CA2246502C - Post and rail system using extrudable plastic posts - Google Patents

Abstract

A support for a hollow post of the type used to support horizontal rails for railing or fencing systems, and having a hollow, constant cross-section, the support comprising a rigid support member, such as a steel pipe, having upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion adapted to be fixed in vertical position while the upper end portion extends within the hollow post. At least one spacer, preferably extruded from plastic material or aluminum, has a tubular portion with an inner bore sized to snugly receive the rigid support member, and has longitudinal protrusions, for example ribs, ribs projecting outwardly from the tubular portion and suitable for firm engagement within internal cavity of the post. The ribs provide clear spaces between the post wall and the tubular portion which are suitable for receiving end portions of the rails when inserted into apertures formed in side walls of the post.

Description

Title: Post and rail system using extrudable plastic posts.
Background of the Invention.
l.Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a post and rail system _5 which may be used as a railing system for decks, or may be used as fencing. The system makes use of extrudable plastic posts and rails, and provides improved means for supporting the posts and for connecting the rails to the post.

2.Prior Art _10 Hollow posts, often made of plastic materials, are known for use in deck railing systems, and for fences . In the decking field, commonly the posts have been connected directly at their sides or bases to wooden parts of the decking, for example by bolts, but such connection means lack firmness and strength.
_15 In some cases, both for rails and fencing, hollow posts have been supported by a rigid support member having a lower portion securely held by a ground fixture or part of the decking, and having an upper portion extending within the post .
The following patents show examples of such constructions:
20 U.S.Pat.No.3,910,561, which issued Oct.7,1975 to Fornells;
U.S.Pat.No.4,702,459, which issued Oct.27,1987 to Moschner;
U.S.Pat.No.4,461,461, which issued Ju1.24,1984 to Caron;
U.S.Pat.No.4,892,292, which issued Jan.9,1990 to Russell;
25 U.S.Pat.No.4,958,807, which issued Sep.25,1990 to Wylie;
and U.S.Pat.No.5,617,697, which issued Apr.8,1997 to Erwin.
The Erwin patent shows a hollow plastic deck post supported by an internal metal tube . The tube contacts only one side of the post, and therefore could allow some distortion of the post if it were to be subjected to stress. It also requires a bolt to be inserted through one side of the post.
The patents to Caron and Russell are similar to each other, and both show hollow circular posts supported by steel pipes or bars fixed to a base, the posts being joined to the pipes or bars by spacers in the form of plain tubular members.
The rails are attached to the posts by fittings which resemble right angled pipe fittings. The Moschner patent also shows hollow plastic posts supported by a rod or pipe, but here the means connecting the rod or pipe to the post are integrally formed with the post, and are combined with formations for holding the rails. This means that the post is not of constant, extrudable cross-section, and must be of more expensive molded construction.
The patent to Fornells shows a plastic fence construction with a relatively complex arrangement for attaching the rails to the posts, which allows the angle of inclination of the rails to be varied.
The Wylie patent shows an aluminum extruded post of complex construction, having an integral spacer surrounding an inner support tube.
Apart from Erwin, all of this prior art shows constructions which are somewhat complex and expensive, especially in relation to the connections between posts and rails. The present invention provides a construction in which cost is minimised, firstly by having major parts of the railing or fencing system formed of extrudable parts, usually of plastic, and secondly by having a connection between the posts and rails which does not require any special components.
Furthermore, the hollow posts are more fully supported than for example in the Erwin patent.
Summary of the Invention In the present invention, hollow extruded plastic posts are used which have an internal cavity of constant cross-section; usually the posts are square. The rails, which are narrower in plan view than the posts, are connected to the posts simply by routing apertures in the side walls of the posts. The routing may be done by an installer, in accordance with site or customer requirements.
The nature of the joints between connecting posts and rails necessitates that, to prevent dislocation of the joints, there be sufficient overlap between the outer sides of the posts and the inner ends of the rails. If, for example, the post and spacer arrangements used by Caron or Russell were to be used with simple apertures in the post walls to receive ends of the rails, the rails would not project sufficiently far into the posts to be secure.
Accordingly, the present invention provides support means for a hollow post having a side wall defining a cavity of constant cross-section, the post being of the type used to support horizontal rails, comprising:
a rigid support member, such as a steel tube, having upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion adapted to be fixed in vertical position while the upper end portion extends within the hollow post, and at least one :pacer with an inner bore sized to snugly receive the rigid si.zpport member, and having external surfaces suitable for firm engagement within the cavity of the post and configured and arranged to provide clear space within the side walls at the location of the spacer, which space is suitable for receiving substantial lengths of end portions of the rails when inserted into apertures formed .in the side walls of the post.
Preferably, thf= spacer has longitudinal protrusions which are separated by side areas which are spaced within the side walls at the locations of the rail ends. For this purpose the spacer is preferably extruded, from plastic material or aluminum, and has a 'tubular portion with an inner bore sized to snugly receive the r~_gid support. member, and the protrusions are in the form of longitudinal ribs projecting outwardly from the tubular portion and suitable for. firm engagement within the cavity of the post, the ribs providing a clear space between 2y the side wall of t:he post and the tubular portion of the spacer. This allows the spacer to occupy substantially the full length of the post while still allowing space for the rail ends to project into the post. Where, as is preferred, the post is square, such a spacer can provide a clear space adjacent the 2a interior of the post. side wall, with the minimum clear space between the interior of the post side wall and the tubular portion being at least: 1/2 inch, and preferably 5/8 of an inch.

