GB2225800A - Portable barrier - Google Patents

Abstract

A barrier comprises a plurality of posts (1) and a plurality of rails (2) extending between the posts (1) wherein each post (1) has a vertical stack of even height components (7) which may be either mounting members for the rails (2) or spacers. The mounting members are rotatably mounted on their associated post (1) and are adapted to engage a portion of a rail (2) at one of a number of evenly spaced positions on the rail, the even spacing corresponding to the height of components (7). The arrangement of rails (2) and their associated mounting members is such that each rail (2) can be vertically aligned with other rails (2) attached to the same post (1). <IMAGE>

Description

FURNITURE This invention relates to furniture and is more particularly concerned with post and rail furniture which can be used to provide a barrier.

It is known to form a barrier using an arrangement of posts which are -connected together by lengths of rope which extend between pairs of adjacent posts.

Alternatively, the lengths of rope between the posts can be replaced by rails which are attached at each end to a post.

In shops, banks and post offices, such barriers are often used to define a path in which customers can form a queue.

In some applications, barriers are provided on either side of the path, but in other applications, one side of the path may be defined by a wall and the other side defined by a barrier. In the latter case, the wall may have shelves or display units mounted on it, some of the shelves being placed at a suitable height to form a writing surface for customers waiting in the queue.

However, a path which extends along a wall or other similar partition, may not utilise the available floor space efficiently. In some known barrier arrangements, it is difficult to accommodate attaching the ropes and/or rails to a post at angles other than 90" or 1800 to one another. In other systems, it is not possible to have the two or more ropes or rails attached to a common post at the same height, which is not visually satisfactory.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided post and rail furniture for providing a barrier comprising a plurality of posts, and a plurality of rails, each post having a plurality of vertically stacked equal height components, at least one of the components being a mounting member which is adapted to engage the end of a rail, each mounting member being rotatably mounted on the post, and the mounting member(s) being engageable with the ends of the rails at a plurality of evenly spaced locations, the even spacing corresponding to the equal height of the components in the stack whereby each rail of a plurality of rails attached to a single post can be vertically registered with the other rails.

By this arrangement, a flexible furniture system is provided which can easily be adapted to form a barrier in any given area. Furthermore, a neat appearance is provided as the rails can be vertically aligned with one another despite the differing vertical locations of their respective mounting members.

Advantageously, each of the stack of vertically stacked components which is not a mounting member is a spacer.

Preferably, each rail engages a pair of vertically spaced apart mounting members. Each pair of mounting members may be spaced apart by at least one spacer or by at least one other mounting member. Alternatively, each pair of mounting members may be spaced apart by a combination of spacers and mounting members.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the stack of components on each post includes eight members. This allows up to four rails to be connected to each post.

If only one rail is to be connected to a post, two mounting members are used to engage the rail, these mounting members being positioned so as to be spaced apart by e.g. three spacers.

When two rails are to be connected to a post, two pairs of mounting members may be used, an upper positioned pair and a lower positioned pair. Each pair of mounting members are spaced apart by three members of the stack, the mounting members being arranged such that the lower mounting member of the upper positioned pair is below the upper member of the lower positioned pair, and spacers are used to complete the stack.

A similar arrangement may be utilised, with three pairs-of mounting plates, if three rails are to be connected to a post. All eight members of the stack need to be mounting members if four rails are to be attached to the post.

Advantageously, each rail is of elongate cross-section and hollow at least at its ends, to form a substantially elongate cavity having a pair of spaced apart parallel walls, each wall having a plurality of spaced apart grooves running in the direction of the rail, the grooves in one wall being aligned with the grooves in the other wall to define a plurality of pairs of facing grooves into each of which a mounting member can engage.

Each post may comprise a base and an elongate cylindrical portion, with its lower end in the base and its upper end having the vertically stacked components thereon.

Means may be provided for attaching the base to a solid surface e.g. a concrete floor. Means may also be provided for levelling the base.

A cover may also be provided to enclose the base and cover e.g. the fixing and levelling means to provide one aesthetically acceptable unit. Preferably the cover is of scuff-proof or scuff-resistant material, e.g. of stainless steel.

Each rail can support other components, e.g. a table section to provide a substantially flat writing surface or a display stand.

Advantageously, each post can support a plurality of rails, each rail being at an angle to the others. The rotatability of the mounting members in the stack relative to the post allows flexibility in choosing the angles.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates parts of a barrier formed from post and rail furniture according to the invention; Figure 2 is a part axial sectioned (along lines II-II on Figure 3) side elevation of the post shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view on lines III-III of Figure 2 with the base cover removed; Figure 4 is a section along the lines IV-IV of Figure 3 showing a mounting plate and a rail; and Figure 5 is a section along the lines V-V of Figure 4.

Figure 1 shows part of a barrier formed from furniture according to the invention. Three posts 1 and three rails 2 are shown. Set on the furthest left rail 2 is a substantially flat table member 4 which can provide a flat surface for writing.

Each post 1 comprises a substantially hollow cylindrical elongate post member 6, set on a base and having in its upper end mounting means for the rails and a top cap 8.

Between post member 6 and cap 8 is a stack of components 7 each of which is a spacer or a mounting member for one of rails 2.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrates the construction of post 1 in more detail. The base of the post comprises a circular plate 10 which rests on ground 11 by means of three leve-lling screws 18 by adjustment of which the post may be set vertically. The base may be bolted down by bolts 12 which are equally spaced around the periphery of the plate 10. The heads of bolts 12 lie in recesses 13 in plate 10.

