Handrail mounting system
AssigneeItasca Plastics, Inc.
InventorsJorge M Pinheiro, Matthew F Barr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handrail system includes an elongated rail member; a plurality of attachment elements slidably carried on a back side of the elongated rail member; a plurality of brackets; and a plurality of pins wherein each pin is engageable through a distal end portion of a bracket to fix the attachment element to the bracket. According to the system, the brackets can be pre-mounted at spaced-apart positions onto a wall using fasteners, and then the rail member, with the carried attachment elements, can be mounted to the brackets by slidably adjusting the attachment elements along the rail member to register with the corresponding brackets. A pin is used at each attachment element/bracket pair to fix the attachment elements to the brackets and thus the rail member to the wall.
Claims20
A handrail system comprising:
- an elongated rail member having a front side and a backside, the backside facing a wall onto which the handrail is to be mounted;
- a plurality of attachment elements slidably carried by the elongated rail member on the backside thereof;
- a plurality of brackets, each bracket attachable at a base end to a wall via an attachment hole in the bracket;
- wherein each bracket has a first through hole and each attachment element has a second through hole;
- wherein each attachment element, while being slidably held on the elongated rail member, is inserted into a corresponding bracket by a linear movement of the attachment element in a single direction, without relative rotation, toward the corresponding bracket until the first and second through holes are aligned;
- and
- a plurality of pins wherein each pin is engageable through the first and second through holes by a linear movement of the pin in a single direction, without relative rotation with respect to the attachment element to fix each attachment element to one of said brackets, wherein said brackets are attachable to the wall independently of the attachment elements and removal of each pin acts to un-fix the attachment element from said one of said brackets with said one of said brackets remaining attached to the wall.
An attachment bracket assembly for supporting a horizontal handrail, comprising:
- a bracket having a base end that is fastenable to a wall;
- an attachment element having a base end slidably connected to a back side of a handrail;
- wherein the bracket has a first through hole and the attachment element has a second through hole;
- wherein the attachment element is inserted into the bracket by movement of the attachment element toward the bracket in a single linear direction, without relative rotation, until the first and second through holes are aligned;
- and
- a pin that is sized and shaped to be pushed through the first and second through holes by a linear movement of the pin in a single direction, without relative rotation with respect to the attachment element to lock the bracket to the attachment element, wherein said brackets are attachable to the wall independently of the attachment elements and removal of the pin acts to un-lock the bracket from the attachment element with the bracket remaining fastened to the wall.
A method of attaching a handrail to a wall comprising the steps of:
- mounting brackets onto the wall spaced apart horizontally;
- providing that a rail member has a connecting slot on a back side of the rail that slidably receives attachment elements along the slot, the slot configured to prevent separation of the attachment elements from the rail member;
- positioning the attachment elements along the slot to register with each of the brackets already mounted onto the wall;
- inserting each of the attachment elements into a corresponding bracket using a linear movement of the attachment element toward and into the brackets, without relative rotation between the attachment elements and the brackets;
- installing pins by a linear movement of each pin in a single direction, without relative rotation with respect to the attachment element, which lock each attachment element to the corresponding bracket.
A hand rail assembly, comprising:
- a rail member having a longitudinal slot with a T-shaped slot cross section;
- a bracket having a base end that is fastenable to a wall, the bracket having an opposite end having an opening into a void;
- an attachment element having a base end with a head having a T-shaped cross section that is slidably fit into the longitudinal slot, the attachment element having a body inserted into the void by a linear movement of the attachment element in a single direction, without relative rotation, toward the bracket;
- wherein the bracket has a first hole and the body has a second hole, the first and second holes are aligned when the body is inserted into the void and the opposite end of the bracket abuts the rail;
- and
- a pin that is sized and shaped to be pushed through the aligned first and second holes by a linear movement of the pin in a single direction, without relative rotation with respect to the attachment element to fix the attachment element to said bracket, wherein said bracket is attachable to the wall independently of the attachment element and removal of said pin acts to un-fix the attachment element from said bracket with said bracket remaining attached to the wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.