US3004751A - Handrail mounting - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1961 w. H. WOODWARD 3,004,751

HANDRAIL MOUNTING Filed April 18, 1960 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM H. WUODWARD BY 341W A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,004,751 HANDRAIL MOUNTING William H. Woodward, 12033 Whitcomb, Detroit, Mich.

Filed Apr. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 23,032 7 Claims. (Cl. 256-67) This invention relates to handrail mountings and particularly mountings for inclined handrails conforming to the pitch of a flight of steps.

An object of the invention is to mount a handrarl on two or more posts in such a manner as to readily permit an initial inclinational adjustment of the rail to conform to any of various pitches commonly employed for stairwa s.

Xnother object is to adapt a handrail to be longitudinally adjusted on a supporting post preliminary to permanently securing the rail on the posts.

Another object is to conceal within a hollow handrail its connections to supporting posts and to thus also protect such connections from rain and snow and consequent corrosion.

Another object is to form a tubular handrail with a downwardly opening slot, to extend the upper end of a support into said rail through said slot and to also extend such end into a slot formed in an elongated adjuster disposed within the rail, and to provide a connection concealed within the rail for first pivoting the adjuster and rail to a desired incline andthen clamping said end between the Walls of the adjuster slot.

Another object is to provide an improved means for capping the ends of a handrail.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the "accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved handrail installed on a flight of steps.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view in partial section and enlarged in scale as compared to FIG. 1, showing the mounting of the rail on one of its supporting posts.

FIG. 3 is a relatively transverse fragmentary elevation of the top portion of one of the posts, this view being also enlarged in scale as compared to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an adjuster appearing in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates an elongated inclined tubular handrail closed at its ends by caps 2 and surmounting any desired number of supports such as posts 3, preferably tubular and having their lower ends set into sockets 4 suitably anchored to a flight of steps 5. The rail is formed with a downwardly opening slot 6, extending preferably from end to end of the rail and having a width preferably materially less than the interior radius of the rail. Each post rigidly carries at its upper end a fitting 7, having an upstanding tongue 8 slipfitted in the slot 6, and having its lower portion snugly fitted in the post and fixed therein by screws 9.

The upper portion of each tongue 8 is slipfitted in an elongated slot 10 formed in and lengthwise of an elongated rail adjuster 11. A bolt 12 and nut 12a connect the mid portion of the adjuster to the tongue, this connection being initially loose to afford such pivoting of the adjuster as will conform its inclination to the pitch of the steps. When the inclination is correct and the several adjusters are aligned, the bolt head and nut are clamped against opposite walls of the slot 10, imposing a slight flexure on said walls such as to firmly clamp the tongue 8 between such walls. The thickness of the adjuster, as measured lengthwise of the bolt 12, is sufliciently reducedto aiford' said bolt and the corresponding nut ample clearance from the rail as thelatter is slid upon the adjusters to its use position. The slot 10 is spaced from the adjuster ends,

and said ends are preferably circularwith a free sliding clearance from the interior face of the rail, serving as guides for the rail as the latter is slid to its assembly position. When thus positioned, the rail is tightly mounted on the several adjusters by extending a pair of cap screws 13 into the ends of each adjuster through the slot 6. Washers 14 interposed between the heads of said screws and the rail occupy a bridging relation to the slot 6. Preferably a suflicient bottom portion of the rail is flattened from end to end of the rail (-FIG. 5) to afford an ample seat for the washers 14. The effect of said bolts is to draw the rail tightly against the circular ends of the adjusters.

The caps 2 wherein the rail ends are inserted are fixed on said ends by bolts 15 headed against the outer peripheries of the caps, said bolts extending through the slot 6 and engaging polygonal nuts 15a within the rail, restrained from rotation by engagement with the cross walls of the caps. Rotation of said bolts draws the nuts 15a tightly against the inner periphery of the rail.

An important advantage of the described construction lies in its adaptability to be marketed in kit form, and to be installed without the exercise of material mechanical skill. The rail may be available in a few diiferent lengths and these may be readily hack-sawed to a lesser length, if necessary. Other assembly operations require merely a screw driver and small wrench.

The circular ends of the adjuster serve to substantially center this element within the rail, and the reduced thickness of this element between said ends permits the bolt 12 and nut 12a to have a required clearance from the rail, avoiding interference with either an angular or sliding adjustment of the rail. Said reduced thickness also affords such slight flexibility of the walls defining the slot 10 as is necessary to clamp the tongue 8 between such walls.

What I claim is:

1. In a handrail and its mounting, the combination with a hollow rail formed longitudinally thereof with a downwardly opening elongated slot, of an adjuster for the rail inserted in and elongated longitudinally of the rail, a support for the rail having an upper end extending into the rail through said slot, means pivoting the adjuster transversely thereof and interiorly of the rail on said upper end and thus affording a selective angular relation of the adjuster to the support, and means rigidly securing the rail to the adjuste 2. A handrail and its mounting as set forth in claim 1, the support having an upstanding tongue extending into the rail through said slot, and the adjuster being slotted lengthwise thereof, said tongue being inserted in the slot of the adjuster for engagement by said pivot means.

3. A handrail and its mounting as set forth in claim 2, said pivoting means serving additionally as a means for clamping said tongue between opposite walls of the adjuster slot to maintain a desired angular relation between the adjuster and support.

4. In a handrail and its mounting as set forth in claim 1, said means for securing the rail to the adjuster extending through the slot of the rail and engaging the end portions of the adjuster.

5. In a handrail and its mounting as set forth in claim 1, said means for securing the rail to the adjuster comprising a pair of screws headed against the rail in a bridging relation to the rail slot and extending through said slot and threaded into the end portions of the adjuster.

6. In a handrail and its mounting as set forth in claim 1, a cap closing an end of the rail, a screw transverse to the Patented Oct. 17, 1961 nail and extending freely inward through the cap and through the rail slot, and a nut engaged and clamped by the bolt against the interior face of the rail and restrained byw the cap from rotationz- 7. h ndrailand itS'm i Qt QI hEin si aiimla the adjuster. having, end portions substantially conforming: to the interior'faee ofthe rail for gniding the -rail inrsliding; longitudinally. thereof! on the; adjusteniand; being reduced: ih orosslseotion betweenfsaid' en d yortions;;,anr1 saidisloti u forming the adjuster with transversely flexible walls, traversed by said pivoting means, whereby said walls may exercise their clamping effect on said tongue.

Sehilling .4. Jan. 21, 1958

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