Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
STRUCTURAL STRINGER FOR STAIRWAYS
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[00011 N/A
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to stairways and, more
particularly, to stringers for use generally in modular stairways made of pre-
fabricated components such as stringers, step supports, railings, etc.,
typically
in the form of a kit for assembly on site.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Typically, staircases are completely produced on site with
the various wood components being cut to size as the staircase is
progressively erected on site.
[0004] Also, it has been proposed to completely assemble a
staircase in the factory such that a pre-assembled staircase is delivered to
the
construction site for direct and easy installation thereat. Such a modular
staircase is disclosed in the Canadian Application No. 2,149,981 naming
Raymond Couture as inventor and laid-open for public inspection on November
24, 1995.
[0005] In Canadian Application No. 2,276,988 also naming
Raymond Couture as inventor and laid-open for public inspection on December
30, 1999, a modular staircase is proposed that includes a permanent framing
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made of metallic stringers and vertically extending step supports that are
secured along the stringers. Each step support includes upper and front
flanges
adapted to be secured respectively to a tread and to a riser of each step of
the
staircase. If the staircase has a partly exposed side, various decorative or
finishing wooden components, including treads, risers, false or decorative
stringers, mouldings, etc., are provided to cover any exposed structural
metallic
framework and particularly the stringers.
[00061 Furthermore, PCT Patent Publication No. WO 2005/090705-
Al published on September 29, 2005 in the name of Raymond Couture,
discloses staircases that are constructed of modular stringers for the on-site
installation of the staircases in a residential, commercial or industrial
setting.
Kits for erecting the staircases include matingly or cooperatively coupling
step
support units defining the staircase stringers, a set of steps adapted to be
mounted thereon, as well as various finishing elements and modules to provide
a finished look to the completed staircases. The staircases include self-
supporting staircases, linear staircases, curling or spiralling staircases and
adjustable variations thereof.
[00071 Finally, PCT Patent Publication No. WO 2009/021321-Al
published on February 19, 2009 in the name of Case-Modular Stair Systems
Inc., discloses a stairway system, kit and method for assembling the kit. The
system includes pre-fabricated components such as steps, stringers,
decorative mouldings and panels or boards, etc. The kit comprises a step
module and an adjacent step module, the step module comprising a riser and a
tread, the riser being adapted to abut the tread on a first side thereof and
being
adapted to define a fastener-mating portion on a second side thereof. The
tread
is adapted to be secured atop the riser on one side thereof. The adjacent step
module comprises a riser and a tread, the adjacent step module being adapted
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to be assembled with the step module by engaging a fastener with the fastener-
mating portion of the step module and securing the fastener to the tread of
the
adjacent step module to secure the two step modules together. A stringer is
adapted to be disposed on a wall where the step module is adjacent to the
wall.
Also, a finishing board is provided for mounting on the exposed side of the
stairway.
[0008] In spite of these various devices, there remains a need for a
structural stringer having an aesthetic look, when exposed, typically for use
in a
modular stairway system, generally in the form of a kit, which can be
assembled to erect a stairway on site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a
novel stringer for use on a stairway.
[0010] It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a novel
stringer that is both structural and aesthetic, for use in a stairway system
in the
form of a kit.
[0011] It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a novel
stringer that is both structural and aesthetic, for use of an exposed side of
a
stairway.
[0012] Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a stringer assembly for use in stairways, comprising first and second
stringer members, the first stringer member being adapted to be secured to at
least one step of the stairway with at least one first fastener adapted to be
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driven through the first stringer member and then into the step, the second
stringer member being adapted to be positioned with respect to the first
stringer
member such as to conceal the first fastener.
[0013] Also in accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a kit for producing a stringer assembly for use in stairways,
comprising first and second stringer members, the first stringer member being
adapted to be secured to at least one step of the stairway with at least one
first
fastener adapted to be driven through the first stringer member and then into
the step, the second stringer member being adapted to be positioned with
respect to the first stringer member such as to conceal the first fastener.
[0014] Further in accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a method for assembling a stringer to steps of a stairway comprising:
[0015] (a) providing first and second stringer members;
[0016] (b) mounting the first stringer member to the steps with first
fasteners, the first fasteners being driven through the first stringer member
and
then into the steps;
10017] (c) positioning the second stringer member with respect to
the first stringer member such as to conceal the first fasteners; and
[00181 (d) mounting the second stringer member to the first stringer
member with second fasteners, the second fasteners being driven through the
first stringer member and then into the second stringer member.
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[0019] Other objects, advantages and features of the present
invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-
restrictive description of embodiments thereof, given by way of example only
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings,
showing by way of illustration an illustrative embodiment of the present
invention, and in which:
[0021] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of part of a stairway,
showing an inside stringer member of a stringer assembly in accordance with
an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the inside stringer
member
being shown in the process of being installed onto a series of steps of the
stairway;
[0022] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an outside
stringer member of the stringer assembly of the present invention, the outside
stringer member being shown in the process of being installed on the inside
stringer member;
[0023] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view, taken from another
side than Fig. 2, further showing the outside stringer member in the process
of
being installed on the inside stringer member;
[0024] Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing trimmings of
the stringer assembly of the present invention, in the process of being
installed
on the assembled inside and outside stringer members;
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[0025] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the stringer assembly of the
present invention assembled to the series of steps of the stairway;
[0026] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5;
and
[0027] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Turning to the Figures of the appended drawings, there is
shown a stringer assembly S in accordance with the present invention. The
stringer assembly S is illustrated in combination with a series of steps 10
(each
made of a tread 10a and a riser 10b) so that when the stringer assembly S and
steps 10 are assembled, a stairway is produced. The stringer assembly S,
which is made of a series of components (as detailed hereinafter), is shown in
an assembled state thereof in Fig. 5.
