Handrail connection
OwnerChristopher J. Terrelsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A smooth continuous uninterrupted graspable hand rail has joints made by connectors between adjoining pipe sections. The hand rail is made up of pipe sections which have their respective ends abutting. The connectors have two pieces, each of which fits into one of the abutting ends. For angular connections, the connector pieces are coupled together by an a joint which may be adjusted to position the pieces at an angle corresponding to the angle of the pipe connection. For straight connections, the end pieces of the connector are aligned. In either case, the pipe sections have complementary ends which abut to form a continuous graspable hand rail, and are held in abutting engagement by the connector which is cemented or otherwise bonded to the abutting end portions of the pipe section.
Claims20
A handrail assembly comprising:
- successive sections of pipe of selected lengths and/or shapes of pipe, each with a common inside cross-sectional dimension, the abutting ends of adjacent sections of pipe being formed with opposed complimentary faces of conforming size and contours in order to fit together over their interface to make a smooth, solid abutting joint;
- connector means connecting adjacent sections of pipe, the connector means providing interconnected similar frictional pieces insertable within and frictionally engaging the respective inside surfaces of said adjacent sections, allowing compression when squeezed to produce effective reduction in outer diameter to permit the respective insertable pieces to be placed within one end of each pipe section being joined and to permit ready expansion when the insertable piece is released to engage the inside surface of the pipe section, sufficient area of the surface of each insertable piece of the connector means being capable of engaging the inside surface with frictional force sufficient to resist removal of the connector means from the pipe and the insertable pieces of the connector means joining the respective adjacent sections of pipe and allowing movement toward one another and holding in place the pipe sections to provide tight closure together of the confronting conforming surfaces of the adjacent pipe sections with a smooth continuous surface provided at the outer surface of the railing sections and frictional force of the insertable pieces of the connector means and the abutting end surfaces of the adjacent sections providing a solid and secure joint.
A coupling for joining together a first tubular member and a second tubular member, each tubular member having an interior bore and an open end, said coupling comprising:
- A. a generally cylindrical connector formed of a flexible resilient material and comprising a slot extending longitudinally along the length of the connector, said slot defining a pair of end walls in the slot;
- and
- B. a plurality of circumferentially spaced contact areas projecting radially outwardly from the connector and extending longitudinally along the connector,
- wherein, the connector is configured for inward deflection along the slot to converge the end walls in the slot toward one another and effectively reduce the diameter of the connector, permitting the connector to be inserted into the open ends of the first and second tubular members and form a friction connection between the contact areas and the interior bores in the tubular members.
A coupling for connecting a first tubular member to a second tubular member, said coupling comprising:
- A. a connector having a generally cylindrical cross section and a longitudinal slot extending along the length of the body;
- and
- B. a plurality of contact areas projecting radially outwardly from the connector and circumferentially spaced along the connector;
- wherein, the connector is configured for insertion into said first and second tubular members, each of said tubular members comprising an opening at one end having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the connector, said connector being formed of a resilient flexible material that deflects inwardly along said slot upon insertion of the connector into the opening on each of said tubular members to permit clearance of the connector through the openings, said connector extending into each of said first and second tubular members to connect the tubular members together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.