EP0651111A1 - Device for mounting and fixing the rail of a railing - Google Patents

Abstract

This device for fixing a rail (7 or 8) onto a vertical support stiffener (3) is characterised in that it has a tubular structure, capable of receiving, in a horizontal through-passage defined by openings (12, 13) made facing each other in its opposite walls, a clamp (9) whose ends (14, 15) are mutually symmetrical with respect to the mid-plane (16) of the stiffener, these ends receiving, in an open groove (19, 20), a plane flat piece (18) forming part of the rail (7, 8) to be immobilised, the clamp including a central bore (24) into which is engaged a screw (25) accessible from the rear of the stiffener, in such a way that rotation of the screw bearing on the inner wall of the stiffener exerts, by reaction, a movement of the clamp along the axis of this screw, thereby providing a clamping effect of the clamp and consequently the locking of the rail carried by the latter with respect to the stiffener. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a device for mounting and fixing a rail, in particular a horizontal railing, on a vertical stiffener for supporting this rail.

We know that a railing, especially for balconies, terraces, stairs or other similar constructions, is generally made up of a flat panel, made of transparent material or not, placed between two horizontal rails placed at the top and bottom of this panel, these heddles being themselves supported by vertical posts or stiffeners, located behind the panel and resting on the ground, so as to protect users from the vacuum beyond the railing.

As a variant, the top and bottom rails of the railing may include, instead of a solid or transparent panel, bars mutually spaced along the length of the railing, these panels being embedded in the rails at their ends, their spacing being limited, in accordance with the standards in force, in particular to a sufficient extent to avoid the passage between two successive bars of the head of a child.

In the solutions currently known in the art, the rails of the railing are fixed by joining them to solid support stiffeners, by means of external pliers, enveloping both the body of the stiffener and, simultaneously, the rail to be fixed. on it, which takes up the associated panel or bars. Such pliers generally consist of two parts, one in the form of a yoke engaged on the heald and the other having a tubular element which bypasses the stiffener. The clamping of the latter on the two rails of the railing is then carried out by means of pressure screws which are visible from the outside.

Another solution consists in using a casting piece immobilized on the front face of the stiffener and comprising an extension coming to engage in a groove of the stringer to be immobilized or vice versa comprising a groove in which engages a planar part of this stringer. But again, the assembly is clamped using screws visible from the outside, which affects the aesthetics and the presentation of the railing. In addition, the cost price of such assemblies is relatively high, due to the use of solid parts for the stiffeners and molded for the clamps.

The present invention relates to a device which avoids these drawbacks, thanks to the use of vertical tubular stiffeners associated with high and low beam support members, of very simple design, which provide both increased security in the maintenance of the railing panel or bars and great speed of assembly, with an overall appearance that is particularly satisfactory from an aesthetic point of view, the fixing of these members carrying the beams and their clamping on the stiffener being produced by means of a single screw housed inside this stiffener and which can then be completely hidden outwards.

To this end, the device considered, for mounting and fixing a horizontal railing rail with respect to a vertical stiffener, by means of a connecting member secured to the stiffener and supporting the rail, is characterized in that the stiffener has a tubular structure, capable of receiving, in a horizontal through passage defined by openings of the same profile made opposite in its opposite walls, the connecting member having the shape of an elongated clamp whose the ends, when this clamp is placed in this passage, are symmetrical to one another with respect to the median plane of the stiffener, these ends outside the latter then being oriented towards the front of the stiffener so as to receive, in an open groove of the clamp, a flat blank forming part of the stringer to be immobilized, the clamp further comprising a central threaded bore whose axis is oriented substantially in the median plane of the stiffener and in which is engaged a screw accessible from the rear of the stiffener, so that the rotation of the screw bearing on the internal wall of the latter, by reaction exerts a displacement of the clamp according to the axis of this screw by providing a clamping effect of the clamp and consequently the blocking of the arm carried by the latter vis-à-vis the stiffener.

According to a particular characteristic of the device, the clamp has a semi-circular profile, the ends of the clamp, outside the stiffener, beyond the openings delimiting the passage through the stiffener in which it engages, each comprising a slot open upwards, the two slots being arranged in the same vertical plane, substantially tangent to the wall of the stiffener, in front of the latter.

