AU2007202807B1

AU2007202807B1 - Tube Fixing System for Handrails

Info

Publication number: AU2007202807B1
Application number: AU2007202807A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter David Gurr; Adrian Willem de Brey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-06-16
Filing date: 2007-06-16
Publication date: 2008-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 2027-06-16

Description

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STube Fixing System For Hand Rails c-I SField of the Invention.

This invention is directed to a fastening system to enable balustrades to be quickly and easily fixed in place. The invention is particularly directed to a simple two-part fastening system Sdesigned particularly for balustrades which comprise rigid (usually metal) rods or tubes.

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cI Background Art.

The term "balustrades" is meant to include the railings at the side of a staircase or a balcony or something similar to prevent people from falling. The balustrades usually comprise a top handrail and a number of balusters. In the past, these balusters were typically made from ornately carved wood, plaster, and the like. More recently, the balusters have been made of metal rod or metal tube and even more recently it is known to make the balusters from stainless steel wire.

The term "baluster" is less frequently used nowadays.

The balusters may be positioned vertically, horizontally, or at an angle, and may be straight, curved or have quite fancy shapes.

Nowadays, the terms "wire", "rail", "post" and "rod" are often used instead of the term baluster.

The present invention is particularly directed to a simple yet highly effective fastening system to fasten rigid rods or tubes to upright members (if the rods or tubes are substantially horizontal) or to horizontal/ angled support members a top handrail) if the rods or tubes are positioned in a substantially vertical or angled manner.

Previously, fastening rods or tubes to form a balustrade has been time-consuming. It should be appreciated that for large jobs there may be up to 100 or even more rods or tubes that need to be attached.

A difficulty with the use of rigid rods or tubes (as opposed to stainless steel wires) is that the rod or tube needs to be cut to the exact length such that it can be attached at each end to a IND support member. If the rod is too long, it needs to be re-cut, or if it is forced into position, it can buckle. Conversely, if the rod is not long enough, there will be a gap between the end of the rod and a support member which will need to be packed.

00 C It is also desirable that a damaged rod or tube can be removed and replaced in a simple C manner and without needing to totally remove the fastener from the support member. To explain, the rod or tube is usually provided with an end fastener which is screwed into the Nl support member (which may be wood or metal or something else) or riveted into the support member (for hollow metal support members) or even spot welded to the support member (for thick steel support members). Total removal of the end fastener to enable a damaged rod or tube to be replaced will usually damage the support member and make it difficult and timeconsuming to reattach the end fastener.

Another time-consuming step in attachment of elongate rigid members tubes or rods) as part of balustrading is to make sure that the rigid members are attached to each end support post in such a manner that the rigid members are spaced apart evenly and are parallel relative 2 0 to each other. Therefore, it is extremely important that the rigid members are attached to the end support posts in exactly the correct position. It is difficult to do this if it is necessary to support the elongate rigid member while attaching the elongate rigid member to the support post.

Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a fixing system and particularly a fastener assembly that could be used for rigid rods or tubes and where the fastener assembly was simple and quick to use, and which would at least partially overcome some of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

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SObject of the Invention.

SIt is an object of the invention to provide a fixing system for hand rails and particularly a Sfixing system to enable rigid members rods and tubes) to be fixed in place.

In one form, the invention resides in a fastening assembly for balustrading and to enable rigid Smembers to be attached to a support member, the fastening assembly comprising a first part 00 and a second part which are separate to each other, the first part being attachable to the support member, a said rigid member being attachable to the second part, the first part and a second part being attachable to each other.

t(-I The rigid members may comprise rods or tubes or other members that are used in balustrading. The rigid members may therefore comprise solid bars, solid cylindrical rods, rigid elongate plates/strips, hollow tubes, elongate members that may be partially hollow, elongate members that may be substantially solid but which may contain openings, and the like.

These rigid members will typically be made of metal such as steel or aluminium and may be treated to reduce corrosion, anodised, galvanised, painted, powder coated, chromed, highly polished and the like.

The fastening assembly can also be used in respect of infill panels that are used in balustrading, as long as the panels contain elongate extending portions that can comprise the "rigid members" and which can be attached to a port via fastening assembly of the invention.

Thus, it is envisaged that the fastening assembly may be suitable for infill panels containing extending fingers/pins etc to which the fastening assembly can be attached.

