NZ299123A - Balustrade unit; comprises at least one stanchion having connecting spigot with one or more channel rails connected to it by a u-shaped retaining member - Google Patents

Description

Patents Form No. 5 NEW ZEALAND 299123 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "BALUSTRADE UNITS" Priority as provided by sub-section (2) or (3) of the Patents Act 1953 is desired in respect of provisional specification No. 299123, dated ' 2 August 1996 We, ALUMA PRODUCTS LIMITED A New Zealand Company of 126 Ellis Street HAMILTON New Zealand hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method n i and by the following statement:' by which it is to be performed, to be particularly :>desc!Cltited i I ohr 29912 This invention relates to balustrade units which may be connected to form continuous balustrades around balconies, decks, stair wells, roof tops, and the like.

Balustrade units comprising at least one or two rails connected to spaced stanchions are well known and have been fabricated from a variety of materials using a variety of methods of forming the joints between the members. Of particular difficulty to achieve is a satisfactory joint between a rail end abutting the face of a stanchion, particularly where the rail has a channular recess in which glass panels or the like are retained.

Welding is an expensive process and must be performed before the members are painted which is usually inconvenient, and furthermore it leaves an unsightly bead of weld around the joint. Furthermore, welding usually requires balustrades to be assembled in long lengths away from the site, which are often inconvenient to transport and are not easily adjusted on site.

* According to the prior art, various forms of stanchions have been used, whereby a square or rectangular stanchion is formed from two or more extrusions or members, which engage with one another in such a way as to form a single stanchion unit, the object being to allow the fabricator to attach the said members to the ends of the abutting rails with screws which engage in screw ports formed in those rails, prior to assembly of the stanchion unit, which would otherwise render the screw positions inaccessible. However, this method often results in a stanchion which is relatively weak besides having unsightly 1. 29912 join lines at the junctions of its component members. Furthermore, this method is often time-consuming to assemble; and is inconvenient to disassemble for adjusting rail lengths during installation once the stanchions have been assembled.

Various forms of brackets, spigots, and other methods have also been used to hold the ends of rails abutting a stanchion face, however these have all suffered from one or more of the following disadvantages, in which the reference to bracket includes all such methods: the bracket or a fastener securing the rail to the bracket is prominently visible and thus detracting from the appearance of the balustrade; or the bracket tends to interfere with the insertion of glass or other panels thus preventing the panel from being placed in the desired proximity to the stanchion; or the bracket does not prevent the rail from being displaced longitudinally along its length away from the face of the standard as may tend to occur during the installation process; or the rail must be attached to the stanchion prior to the stanchion being finally positioned which may be inconvenient in some installation^; or the rail may not be disassembled from the stanchion once the stanchion has been finally positioned without removing it from that position, which may also be inconvenient in some installations.

The object of this invention is to substantially overcome the above disadvantages.

This invention provides a balustrade unit comprising at least one stanchion and one or more rails connected to the stanchion; 2. 29912 at least one such rail being connected to an essentially vertical face of the stanchion and having a longitudinally extending open recess provided on each side with a protruding flange to form a pair of opposed longitudinally extending flanges which retain within the recess a retaining member, which is retained on one side by one of the flanges and on the opposing side by the other flange? and with the two sides of the retaining member being connected by a web located sufficiently deep within the recess so as to enable panels to be supported without interference within the recess; and with the retaining member shaped so as to engage and retain in relation to the rail a projecting spigot which is affixed to or protruding from the stanchion and which maintains the rail end in juxtaposition with the face of the stanchion.

The retaining member is preferably capable of being withdrawn from engagement with the spigot, preferably by sliding the retaining member within the rail, such that the spigot can then pass out through the mouth of the open recess in the rail, to enable the rail to be removed laterally from juxtaposition with the face of the stanchion.

The spigot may be one leg of a generally L-shaped bracket, the other leg being affixed to the surface of the stanchion. The bracket is preferably capable of being more or less enclosed within the recess.

The retaining member may be generally channel shaped, having its open mouth facing in the same general direction as the open mouth of the recess. 3 . 29912 The retaining member or the spigot may be penetrated by a screw or like fastener which engages a thread in either the retaining member or the spigot and which has a head accessible to permit tightening of the tip of the screw or the fastener against another surface so as to tend to resist displacement and/or rattling of the rail.

The retaining member and the spigot may be provided with a means of interlocking or be an interference fit with one another so as to tend to resist withdrawal of the retaining member from engagement with the spigot.