Preferably, each slot provided at the ends of the clamp has at its bottom an internal projection, suitable for receiving a raised rib possibly provided at the lower end of the flat blank of the heddle to be immobilized, carried by the clamp.

According to another characteristic, the clamp has in its middle part a notch whose width is substantially equal to that of the stiffener at the level of the openings delimiting the through passage where the clamp engages, so that, when the clamping thereof Ci under the effect of the screw that it supports, the edges of this notch come to cap the side walls of the stiffener, closing these openings.

Furthermore and in a manner known per se, each stringer comprises means for immobilizing a panel or parallel bars, arranged in front of the planar blank supported by the clamp.

Advantageously, the stiffener comprises an access hole in the head of the screw, formed in the rear part of this stiffener for the introduction of a tool for controlling the rotation of this screw.

According to yet another characteristic, the side walls of the stiffener each have a continuous groove, extending along a vertical generatrix arranged towards the rear of the stiffener so as to allow the mounting, in the manner of a clip, of the folded edges of a cover, masking the access hole at the head of the screw.

• La Figure 1 est une vue en coupe partielle et en élévation d'un raidisseur de garde-corps, muni d'un dispositif conforme à l'invention, selon un premier mode de réalisation où les lisses de ce garde-corps supportent entre elles un panneau plan, en avant du raidisseur.
• La Figure 2 est une vue de face d'une partie du raidisseur selon la Figure 1, au droit d'une pince montée dans celui-ci.
• Les Figures 3, 4 et 5 sont des vues en coupe transversale du raidisseur et de la pince associée, illustrant le processus de mise en place de cette dernière.
• La Figure 6 est une vue analogue à la Figure 5, mais sur laquelle la lisse à immobiliser sur le raidisseur est représentée, en étant supportée par la pince.
• La Figure 7 est une vue analogue à la Figure 1 mais relative à une variante de réalisation.

Other characteristics of a device for mounting and fixing a horizontal rail of a railing, established in accordance with the invention, will become more apparent from the following description of several exemplary embodiments, given by way of indication and not limiting, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a partial sectional view in elevation of a railing stiffener, provided with a device according to the invention, according to a first embodiment where the beams of this railing support between them a flat panel, in front of the stiffener.
• Figure 2 is a front view of part of the stiffener according to Figure 1, to the right of a clamp mounted therein.
• Figures 3, 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of the stiffener and the associated clamp, illustrating the process of positioning the latter.
• Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but on which the smooth to immobilize on the stiffener is shown, being supported by the clamp.
• Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 but relating to an alternative embodiment.

In Figure 1, the reference 1 designates as a whole a railing, intended to be mounted on the edge of a flat support 2, constituted for example by the floor of a balcony, a terrace or a staircase , or by any other similar construction overlooking the void and which should be protected with regard to the latter.

Such a railing is in particular constituted, in a manner known per se, by a series of vertical stiffeners 3, suitably spaced along the length of the support to be protected, these stiffeners each comprising a support and fixing plate 4 on the support 2, by any conventional means (not shown), the detail of which is of little importance to the present invention.

At its upper part, the railing 1 includes, where appropriate, a handrail 5, extending horizontally by joining the upper ends of the various stiffeners 3, protection from the outside being ensured, in the example of embodiment shown in Figure 1, by means of a flat panel 6, here in transparent material, in one piece (or formed of adjacent panels as illustrated in Figure 6), arranged over most of the height stiffeners 3, this panel being supported by the latter by means of two also horizontal rails, respectively a low rail 7 and a high rail 8.

According to the invention, each stiffener 3 has a tubular section, as can be seen more particularly in the sectional views of Figures 3 to 6, each stiffener comprising, at the level of these heddles 7 and 8, a connecting member in shape of clamp 9, the structure and profile of which also emerge clearly from these Figures.

The stiffener 3 with tubular section notably comprises, in its opposite lateral faces, respectively 10 and 11, openings 12 and 13, arranged opposite and formed in the walls of the stiffener substantially at the level where each of the heddles 7 and 8 screws must be placed. vis-à-vis the latter, these openings delimiting from one to the other a through passage for the clamp 9, once the latter engaged in the latter.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the clamp 9 has a general profile in a semicircle, with a rectangular section in cross section, corresponding to the profile of the openings 12 and 13 through which the clamp is engaged in the passage made through the stiffener . Of course, provision could be made to give the section of the clamp 9 a different outline, provided that the latter can be easily introduced into this passage and that its ends, respectively 14 and 15, can be arranged, when the clamp is positioning and immobilized in position as described below, on either side of this stiffener, while being substantially symmetrical to one another, on each side of the vertical vertical plane of the latter, shown diagrammatically in Figures 2 to 6 under reference 16.