In this manner, rather than the rigid elongate member rod, a tube etc) containing an end fixing which is attached to the support member, the elongate member is attached to the second part of a fastening assembly and the first part of the fastening assembly is attached to the support member vertical post, horizontal handrail etc). When the second part of the fastening assembly is attached to the first part of the fastening assembly, the baluster is fixed in position.

This makes assembly much quicker and easier as it is now only necessary to ensure that the first part of the fastening assembly is attached in exactly the correct position to the support member and it is not necessary to support or otherwise hold the rigid elongate member while doing so.

It is envisaged that the first step will be marking out exactly where the first part of the 00 fastening assembly will be positioned and then initially attaching all the first parts to the support post. Once all the first parts are in place, the tube/rod can be fitted to the second part and the first part and the second part can be attached. Of course, it is not essential that the Cl assembly of the balustrading follows these exact steps.

If a particular elongate rigid member is damaged either during assembly or afterwards, it can be quite easily removed simply by detaching the second part from the first part, and fitting a fresh elongate member to the second part and re-attaching the second part to the first part.

Also, it is no longer a requirement to precisely cut each elongate member exactly to length, as the second part of the fastening assembly can accommodate some variation in length of each elongate member.

The fastening assembly can be used to fasten vertical elongate members to a top rail and a bottom rail, or to fasten horizontal elongate members to post members and the like.

The length of each elongate member may vary and will depend on the size and strength of the elongate member. There may also be regulations that set the distance between posts, and therefore the length of the elongate members. The diameter/cross-section size of each elongate member may vary to suit. It is envisaged that if the elongate member comprises a solid rod, the diameter will be about 10 mm. Of course, it is not envisaged that the invention should be limited only to this type of elongate member.

It is envisaged that the balustrading may comprise a number of vertical posts with the elongate members being attached to each end post using the fastening assembly and extending through each intermediate post by forming an opening through each intermediate post through which the elongate member can pass.

The first part of the fastening assembly is designed to be attached (typically permanently) to a support member. The support member may comprise a vertical post (wood, metal etc) or an upper or lower rail (wood, metal, etc). The attachment of the first part to the support member may be by any suitable means. It is however envisaged that the attachment will be relatively simple and straightforward and it is therefore envisaged that a fastener such as a screw will be CI used to attach the first part to be support member.

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The first part will therefore typically contain a means to accommodate a fastener and in a C, simple version the first part may contain an opening through which the screw can pass to attach the first part to the support member.

There may be circumstances where it is desirable to use more than one fastener to attach the first part to be support member.

There may be circumstances where the first part can be attached to the support member using something other than the screw and this may include a nail, a bolt, adhesive, spot welding and the like.

The vast majority of balustrading however is of the type where a screw can be used to secure the first part to the support member (the screw may comprise a wood screw or a metal screw which are quite conventional).

The first part may comprise a main body portion having a rear end and a front end with the rear end being attached to or facing the support member. A passageway or opening may extend into or through the main body portion to allow a fastener to attach the first part to the support member. It is particularly preferred that the passageway extends entirely through the main body portion from the front end to the rear end.

The passageway may comprise a larger passageway adjacent the front end of the main body portion and a smaller passageway adjacent the rear end of the main body portion. A fastener screw) can be attached to a driver bit and inserted through the larger passageway and

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into the smaller passageway to attach the first part to the support member to the post.

The passageway may be tapered between the larger passageway and a smaller passageway to accommodate the screw head.

The size or diameter of the smaller passageway should be sufficient to allow a fastener to pass through the passageway to attach the second part to the support member. Thus, the size of the 00 lsmaller passageway will depend on the size of the fastener but it is envisaged that the size "l will be about 3-5 mm.

The size or diameter of the larger passageway may be between 5-50 mm and typically about mm.

The larger passageway will typically be round as this type of shape can easily be machined, but there may be circumstances where the shape of the passageway is other than round.

The length of the first part may vary depending on the robustness that is required of the fastening assembly or whether it is desired that the fastening assembly is discreet in appearance. For most situations, it is envisaged that the first part will have a length of between 10-100 mm and typically between 10-40 mm and preferably about 20 mm.

The width or diameter of the first part may vary. If the first part is substantially cylindrical, the maximum diameter may be between 10-50 mm and typically about 20 mm. However, the first part need not be cylindrical and may be square, rectangular, oval, or have different shapes.

