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  Structural post assembly for thermoplastic railing systemUSPTO Application #: 20060065885Title: Structural post assembly for thermoplastic railing system Abstract: These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a structural post assembly for a thermoplastic railing system in which a tubular metal support column is secured to the substrate upon which thermoplastic railing system is mounted by means of a base plate, the support column being internally threaded at its upper end, a slidably rotatable base rail connector of one piece construction having a segmented cylindrical core defining an aperture is slidably receivable over the support column and positioned at the lower end proximate the base plate thereof, and an adjustable upper rail connector generally cubic in shape positioned proximate the upper end of the metal support column, the adjustable upper rail connector and base connector adjustable for the slidable receipt of a thermoplastic sheath, the thermoplastic sheath being locked in position by a threaded fastener through the adjustable upper rail connector and into the internally threaded aperture of the support column thereby fixing the vertical support member for the thermoplastic railing system in the correct horizontal and vertical orientation for geometrical symmetry of the railing system. (end of abstract) Agent: Clifford G. Frayne - Brick, NJ, US Inventor: Larry Stanley USPTO Applicaton #: 20060065885 - Class: 256059000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Fences, Rail The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060065885. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] Applicant claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/613,046, filed Sep. 27, 2004. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to thermo plastic rail systems, and more particularly, to a support post assembly for thermoplastic rail systems in which the vertical support posts are square in cross section. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] Railing systems serve the purpose of guard rails, hand rails, grab rails, and in many instances serve as area dividers. Railings have long been used for a variety of applications such as stairways, balconies, patios and decks, industrial buildings, playgrounds and schools, as well as many other wide variety of uses. These uses are both indoors and outdoors. [0006] Building codes require the use of high strength material, such as iron, steel, aluminum wrap or the like to provide sufficient rigidity and strength to insure adequate safety and security qualities depending upon the location and purpose of the railing systems. Thermoplastic railing systems have become popular due to certain intrinsic qualities. In order to meet building codes, thermoplastic railing sytems typically include a plurality of vertical posts which are mounted or secured to a substrate, base or decking member. These vertical posts are reinforced from within in order to meet the necessary rigidity and strength requirements. [0007] The vertical support posts interconnect with one or more horizontal rails which in turn may have vertical balusters or other infill materials such as glass, etc., extending there between. Usually both of the horizontal rails include a support insert secured to the vertical support post in order to provide the necessary rigidity. For an explanation of thermoplastic tubular support posts which are circular in cross section, see Applicant's issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,233 issued Mar. 20, 2001. [0008] One particular problem encountered with respect to thermoplastic support railings occurs when it is desired that the support railing be square or rectangular in cross section thereby mimicking a typical wooden railing which one might find on their back yard deck or patio. Numerous companies originally made their own plastic sheathing or sleeve members designed to over fit the wood support post, wooden railings and wooden balusters in order to protect the underlying wood from the effect of weather and climate. However, such thermoplastic railing systems must still rely upon the underlying wooden railing structure for the necessary strength and rigidity. The industry and market place would prefer a method or means of strengthening hollow thermoplastic posts without the need of the underlying wood post. [0009] Attempts to overcome this problem have resulted in sheathing the vertical post support and the uppermost horizontal rail member in which the core would remain wood and the remaining horizontal rails and balusters would be constructed of tubular rail and balusters of a square or rectangular hollow cross section. This solution still requires the installation and sheathing of a vertical support post at certain incremental distances along the area to be railed, each of these vertical support posts normally being dimensions four inches by four inches on each side. [0010] The necessity of maintaining the underlying four by four vertical posts makes the installation of a thermoplastic rail system both expensive and time consuming in that each individual vertical post must be individually sheathed and can present difficulties in alignment and the ultimate geometric symmetry of the railing system. [0011] The sheathing difficulties and geometric symmetry arise because not every four by four vertical support post is exactly dimensioned and since the thermoplastic sheathing is prefabricated, its inner dimensions, which must conform to the outer dimensions of the vertical support posts are often incorrect as a result of the tolerances in fabrication, thus requiring remedial work at the installation site in order to effectuate a proper installation and geometric symmetry. [0012] Applicant has developed a structural post assembly for utilization with a thermoplastic railing system which is square or rectangular in cross section which eliminates the need for a solid vertical wooden support post and provides for a tubular metal support post secured to the substrate of the railing system, the tubular metal support post supporting spaced apart tubular engagement members which are adjustable to the inner diameter of the thermoplastic railing system and which allow for the thermoplastic sheathing of the vertical support posts to be adjusted and secured in situ at the installation site to achieve proper vertical and horizontal orientation and geometrical symmetry and to allow the thermoplastic sheathing of the vertical support post to be secured to the these connectors with the concomitant intermediate horizontal rails connected and secured to the thermoplastic sheathing and the vertical balusters secured to the horizontal rails. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION [0013] An object of the invention is to provide for a novel structural support post for a thermoplastic railing system in which the cross section of the thermoplastic railing system is square or rectangular. [0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide for a novel structural post assembly for a thermoplastic rail system which eliminates the need for a continuous, fixed solid vertical support post underlying the thermoplastic sheathing of the rail system. [0015] A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel support post assembly for a thermoplastic railing system in which the structural post assembly provides for internal connectors which allow the installers to adjust the vertical and horizontal orientation and geometric symmetry at the installation site with little modification to the underlying support or thermoplastic sheathing. [0016] A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel structural post assembly for thermoplastic rail system in which the inner support connectors for the thermoplastic sheathing are adjustable to accommodate minor differentials in the actual internal diameter of the thermoplastic sheathing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0017] These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a structural post assembly for a thermoplastic railing system in which a tubular metal support column is secured to the substrate upon which thermoplastic railing system is mounted by means of a base plate, the support column being internally threaded at its upper end, a slidably rotatable base rail connector of one piece construction having a segmented cylindrical core defining an aperture is slidably receivable over the support column and positioned at the lower end proximate the base plate thereof, and an adjustable upper rail connector generally cubic in shape positioned proximate the upper end of the metal support column, the adjustable upper rail connector and base connector adjustable for the slidable receipt of a thermoplastic sheath, the thermoplastic sheath being locked in position by a threaded fastener through the adjustable upper rail connector and into the internally threaded aperture of the support column thereby fixing the vertical support member for the thermoplastic railing system in the correct horizontal and vertical orientation for geometrical symmetry of the railing system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent, particularly when taken in light of the following illustrations wherein: [0019] FIG. 1 is a planar front view of a typical fence or railing system of the prior art utilizing wooden components; Continue reading... Full patent description for Structural post assembly for thermoplastic railing system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Structural post assembly for thermoplastic railing system patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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