US3544072A - Wall mounted continuous track and handrail assembly - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent [4] WALL MOUNTED CONTINUOUS TRACK AND ABSTRACT: A handrailing structure wherein an open-faced HANDRAIL ASSEMBLY channel member coextensive in length with that of the hansclaims6nrawing Figs drall permits the bracket supports for the handrail to be placed at any location along the longitudinal extent thereof.

[52] U.S. Th h drail i mo nted on the channel member by a plurality of bracket elements that have opposed leg portions disposed within the channel. A spreader brace disposed between the opposed leg portions of the bracket element in spreading enso] FieldofSearch......................................::... 256/65- 243/251 gagemcnt therewith holds the leg portions in tight, frictional References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l2/l960 Meyers.........................

engagement with the sidewalls of the channel member. A cover plate closing those areas of the channel member not occupied by the supporting bracket elements gives the structure a finished appearance.

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 v 3,544,072

sqL lllIl-ll I F 32 i WHF'W Hi1m T flA H9 32 M IIW INVENTOR Wenze/ w. Th

ATTORNEYS,

WALL MOUNTED CONTINUOUS TRACK AND HANDRAIL ASSEMBLY This invention relates to railing assemblies adapted for mounting on an upright wall, either along a hallway or on a stairway, and particularly toan improved handrailing structure wherein the bracket supports for the handrail may be positioned at any desired points along the length of the handrail without regard to the location of an upright support in an adjacent wall.

in prior handrailing structures of this general type it has generally been necessary to determine the locations of studs in the wall in order that the railing may be directly attached thereto. If the railing structure was prefabricated by the manufacturer, the installer then had to make time consuming structural changes in the assembly to adapt the same to a particular stud spacing. This undesirable approach detracted from the appearance of the assembly and added to the cost of installation of the railing. One method of overcoming these disadvantages has been to attach the rail to the wall at selected intervals along the length thereof regardless of the disposition of the upright studs in the wall. This required the use of special anchoring bolts and in any case, the structural support obtained from the wallboard or similar materials was not sufficient to firmly anchor the railing against excessive pressures applied thereto. Another-alternative method-for attaching a handrail has been to provide a supporting bracket for the rail in the form of a flange that was coextensive in length with the rail and which thereby allowed the installer to drive an anchoring screw through'the flange into a structural support such as a stud at any point along the length of the rail. While this arrangement provided the needed structural support without interfering with the railing design, the added weight gave rise to substantially increased shipping costs, the unit was somewhat cumbersome to handle, and increased manufacturing costs resulting from the added material required to form the continuous supporting bracket.

it is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a railing assembly adapted for construction and sale in prefabricated form which may be attached to a supporting wall without regard to the location of studs therein by virtue of the provision of novel component-parts, including a channel member which is coextensive in length with the rail and is Another object of the invention is to provide a prefabricated railing wherein the supporting brackets may be located only where they are needed for structural support and need not be provided throughout the length of the handrail to minimize the overall cost of the assembly.

Also an important object of the invention is to provide a handrail assembly wherein the channel member for supporting the handrail brackets is adapted to be secured to the wall studs prior to positioning of the wall board on the studs to thereby facilitate installation of the handrailing, permit firm fixture of the assembly to the wall and allow recessing of the channel in the wall so that it does not in any way detract from the appearance of the completed handrailing.

it is also an object of the invention to provide a prefabricated railing structure wherein all component parts of the completed assembly are of uniform cross section throughout their lengths to permit the same to be prefabricated of lightweight material having a high strengthto-rate ratio and employing an extrusion process which thereby substantially lowers the cost of the completed unit.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a prefabricated railing structure wherein the position of the supporting brackets is infinitely variable along an elongated channel therefore, and a cover plate disposed within the channel in all areas of the same not occupied by the supporting brackets gives a finished appearance to the assembly.

Other objects of the invention will be made clear or become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the railing structure of this invention shown in the normal position thereof mounted on a wall;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the railing structure and the adjacent wall as shown in HO. 1 and taken along the center of the longitudinal axis of the bracket element and rail support;

FlG.3 is an exploded rear perspective view of certain parts of the railing structure and illustrating the bracket element and the associated component parts that hold the bracket element in engagement with the channel member;

FIG. 4 is a partial front elevational view of an alternative form of railing mounted on an elongated channel according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing the cover plate that serves as a filler strip over those areas of the channel member not occupied by the bracket elements.

Referring to the drawing. the railing structure is designated generally by the numeral 10 and is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 fastened to a'wall 12. The structure 10 includes an elongated,

'tubular handrail 14 that is held within a cradle bracket member 16 by a pair of screws 18. The cradle member 16 is secured to a conical spacer support 20 by a threaded fastener 22 and the support 20 is in turn fastened to a bracket plate element 24 by a mounting screw 26. A cap 28 is secured to the exposed end of the threaded fastener 22 by a setscrew 30.

An open-faced channel member designated generally by the numeral 32 has sidewalls 34 and 36 that present opposed sur-- upright stud 46 of wall 12 through a plurality of appropriate screws such as those designated by the numeral 48.

The plate element 24 is provided with a pair of spaced. screw receiving apertures 50 adapted to be located opposite the opening defined by the sidewalls 34 and 36 of channel member 32 and has opposed leg portions 52 and 54 positionable within the channel defined by member 32. Laterally extending shoulders 56 and 58 of the bracket element 24 abut the lateral sections 42. and 44 respectively when the element 24 is mounted on member 32.