The spacer ribs may project in mutually perpendicular planes, with each z°ib having an outer edge with at least one side flange lying at an angle of between 45 and 90° to the respective rib so that the flange is caused to bend by contact with the inner surf<~ce of the post cavity, whereby the flanges provide an interference fit between the spacer and the post.
For square posts, each rib preferably terminates in a pair of the flanges which project from th~~ outer edge of the rib in arrowhead formation,, the flanges being bent inwardly to provide an interference fit within the corners of the post. A spacer of this form is itself a novel component, and is usable with presently available hollow square posts, and commonly available round steel pipes as the support members.
A similar spacer' may be used :Eor posts of circular cross section, but here the side flanges will project from the ribs at an angle close to ~>0°, so as to be slightly bent when forced into the circular p~:~st .
The tubular portion of the spacer may have internal surface portions, such as projections, suitable for providing an interference fit on the circular support tube. The tubular portion preferably can receive a tube of 1 7/8 inches or 2 inches or more in diameter.
Brief Description of the drawing's.
Preferred embc>d.iments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;
Fig.l is a sectional elevation of a deck railing post incorporating one form of the invention, and showing end portions of two rails;
Fig. la is a fragmentary view on line la-la of Fig. l;
Fig.2 is a cross-sectional plan view on lines 2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig.l of an alternative construction;
Fig.4 is a cross-sectional view on lines 4-4 of Fig.3;
Fig.5 is a sectional elevation of a fence post with portions of railings attached;
Fig.5A is a fragmentary view of a variation of the fence post arrangement of Fig.5; and Fig.6 is a view similar to Fig.4 of a variation using a circular post.
Detailed Description.
Fig.l shows a wooden deck 10 of standard construction supported on vertical joists 12 of 2 inch by 10 inch timber. At spaced intervals, the joists 12 at the outside of the deck have fixed to them a lower portion of a tube or pipe 14, secured by bolts 13 passing through drilled bores in the pipe and through the adjacent joist. This pipe 14 is a 1 7/8 inch diameter galvanized steel pipe readily available to builders, and has suitable strength for supporting a railing post. The pipe 14 has an upper portion extending up through the deck, where it is received in the center of a hollow post 15. In the construction shown, the pipe 14 extends up the major part of the height of the post, which will normally be about 2 1/2 or 3 feet above the deck level.
The post 15 is of constant square cross-section, of about 4 inch width, and has its flat side walls joined by rounded corners. It is preferably formed by extrusion from plastic material. The pipe 14 supports the post by the intermediary of upper and lower spacers 16, the cross-sectional form of which is shown in detail i.n Fig.2. As shown, each spacer includes an inner, cylindrical, tubular portion 16a which snugly receives the cylindrical pipe 14, and ribs 16b projecting radially outwardly from the tubular portion in mutually perpendicular planes. Each rib tEerminates in a pair of flanges 17 which are oriented in arrowheaf. formation with respect to the ribs, and which have outer surfaces which subtend between them an angle of greater than 90°, in practice about 110 or 120°. The individual flanges :I_7 lie at angles between 45 and 90° to the respective rib. The arrangement of the ribs and flanges is such as to make the spacer an interference fit into the post, with the flanges flexing to take care of minor inconsistencies with the internal measurements of different posts and always ensuring a firm fit with no play. 'rhe spacers also have small ribs 18 internally of the tubular portion to ensure an interference fit on the pipe 14.
2~~ Although the spacers are an interference fit both with the post and the pipe, preferably the upper spacer is fixed both to the post and to the pipe 14 so that= the post cannot easily be removed . For this purpose one or mor a screws 19 may be inserted into bores drilled radially through. the post, the upper spacer 2!~ 16, and the pipe 14. Alternatively, first screws can be inserted through they spacer and pipe before the post is positioned, and second screws are later inserted through the post and spacer.
The railing system also includes horizontal rails 20 of 3~) known form, of rectangular form and having a width of 3 3/8 inches and a height of 1 3/4 inches, and pickets 22 which are square sections of 1 1/2 inch width. Both the rails and the pickets are hollow and are formed from plastic by extrusion.
