Handrail system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a handrail system comprising at least one post, at least one rail and at least one rail holder (5), the rail holder connecting the post to the rail, characterised in that the post is formed by a profiled hollow body and comprises a longitudinal cavity, the inside of the longitudinal cavity being accessible via at least one opening arranged on the periphery of the post, the rail holder comprising: - a mounting element (9) capable of being inserted into the longitudinal cavity, via the opening when the rail holder (5) is in a first angular position relative to the post, the mounting element (9) being further capable of being held in the longitudinal cavity upon the rotation of the rail holder (5), relative to the post, to a second angular position; and - an element (10) for receiving the rail capable of protruding from the opening, and comprising a through-hole (16) intended to receive the rail.

Description

RAILING SYSTEM Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of interior and exterior equipment for houses, residential buildings, buildings for professional or commercial use and public buildings, in particular security and decorative equipment for open areas receiving the public or the passage of people.

[0002] The invention relates in particular to demarcation equipment with an elongated structure composed of the assembly of several parts or segments placed end to end, and more specifically to components making it possible to produce such elongated constructions by mutual assembly of standard parts or segments of reduced individual size.

[0003] The invention relates more specifically to a railing system for forming such a construction, and comprising at least one rail support for connecting a rail and a post of the railing system. Prior art

[0004] There are many railing systems available. However, they typically consist of a large number of parts, requiring the manufacturing, transportation, and storage of all of these components. Furthermore, their assembly is often complex and may require professional intervention. This complex assembly can also detract from the aesthetic appearance of the structure once it is assembled.

[0005] Document FR 3 076 312 describes a railing system comprising at least one post formed by two half-shells. The half-shells are assembled together by means of connecting elements. Each connecting element has a through hole allowing the passage of a rail. Each connecting element therefore fulfills a rail support function. Patent applications EP 1 801 323 A1 and US 2022 / 396951A1 relate to railing systems that necessarily use pins as locking means and as described in their preambles.

[0006] However, such a connecting element is specifically adapted to a particular post shape, and can therefore only be used in a particular railing system. In addition, due to the mounting of the connecting element on each of the two half-shells, there is no possibility of swivelling. It is therefore not possible to correct any defects during assembly.

[0007] As a reminder, in mechanics, swiveling is induced by the presence of a functional clearance that exists between an axis and its bore. This concept is for example described in the book "Design of machines: principles and static applications" by Georges Spinnler (1997).

[0008] There is therefore a need for a railing system that facilitates the connection between a post and a rail, by means of a rail support that can be quickly mounted and easily adapted to different configurations and different types of posts.

[0009] These objectives, as well as others which will become more clearly apparent hereinafter, are achieved by means of a railing system, comprising at least one post, at least one rail and at least one rail support, said rail support making it possible to connect said post and said rail, characterized in that said post is formed by a profiled hollow body and comprises a longitudinal cavity, the interior of the longitudinal cavity being accessible via at least one opening arranged on the periphery of the post, the rail support comprising: - a mounting element, capable of being inserted into said longitudinal cavity, via said opening, when the rail support is in a first angular position relative to the post, said mounting element being further capable of being held in said longitudinal cavity, after rotation of the rail support, relative to the post, to a second angular position, and - a rail receiving element,capable of projecting from said opening, and comprising a through hole intended to receive the rail.,

[0010] The rotation between the first angular position and the second angular position can be carried out clockwise or counterclockwise. The second angular position is chosen from a range of angular positions allowing the mounting element to be held in the longitudinal cavity. The second angular position can further be adjusted, within the range of angular positions, until the beam is connected to two posts, or to a post and a wall.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the mounting element comprises a rod and two lugs arranged on either side of the free end of the rod.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the railing system comprises an elastomer washer, intended to be arranged between the receiving element of the rail and the post.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the railing system comprises a clamping screw, intended to be placed in a threaded hole of the receiving element, to block the translation of the rail relative to the rail support.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the angle between said first angular position and said second angular position is between 10° and 170°, clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the railing system further comprises at least one handrail.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the railing system comprises two posts supporting said rail, and two rail supports making it possible to connect said rail to each of said posts.

[0017] The invention also provides a method for mounting a railing system as described above, comprising:- a step of placing the rail support in the post, consisting of placing the rail support in said first angular position, inserting the mounting element into the opening, then rotating the rail support inside the opening, to the second angular position, and- a step of placing the rail in the rail support, consisting of sliding the rail into the orifice, until the desired position is reached.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, the step of placing the rail in the rail support comprises an operation of placing a clamping screw in a threaded hole of the receiving element to block, by pressing, the rail inside the orifice.

