US3328057A - Rail system - Google Patents

Description

June 27, 1967 RQH. MURDOCK 3,328,057

RAIL SYSTEM Filed June 9, 1964 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M F IG. 2 24 I I 23 A I i 22 I H ,4 a O I h H I V o I 5% 2 a I: a

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ATTORNEYS ROBERT H. MURDOCK June 27, 1967 R. H. MURDOCK 3,328,057

RAIL SYSTEM Filed June 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I G. 7 x

' INVENTOR ROBERT H.- MURDOCK BYML/ mgw ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,328,057 RAIL SYSTEM Robert H. Murdock, Kensington, Califi, assignor to American Metal Climax, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 9, 1964. Ser. No. 373,643 1 Claim. (Cl. 287-54) This invention relates generally to a rail system, and more specifically to a hand railing system formed of interconnected railings, post and balusters, with the posts and balusters mounted from the side of a building structure such as along the edge of a balcony, stairs, and the like, and which may be readily assembled and accurately aligned with the building structure.

In recent years the use of strong, light-weight, and corrosion-resistant metals, such as aluminum, with or without anodizing, in hand railing has become increasingly popular, because the railings are not only extremely strong and durable, but are adaptable to be constructed in very eye-pleasing designs-and may be further provided with various attractive, colorful and maintenance-free finishes, such as anodizing a porcelain enamel.

A dangerous disadvantage inherent in prior railings was due to the manner of assembly thereof in which fasteners, such as boltheads, screwheads, or the like, were exposed to cause injury to the fingers and hands of a person, especially small children, traversing the railing. Furthermore,

such exposed fasteners render the railing susceptible to,

tampering, vandalism, and public sabotage.

Another ditficulty with the prior railing system was the accurate alignment of the railing to the surface of a building, particularly where metal anchors were embedded in concrete.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved railing system.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved railing system which overcomes the abovementioned difficulties.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a railing system which is quickly assembled with no exposed fasteners to provide a smooth and uninterrupted railing surface.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rail system which can be accurately aligned with the building structure.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved side mount for securing posts and balusters of a railing system to a vertical side surface of a building structure.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a side mount which will tolerate minor misalignment of the anchors to which the railing system is secured.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a splice means for joining two rails.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved splice connection for the butt end of adjacent rails wherein there are no exposed fasteners, and whichmay be readily and quickly assembled within the rail ends.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved method for connecting and aligning railing components such as posts and balusters to a building structure.

Yet a further object of the present invention is a new and improved method for butting the adjacent ends of a railing together.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

3,3Z8fi57 Patented June 27, 1967 In accordance with these and many other objects of the present invention, there is provided a railing system according to the present invention which is particularly adapted for mounting on the side vertical surface of a building structure, such as a balcony or stairway. There is provided an improved side mount which provides for proper alignment of the rail system through the side mount 'with expansion shields in the building structure, or with other suitable tapped holes such as in a cast-in anchor set in the building structure. The side mount includes an elongated mount body of suitable material such as aluminum and having large countersunk, through openings adapted to generally align with the apertures of an expansion shield or other tapped openings of an anchor. Each side mount includes a pair of alignment washers provided with eccentric bolt slots to receive the bolt shanks. The washer is positioned selectively in the enlarged portion of the countersunk, through opening to align the slot with the respective one of the apertures. Thereafter bolts can be set through the slots and threaded into the expansion shields or other means. In a preferred embodiment, the side mount has a 12 point internal adjustment in the countersink so that the alignment washers may be readily positioned in a selected one of 12 positions.

It will be understood that the invention is also directed to the method of securing and aligning the railing element such as the post and baluster to suitable side anchor means. The improved method, according to the present invention, encompasses first the installation of the side mount over the threaded mounting apertures, and plumbing the side mount and aligning the mount with the adjacent mount. Then the position of the bolt hole in the building structure is observed and the washers are positioned with the slot pointing toward the proper hour to provide the desired aligning. The side mount is now set to be bolted to the building structure.