The dimensions of the clamp 9 are moreover determined so that its ends 14 and 15 are arranged, in the previous position, corresponding to FIGS. 5 and 6, slightly in front of the front face 17 of the stiffener 3, so that 'a flat blank 18, belonging to the horizontal rail 7 or 8 associated with this clamp, can be engaged in slots open upwards, respectively 19 and 20, provided in these ends 14 and 15, and furthermore is substantially tangent and practically in contact with this face 17.

As shown in Figure 1, the clamp 9 advantageously comprises, in the bottom of its open slots 19 and 20, an internal projection 21, in which engages a rib 22 provided at the lower end of the planar blank 18. Such a rib may in particular be provided on the blanks of one and the other of the two beams 7 and 8, if necessary on only one of these, these ribs having essentially for purpose in the event of an impact on the panel 6 from the inside towards the outside of the railing, avoid that the heddles do not take off vis-à-vis the clamps 9, the rib 22 engaging against the upper part of the projection 21 by properly blocking the blank 18, thus prevented from coming out of the corresponding slots.

The clamp 9 furthermore comprises, in its central part, a notch 23, the width of which corresponds substantially to that of the stiffener 3, in line with the through passage formed therein between the openings 12 and 13 of its side walls 10 and 11 At the center of this notch is provided a tapped hole 24, in which a screw 25 engages, having at one end a groove 26 making it possible to control its rotation when the clamp is placed in the stiffener 3, in particular because of the engagement inside thereof of a tool (not shown) of the screwdriver type, introduced through an access hole 27 provided in the front face 28 of the stiffener, directed towards the interior of the guard body opposite its front face 17.

The width of the notch 23 is determined by construction, so that its internal edges, respectively 23a and 23b, are spaced a distance which corresponds to the width of the stiffener 3 at the rear part of the openings 12 and 13 in its side walls 10 and 11, so that the clamp 9 can slide slightly inside the through passage, these edges 23a and 23b partially covering the faces external of these side walls, in the position illustrated in Figure 6.

In order to allow this movement of the clamp in its through passage, the screw 25 has, at its opposite end, a flat surface 29, capable of coming to bear on the internal wall of the front face 17 of the stiffener, by exerting on the clamp 9 a displacement effort towards the rear thereof, following the rotation of the screw.

The stiffener finally has, in its side walls 10 and 11, longitudinal grooves, respectively 30 and 31, extending along the height of the stiffener and intended to cooperate with the ends curved inward 32 and 33, of a cover exterior 34, capable of being thus placed against the stiffener in the manner of a clip, by masking its front face 28 and in particular the access hole 27 to the screw 25, at the level of the clamps 9 supporting the healds 7 and 8.

The implementation of the device described above is easily deduced from the consideration of the various figures of the appended drawing, as from the description above.

Firstly, the stiffeners 3 of the railing 1 being in place and immobilized on the support 2 by their plates 4, the clamps 9 are introduced into each of these stiffeners, at the locations corresponding to the fixing points of the bottom horizontal rails and high 7 and 8, by sliding each clamp in its through passage through the openings 12 and 13 formed in the side walls 10 and 11, these openings being here rectangular and corresponding to the cross section chosen for the clamp 9.

When the latter is put in place, with its ends 14 and 15 brought into positions which are substantially symmetrical to one another, on either side and towards the front of the stiffener, one engages in the open slots upwards 19 and 20 of this clamp, the flat blank 18 of the corresponding rail. Preferably when it has at its lower end a rib 22, the latter is trapped in the projection 21 provided at the base of these slots.

When the healds are thus engaged in all of the clamps of the stiffeners 3, it then suffices for each of them to clamp the assembly, by acting on the screw 25 of these clamps through the hole 27 in the front wall 28 of the stiffeners.