[0019] List of figures

[0020] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of preferred embodiments, given as a simple figurative and non-limiting example, and accompanied by the figures among which: is a perspective view of a railing system according to an embodiment of the invention; is an exploded perspective view showing a rail support of the railing system of the ; is a perspective view showing the insertion of the rail support into a post of the railing system; is a view similar to the, showing a rotation of the rail support relative to the post; is a view similar to the, showing the rail support after its rotation relative to the post; is a perspective view showing a rail of the railing system placed in the rail support; is a top view showing the interior of the post; is a front view showing an opening of the post;andis a step diagram showing the steps of a method of mounting the railing system, according to one embodiment of the invention. Detailed description of embodiments of the inventionRailing system;

[0021] A railing system 1 is described below.

[0022] The term "railing" here refers to any type of protective barrier, for example a balustrade, a ramp, a guardrail, or a guard rail.

[0023] A railing system 1 is for example used to protect a staircase, a terrace, a swimming pool, a platform or other.

[0024] The railing system 1 comprises at least one post 2, preferably at least two posts 2. The railing system 1 also comprises at least one handrail 3, extending between the posts 2. The railing system 1 further comprises at least one rail 4, also extending between the posts 2.

[0025] When the railing system 1 comprises a single post 2, the free ends of the handrail 3 and the rail 4 may, for example, be fixed to a wall (not shown). The handrail 3 may also be called a "top support bar". The rail 4 may also be called a "bracing element" or "tube". A rail 4 has, for example, a diameter of approximately 10 mm.

[0026] The railing system 1 further comprises at least one rail support 5 (better visible in the), making it possible to connect the rail 4 to the post 2.

[0027] On the, the railing system 1 comprises three posts 2, a handrail 3, five rails 4, and fifteen rail supports 5. Each rail support 5 makes it possible to connect a rail 4 to a post 2.

[0028] Each post 2 has a substantially cylindrical shape. The directing curve of the cylinder is for example circular or elliptical. Each post 2 comprises, at its lower end, means for fixing to the ground 6. Each post 2 comprises, at its upper end, means for receiving and fixing a handrail 3, which will not be described in detail here.

[0029] As can be seen in particular in the, each post 2 is formed by a profiled hollow body and comprises in particular a longitudinal cavity 7, which extends over the entire length of the post 2. The longitudinal cavity 7 is accessible from the outside of the post 2 by means of a set of openings 8 (), distributed along the post 2, on its periphery. The openings 8 have an oblong shape.Straddle support

[0030] A stringer support 5 is described in more detail below. When several stringer supports 5 are used, they can all be made in a similar manner.

[0031] The rail support 5 comprises a mounting element 9, to allow the mounting of the rail support 5 on the post 2, and a receiving element 10, to receive a rail 4. The mounting element 9 and the receiving element 10 are integral with each other. They can for example be made in one piece.

[0032] The rail support 5 may also include an elastomer washer 11, intended to be placed between the rail support 5 and the post 2 at the time of assembly. The washer 11 improves the quality of assembly, but is not necessary.

[0033] The mounting element 9 comprises a rod 12 and two lugs 13, arranged on either side of the free end of the rod 12. The rod 12 and the two lugs 13 are arranged to allow the mounting element 9 to be inserted into the opening 8, in a first angular position of the rail support 5 relative to the opening 8, therefore relative to the post 2. The rod 12 and the two lugs 13 are also arranged to allow the mounting element 9 to be held inside the longitudinal cavity 7, after rotation of the rail support 5 to a second angular position of the rail support 5 relative to the opening 8.

[0034] The diameter of the rod 12 is preferably greater than the width of each lug 13, the oblong opening 8 having a central zone 14 wider than its peripheral zones 15. The width of the central zone 14 is adapted to the diameter of the rod 12. The width of the peripheral zones 15 is adapted to the width of the lugs 13. This characteristic allows the locking in translation along the axis of the rod 12 once the angle of the rail support 5 is at its second angular position.

[0035] The receiving element 10 has a generally parallelepiped shape. It is intended to project from the post 2 when the rail support 5 has been put in place.

[0036] The receiving element 10 comprises a through orifice 16, intended to receive a rail 4.

[0037] The receiving element 10 may further comprise a threaded hole 17, intended to receive a clamping screw 18. The clamping screw 18 has the function of locking the rail 4 in translation relative to the rail support 5. The screw 18 is for example a headless screw. The axis of the threaded hole 17 is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the orifice 16.

