Adjustable mounting bracket for a stair rail assembly
OwnerRobert E. Plattinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bracket for mounting a rail to a vertical post. The bracket includes a base with an arcuate front wall and a housing that is selectively movable along that front wall. The housing itself has an arcuate front wall that is oriented at right angles to the arcuate front wall of the base. The bracket further includes a rail connector that is selectively movable along the front wall of the housing. The rail connector engages an end of the rail and holds the rail at both a vertical and a horizontal angle relative the post. The vertical and horizontal angle of the rail to the post can be changed by selectively moving the rail connector along the front wall of the housing and moving the housing along the front wall of the base.
Claims20
A bracket for mounting a rail to a vertical post, wherein said bracket comprises:
- a base adapted to abut a side wall of the post;
- said base having a first axis extending between a first and second end thereof, and wherein a front wall of said base describes an arc about a second axis that is oriented at right angles to the first axis;
- a housing engageable with the base and being adjustably movable along the front wall thereof;
- and wherein said housing includes a front wall that describes an arc about an axis substantially parallel to the first axis of the base;
- and
- a rail connector engageable with the housing and being adjustably movable along the front wall of the housing;
- and wherein said rail connector is adapted to engage an end of the rail;
- and wherein movement of the housing along the front wall of the base changes the orientation of the rail in one of a vertical and a horizontal plane and movement of the rail connector along the front wall of the housing changes the orientation of the rail in the other of the vertical and horizontal plane.
A staircase assembly comprising:
- a pair of upper posts mounted vertically at the top end of a diverging staircase;
- a pair of lower posts mounted vertically at the bottom end of the staircase, wherein the upper vertical posts are positioned horizontally closer to each other than are the lower posts;
- at least two rails, each rail extending between one of the upper posts and one of the lower posts;
- a plurality of brackets, each bracket engaging an end of one of the rails and being mounted to a side wall of one of the upper and lower posts, whereby the rail extends outwardly from the bracket and away from the post at an angle;
- and wherein said bracket is adjustable to change the angle at which the rail extends from the post in both a vertical and a horizontal direction.
A method of connecting a rail to a vertical post at one end of a diverging staircase, said method comprising the steps of:
- mounting a base onto the vertical post;
- slidably engaging a housing onto an arcuate front wall of the base;
- slidably engaging a rail connector onto an arcuate front wall of the housing;
- sliding the housing in one of a first and a second direction along the front wall of the base and about an axis disposed substantially at right angles to a longitudinal axis of the base;
- sliding the rail connector in one of a third and a fourth direction along the front wall of the housing and about an axis that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the base;
- and
- engaging an end of the rail in a receptacle on the rail connector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.