TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a safety handrail system. For the sake of convenience, the present invention will be described in relation to a handrail system for use around railway tracks and other transport infrastructure so as to provide, for example, fall protection around embankments and the like and a barrier to unauthorised access by persons to dangerous areas. However, it will be appreciated that the safety handrail system of the invention will have a wide variety of uses.

BACKGROUND ART

Safety handrail systems are often difficult to assemble and may involve time consuming and labour intensive steps to connect handrails to posts of the system. This usually requires the use of extra components beyond just the rails and the posts.

It has now been found by the present inventor that the use of such extra components can be avoided by providing an easy to assemble, handrail system that utilises posts that have been prefabricated to slidably receive rails at one or more predetermined locations of the post sufficient to provide a safety barrier to persons.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a safety handrail system comprising a plurality of posts, each post including one or more apertures at predetermined locations thereof, the or each aperture being formed as a cut- out from the post and having an opening defined between top and bottom surfaces at a side edge region of the post, the distance between the top and bottom surfaces of the opening being less than the maximum vertical distance between uppermost and lowermost surfaces defining the aperture, the aperture having a shape which slidably receives therethrough a rail supported by the post, the rail having a shape that is complementary to the shape of the aperture so as to snugly fit therein, wherein a side portion of the rail protrudes from the opening and the top and bottom surfaces prevent the rail falling out from the aperture through the opening.

Preferably, the rail has the shape of a square with rounded corners and is slidably received through an aperture having the complementary shape.

In a preferred form, the orientation of the aperture which receives that rail relative to a longitudinal axis of the post is such that an uppermost corner and a lowermost corner of the aperture are aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis. With this orientation, the vertical length of the rail received by the aperture, when the rail is viewed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, is the optimal vertical length possible for its shape.

In another preferred form, the rail has the shape of a circle and is slidably received through an aperture having the complementary shape.

It is preferred that the posts are star posts and that each aperture is formed in only one of three arms that radially extend from the longitudinal axis of the star post.

In a preferred form of the invention, each post supports two rails, a first of the rails being located adjacent to the top of the post, and a second of the rails being located at approximately midway between the top of the post and where the post extends upwardly from a supporting ground surface. However, it will be appreciated that the safety handrail system may include a single rail or a plurality of rails.

Preferably, a safety cap is fitted over the top of each post. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of a safety handrail system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the system of Fig. 1 when viewed from the rear,

Fig. 3 is a top view of the system as shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an end view of the system as shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a side view of a post used in the system of Fig. 1 , and showing a region circled as A,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of the region circled as A of the post as shown in Fig. 5, showing in more detail a first preferred shape of an aperture for receiving a correspondingly shaped rail,

Fig. 7 is a side view of an alternative post that may be used in the system of Fig. 1 , and showing a region circled as B,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side view of the region circled as B of the post as shown in Fig. 7, showing in more detail a second preferred shape of an aperture for receiving a correspondingly shaped rail,

Fig. 9 is another end view of the system as shown in Fig. 2, and showing a region circled as C,

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side view of the region circled as C of the system as shown in Fig. 9, showing in more detail a rail received in the aperture shown in Fig. 6,

Fig. 11 is a top view of the region of the system as shown in Fig. 10, Fig. 12 is a side view of the system of Fig. 1 when viewed from the front and when in the process of being assembled, and showing a region circled as D, and

Fig. 13 is an enlarged side view of the region circled as D of the system as shown in Fig. 12, showing in more detail two rails about to be slidably received in correspondingly shaped apertures of a post of the system.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The safety handrail system 10 shown in Figs 1 to 6 and 9 to 13 includes three posts 11 , 12, 13, which support two rails 14, 16. Handrail 14 is located adjacent to the top of the posts, and rail 16 is located at approximately midway between the top of the posts and where the posts extend upwardly from a supporting ground surface 17. Each post includes two apertures 18, 20 at predetermined locations of the post. Each aperture 18, 20 is formed as a cutout from the post (see post 11 in Figs 5 and 6) and has a converging mouth or opening 22 defined between top and bottom surfaces 24, 26 at an edge region of the post. The distance between the top and bottom surfaces 24, 26 of the opening 22 is less than the maximum vertical distance between uppermost and lowermost surfaces 28, 30 defining the aperture 20. The aperture has a shape which slidably receives therethrough a rail (see rail 16 of the system in Figs 9 to 11 ) supported by the post. The rail 16 has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the aperture 20 so as to snugly fit therein. When the rail 16 is so received in the aperture 20, a side portion 32 of the rail protrudes from the opening 22 and the top and bottom surfaces 24,26 prevent the rail 16 falling out from the aperture 20 through the opening.

In this embodiment, the rail 16 has the shape of a square with rounded corners. This allows it to be slidably received through the aperture 20 which has the complementary shape, and to have a snug fit therein. The orientation of the aperture 20 which receives that rail 16 relative to a longitudinal axis of the post 11 is such that the uppermost surface 28 and the lowermost surface 30 of the aperture are aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis. With this orientation, the vertical length of the rail 16 received by the aperture 20, when the rail is viewed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, is the optimal vertical length possible for its shape.

In another embodiment (see post 34 in Figs 7 and 8), the rail has the shape of a circle and is slidably received through an aperture 36 having the complementary shape.

In all of the embodiments shown in Figs 1 to 13, the posts 11 , 12, 13, 34 are star posts and each aperture 18, 20, 36 is formed in only one of three arms 38, 40, 42 that radially extend from the longitudinal axis of the star post.

Although not shown, a conventional safety cap is fitted over the top of each post 11 , 12, 13, 34.

It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in details of design and construction of the embodiments of the safety handrail system described above without departing from the scope or ambit of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention has industrial applicability in the field of safety handrails, particularly around railway tracks and other transport infrastructure.