A pair of castings 14 is bolted to the plate 10 by four equally spaced bolts 15. The castings 14 are clamped together using bolts 16 and hold the lower end 17 of the cylindrical post member 6 in place. Spring pins 26 in castings 14 engage in fitting bores 22 in post member 6.

A scuff-proof cover 19 is placed over the base and is secured in place by a collar 20 which is retained in position by a grub screw 21 which engages the outside of post number 6. The cover 19 is of sufficient dimensions to seat firmly with its lower edge in contact with ground 11 even if the ground 11 is not quite horizontal.

Alternatively, the cover 19 can be retained in position over the base by means of three grub screws set in its lower skirt 24 and tightened to engage the vertical cylindrical periphery of the plate 10.

Welded in the upper end of the post member 6 is an insert 30 with a threaded central bore into which a threaded end 31 of a double-ended stud 32 is screwed. The central portion 33 of the stud 32 is unthreaded and has on it a stack of spacers and mounting members as mentioned previously. The spacers are denoted 34, 35 and 46, the mounting members 40. A locking collar 36 is located on top of the spacer 35 and serves to pull the stack of spacers and mounting members tightly together. Cap 8 covers the stud 32. Cap 8 has an internally threaded portion 38 which is screwed on to the threaded portion 39 of the stud 32.

The mounting members 40 and the rails they support are shown in Figures 4 and 5. Each member 40 comprises a disc portion 41 and a rectangular portion 42. The disc portion 41 has a central hole 43 through which the unthreaded portion 33 of the stud 32 passes. The rectangular portion 42 is inserted into the end of rail 2. A threaded hole 44 is provided in the rectangular portion 42 and this is used to pull the ends of two spaced apart mounting members together as shown in Figure 2 by means of a bolt 45. Two mounting members 40 are used to support each rail 2. Each rail 2 is hollow and has a series of grooves 50 formed on its interior wall surfaces 51, to form facing pairs of grooves 50 into which portion 42 of the mounting members 40 can be positioned.

Spacers 46 are plain metal discs with a central aperture, of size matched to disc portions 41.

In the particular embodiment described, there are eight pairs of grooves 50, at positions lettered A to H in Figure 2.

The two rails 2 are attached to post 1, by mounting members 40 at locations A, D, E and H with spacers 46 at locations B, C, F and G. When only one rail 2 extends from post 1, as for the lefthand post 1 in Figure 1, only two members 40 are used in the stack, the remainder being spacers 46. The two are preferably separated by three spacers 46. If three or four rails are to be attached, six or eight members 40 and two or no spacers are used.

In each rail 2, the members 40 are preferably separated by the same vertical distance so only one size of bolt 45 is needed.

A hollow end piece 47 is located between each end of a rail 2 and the stack of spacers and mounting members. It is held in position as the rail 2 cannot slide off the two spacers 40 once these have been pulled together by bolt 45 which is turned by an Allen key inserted through a hole 37 in the bottom of rail 2.

Each rail 2 can be formed as an aluminium or aluminium alloy extrusion and, as shown in Figure 1, can support a table member 4 or e.g. a display unit.

Instead of the rails 2 being hollow along their entire length, they may be solid for a substantial part of that length and have hollow ends with pairs of facing grooves into which the rectangular portion 42 of each mounting member 40 may be inserted.

Claims (13)

1. Post and rail furniture for providing a barrier comprising a plurality of posts, and a plurality of rails, each post having a plurality of vertically stacked equal height components, at least one of the component being a mounting member which is adapted to engage the end of a rail, each mounting member being rotatably mounted on the post, and the mounting member(s) being engageable with the ends of the rails at a plurality of evenly spaced locations, the even spacing corresponding to the equal height of the components in the stack whereby each rail of a plurality of rails attached to a single post can be vertically registered with the other rails.

2. Furniture according Claim 1, wherein each rail member engages a pair of vertically spaced apart mounting members.

3. Furniture according to Claim 2, wherein each pair of mounting members is spaced apart by at least one spacer.

4. Furniture according to Claim 2, wherein each pair of mounting members is spaced apart by at least one other mounting member.

5. Furniture according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein each pair of mounting members is spaced apart by a combination of spacers and mounting members.

6. Furniture according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein each rail is hollow at least at its ends to define a substantially elongate cavity having a pair of spaced apart parallel walls, each wall having a plurality of spaced apart parallel grooves, the grooves in one wall being aligned with grooves in the other wall to define facing pairs of grooves into which part of a mounting member may be inserted.

7. Furniture according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein each post comprises a base and an elongate cylindrical portion with its lower end in the base and its upper end having the vertically stacked components mounted thereon.

8. Furniture according to Claim 7, wherein the base includes means enabling its attachment to a solid surface.

9. Furniture according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein the base included adjustable feet to enabling levelling the base.

1-0. Furniture according to any one of Claims 7 to 9 and including a scuff-proof cover for covetting the base.

11. Furniture according to any one of the preceding Claims and including means for tensioning the stack of components together.

12. Furniture according to any one of Claims 1 to 11 and including means for firmly securing each rail to one or more mounting members.

13. Post and rail furniture substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.