A spreader brace in the form of an elongated, transversely trapezoidal bar 60-is provided with a pair .of threaded apertures 62 in spaced relationship for alinement with the apertures 50in plate 24. Opposed side margins of bar 60 present a pair of converging surfaces 64 and 66 that are configured to engage the opposed leg portions 52 and 54 of channel member 32. A pair of threaded screws 68 passing through openings 50 and threaded into apertures 62 serve to hold the elongated bar 60 against the opposed leg portions 52 and 54 in spreading, frictional engagement therewith and thus firmly affix the bracket element 24 to the channel member 32.

A cover plate 70 serves as a filler strip along those portions of the channel member 32 not occupied by the bracket elements 24. The cover plate 70 has an elongated planar section 72 of greater width than the transverse dimension of the openbody that has a continuous, upwardly facing, uninterrupted convex surface and includes an integral, depending, continuous stem 117 that is secured to an S-shaped bracket element 124 by a suitable fastener 119. 7

The bracket element 124 is provided with a-plate portion having opposed leg portions 152 and 154 that are similar to the leg portions 52 and 54 of the bracket element 24 previously described. The bracket element 124 is secured to the channel member 32 through use of threaded screws 68 that are threaded into apertures 62 of elongated bar 60.

in securing the handrail 14 to the wall 12, the channel member 32 is cut to the desired length and secured to the building studs 46, preferably before the wallboard 12 or other similar material is placed in position. Mounting of channel member 32 on studs 46 before placement of wallboard thereover permits the installer to readily drill appropriate holes through the bight of the channel 32 and drive fastening I screws into the upright studs. The wall boards can then be cut.

and positioned above and below the channel member 32 with lateral extensions 42 and 44 serving to protect the edges ofthe wallboard from being crushed or damaged adjacent the channel member.

Each of the bracket elements 24 are then positioned along I the channel member 32 wherever desired for aesthetic and structural support purposes without regard to the location of the studs 46. The opposed leg portions 52 and 54 of each bracket are disposed within the opening presented by the sidewalls 34 and 36 of channel 32, and the elongated bar 60 is placed between the leg portions 52 and 54 with the apertures 50 and 62 in alinement Threaded screws 68 are next pushed through the apertures 50 and threaded into apertures 62 whereby the elongated bar 60 is drawn outwardly against the opposed leg portions 52 and 54 of plate 24 to hold the legs in tight frictional engagement with opposed surfaces 38 and 40 and at the same time securely affix bracket element 24 to the channel member 32. After the bracket element 24 has been secured to the channel member 32, the remainder of the railing structure may be assembled in a manner that is apparent to those skilled in the art. g

Finally, sections of cover plate material 70 are cut to length and forced into the space between adjacent brackets 24. In so doing, the yieldable extensions 70 deflect inwardly sufficiently to clear the outer peripheral edges of the channel member 32 and then spring outwardly sufficiently to firmly engage opposed wall surfaces 34 and 36 ofthe channel. 1

The handrail 114 is secured to the channel member v3-2 through bracket element 124 in the same manner described above for the handrail 14. it is to be noted that all of the component parts of the railing structure herein described are of a uniform cross section throughout their lengths, thereby permitting them to be formed of a relatively high strength lightweight material using conventional extrusion techniques.

While the invention has been described as having particular advantages for securing a handrail to the upright studs of a wall, it is readily apparent that the handrailing structure herein" described may be secured to any appropriate support. Other modifications and details of construction from the embodiment of the invention shown and described hereincan be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

lclaim: 1. [n a handrailing structure:

an open-faced channel member having sidewalls presenting opposed surfaces and which convergeas the opening defined thereby is approached, said member being adapted to be secured to a support therefor;

a handrail having a bracket elementconnected thereto for mounting the handrail on said channel member. said element having opposed leg portions disposed within said channel; m a spreader brace disposed between said opposed legpbr tions of the bracket element; and connecter means'on the bracketfor holding said spreader brace in a position 'to maintain said leg portions of the 3. The invention of claim 1, whereinsaid bracket element is provided with a plurality of first. apertures. therein opposite said opening. said spreader brace being defined by an elongated bar having a plurality of threaded second apertures therein in alinement with said first apertures and provided with a pair of converging surfaces configured to engage said opposed leg portions of said bracket element, and said connecter means comprises a plurality ofthreaded screws passing through said first apertures andthreaded into the second apertures.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said channel member is a continuous elongated body of uniform cross-sectional configuration, and a cover plate disposed within said channel adjacent said bracket element, said cover plate having an elongated planar section of a width greater than the transverse dimension of said opening and providedwith a pair of yieldable extensions in engagement with said opposed surfaces of the channel member;

5. In a'handrailing structure: an open-faced channelmember having sidewalls presenting opposed surfaces which converge as'the opening defined thereby is approached and including'a lateral section integral with each-;of said sidewalls and extending therefrom in a direction generally perpendicularto said channel; a handrail having a bracket element connected thereto for mounting said handrail on said channel member. said elc ment being provided with a plurality of first apertures i an elongated-bar having a plurality ofthreaded second aper- 4 tures therein in alinement with said first apertures, and presenting a'pair of converging surfaces configured to engage said opposed-leg portions ofsaid bracket element; and a;

a plurality of threaded screws passing through said first apertures and threaded into the second apertures for maintaining the bar in tight frictional engagement with said opposed leg portions of the channel member to -thereby securely affix the handrail to the channel member

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