A spacer may be interposed between the spigot and the stanchion; the spigot, the spacer, and the stanchion all being held in spatial relationship with each other by fasteners or other methods.

The spigot and the spacer may be of integral construction, forming a single component.

* In another embodiment of the invention, the retaining member and the spigot are of integral construction, forming a single connecting component which is affixed directly to the surface of the stanchion, preferably by screws, rivets, bolts or like fasteners which pass through holes or ports provided in the body of the connecting component and which penetrate and/or engage the surface of the stanchion. In this embodiment of the invention the connecting component is penetrated by a further screw or like fastener which engages a thread in the connecting component and which has a head accessible to permit tightening 4 . 2991 of the tip of the screw or fastener against a surface of the rail so as to tend to resist displacement and/or rattling of the rail. In this embodiment of the invention the connecting component may be generally channel shaped. Furthermore, a spacer may be interposed between the connecting component and the stanchion; the connecting component, the spacer, and the stanchion all being held in spatial relationship with each other by fasteners or other methods. The connecting component and the spacer may be of integral construction, forming a single component.

Preferably, the balustrade rails and stanchions are obtained as a kitset wherein both the stanchions and rails are supplied to pre-arranged lengths, such that the rails can be assembled to the stanchions at a convenient location relative to their final installed site, and such that prior to assembly the stanchions and/or rails can be trimmed in length wherever necessary.

As used throughout this specification the term balustrade unit includes any unit for incorporation in a balustrade whether horizontally disposed or sloping, and whether fixed to a substrate or movable such as a gate.

The components of the balustrade are preferably formed of extruded aluminium, however, any other suitable material could be used such as steel or a synthetic plastics material. The components may be provided with any desired surface finish, depending upon the material from which the components have been fabricated. . 2991? The balustrade rail may support the edge of a panel of sheet material such as glass, synthetic plastics material or wall-board. In this embodiment of the invention a resilient seal is preferably provided about the panel for engagement with the surrounding rail.

The balustrade unit may be connected to like units in order to form a continuous balustrade. The stanchions may be common to two such balustrade units, having one or more rails of one unit abutting on one surface and one or more rails of the other unit abutting on to another surface thereof. An upper rail passing over the stanchions may be continuous over more than one such unit.

Hereinafter given by way of example only are preferred forms of the invention described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like features.

Figure 1 illustrates a typical balustrade unit in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a portion of the balustrade unit in accordance with this invention.

Figure 3 illustrates an end view of a rail connected to a stanchion by the method illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 illustrates a variation of the arrangement shown in Figure 2 in which a spacer is employed according to this 6. invention. 299123 Figure 5 illustrates a retaining member affixed directly to a stanchion without the need for a separate spigot.

Figure 6 illustrates an end view of a rail in which is contained the edge of a panel.

Figure 7 illustrates a continuous balustrade formed by the consecutive assembly of balustrade units according to this invention.

With reference to Figure 1, the balustrade unit 1 is assembled from a kitset containing stanchions 2 and an upper rail 3 and a lower rail 4. A panel insert 5 may be supplied with the kitset or separately, and is retained along its upper edge 6 by the upper rail 3 and along its lower edge 7 by the lower rail 4, and is furthermore separated from the stanchions 2 by a small gap. The stanchions 2 are provided at their lower ends 9 with baseplates 10 which are fastened to the substrate 11, 'thus securing the balustrade unit 1.

Alternatively the stanchions 2 may be embedded in the substrate 11.

The upper rail 3, the lower rail 4, and the stanchions 2 may be powdercoated or anodized to improve the weathering ability and appearance of the finished balustrade unit 1. Typically, the balustrade unit 1 stands 1.0 metres high overall. It is only necessary for the balustrade unit 1 to have one stanchion, the 7. 29912 other end of the unit 1 being attached by any means to a wall, column, or other structure.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the stanchion 2 has provided on its face 12 a bracket 13 in relation to the end 14 of the lower rail 4. The bracket 13 has a vertical leg 15 which is secured to the stanchion face 12 by fasteners 16, and also has a horizontal leg 17 for protruding within the lower rail 4. A retaining member 18 is provided having two sides 19 connected by a web 2 0 which is provided with a hole 21 through which a screw 22 may freely pass, in order to engage a thread in a hole 2 3 which is provided in the horizontal leg 17 of the bracket 13. A lower rail 4 is provided having two sides 24 and a base 25 enclosing an essentially channel shaped recess having its mouth 2 6 facing towards the upper rail 3. The sides 24 of the rail 4 are provided with flanges 27 which are capable of retaining the retaining member 18 within the said recess, such that the tips 28 of the retaining member 18 engage the flanges 2 7. The bracket 13 is capable of lateral insertion through the recess mouth 26 such that its underside 29 becomes adjacent to the lower rail base 25.