[0029] As seen for instance in Figs. 1 and 2, the stringer assembly S
includes an inner stringer member 12 and an outer stringer member 14. The
inner stringer member 12 has the form of an elongated panel, which has for
instance a thickness of 0.75 inch and which can be made of various materials,
such as hardwood, plywood (with, for instance, an aesthetic veneer on the
surfaces that will be exposed once the stringer assembly S has been
installed),
etc.
[0030] The outer stringer member 14 includes a panel section 16
and a support section 18 extending along a lower end of the panel section 16.
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The panel section 16 has the form of an elongated panel, which has for
instance a thickness of 0.75 inch and which can be made of various materials,
such as hardwood, plywood (with, for instance, an aesthetic veneer on the
surfaces that will be exposed once the stringer assembly S has been
installed),
etc.. The support section 18 typically has the same thickness as the inner
stringer member 12, as when the inner and outer stringer members 12 and 14
are assembled together, the inner stringer member 12 extends atop the support
section 18 of the outer stringer member 14, as best seen in Fig. 7. The inner
and outer stringer members 12 and 14 when assembled produce a structural
stringer 20 having for instance a thickness of 1.5 inch.
[0031] The inner and outer stringer members 12 and 14 are
basically provided with aesthetic finishes at least on the surfaces thereof
that
will be exposed once the stringer assembly S has been installed.
[0032] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the stringer assembly S is provided
with various trimmings, which are adapted to be installed on the structural
stringer 20, i.e. on the assembled inner and outer stringer members 12 and 14.
These trimmings include upper, lower and front caps 22, 24 and 26,
respectively, and have aesthetic finishes at least on the surfaces thereof
that
will be exposed once the stringer assembly S has been installed.
[0033] The upper and lower caps 22 and 24 are elongated and are
typically made of hardwood for decorative purposes, although other wood-
based or non-wooden materials can be contemplated. The upper and lower
caps 22 and 24 each have a C-shaped cross-section and are adapted to be
mounted along the upper and lower ends of the stringer 20.
[0034] The front cap 26 is elongated and typically made of hardwood
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for decorative purposes, although other wood-based or non-wooden materials
can be contemplated. The front cap 26 has a C-shaped cross-section and is
adapted to be mounted along the front end of the stringer 20.
[0035] The stringer assembly S is assembled together and mounted
to the steps 10 as follows. Typically, the stringer assembly S is used for
mounting on an exposed side of the stairway when the stairway extends along
a wall, the exposed side being opposite the side of the stairway abutting the
wall. The stringer assembly S can also be used on both sides of the stairway
when both sides are exposed.
[0036] With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the inner stringer member 12
is brought along arrows 28 against the assembled steps 10 and is secured
thereto for instance with screws 30 (and/or nails, and/or other appropriate
fasteners, including glues), which are driven from the exposed side of the
inner
stringer member 12, through the inner stringer member 12 and into the steps
10. The installed screws 30 can be seen in Figs. 3, 6 and 7.
[0037] Now referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the outer stringer member 14
is brought along arrows 32 against the inner stringer member 12, such that the
inner stringer member 12 sits atop the support section 18 of the outer
stringer
member 14 (see Fig. 7). Typically, glue is applied so that the inner and outer
stringer members 12 and 14 become adhered together. In the illustrated
embodiment, glue 34 has been applied on the inner stringer member 12, as
shown in Fig. 3, before the outer stringer member 14 is brought against the
inner stringer member 12.
[0038] Thereafter, the inner and outer stringer members 12 and 14
are further secured together using for instance screws 36 (and/or nails,
and/or
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other appropriate fasteners), which are driven from the inner side of the
inner
stringer member 12 outwardly through the inner stringer member 12 and into
the outer stringer member 14. The installed screws 36 can be seen in Figs. 6
and 7. The length of the screws 36 is less than the thickness of the stringer
20
such that the screws 36 do not extend past a visible outer surface 38 of the
outer stringer member 14.
[0039] Then, the upper, lower and front caps 22, 24 and 26 are
mounted, typically with glue for a clean finish, respectively to the upper,
lower
and front ends of the stringer 20. Fig. 4 illustrates the upper, lower and
front
caps 22, 24 and 26 being brought against the stringer 20 as per arrows 40, 42
and 44, respectively. Fig. 5 shows the resulting assembly of the upper, lower
and front caps 22, 24 and 26 with the stringer 20 thereby forming the stringer
assembly S.
[0040] From the above and the drawings, it is clear that the present
stringer assembly S provides a structural stringer for a stairway, the
stringer
assembly S being adapted to provide the required support for the steps 10 of
the stairway. Furthermore, the exposed portions of the stringer assembly S do
not show any fastener and there id no need to apply finishing putty to cover
fasteners or holes produced by fasteners. The stringer assembly S thus
provides a clean finish.
[0041] Although the present invention has been described
hereinabove by way of embodiments thereof, it may be modified, without
departing from the nature and teachings of the subject invention as described
herein.
