SYSTEM FOR CLAMPING AN OBJECT TO A RAILING AND A TABLE USING THE SYSTEM
Provided are a system for clamping an object to a railing and a table and apparatus using the system. In one aspect, the system for clamping an object to a railing includes: a threaded bolt, a knob secured to a first end of the bolt, a first wing with an elongated body that is carried on the bolt, and a second wing with an elongated body that is threadedly engaged on the bolt. The first wing is positioned on the bolt between the knob and the second wing. In addition, the first and second wings are movable toward and away from the knob between a clamping and a non-clamping position.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/898,592, filed Jan. 31, 2007, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to a system for clamping an object to a railing and a table or apparatus using the system, and more particularly to an adaptable system for clamping an object to a railing and a table or apparatus using the system for use with railings or other structures having similar horizontal or vertical supports.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONCurrently, objects such as tables, shelves or benches confined by railings such as those on balconies are typically loose and may be light or easily blown away. Some systems for securing such objects to railings involve permanently welding fixtures onto railings and are either prohibited by building code or building management. Other systems are limited to use with railings with supports oriented in a particular direction or of a particular spacing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,993 discloses a device for clamping accessories to railings that is only applicable for railings having vertical supports. This device uses a clamping board on the outside of the railing and has precisely leveled bolt holes in the clamping board and assembly, and requires manipulation of tools outside the railing with the danger of dropping tools or the nuts of the bolts of the assembly off of the balcony. This clamping system could not secure a table to a railing with horizontal supports. In addition, the system is not adaptable for railings of differing support spacings.
The invention disclosed herein overcomes the disadvantages of such systems. For example, the clamping system disclosed herein can be adapted for use with railing supports of varying orientation by changing the dimensions and spacing of the components of the clamping system. In addition, the components of the clamping system disclosed herein can be assembled before being moved to a railing to avoid the danger of dropping components off of the balcony during assembly.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo solve the above problems, provided are a system for clamping an object to a railing and a table using the system. The system can be adapted for use with various objects and railing support orientations, and its components can be assembled before being moved to a railing.
In an embodiment, a system for clamping an object to a railing includes: a threaded bolt; a knob secured to a first end of the bolt; a first wing having an elongated body, the first wing being carried on the bolt; and a second wing having an elongated body, the second wing being threadedly engaged on the bolt. In this embodiment, the first wing is positioned on the bolt between the knob and the second wing, and the first and second wings are movable toward and away from the knob between a clamping and a non-clamping position. The system may further include: the bolt passing through a clamping panel, a set of holes for receiving the bolt, the second wing having a nut, wings of a certain length and a pin passing through the bolt.
In another embodiment, a table for clamping to a railing includes: a threaded bolt; a clamping panel attached to an edge of the table and carried on the bolt; a first wing having an elongated body, the first wing being carried on the bolt; and a second wing having an elongated body, the second wing being threadedly engaged on the bolt. In this embodiment, the first wing is positioned on the bolt between the clamping panel and second wing, and the first and second wings are movable toward and away from the clamping panel between a clamping and a non-clamping position.
In yet another embodiment, an apparatus for clamping to a first and second vertical support, the first and second vertical supports being spaced from each other by a distance, includes: a clamping panel attached to the apparatus, at least part of the clamping panel being longer than the distance between the first and second vertical supports; a threaded bolt having a head at one end, the bolt passing through a hole in the clamping panel; and a wing having an elongated body and being threadedly engaged on the bolt. In this embodiment, the clamping panel is positioned on the bolt between the head of the bolt and the wing, and the wing is movable toward and away from the clamping panel between a clamping and a non-clamping position.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
A clamping system for securing specially designed tables, shelves, benches, and other items to railings or other structures having similar vertical or horizontal supports is described herein. The clamping system, generally illustrated in
The clamping system is preferably used for accessories on outdoor balconies or decks. The system may be used on the railings of stairwells or adapted to secure accessories to wooden or metal railings of decks and porches or other structures.