Advantageously the side mount utilizes inside-out bolts, fully concealed within the body of the mount, to connect the posts and balusters to the side mount. The post or baluster is readily assembled with the side mount by first installing the inside-out bolt in the side mount prior to securing the side mount to the building surface. Thereafter the post or baluster is placed in position against the extending inside-out bolt and the inside-out bolts are threaded into the post or baluster with an Allen wrench or other turning tool extending through an opening in the post. In this manner no fasteners, setscrews, or other obstructions are showing.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the rails of the railing system are joined together by a new and improved splice connector. More specifically, there is provided an improved splice connector for joining the butted adjacent ends of open or hollow rails together, and including a pair of connector pieces defining a longitudinally-split connector block positioned in the open interior of the rail. The confronting faces of the split connector block are provided with pairs of aligned opposed pockets containing compression means effective to expand the splice railing. Setscrews secure the connector pieces together against the return bias of the com pression means.

It will be understood that, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the end of the railings are readily joined together by use of the improved splice by first loosening the compressed connector to provide a hand pressed fit into the end of one rail, and slipping the abutting rail over the other end ofthe connector. The

butt ends of the rails may be fitted if required with suitable fitting and shaping tools. The rails are then backed off sufficiently to permit releasing the locking bolt or setscrew to allow the connector to expand under the bias of the compression means. The butt ends of the rails are then forced together over the full tension of the connector. If required by the location, self-tapping screws may be used to secure the connector in place. It will be appreciated that the connector, according to the present invention, provides an ideal, rattle-free alignment, with nothing of the device or fasteners thereof showing.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary isometric view illustrating the installation of the improved side mount according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the improved side mount of FIGURE 1 according to the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the side mount positioned against a side anchor prior to fastening thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view, similar to FIG- URE 3, and illustrating the side mount secured to the anchor;

FIGURE 5 is an isometric view of an aligning washer according to the present invention, and shown to a larger scale;

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view of an alignment member according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a front elevational view of a railing system according to the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is an isometric view of a splice connector according to the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is a broken-away front elevational view of a splice connector inserted in a hollow rail according to the present invention;

FIGURE 10 is a broken-away top view of the splice connector of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a broken-away illustration of a splice connector prior to assembly in the end of a rail;

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional View of a splice connector, taken along line 1212 of FIGURE 9; and

FIGURE 13 is a cross-sectional view of a splice connector taken along line 1313 of FIGURE 9.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to the embodiment of FIGURES 1 through 5 and 7, there is illustrated in FIGURE 7 an improved rail system according to the present invention and formed of a plurality of interconnected rail and post 22. Although the railing system is illustrated in FIGURE 7 as utilizing the post 22, it will be understood that the improvements according to the present invention are equally applicable to railing systems using balusters. The rails 20 and posts 22 may be formed of any suitable materials, such as extruded aluminum. The posts 22 are mounted to the side surface 23 of a building structure 24 by improved side mounts 25 according to the present invention.

Referring now to FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4, which most clearly illustrate the improved side mount, the improved side mount is adapted for connecting the posts 22 or balusters of the railing system to suitable means in the side wall 23 of the building structure 24. As therein illustrated, there is provided a concrete anchor 27 provided with vertically-spaced threaded apertures 28 for receiving the side mount 25. It will be understood that any suitable securing means or anchor can be provided, and, more specifically, expansion shields have been found well suited for securing the side mount in concrete or other similar materials. The side mount according to the present invention comprises a vertically-elongated mount body 30 of suitable material such as aluminum, and having vertically-spaced countersunk through openings 31 which are adapted to generally align with the threaded apertures 28 of the anchor 27. Each of the openings 31 include an enlarged countersunk portion 31a and a reduced diameter portion 3112. In the illustrated embodiment the enlarged portion 31a of the openings 31 is formed with 12 point internal adjustment means defined 4 by angularly-spaced, superimposed regular convex hexagons. The reduced diameter portion 31b is sufficiently large to accommodate normal misalignment between the side mount and the apertures 28 as best illustrated in FIGURE 3.