One method of assembly of the said kitset involves firstly securing the stanchions 2 to the substrate 11 in their final positions, such that their respective faces 12 are facing one another. The brackets 13 may have been pre-attached to the stanchions 2 or they may be attached at this stage. The installer is then able to precisely measure the distance between the stanchion faces 12 at the points to which the brackets 13 are attached, and if necessary trim the length of 8. 29912 the lower rail 4 so as to fit snugly but without interference between the stanchion faces 12. The retaining members 18 are then slid some distance into the ends 14 of the lower rail 4 such that the retaining member tips 28 are retained by the flanges 27; the lower rail 4 then being brought up from beneath the brackets 13 such that the lower rail mouth 26 pushes over the brackets 13 until the bracket underside 29 is adjacent to the lower rail base 25. The retaining members 18 are then slid within the lower rail 4 until they cover the horizontal leg 17 of the bracket 13, retaining the leg 17 between the web 20 of the retaining member 18 and the lower rail base 25, effectually securing the lower rail 4 from lateral removal from its position. The hole 21 in the retaining member web 20 is now located over the hole 23 in the bracket horizontal leg 17 and the screw 22 is now inserted through the first hole 21 and engaged with the thread in the second hole 23 and turned so as to draw itself through the hole and cause the tip 30 of the screw to bear against the lower rail base 25, thus drawing the lower rail 4 down firmly onto the retaining member 18, which is in turn drawn firmly down onto the bracket leg 17, effectually resisting rattling or displacement of the lower rail 4 as well as preventing the withdrawal of the retaining member 18. However the embodiment of Figure 2 may be used without the screw 22 for this assembly method, the lower rail 4 being held in position so long as both stanchions 2 are fixed in position and the retaining member 18 held in engagement with the bracket leg 17.

An alternative method of assembly involves firstly attaching the bracket 13 to the stanchion 2 and then securing the 9. 299123 retaining member 18 to the bracket 13 using the screw generally in the manner previously described but prior to the lower rail 4 being assembled thereto. Then, prior to one or both stanchions 2 being fastened to the substrate 11, the end 14 of the lower rail 4 is abutted to the assembly comprising the retaining member 18 and the bracket leg 17, these being generally in relationship to the lower rail 4 as shown in Figure 3, and the end 4 of the lower rail is then pushed over the said assembly until it abuts the stanchion face 12. The screw 2 2 may then be tightened as previously described until the lower rail 4 is secured against displacement. The other end of the lower rail 4 may then be connected to another stanchion in a similar manner.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment in which a spacer 31 is inserted between bracket 13 and a stanchion 32 which may be round in cross section. Screws 33 secure the bracket 13 and the spacer 31 to the stanchion 32. The spacer 31 may be the same in width and height as the lower rail 4, and may have a shaped surface 34 to suit the stanchion 32. A retaining member 18 and ✓ a screw 22 are provided as described in the embodiments illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The methods of assembly are essentially the same as described for the embodiments illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

A further embodiment of this invention is illustrated in Figure 5 in which a retaining member 35 is first connected directly to the surface of a stanchion 36 by screws 37 which pass through ports 38 provided in the retaining member 35 and engage the wall 39 of the stanchion 36. The retaining member 35 has two . 299123 sides 4 0 connected by a web 41. The end 14 of the lower rail 4 is able to be pushed over the retaining member 35 such that the tips 42 of the retaining member 40 are retained by the flanges 27, and the web 41 of the retaining member 40 is adjacent to the base 25 of the lower rail 4. During assembly, and prior to one or both stanchions being fixed to the substrate 11, the lower rail is pushed over the retaining member 40 until the lower rail end 14 abuts the stanchion wall 39. A screw 22 may then be engaged into a thread in a hole 43 in the web 41 and turned until its tip 30 bears firmly against the lower rail base 25, thus drawing the lower rail down firmly onto the tips 42 of the retaining member and effectually resisting rattling or displacement of the lower rail. The other end of the lower rail may then be connected to another stanchion in a similar manner.

