SYSTEM OF RAILING SUB-ASSEMBLIES

FIELD OF ART

The invention relates to the field of art of fixed structures and specifically to the field of buildings and more specifically to building finishing work. In particular, it refers to constructions concerning railings, balustrades, stairs and related objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The system of railing sub-assemblies disclosed in the present invention has not been disclosed in the prior art.

When building a house, one of the most important security issues concerns the construction and installation of railings in all private or public areas. The railings concern both the fences around the perimeter of a private plot, as well as the stairs, the balconies and the handrails for the protection of the occupants. For this reason, the railings must be placed carefully, properly stabilized or fixed, as they are the ultimate means of protection for occupants when moving in the private or public areas of a house. Furthermore, the railings both inside and outside a building, are also decorative elements, defining the visual sense that the house provides to its occupants and visitors. To date, most houses have classic metal railings, which usually consist of one or more bodies, vertically or horizontally mounted, known as uprights and handrails that are linear connections, to assist people moving in space. Handrails may be metal or even wooden. In addition to the above, there are elements to fill the frame or between the vertical supports. These usually consist of metal mesh, glass panes, perforated metal sheet, and curtains of synthetic materials or vertical bars. Finally, there are the components that connect the elements of the railings to each other and to the stairs, such as welds, screws, fasteners, sockets. In alternative applications and especially outdoors, fences are usually made of wooden, uniform planks, placed next to each other and embedded to the ground. Decorative stairs fencing is a beautiful and aesthetic solution for both street fencing and internal rooms. Railings are the traditional and best method for decorating stairs. To create metal railings, ductile metals resistant to cold, moisture and corrosion are required. Various metals and alloys are most suitable for these purposes, including stainless steel, iron and cast iron. Respectively, birch, pine, oak, ash and beech are usually used for wood railings.

The disadvantage of the solutions known so far is that they do not offer options to users, as installation of railings, especially in apartment buildings, is carried out by the manufacturer, the materials and designs being chosen by the same, the occupants not having the possibility of replacing or choosing them. Furthermore, even in privately owned homes, installation and replacement of railings is a laborious, time-consuming and unprofitable process, with the result that occupants retain the old railings, seeking to maintain them for as long as possible rather than to replace them.

Besides, to date, any work, from painting to maintenance of rusty and aged railings, is rarely done by the occupants themselves, as it requires sophisticated tools, special handling and specialized pieces that prevent any thought for such actions.

It is thus an object of the present invention to deal with the aforementioned disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art by proposing a system of railing sub- assemblies.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a railing sub-assemblies' system, where the uprights, handrails, frame filling elements and any connecting parts are part of the system, allowing their assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a system of railing sub- assemblies, wherein the sub-assemblies are combined with each other, in order to create various aesthetic results. A further object of the invention is to provide a system of railing sub-assemblies, which does not require the use of complex tools for their assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system of railing sub-assemblies, which can be used both as protecting elements on balconies and stairs, as well as in outdoor fences. Another object of the invention is to provide a system of railing sub-assemblies, wherein the use of special pieces can give the necessary inclination to the railings, for use either on stairs or circumferentially in building facades.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a system of railing sub- assemblies, where the frame filling elements as well as the decorative elements are combined according to the user's choices.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description. BRIED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated in a non-limiting manner.

Figure 1 is a 3D, perspective sketch of the main parts of the prefabricated railing system. Figure 2 is a 3D, perspective sketch of a variant of the railing sub-assemblies system, with different frame filling elements.

Figures 3 (a) - (b) show in a 3D, perspective sketch a variant of the system of railing sub-assemblies, using horizontal pieces to create fences.

Figures 4 (a) - (b) show in a 3D, perspective sketch another variant of the system of railing sub-assemblies, with a triangular, decorative end at the top.

Figure 5 is a 3D illustration of a basic variant of the system, with the uprights, the horizontal joining elements of the uprights and vertical columns to fill the frame.

Figure 6 is another variant of the invention, wherein tubular elements connected by corresponding joints are used as horizontal joints between the uprights. Figure 7 is a perspective sketch of an upright of the railing sub-assemblies system, with an external base surrounding it.

Figure 8 shows the connection using special vertical column pieces on a system upright. Figure 9 shows swivel joints that fit on the uprights of the railing sub-assemblies system, allowing inclination, for use both on stairs and at corners of perimeter enclosures of balconies and fences. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, we will describe indicative embodiments of the railing sub-assemblies system according to the present invention.