To provide for proper alignment of the side mount with the expansion shield or threaded apertures 28, there is also provided an adjusting washer 34 formed of at least 6 points, in the shape of a regular convex hexagon, and provided with an eccentric U-shaped bolt slot 35 extending inwardly from one edge to receive an Allen bolt 36. It will be understood that other washers will work equally well as the illustrated 6 point washer, such as a 12 point washer. Each adjusting washer 34 is positioned angularly selectively in the enlarged portion 31a of a respective one of the openings 31 to align the slot 35 with a respective one of the threaded apertures 28 in the anchor 27, as best illustrated in FIGURE 4. It will be seen that the reduced diameter opening 311) is considerably larger than the shank diameter of the bolt 36 to allow for the adjustable positioning of the bolt 36 in the opening 31.

To provide for connection of the post 22 to the side mount 30, the side mount is counterbored with a pair of openings 40, FIGURE 2, in the opposite direction from the counterbored openings 31, and inside-outside screws 41 are used in the opening 40. Such inside-out screws are more fully described in my above-mentioned copending application, Ser. No. 263,160 now Pat. No. 3,164,354, and need not be described herein in detail. However, briefly, the inside-out screws 41 include a head 41a positioned in the counterbore of the opening 40, and a threaded shank portion 41b. The threaded end of the screw 41 is provided with a recessed hexagonal opening as indicated at 42 for receiving a suitable turning tool such as an Allen wrench. Openings 43 are provided in the outer wall of the post 22 to provide access for the insertion of the Allen wrench to engage the screws 41.

From the above detailed description of the invention, the method of securing and aligning the railing post 22 to the anchor 27 will be clear. However, briefly, it will be understood that with the adjusting washers 34 out of the openings 31, the body 30 of the side mount 25 is plumbed and aligned. It is, of course, understood that the side mount 25 is installed to the building structure 24 with the two inside-out screws 41 in place in the mount. The position of the threaded apertures 28 with reference to the openings 31 can then be observed, and the adjusting washers 34 are positioned by-the-clock to align the slot in the required direction as indicated in FIGURE 4. Thereafter the bolts 36 may be installed to securely fasten the side mount 25 to the side surface 23 of the building structure 24. The posts 22 are then positioned against the extending inside-out bolts and the bolts are assembled with the posts by means of Allen wrenches or other turning tools inserted through the openings 43 in the posts 22.

Another embodiment of an adjusting member is illustrated in FIGURE 6. As therein illustrated, there is shown an adjusting member 45 including a hexagonal washer portion 46 and an elongated cylindrical portion 47. The entire adjusting member 45 is provided with an eccentric U-shaped bolt slot 48. The adjusting member 45 may be used interchangeably with the adjusting washer 35 heretofore described.

According to yet another feature of the present invention, there is provided an improved splice connector 50, FIGURES 7 through 11, for joining the butted adjacent ends of the rails 20 together. The splice connector according to the present invention is formed of a pair of connector pieces 51 and 52 defining a longitudinally-split connector block having a cross-section loosely conforming to the interior cross-section of the open or hollow rail 20. It will be understood that although the splice connector 50 in the illustrated embodiment is generally trapezoidal in cross-section, the cross-sectional shape is not significant except to conform to the interior shape of the rail. Moreover, the connector block 50 is usable with open or hollow rails, and as herein used the term includes open rails. The connector pieces 51 and 52 of the split connector block have vertical confronting faces 51a, 5211 provided with a pair of spaced pairs of aligned opposed pockets 54. Each aligned pair of the pocket 54 contains compression members, such as the illustrated compression springs 55, which bias the connector pieces 51 and 52 apart.