The rails have their end portions 20a inserted into apertures cut in the sides of posts by a router, in accordance with customer requirement:. Conveniently, the spacers 16, which in this embodiment would interfere with the end portions 20a of the rails, are positioned just below the end portions. Also, the rails 20 have their end portions 20a bevelled at one side, as shown in Fig.2, where these are required to meet on a corner. The pickets 22 are assembled by having their upper and lower end portions in;~erted into suitable apertures in the tops and bottoms of the rails. The spacers 16 provide a clear space of over 3/4 inch, in fact about 7/8 inch, between the inner surfaces of the post side walls and the outer surface of the pipe 14. In proportional terms, the clear overlap space is more than 20% of the post width.
Referring to Figs.3 and 4, these show a variation of the invention in which t:he rails 120 are vertically elongated, being 3 1/2 inches high and 1 1/2 inches wide, and are used without pickets. Ira this construction the rail end portions 120a are centered on the sides of the posts and do not interfere with the ribs of the spacer 116. This spacer has the same cross-section <~s the spacer 16 previously described, but it is longer and can extend past the inner end portions of the 2.5 rails. It has ribs 116b with end flanges 117, similar to flanges 17. The rails 120 in this case are butted against the sides of the tubular portion 116a, but this still allows a clear space for the rail end portions 120a to overlap within the post side wall, this space being more than 1/2 inch, actually about 5/8 inch, so that a secure fitting is produced.
The relationship of the spacer 116 and the rail end portions here means that the spacer can extend up the entire length of post which is above the deck 10, as shown in Fig.3.
Fig.5 shows the same basic combination of square plastic extruded post, rectangular extruded rails, and spacers being used to form a fenca.ng system. The fence is assembled by first forming a relatively small fence hole 30, about 8 inches deep, and then driving a steel pipe 214 into the center of the hole and then down several feet into the earth. The pipe 214 is a 1 7/8 inch galvanized pipe as before but longer, suitably about 7 or 8 feet in length. The ground around the pipe is then dug away to provide a hole having a depth of about 8 inches, large enough to receive the post. Spacers 16 similar to those described with reference to Fig.l are then slid over the pipe 214 and secured to the pipe with screws . An insulating material such as Styrofoam (trademark) is then inserted into the ground hole . The post 15 is then placed over the pipe and the spacers, and its lower end is inserted into the hole 30 to a depth of about 4 inches, so that the insulating material fills the lower portion of the post. Following this, the ends of rails 220 are mated with the sides of the post as described with reference to Figs.3 and 4.
Fig.5A shows a variation in which a spacer 216 replaces the Styrofoam 32. H.=re, a fence hole of 4 inches is dug firstly, and the pipE: 214 :inserted. as before. Then, the long spacer 216 is placed in position, and driven down to 8 inches 2.5 below the surface. '~'wo regular spacers 16 are then positioned on the pipe, and attached to it by screws . The post is then positioned, and driven down to about 4 inches below the ground level.
Fig.6 shows a v<~riation using a circular post 215. The spacer 216 used in this case is similar to spacer 16 previously described, except that the .flanges 217 on the outer ends of the ribs 216b project ate an angle of close to 90° from the ribs, in practice between about 80 and 90°, so that their outer edges make contact with the interior of the post and provide an interference fit in l;he post cavity. As before, the sides of the post are routed to provide apertures for the rails 220.
In Fig.6 these are shown terminating at the spacer, but in many cases the spacer will be used below the rails so that these can extend fully to the support pipe 14. Also as before, the spacer has internal ribs 218 which grip the pipe 14. Clearly, other shapes of post coul~;a be used, such as hexagonal or polygonal.
It will be noted that in Figs.2 and 4, and in Fig.6, the internal ribs 1.8 and 218 are situated between the external ribs 16b, 116b, and 216b, so that slight expansion of the tubular member when fitted onto an oversized pipe does not greatly change the diameter of the external ribs.
It will be seen that the spacer provided in accordance with this invention allows .a well supported plastic railing or fence system to be assembled with a few commonly available parts, such as the pipes 14 or 214, and the special spacers 16, 116, 216, which can be formed ~>y extrusion and are only required to be used in short lengths, as in Fig. 1.
While the major' components of t:he system, namely the posts and rails, are preferably of extruded plastic, the spacer does 2!5 not have to be plastic and may be of extruded aluminum. Where aluminum is used, the' flanges 17 on the spacer ribs 16b are made thinner than for plastic, in order to be suitably flexible.