Railings prevent stepping or falling off and depending on different building codes are typically about 40″ or higher. Commonly, the top rails are supported by vertical posts approximately 4′ to 6′ apart and are anchored to the floor. The space between the top rail, the floor, and the vertical parts is made impassable by vertical spindles approximately 5″ apart or horizontal bars between the top rail and the floor approximately 5″ apart. Spindles are typically made of welded wrought iron or steel. The cross section of spindles and bars are square, oblong, or circular and measure from approximately ¾″ to 2″ in the level of the greatest dimension. Typically, railings are designed to minimally obstruct view and allow the free flow of air through them. As noted above, the clamping system disclosed herein can be used in any situation with suitably sturdy and spaced vertical or horizontal supports, and is not limited to use with only railings.
Railings are necessarily strong and accessories attached to railings should be as secure from movement or displacement as the method for securing them is strong. Accessories are subject to displacement by movement of people, particularly in the crowded floor space of most apartment balconies, or by winds. Most apartments have limited storage space so the clamping system and accessories should be lightweight for moving and nearly flat for convenient storage. The clamping system described herein accommodates the various configurations of railings or other supports and the special conditions for securing accessories to them.
The ring cotter pin 20 is used to prevent the first wing 16 and the second wing 18 from falling off of the bolt 12. Other devices that serve the same function as the ring cotter pin 20, such as a nut, cap, knob or regular cotter pin may also be arranged at the end of the bolt 12 to prevent the wings from coming off of the bolt.
Preferably, the diameter of the knob 14 provides sufficient leverage for the clamp 10 to be tightened firmly. In an embodiment, the knob may be attached to a head of the bolt. In another embodiment, the knob may serve as the head of the bolt. As for the bolt 12, typically, a ¼″ threaded rod (bolt) is sufficient for a clamp for smaller accessories and a 5/16″ bolt is sufficient for a clamp for larger accessories. Embodiments of the present invention may use knobs and bolts of various dimensions and are not limited to the dimensions mentioned herein.
One or more washers may be disposed on the bolt 12 to reduce friction between the parts of the clamping system 10, or between the clamping system 10 and an accessory. The clamp 10 includes a plastic (such as Lexon®) washer 22 to reduce the friction between the knob 14 and a clamping panel (not shown in
The clamping system 10 includes two wings: a wing 18 with a threaded nut 21 or plate embedded in it, and a wing 16 with a hole larger than the bolt 12 so it can slide easily on the bolt 12. The wings 16 and 18 of the clamping system 10 are preferably strong, e.g., ¾″×¾″ or 1″×1″ oak. In an embodiment, the wings have a length of 7½″ and each has either an unthreaded hole or a hole with a threaded nut in the center. The length of 7½″ is preferably selected for use on standard railings, but may vary, especially for clamps to be used on other structures.
In the clamping system 10 of
A clamping panel can have various configurations depending on what it secures. In an embodiment, the clamping panel may be constructed as part of a small serving table. In another embodiment such as the embodiment of
In one embodiment, a clamping panel may be adapted for securing a grill or other object to a railing. In an embodiment, a clamping panel may include C-shaped supports attached to the panel, and a strap, a rope or a chain may secure an item such as a grill, a flower pot, etc. to the clamping panel using the C-shaped supports. The construction of a clamping panel can be of any material strong and rigid enough to accept the tightened clamps without crushing the other components of the accessory.
On the front side of the clamping panel 32 is knob 14. The knob 14 is attached to the front end of the clamp 10. The table 30 shown in
The holes 44, 48 and the hole behind knob 14 on the clamping panel are sized to receive the threaded bolt 12 of the winged clamp 10. The holes 44, 48 and the hole behind knob 14 are larger than the threaded bolt 12 so that bolt 12 can slide easily through them. In another embodiment, the holes of the clamping panel may be threaded to engage the threads of the bolt. Embodiments of the present invention may use, for example, 5/15″ holes for ¼″ bolts, or 7/16″ for 5/16″ bolts.
The holes may be arranged in many ways including in a linear arrangement as shown in
In the embodiment of
In an embodiment, the clamping system functions as follows. The winged clamps are assembled on the clamping panel before the accessory is moved to the railing. As shown in the side view of table 30 in
Preferably, the selection of the holes used for the clamps and the length of the wings assures that when the accessory is moved against a railing with vertical spindles, both wings, one against the other, can be turned 90 degrees to a horizontal position and be tightened by the knob of the bolt so that the wings clasp strongly the vertical spindles. In other embodiments, the wings may be turned at other angles greater than or less than 90 degrees. In this arrangement, the unthreaded wing may or may not be included on the clamp. For railings with horizontal bars, the unthreaded wing is preferably moved to the vertical position and remains next to the clamping panel while the threaded wing is moved to the horizontal position and is passed through the railing; the threaded wing is then moved to the vertical position. Typically, screwing the bolt tightens the wing against the railing.