For holding the connector pieces 51 and 52 together against the return bias of the compression springs 55, the connector piece 51 is provided with a countersunk horizontal hole 58 extending therethrough, and aligned with a threaded aperture 59 in the other of the'connector pieces 52. A headed Allen screw 62 extends through the hole 58 and into the threaded aperture 59.

To prevent sliding of the splice connector 50 into the first rail during assembly and installation of the splice connector, one end of the splice connector may be knurled, as indicated at 64.

From the above detailed description of the splice connector 50, the improved method according to the present invention is believed clear. However, briefly, the operation of the splice connector 50 will be described. The splice connector 50 is furnished with the Allen screw 62 under some tension so that the splice connector 50 slides easily into one end of one of the rails 20. The end with the knurled edges 64 is pushed into the fixed one of rails 20, leaving half of the splice connector 50 extending from the end of the rail. Enough tension is now released from the Allen screw 62 to assure that this end of the splice connector will maintain its position in the fixed rail. The next adjacent rail is then slid into position over the splice connector and checked for fit of the abutting ends. Any unevenness of the butt ends may at this time be trimmed with a hand file for a proper hairline joint. After final fittings, the loose rail is backed ofi approximately one-half inch, and the Allen screw 62 in the splice connector is completely loosened to allow the spring tension in the splice connector to expand the connector into both rails. The loose rail may then be shoved into position abutting the fixed rail. The joint is thereupon completely made up by fixing the previously loose rail to posts, balusters or wall brackets as required by the job installation. Normally the tension in the splice connector would suffice for a permanent joint, but in cases where there is danger of undue strain longitudinally along the rail, self-tapping screws may be run into the bottom of the two rail ends and into the splice connector.

The connector according to the present invention is advantageous to a marked degree over heretofore known splice connectors. No evidence of fasteners is shown on the exterior of the rail except in the extreme condition wherein self-tapping screws are run through the bottom of the rails. Splice connectors can be adjusted in sloped rails by means of tension under load of the compression spring so that it does not slide completely into the fixed rail while adiustments to the rail ends are being made. Due to the adjustable tension in the splice connector, the rails are held in nearly perfect alignment while the fit-up is made, allowing for a very accurate butting hairline fit between adjacent rail ends. The expansion principle of the splice connector automatically aligns the two adjoining rails to the best possible alignment, limited only by the accuracy of the extruded section as opposed to all other known connectors which provide alignment only to the extent of the limits of the slip-fit of a solid connector.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to a few embodiments and features thereof, it will be apparent that numerous modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art which will fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A side mount for connecting railing elements such as posts and balusters of a railing system to suitable side anchors means of the type provided with vertically-spaced threaded apertures, said side mount being capable of compensating for misalignment of said apertures; said side mount comprising a vertically-elongated mount body having vertically spaced countersunk through openings adapted to generally align with the apertures of an anchor, the enlarged portion of said openings having a cross-sectional shape of at least one regular convex polygon, said mount body being additionally provided with countersunk through openings in an opposite direction from the firstmentioned countersunk openings; aligning means each including a washer of regular convex polygonal shape provided With a U-shaped slot extending inwardly from one edge to receive bolt means, said washer being angularly positioned selectively in the enlarged portion of a respective one of the first-mentioned openings to align said slot with a respective one of said apertures, said washer interfitting with said body to lock said washer in the selected position; bolt means extending through said first-mentioned openings adapted to be threaded into said apertures; and means for securing a railing element to said mount and including a headed screw extending through the last-mentioned openings and provided with means at its threaded end for receiving a turning tool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,021,115 2/1962 Dake 256 3,171,518 3/1965 Bergmann.

FOREIGN PATENTS 205,849 1/ 1957 Australia. 568,460 4/ 1945 Great Britain.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner. 'A. V. KUNDRAT, Assistant Examiner.

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