Each clamp 9, blocked in tilting in the openings 12 and 13 but free in translation in these, then moves due to the support of the flat end 29 of the screw on the internal wall of the face 17 of the stiffener 3 associated, by sliding the edges 23a and 23b of the notch 23 which come to cover the lateral faces 10 and 11. This longitudinal movement makes it possible to obtain a final blocking of the clamp 9, where the openings 12 and 13 are completely closed by the clamp itself, the flat blank 18 of each heald pressing simultaneously against the external wall of this same face 17, as illustrated in Figure 6, immobilizing the assembly.

Once all the clamps 9 thus clamped with the two rails 7 and 8 on all the stiffeners 3, the assembly is completed by placing, on each of these, its cover 34 which masks the holes 27, the structure produced not letting see any of the elements housed inside these stiffeners.

This produces a mounting and fixing device for the rails of a railing, of very simple design, of a relatively very low cost and which has a particularly aesthetic external appearance, the branches of circular shape of the clamps emerging from symmetrically on either side of the stiffeners, while remaining visible alone with connection without apparent play on the wall of the latter.

The clamping of the clamps and of the heddles which they support is carried out using a single screw, this being furthermore entirely masked in each of the stiffeners. Conversely, after removing the rear cover of the latter, access to the control screws can be easily obtained, allowing rapid and safe disassembly of the clamps.

Of course, it goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the example more particularly described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Thus and as shown in Figure 7, one can envisage, without modifying the structure or the operation of the device, to directly adapt the latter to the fixing of beams intended to support, no longer one or more solid or transparent panels located in front of the railing, but parallel bars such as 35, these being embedded by their ends respectively in the rails 7 and 8, if necessary even in the upper handrail 5 when the latter serves directly as a top rail, the railing 1 comprising only in this case a bottom rail 7, mounted and fixed on the stiffeners by means of the device of the invention.

Claims (7)

1 - Device for mounting and fixing a rail (7 or 8), in particular horizontal, of a railing (1) on a vertical stiffener (3) for supporting this rail, by means of a member connecting (9) secured to the stiffener and supporting the heald, characterized in that the stiffener (3) has a tubular structure, capable of receiving, in a horizontal through passage defined by openings (12, 13) of the same profile formed in look in its opposite walls, the connecting member having the shape of an elongated clamp (9) whose ends (14, 15), when this clamp is placed in this passage, are symmetrical one of the other with respect to the median plane (16) of the stiffener, these ends outside of the latter then being oriented towards the front of the stiffener so as to receive in a open groove (19, 20) of the clamp a planar blank (18) forming part of the arm (7, 8) to be immobilized, the clamp further comprising a bore tapped central (24) whose axis is oriented substantially in the median plane of the stiffener and in which is engaged a screw (25) accessible from the rear of the stiffener, so that the rotation of the screw in abutment on the wall internal thereof, exerts by reaction a movement of the clamp along the axis of this screw, providing a clamping effect of the clamp and consequently the blocking of the beam carried by the latter vis-à-vis the stiffener. 2 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamp (9) has a semi-circular profile, the ends (14, 15) of the clamp, outside the stiffener 3), beyond the openings ( 12, 13) delimiting the passage through the stiffener into which it engages, each comprising a slot open upwards (19, 20), the two slots being arranged in the same vertical plane, substantially tangent to the wall of the stiffener, in before this one. 3 - Device according to claim 2, characterized in that each slot (19, 20) provided at the ends (14, 15) of the clamp (9) has in its bottom an internal projection (21), suitable for receiving a rib in relief (22) possibly provided at the lower end of the planar blank (18) of the heddle (7, 8) to be immobilized, carried by the clamp. 4 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the clamp (9) has in its middle part a notch (23) whose width is substantially equal to that of the stiffener (3) in line with the openings (12, 13) delimiting the through passage where the clamp engages, so that, when clamping thereof under the effect of the screw which it supports, the edges (23a, 23b) of this notch cover the side walls (10, 11) of the stiffener, closing these openings. 5 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each heald comprises means for immobilizing a panel (6) or parallel bars (35), arranged in front of the planar blank (18) supported by the clamp (9). 6 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the stiffener (3) has an access hole (27) at the head of the screw (25), formed in the rear part of this stiffener for the introduction of a tool for controlling the rotation of this screw. 7 - Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the side walls (10, 11) of the stiffener (3) each have a continuous groove (30, 31), extending along a vertical generator formed towards the rear of the stiffener to allow mounting, like a clip, the folded edges (32, 33) of a cover (34), masking the access hole (27) at the head of the screw (25).

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