The system of the invention includes basic pieces, necessary for the creation of a fence as well as additional, special pieces for decoration or construction of complex structures. For assembling a straight section, there are at least two uprights (1), Fig. 1, of square, hollow cross-section, with perimeter notches (2) on all sides, for the sliding fit of the remaining pieces, depending on the case. Each upright (1) is fixed on a mounting base (3) using a longitudinal pin (4), Fig. 2, passing through holes located both at the base (3) and the upright (1). In the inner hollow part of the upright (1) a radial expander (5) is entered, which is stabilized and tightened inside the upright (1), thanks to the spokes (6) that fit onto the inner sides of the upright (1). The radial expander (5) has a circular, hollow cross-section into which a circular rod (7) of corresponding cross-section is inserted, onto which the cap (8) of the upright (1) is screwed. On the side of the upright (1) in which it is desirable to develop the railings, a metal plate (9) is slidably inserted in the perimeter notches (2), which can have holes corresponding to the filling of the railings, for the purpose of screwing on it the parallel support beams (10). The support beams (10) are metal profiles with longitudinal internal configurations (11). In this way the support beams (10) are screwed onto the metal plate (9) and this agglomerate slides on the uprights (1). In case there are two support beams (10), Fig. 5, a frame is created between them, where decorative bars (12) can be placed at symmetrical or asymmetrical distances. The bars (12) are of square cross-section and with dimensions suitable for fitting into the inner cavity of the support beams (10). Depending on the distances between the decorative bars (12), there are plugs (13) with the corresponding length, which are slidably placed in the support beams (10) covering any of their uncovered points while holding the bars (12) in the desired position. In this way a simple straight section is created, with at least two uprights (1), at least two parallel support beams (10) between them and decorative bars (12) perpendicular to the beams (10).

If deemed desirable, and especially in the case of fencing, the upper support beam (10) may have decorative ends (14), Fig. 4 (a), protruding upwards. To fit these decorative ends, the upper support beam has notches on both the upper and the lower side, so that a decorative bar (12) enters the lower side, held in place by plugs (13), and in the upper side a decorative end (14) enters, similarly held by plugs (13). In this way the feeling is created that the decorative end (14) is a continuation of the bar (12), passing through the support beam (10). It is obvious that the decorative end (14) on its upper side can have a triangular, an arc, a square or any other desired shape. In addition, the height of the support beam (10) may be greater, covering a larger part of the frame, Fig. 4 (b). Of course, the decorative end (14) can also be wider, especially in cases of fences. The decorative end (14) has a protruding spike (28), which is used in order not to move vertically upwards or downwards and which in conjunction with plugs (13), which have upper and lower sides of different length, can be placed inclined within the support beams (10), providing a different aesthetic effect.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention system, other decorative filling elements may be placed in the frame between the support beams (10), Fig. 2. These may be, for example, decorative elements with holes (15), or any other design. To stabilize those elements, since there are no plugs (13), retaining guides (16) are placed in the internal configurations (11) of the support beams (10), with a central, longitudinal routing (17), to which the decorative (15) element is fit.

In a further alternative embodiment of the invention, the uprights (1) may be assembled with horizontal pieces (18), Fig. 3 (a), to create fences, which cut off the field of view to their interior. The horizontal pieces (18) can be assembled by screwing them directly onto the metal plate (9), or alternatively by using a joint (19), Fig. 3 (b), with notches (20), to which the horizontal pieces (18), are fit with pins. The joint (20) has ears (21) on either side, so that it enters the perimeter notches (2) of the uprights (1) and thus use of metal plates (9) is avoided.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the upright (1) may be placed, if required, slidably in an external base (22), Fig. 7, instead of the mounting base (3). The external base (22) can be placed on balcony front sides and stairs sides.

In a further alternative embodiment of the invention, the support beams (10) can be placed parallel to the uprights (1), in order to have a different visual configuration of the railings. To achieve the parallel holding of the support beams (10) with the uprights (1), Fig. 8, there are calipers (23) that are placed slidably in the perimeter notches (2) of the uprights (1), the support beams (10) screwed onto the calipers (23).

In an additional alternative embodiment of the invention, metal plates with semicircular ends (24), Fig. 6 may be slidably fastened in the perimeter notches (2) of the uprights (1), so as to include tubular joints (25). A tubular rod (26) passes through the joints (25), in order to create a different aesthetic effect. It becomes apparent that the tubular joints (25) can be turned, if desired in an embodiment.

Finally, in another embodiment of the invention and in order to create inclinations in the support beams (10), for example in the case of a staircase, there may be rotating joints (27), Fig. 9, on which the support beams (10) will fit. The rotating joints (27) can be turned both with respect to Y axis and with respect to Z axis. In the first case turning is intended for use in stairs, where the support beams must follow the steps, while in the second case turning can be done in the corner of a handrail, to continue the railing. The rotating joints (27) may be independent and fastened slidably in the perimeter notches (2) of the uprights (1), but they may alternatively be integrated onto the metal plates (9) that are slidably fastened in the perimeter notches (2). It should be noted here that the description of the invention has been made with reference to non-limiting embodiments. Therefore, any change or modification in terms of shape, dimensions, morphology, materials used and components of construction and assembly, as long as they are not a new inventive step and do not contribute to the technical development of the already known are considered included in the purposes and aspirations of this invention as summarized in claims below.