bottom wall 130 of the spacer 110. The projection 154 is configured to engage a corresponding channel in the balusters 104, 106. The channel includes a wider portion 162 and narrow portion 164. The wider portion 162 is adapted to receive circular head portion 156 of projection 154. The narrow portion 164 is configured to engage the linear body portion of 158 of projection 154.

[0040] Turning to FIG. 5B, the bottom wall 130 includes a truncated triangular head portion 170 that engages with a corresponding channel in the baluster (e.g., 104, 106). The channel includes wider portion 172 and narrow portion 174. The wider portion 172 is adapted to receive the truncated triangular head portion 170 of the projection from the bottom wall 130. The narrower portion 174 is configured to deflect during baluster insertion and entrap the triangular head portion 170.

[0041] Once the lower ends 123 of the balusters 104, 106 are positioned in the holes 120 of the bottom rail 108 and the spacer 110 is positioned on top of the upper ends 152 of the balusters 104, 106 such that the projections 154 are received in the baluster channels, the cross-pin 119 is used to secure all the structures in place. The flange portions 144 of bracket 116 are positioned in channels 142 of spacer 110, and apertures 118 of bracket 116 are aligned with the apertures 146 of spacer 110. Thereafter, the cross-pin 119 is positioned through the apertures 118 and the apertures 146. The cross-pin 119 can have threads on either or both ends to receive a nut. Thus, the cross-pin 119 can be secured in place to secure the spacer 110 to the bracket 116 and thus the posts 112, 114.

[0042] With reference to FIG. 3, after the bottom rail 108, the balusters 104, 106, and the spacer 110 are secured in place by the cross-pin 119, the top rail 102 is positioned over the spacer 110 to provide a smooth upper surface for the railing. The top rail 102 can be attached to the spacer 110 in any suitable manner, for instance with a friction fit or snap fit or with a suitable fastener.

[0043] With reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, a panel 160 can be prebuilt with the spacer 110, the balusters 104, 106, and the bottom rail 108. This prebuilt panel can then be attached to the posts 112, 114 via the bracket 116, the base rail 109 of the bottom rail 108, and the cross-pin 119. Thereafter, a top rail 102 can be positioned over spacer 110 of panel 160. Still further, the panel 160 can be formed as a single piece via stamping or molding. Panel 160 can then be attached to the support posts 112, 114 via the brackets 116, the base rail 109, and the cross-pin 119. A top rail 102 can then be positioned on spacer 110.

[0044] Continuing, the top rail 102, the bottom rail 108, and the balusters 104, 106 may be formed from any materials, such as aluminum, steel, wood, or any sort of plastic (e.g., polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, acrylic, and so forth). The rails and balusters may have any cross-section shape. For example, in some aspects the rails have a U cross-section shape, an H cross-section shape, a T cross-section shape, and the like. The balusters can also have any cross-section shape such as rectangular, circular, or oval. The rails and balusters may be any length (e.g., 4 feet (ft.) to 8 ft.). For example, the rails may come in standard lengths, such as 2 ft., 3 ft., 4 ft., 5 ft., 6 ft., 7 ft., 8 ft., 10 ft., 12 ft., or the like.

[0045] From the foregoing, it will be seen that this disclosure is one well-adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious, and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

[0046] While specific elements and steps are discussed in connection to one another, it is understood that any element and/or steps provided herein are contemplated as being combinable with any other elements and/or steps regardless of explicit provision of the same while still being within the scope provided herein. Since many possible embodiments may be made of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

[0047] As used herein and in connection with the claims listed hereinafter, the terminology any of clauses or similar variations of said terminology are intended to be interpreted such that features of claims/clauses may be combined in any combination. For example, an exemplary clause 4 may indicate the method/apparatus of any of clauses 1 through 3, which is intended to be interpreted such that features of clause 1 and clause 4 may be combined, elements of clause 2 and clause 4 may be combined, elements of clause 3 and 4 may be combined, elements of clauses 1, 2, and 4 may be combined, elements of clauses 2, 3, and 4 may be combined, elements of clauses 1, 2, 3, and 4 may be combined, and/or other variations. Further, the terminology any of clauses or similar variations of said terminology are intended to include any one of clauses or other variations of such terminology, as indicated by some of the examples provided above.

[0048] Clause 1. A railing system comprising: a top rail; a spacer positioned adjacent the top rail, wherein the spacer has a pair of aligned apertures; a bracket configured to be connected to a support post, wherein the bracket has a pair of aligned apertures; a cross-pin configured to be received in the aligned apertures of the spacer and the aligned apertures of the bracket; a bottom rail; and a plurality of balusters extending between the top rail and the bottom rail.

[0049] Clause 2. The railing system of clause 1, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of apertures configured to receive upper ends of the plurality of balusters.

[0050] Clause 3. The railing system of clause 2, wherein each of the plurality of apertures in the spacer includes a projection configured to engage a corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters.

[0051] Clause 4. The railing system of clause 3, wherein the projection comprises a circular head portion connected to a linear body portion.

[0052] Clause 5. The railing system of clause 4, wherein the corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters comprises a wider portion configured to receive the circular head portion and a narrow portion configured to engage the linear body portion.

[0053] Clause 6. The railing system of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the bracket comprises a pair of upwardly extending flanges and the spacer comprises a pair of receiving channels configured to receive the upwardly extending flanges.

[0054] Clause 7. The railing system of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the bottom rail comprises a plurality of holes configured to receive lower ends of the plurality of balusters.

[0055] Clause 8. A method of assembling a railing system, comprising: positioning a bottom rail between two support posts; inserting a plurality of balusters into the bottom rail; placing a spacer adjacent upper ends of the balusters, wherein the spacer has a pair of aligned apertures; attaching a bracket to each support post, wherein each bracket has a pair of aligned apertures; and inserting a cross-pin through the aligned apertures of the spacer and the aligned apertures of the brackets.

[0056] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, further comprising engaging projections in apertures of the spacer with corresponding channels in the upper ends of the balusters.

[0057] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the projections comprise circular head portions connected to linear body portions.

[0058] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein the corresponding channels in the upper ends of the balusters comprise wider portions configured to receive the circular head portions and narrow portions configured to engage the linear body portions.

[0059] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 8-11, wherein attaching the bracket to each support post comprises inserting upwardly extending flanges of the bracket into receiving channels of the spacer.

[0060] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 8-12, further comprising positioning a top rail over the spacer after inserting the cross-pin.

[0061] Clause 14. The method of clause 13, wherein positioning the top rail comprises attaching the top rail to the spacer with a friction fit.

[0062] Clause 15. A railing panel comprising: a bottom rail; a plurality of balusters extending upwardly from the bottom rail; and a spacer positioned adjacent upper ends of the balusters, wherein the spacer includes a pair of aligned apertures configured to receive a cross-pin for securing the railing panel to support posts.

[0063] Clause 16. The railing panel of clause 15, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of apertures configured to receive the upper ends of the balusters.

[0064] Clause 17. The railing panel of clause 16, wherein each of the plurality of apertures in the spacer includes a projection configured to engage a corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters.

[0065] Clause 18. The railing panel of clause 17, wherein the projection comprises a circular head portion connected to a linear body portion.

[0066] Clause 19. The railing panel of clause 18, wherein the corresponding channel in the upper ends of the balusters comprises a wider portion configured to receive the circular head portion and a narrow portion configured to engage the linear body portion.

[0067] Clause 20. The railing panel of any of clauses 15-19, wherein the spacer comprises a pair of receiving channels configured to engage with upwardly extending flanges of brackets attached to the support posts.