The rear end of the first part may be angled to accommodate an angled support member. For instance, if the fastening assembly is used on a hand rail and the rigid members are arranged substantially vertically, and the hand rail is inclined a hand rail of a staircase), the rear end of the first part will be angled to ensure that the rigid members remain vertical.

The first part may have a mounting plate to mount it to the post.

The first part is attachable to the second part and it is preferred that the attachment is of the C'l type where, if necessary, the first part and the second part can be detached. Thus, the first part and the second part may be threadingly engageable to each other and therefore the first Cpart may comprise a male or female thread, and the second part may comprise a female or male thread which mates with the thread on the first part.

It is envisaged that the first part will comprise a male thread and the second part will comprise C a female thread.

Cl The second part will typically comprise a main body portion. The main body portion may be C made of any suitable material such as metal. The length of the main body portion may vary depending on the aesthetics of the fastening assembly that is required and the robustness of the fastening assembly. It is envisaged that the main body portion will have a length of between 30 200 mm and typically between 40-100 mm and preferably about 55 mm. The diameter or cross-section size of the main body portion may vary between 10-100 mm and typically between 10-50 mm and preferably about 20 mm.

The second part may have an outer shape which is aesthetically pleasing and it is envisaged that the outer shape will be somewhat cylindrical or rounded.

The second part will typically have a front end and a rear end. The front end, in use, will extend towards the first part and, in most cases, it is envisaged that the front end will contain a thread to mate with the first part thereby enabling the first part and the second part to be attached to each other.

The second part will typically contain a passageway extending therethrough. The size and shape of the passageway is such that at least part of the passageway from the rear end of the second part can accommodate an end portion of the rigid member the rod or tube). Thus, it is envisaged that the passageway will typically be cylindrical and will have a diameter of between 5-30 mm and typically about 10 mm.

In an embodiment, the front end of the second part contains a larger diameter passageway formed with internal threads to threadingly engage with the male threads of the first part.

However, it is also envisaged that the first part and second part can be attached to each other Sby some other means. For instance, the attachment may be some form of push lock Sattachment where one or both parts are formed with teeth, ridges, projections, etc which can lock against each other as the two parts are pushed together. It is also envisaged that the first part and the second part can be attached to each other using a twist lock type arrangement.

O This may comprise a "bayonet" type locking or something similar.

00 The second part may contain a locking means to lock the elongate member (for instance a tube or rod) into the passageway to prevent sideways movement or rattling of the elongate (member relative to the second part. It is envisaged that the locking means may comprise something simple like a small grub screw or a number of such screws. Alternatively, the passageway may be provided with a nylon or other type of O-ring which will grip the elongate member in the passageway. It is also envisaged that the passageway and the elongate member may form a tight friction fit, or that curable putty or sealant is provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which:.

Figure 1. Illustrates the fastening assembly in use.

Figure 2. Illustrates the fastening assembly in use and particularly illustrating four horizontal rigid members attached to a vertical support member using four fastening assemblies.

Figure 3. Illustrates the two-part fastening assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4. Illustrates the first part of the fastening assembly according to a preferred C'l embodiment.

SFigures 5 6. Illustrate alternative preferred embodiments of the first part.

Figure 7. Illustrates the second part of the fastening system according to a preferred Sembodiment.

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Figures 8-9. Illustrate alternative preferred embodiments of the second part.

C'l Best Mode.

Referring to the various illustrations, there is described a fastening assembly 10 for balustrading and to enable rigid members 11 to be attached to a support member 12, the fastening assembly 10 comprising a first part 13 and a second part 14 which are separate to each other, the first part being attachable to the support member 12, a said rigid member 11 being attachable to the second part 14, the first part 13 and a second part 14 being attachable to each other.

Referring specifically to figure 3, first part 13 can be made of polished steel (but not limited thereto) and comprises a main body portion 15 having a substantially cylindrical outer wall and having a diameter of about 15 or 20 mm. The main body portion 15 has a rear end 16 and a front end 17. The rear end 16 butts against the support member 12 this being best illustrated in figure 1. The front end 17 contains an externally threaded portion 18 to enable the first part 13 to be attached to the second part 14 which will be described in greater detail below.

A passageway 19 extends through the first part 13 and through the front end 17 and the rear end 16. The passageway is better illustrated in figure 4, figure 5 and figure 6 and comprises a larger passageway 20 which is adjacent the front end 17 of the first part and which has a diameter of about 10 mm and which tapers towards a smaller passageway 21 which is adjacent the rear end 16 and which has a diameter of about 3 mm.

