Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02478602 2004-08-19
RAILING ATTACHMENT DEVICE
[0001] BACKGROUND
[0002] The field of the invention is railing attachments, and more
specifically
railing attachments that make balancing or placing an item on a nailing
easier.
[0003] Hand-railings are made to assist in balancing. It is, in fact, their
primary
function. Unfortunately, railings are made to balance and offset the leaning
weight of a
person. They are not, as anyone who has seen a drink crash to t;he ground
knows,
made for balancing all objects.
[0004] Recognizing this problem, U.S. Patent No. 5,240,214 to Birnbaum shows a
railing attachment 10 that has long straight dovetail channels formed therein
for
receiving similarly shaped rails attached to a tray. Once the tray's rails are
engaged
in the attachment's dovetail channels, the tray is securely fastened to the
rail and
should not tip over. The px°oblem with this device is that it is
difficult to engage the
long r ails, especially with a loaded tray, and the channels and rails must
align
precisely.
[0005] Unrelated fields have adopted similar devices to prevent things from
falling from precarious surfaces. For example, U.S. Patent Nos. 949,025 and
2,684,110
are directed to the timeless task of preventing children from emancipating
their food
and trays or dishes from high chairs, etc.
[0006] Other problems of balancing items on rails are unique to outdoor rails.
Anything balanced on an outdoor rail should be secure enough to not blow away
in a
wind or accidental bumping, and yet be easily and conveniently releasable with
a
minimum of gyrations. Additionally, it would be beneficial if the items were
relatively
per manently attached to a railing, and also weatherproof.
[0007] SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior known
devices and addresses these other needs for a variety of products that might
be
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attached to a rail. Briefly stated, the invention provides a device for
attaching an item
to a railing comprising: a)a first coupling adapted to be attached to a
railing and b) a
second coupling adapted to be attached to or formed on an item. The first
coupling
engages the second coupling with a minimum of movement and once engaged, the
first
coupling and the second coupling cannot be easily or accidentally separated
and must
be intentionally disengaged from each other.
[0009] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS)
[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first coupling of the attachment
device.
[0011] Figure 2 is a side elevation of the first coupling shown in Figure 1.
[0012] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second coupling of the attachment
device.
[0013] Figure 4 is a side elevation of the first coupling and the second
coupling
aligned prior to engagement with each other.
[0014] Figure 5 is a cutaway side elevation of the first coupling and second
coupling engaged with each other.
[0015] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second coupling attached to a tray.
[0016] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 6.
[0017] Figure 8 is a first embodiment of the engaged clips.
[0018] Figure 9 is an alternate embodiment of the engaged clips.
[0019] Figure 10 is a perspective view of a second coupling attached to a
planter.
[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS)
[0021] In the Figures, the same numerals are used to indicate the same or
similar parts. Figures 1 and 2 show a first coupling 10 with clips 12 that are
meant to
engage complementary clips. Since the goal of the invention is to mount an
item that
is subject to tipping or falling on a stable surface, the coupling 10 is
mounted on such a
surface 16. Mounting is achieved using known fasteners such as nails, screws,
or
adhesive to secure the coupling 10 to the stable surface 16. In the embodiment
shown
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in Figures 1 and 2, the coupling 10 is mounted onto the surface 16 by driving
fasteners
through openings in the fastening blocks 14 and into the stable surface.
(0022] As shown in Figures 6 and '7, a second coupling 20 is attached to an
item
30 such as a tray that might be subject to tipping or spilling when set on a
railing or
placed outdoors. The second coupling 20 is mounted to the item through holes
24,
shown in Figure 3 (although fastening blocks similar to 14 can be used). Once
mounted, the first and second part can engage each other so that the item 30
is secure
from tipping. Alternatively, the item 30 could be formed integrally with the
coupling
20 thereon.
[0023] Details of the second coupling 20, as well as the engagement of the
first
coupling 10 and the second coupling 20, are shown in Figures 3-5. Figure 3
shows the
second coupling 20, which is similar to the first coupling 10 except that the
clips 22 are
mounted to the second coupling's exterior surface. The inside diameter of the
first
coupling 10 is prefer ably greater than the outside diameter of the second
coupling 20,
and provides a sliding clearance fit.
(0024] In another embodiment, the outside diameter of the second coupling
could
be greater than the inside diameter of the first coupling to achieve the same
coupled
engagement. In such an embodiment, the clips also would have to be reversed,
that is,
the first coupling's clips would be mounted on its exterior and the second
coupling's
clips would be mounted on its interior.
[0025] The edges of the first and second couplings 10, 20 can also be beveled
to
allow for easier alignment and the initial telescoping engagement.
[0026] With the second coupling 20 aligned above the first coupling 10 as
shown
in Figure 4, the second coupling 20 is pushed in direction A and engages
within the
first coupling 10. Once the second coupling 2U is contained within the first
coupling 10,
final engagement of the parts is achieved when the clips 12 and 22 are engaged
by
twisting the second coupling 20 in direction B as shown in Figure 5. The
cutaway
portion of Figure 5 shows the clips 12, 22 in their final engaged position.
Once the
clips are engaged, the item 30 attached to the second coupling 20 should be
difficult to
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tip. A person disengages the parts by turning the second part in the direction
C.
[0027] Preferably, a plurality of generally equally spaced clips 12, 22 are
located
on the first and second couplings 10, 20. The clips 12, 22 preferably have
ramp-shaped
engaging surfaces so that the twisting movement draws the second coupling 20
down
more firmly onto the first coupling (see Figures 8 and 9). In Figure 8, the
clips are
ramped shaped and have engaging teeth. In Figure 9, the clips are ramp shaped
and
have an engaging protrusion on their faces.
[0028] Additionally, the clips 12, 22 are preferably relatively short in
length so
that only a minimum amount of rotational movement of the second coupling 20
with
the item 30 is required in order to completely engage the coupling 10. In a
preferred
embodiment, the first and second couplings axe approximately 3" includes in
diameter,
and the clips 12, 22 are %" inches long. This results in a twisting movement
of 30° or
less. If a smaller size clip or a bigger size coupling is used, a twisting
movement of
preferably 20° is needed to achieve full engagement. This allows a user
to easily
engage a fully loaded tray to a railing. Clips may include integral stops
and/or also
engageable teeth on their engaging surfaces. The clips may be attached to the
couplings, or formed in the couplings themselves.
[0029] The items that could be prevented from tipping include trays (Figures 6
and 7), planters (Figure 10), cups, bottle-holders, bird-feeders, flagpoles
(with the parts
engaged vertically on a vertical railing or post), dishes, grills (e.g. a
hibachi-type small
grill), and the like.
[0030] Although the stable surface is contemplated as a narrow railing that is
often not an ideal place to rest items, the present invention could also be
mounted to a
rounded rail.
[0031] The part is shown as a generally hollow cylinder, although other shapes
could be used, such as two rings, rectangles and similar shapes without
departing from
the disclosed invention.
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