Claims (18)

1. A post and rail system, comprising:
a plurality of hollow posts of extrudable plastic material, said posts having uniform internal dimensions and side walls provided with apertures and defining an internal cavity, rigid support members each having upper and lower end portions, said lower end portions adapted to be fixed in vertical position while the upper end portion of each member extends within said internal cavity of one of said hollow posts, spacers extruded from extrudable material selected from the group including plastic and aluminum, each spacer having a tubular portion with an inner bore sized to snugly receive one of said support members, and each having longitudinal ribs projecting outwardly from the tubular portion and suitable for firm engagement within the side wall of one of said posts, said ribs providing a clear space adjacent the interior of the post side wall at the locations of the apertures, and generally horizontal rails supported between said posts and extending into said apertures in the side walls of the posts, each said rail including an end portion which extends beyond internal surfaces of a post ride wall and towards a said support member.

2. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein the spacer provides a minimum clear space within the post side wall of 1/2 inch.

3. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein the spacer provides a minimum clear space within the post side wall of 5/8 inch.

4. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein the spacer provides a minimum clear space within the post side wall of 3/4 inch.

5. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein the spacer provides a minimum clear space within the post side wall which is at least 20% of the post width.

6. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein said posts are of generally square cross-section, and wherein the ribs of the spacers project in mutually perpendicular planes and each have an outer edge with at least one side flange extending at an angle of between 45° and 90° to the rib, and such that said flanges are caused to bend by contact with inner corners of said post which are a close fit onto the outer edges of the ribs, whereby said flanges provide an interference fit between the spacers and the post.

7. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein said rigid support members are metal pipes.

8. A post and rail system, comprising:
a plurality of extruded tubular posts of plastic material, each said post having uniform internal dimensions and having an integrally formed side wall of generally constant wall thickness, said side wall defining an internal cavity and having apertures leading into said cavity, rigid support members in the form of cylindrical metal pipes each pipe having upper and lower end portions, the upper end portion of each pipe extending within said internal cavity of one of said tubular posts while the lower end portion of the same pipe extends below a lower end of the said post and is adapted to be fixed in vertical position;

spacers extruded from plastic and located wholly within said posts, each spacer having a tubular portion sized to snugly receive one of said metal pipes, and each spacer having longitudinal ribs projecting outwardly from the tubular portion and suitable for firm engagement within the side wall of one of said posts, said ribs providing a clear space of at least one-half inch adjacent the interior of the post side wall at the locations of said apertures, said tubular portion of each spacer having internal surface portions suitable for gripping a said metal pipe at spaced locations around the pipe, said internal surface portions being evenly spaced around an interior of the tubular portion and each being located midway between a pair of said ribs, said system also including generally horizontal rails supported between said posts and extending into said apertures in the side walls of said posts, each said rail including an end portion which extends beyond internal surfaces of a post side wall and towards said metal pipe;
and wherein said rails include upper rails and lower rails, said spacers being positioned to support the posts at locations both at bases of the posts and adjacent said upper rails.

9. A post and rail system according to claim 8, wherein said tubular portion of the spacer is cylindrical, and the internal surface portions are ribs projecting inwardly from said tubular portion.

10. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein said posts are of generally square cross-section, and wherein the ribs of said spacers each have an outer edge with at least one side flange extending at an angle of between 45° and 90° to the rib, and such that the flanges are caused to bend by contact with inner corners of said internal cavity of said post which are a close fit onto outer edges of the ribs, whereby said flanges provide an interference fit between the spacer means and the post.

11. A post and rail system according to claim 10, wherein each said rib terminates in a pair of said side flanges which project from the outer edges of the ribs in arrowhead formation.

12. A post and rail system according to claim 1, wherein said internal cavity of the post is of circular cross section, and wherein each said rib terminates in a pair of side flanges which project from outer edges of the ribs at an angle of close to 90°.

13. A spacer of extruded plastic material, for locating a rigid circular support member inside a post having a side wall defining a cavity of constant cross section, and having:
a tubular portion suitable for surrounding the support tube;
four longitudinal ribs each extending outwardly from said tubular portion, said ribs lying in mutually perpendicular planes, said ribs each having an outer edge with at least one side flange lying at an angle of between 45 and 90° to the respective rib, said ride flanges being flexible, whereby when the spacer is inserted into a post cavity said flanges may be bent by contact with the inside said post cavity to provide an interference fit therewith.

14. A spacer member according to claim 13, for use in a post having a cavity of square cross section, and wherein each said rib terminates in a pair of said side flanges which project from the outer edges of the ribs in arrowhead formation.

15. A spacer according to claim 13, for use in a post having a cavity of circular cross section, and wherein each said rib terminates in a pair of said side flanges which project from the outer edges of the ribs at an angle of close to 90°.

16. A spacer according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the tubular portion is provided with internal surface portions suitable for providing an interference fit on said circular support member, said internal surface portions being spaced around said tubular portion and each being situated between a pair of said ribs.

17. A spacer according to claim 16, wherein said internal surface portions are internal projections.

18. A spacer according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the tubular portion is suitable for receiving a tube of at least 1 7/8 inches diameter.