SThe first part 13 can be quickly attached to the support member 12 (see figure 1 and figure 2) by passing a screw (not illustrated) through the larger passageway and into the smaller Spassageway and to screw into the support member 12. This enables the first part to be attached to the support member in a concealed manner. The screw head can be accommodated in the tapered portion that extends between the larger passageway 20 and a smaller passageway 21 (see for instance figure 4, figure 5 and figure 6).

00 cFigure 4 particularly illustrates a standard mounting base (the mounting base being the first C part 13).

C) (Figure 5 illustrates a stringer mounting base where the rear end 16 is angled to allow it to be attached to an angled handrail (or base rail) such that the rigid members 11 remain vertical.

Figure 6 illustrates a standard hex sided mounting base.

Referring now to the second part 14, the second part comprises an elongate polished steel main body portion 22 having a front end 23 and a rear end 24 (see for instance figure The main body portion 22 in the particular embodiment has a length of about 50 to 60 mm and while being tapered somewhat, has an external diameter of between 15 to 20 mm. Of course, this is according to a non limiting embodiment of the invention only.

The second part 14 also contains a through passageway 25 which is best illustrated in figure 7, figure 8 and figure 9. The passageway extends from front end 23 to rear end 24. The passageway has a diameter of about 10 mm in the rear end portion 24 of the second part 14 and opens up into a larger passageway 26 which has a diameter of about 15 mm and which contains internal threads (not illustrated).

This enables the second part 14 to be threadingly attached to the threads 18 of the first part 13 and, when attached, the fastening assembly is as illustrated in figure 1 and figure 2.

Figure 7 illustrates the second part 14 having a tapered end or nose portion.

Figure 8 illustrates the second part 14 having a round end or nose portion.

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Figure 9. Illustrates the second part 14 having a tapered square end or nose portion.

SA solid bar or tube (rigid member 11) can pass into the passageway 25 and through the rear end 24 of the second part 14. The rigid member 11 can then be locked in place using a N locking means which in the particular embodiment comprises a small grub screw 27 which is Sillustrated in figure 7, figure 8 and figure 9. It is also envisaged that the grub screw could be Cl replaced and glue or something else could be placed in the passageway to hold the rigid Nmember 11 against sideways movement, rotation (if the rigid member 11 is round) or rattling etc.

There are many advantages with the fastening assembly. One advantage is simplicity in use.

Rather than needing to assemble the entire rigid member 11 it is now only necessary to initially attach the first part 13 to the support member 12 without needing to touch or attach any rigid member at this stage. Once first part 13 is in place on each support member 12, the rigid member II can be pushed into the passageway on the second part 14 and the second part can be threaded onto the first part. At some stage, the small grub screw 27 can be fitted to lock the rigid member 11 in place against the second part.

The system is easy enough to be used by the do-it-yourself person, the home handyman and also attractive to professional builders.

The system is particularly suited for balustrading but it is envisaged that there may be other circumstances where the fastening assembly can be used to attach a rigid rod or something similar to a post, and a rail or something similar.

Throughout the specification and the claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the 12 Srange qualified by the terms.

Any embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative only and is not meant to be IClimiting to the invention Therefore, it should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

00 l June 16, 2007

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Claims

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first part and the second part threadingly engageable to each other.
3. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part has a main body portion formed with a rear end and a front end, and a passageway extending through the main body portion and from the rear end to the front end, the passageway adapted to enable a fastener to extend through the passageway to attach the first part to the support member.
4. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the first part is substantially as illustrated in figure 1, figure 2, figure 3, figure 4, figure 5 or figure 6. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the second part comprises a main body portion having a front end and a rear end and a passageway extending through the main body portion and from the front end to the rear end, the passageway in the rear end portion being configured to accommodate part of the rigid member.
6. The assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the passageway in the front end portion of the second part contains internal threads adapted to threadingly engage with the first part. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the 14 O second part is substantially as illustrated in figure 1, figure 2, figure 3, figure'7, figure 8 or figure 9.
8. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the rigid member comprises a solid bar or a hollow rod. 00 9. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the Ssupport member comprises a vertical post made of wood or metal.
10. The assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rigid member is substantially horizontal in use.
11. The assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the rigid member is substantially vertical in use.
12. Balustrading containing at least one fastening assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.
13. A fastening assembly substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the illustrations. DATED: 14 November 2007