/ A further embodiment of this invention (not illustrated) is similar to the embodiment of Figure 5, but employs a spacer in a similar manner to the spacer 31 illustrated in Figure 4.

* All of the embodiments described herein may have a lower rail 4 retaining the edge of a panel 5 as illustrated in Figure 6. The panel is preferably supported on setting blocks 44, the top of which support the lower edge 4 5 of the panel above the level of the web 45 of the retaining member 47, while still allowing adequate insertion of the panel 5 within the rail 4. A resilient seal/ is preferably provided on either side of the panel 5. 11. 29912 Figure 7 shows several balustrade units assembled to form a continuous balustrade. An upper rail is affixed continuously over the tips of the stanchions 2 which are each common to two balustrade units. It should be understood that additional rails can be provided in accordance with this invention, including an intermediate rail which is essentially the same as the lower rails described herein, and connected to the stanchions in the same manner, only in inverted orientation, so as to receive the top edge of panels (not illustrated). 12.

Claims (13)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 299123 /

1. A balustrade unit gomprising at least one stanchion; and one or more rails connected to the stanchion, at least one such rail being connected to an essentially vertical face of the stanchion and having a longitudinally extending open recess provided on each side with a protruding flange to form a pair of opposed longitudinally extending flanges which retain within the recess a retaining member, which is retained on one side by one of the flanges and on the opposing side by the other flange; and with the two sides of the retaining member being connected by a web located sufficiently deep within the recess so as to enable panels to be supported without interference within the recess; and with the retaining member shaped so as to engage and retain in relation to the rail a projecting spigot which is affixed to or protruding from the stanchion and which maintains the rail end in juxtaposition with the face of the stanchion.

2. A balustrade unit as claimed in Claim 1 in which the retaining member can be withdrawn from engagement with the spigot such that the spigot can then pass out through the mouth of the open recess in the rail, to enable the rail to be removed laterally from juxtaposition with the face of the stanchion.

3. A balustrade unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 in which the projecting spigot is one leg of a generally L-shaped bracket, the other leg being affixed to the surface of the stanchion.

4 . A balustrade unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the retaining member is generally channel-shaped and capable of having its open mouth facing in the same general 13. 29912 direction as the open mouth of the recess.

5. A balustrade unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which either the retaining member or the spigot is penetrated by a screw or like fastener which engages a thread in either the retaining member or the spigot and which has a head accessible to permit tightening of the tip of the screw or fastener against another surface so as to tend to resist displacement and/or rattling of the rail.

6. A balustrade unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the retaining member and the spigot are provided with a means of interlocking, or are an interference fit with one another so as to tend to resist withdrawal of the retaining member from engagement with the spigot.

7. A balustrade unit as claimed in Claim 1 in which however the retaining member and the spigot are of integral construction, forming a single connecting component which is directly affixed to the surface of the stanchion, and having the connecting component penetrated by a screw or like fastener which has a head accessible to permit tightening of the tip of the fastener against a surface of the rail so as to tend to resist displacement or rattling of the rail.

8. A balustrade unit as claimed in Claim 7 in which the connecting component is generally channel shaped and capable of having its open mouth facing in the same general direction as the open mouth of the recess.

9. A balustrade unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8 in which a spacer is interposed between the spigot or connecting 14. 299123 component and the stanchion; and with the spigot or connecting component, the spacer, and the stanchion a>l being held in spatial relationship with each other by fasteners or other methods.

10. A balustrade unit as claimed in Claim 9 in which the spacer and the spigot or connecting component are of integral construction, forming a single component.

11. A balustrade unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10 in which the rail connected to the stanchion as described retains within its longitudinal open recess, the edge of the panel of sheet material such as glass or synthetic plastics, or sheet metal, or wallboard, or like material.

12. A balustrade unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 11 in which the stanchions and rails are obtained as a kitset wherein both the stanchions and rails are supplied to prearranged lengths such that the rails can be assembled to the stanchions at a convenient location, and such that prior to final assembly the stanchions and/or rails can be trimmed in length wherever necessary.

13. A balustrade unit substantially as herein described with reference to any one of, or any combination of, Fig's 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS £7" DAY OF S€P7fWVff £7^ 1997 ALUMA PRODUCTS LIMITED BY ...< St.-r-r. . (DIRECTOR) END OP CLAIMS N.Z. PATENT Oft-TCE -1 SEP 1997 weoygo