In
In
Using the embodiments described in
The clamping system can be constructed out of many different kinds of materials including: wood, fiberglass, marine or exterior plywood, melamine clad wood, fiberwood, metal, etc. The threaded bolts and nuts may be brass, bronze, or stainless steel. The wings of the clamp are preferably strong and stiff and can be constructed of hard wood, metal, or appropriate plastic. The longitudinal component of the clamping panel is preferably strong and stiff enough to withstand the pressure of the tightened clamp and dense enough where the holes pass through to not be crushed. The choice of material for constructing the clamping system depends on where it will be used. It is expected the clamping system will be used primarily outdoors and therefore should be constructed of materials resistant to water, weathering, freezing, and thawing.
Although typical and preferred dimensions for various parts of the embodiments of the present invention are described herein, the present invention is not limited to those dimensions.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A system for clamping an object to a railing comprising:
- a threaded bolt;
- a knob secured to a first end of the bolt;
- a first wing having an elongated body, the first wing being carried on the bolt; and
- a second wing having an elongated body, the second wing being threadedly engaged on the bolt, wherein
- the first wing is positioned on the bolt between the knob and the second wing, and
- the first and second wings are movable toward and away from the knob between a clamping and a non-clamping position.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a clamping panel, which is carried on the bolt.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the knob is arranged on a front side of the clamping panel and the first and second wings are arranged on a back side opposite to the front side of the clamping panel.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the clamping panel has a plurality of holes to accommodate the bolt.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second wings can be positioned substantially parallel to each other and to a first and second rail to pass between the first and second rails and subsequently turned at an angle to clamp the first and second rails.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second wing is threaded with a nut embedded therein.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second wings are between about 6 and about 9 inches in length.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a pin passing through a hole in the bolt, the hole in the bolt being near a second end opposite to the first end of the bolt.
9. A table for clamping to a railing comprising:
- a threaded bolt;
- a clamping panel attached to an edge of the table and carried on the bolt;
- a first wing having an elongated body, the first wing being carried on the bolt; and
- a second wing having an elongated body, the second wing being threadedly engaged on the bolt, wherein
- the first wing is positioned on the bolt between the clamping panel and the second wing, and
- the first and second wings are movable toward and away from the clamping panel between a clamping and a non-clamping position.
10. The table of claim 9, further comprising:
- at least one support leg disposed under the table.
11. The table of claim 10, wherein the support leg is adjustable in length.
12. The table of claim 9, wherein the clamping panel includes a horizontal component and a vertical component substantially perpendicular to the horizontal component, and at least one hinged gate leg is attached to the vertical component of the clamping panel.
13. The table of claim 9, wherein the clamping panel is carried on the bolt on one of a plurality of holes in the clamping panel that may accommodate the bolt.
14. The table of claim 9, further comprising:
- a knob secured to a first end of the bolt, the knob being adjacent to the clamping panel in the clamping position.
15. The table of claim 9, wherein the second wing is threaded with a nut embedded therein.
16. The table of claim 9, further comprising:
- a pin passing through a hole in the bolt.
17. An apparatus for clamping to a first and second vertical support, the first and second vertical supports being spaced from each other by a distance, the apparatus comprising:
- a clamping panel attached to the apparatus, at least part of the clamping panel being longer than the distance between the first and second vertical supports;
- a threaded bolt having a head at one end, the bolt passing through a hole in the clamping panel; and
- a wing having an elongated body and being threadedly engaged on the bolt, wherein
- the clamping panel is positioned on the bolt between the head of the bolt and the wing, and
- the wing is movable toward and away from the clamping panel between a clamping and a non-clamping position.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wing can be positioned substantially parallel to the first and second supports to pass between the first and second supports and subsequently turned to clamp the first and second supports against the clamping panel.
19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the clamping panel has a plurality of holes to accommodate the bolt.
20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the clamping panel is attached to the apparatus using one of a strap, a rope and a chain.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 31, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2008
Inventor: Donald A. ROWLEY (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 12/023,769
International Classification: A47B 96/06 (20060101);