[0038] The beam support 5, in particular due to its shape, has good resilience or resistance to an instantaneous or long-term load on the beam 4. Mounting method

[0039] Referring to the, the steps of a method of mounting a railing system 1, according to one embodiment of the invention, are described below.

[0040] The method comprises a step S1 of placing the rail support 5 in the post 2. For this, the rail support 5 is placed in the first angular position (), so that the lugs 13 are located respectively in line with the peripheral zones 15 of the opening 8. The mounting element 9 is then inserted into the opening 8, as symbolized by the arrow F1. Then, the rail support 5 is rotated inside the opening 8, to the second angular position, as symbolized by the arrow F2 (). The angle of rotation is for example approximately 90°.

[0041] At this stage, the lugs 13 come to bear against the internal wall of the cavity 7 (), and therefore make it possible to hold the mounting element 9 in the post 2. It nevertheless remains possible to adjust the angular position of the rail support 5 relative to the post 2, for example to adapt to sloping ground. Step S1 can be carried out before or after fixing the post 2 in the ground.

[0042] Holding the rail support 5 by means of two lugs 13 allows a slight swivelling of the rail support 5. This makes it possible to correct any defects during assembly, thus simplifying assembly.

[0043] The method comprises a step S2 of placing the rail 4 in the rail support 5. For this, the rail 4 is inserted by sliding into the orifice 16, until it reaches the desired position. A clamping screw 18 can then be placed in the hole 17 to block, by pressing, the rail 4 inside the orifice 16.

[0044] At this stage, it remains possible to adjust the angular position of the beam support 5, therefore of the beam 4, relative to the post 2. The blocking of the transverse axis rotation is carried out once the beam 4 is connected to at least two posts 2, or to a post 2 and to a wall.

[0045] Steps S1 and S2 can then be repeated as many times as necessary, with different rails 4, different posts 2, and different rail supports 5, to obtain the desired installation.

[0046] The railing system 1 thus allows simple and rapid assembly of the rails 4. In particular, it allows screw-free adjustment of the angle of the rails 4 in relation to the posts 2.

[0047] In addition, once assembly is complete, the junction between the rail support 5 and the rail 4 is concealed in the rail support 5. This improves the aesthetics of the railing system 1.

[0048] The rail support 5 just needs to be able to be inserted and then held in the post 2 by means of an opening 8. It is therefore adaptable to a large number of types of posts 2, in particular posts 2 having different geometries.

[0049] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above as examples; it extends to other variants.

Claims

Railing system (1), comprising at least one post (2), at least one rail (4) and at least one rail support (5), said rail support (5) making it possible to connect said post (2) and said rail (4), characterized in that said post (2) is formed by a profiled hollow body and comprises a longitudinal cavity (7), the interior of the longitudinal cavity being accessible via at least one opening (8) arranged on the periphery of the post (2), the rail support (5) comprising: - a mounting element (9), capable of being inserted into said longitudinal cavity (7), via said opening (8), when the rail support (5) is in a first angular position relative to the post (2), said mounting element (9) being further capable of being held in said longitudinal cavity (7), after rotation of the rail support (5), relative to the post (2), to a second angular position, and - a receiving element (10) of the rail,capable of projecting from said opening (8), and comprising a through orifice (16) intended to receive the rail (4)., A railing system according to claim 1, wherein the mounting element (9) comprises a rod (12) and two lugs (13) arranged on either side of the free end of the rod (12). Railing system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising an elastomer washer (11), intended to be arranged between the receiving element (10) of the rail (5) and the post (2). Railing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a clamping screw (18), intended to be placed in a threaded hole (17) of the receiving element (10), to block the translation of the rail (4) relative to the rail support (5). A railing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the angle between said first angular position and said second angular position is between 10° and 170°, clockwise or counterclockwise. A railing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising at least one handrail (3). Railing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising two posts (2) supporting said rail (4), and two rail supports (5) making it possible to connect said rail (4) to each of said posts (2). A method of mounting a railing system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:- a step (S1) of placing the rail support (5) in the post (2), consisting of placing the rail support (5) in said first angular position, inserting the mounting element (9) into the opening (8), then rotating the rail support (5) inside the opening (8), to the second angular position, and- a step (S2) of placing the rail (4) in the rail support (5), consisting of inserting the rail (4) by sliding into the orifice (16), until reaching the desired position. Mounting method according to claim 8, in which the step (S2) of placing the rail (4) in the rail support (5) comprises an operation of placing a clamping screw (18) in a threaded hole (17) of the receiving element (10) to block, by pressing, the rail (4) inside the orifice (16).

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