Shock absorbing chair rail assembly

Claim 1

A chair rail assembly comprising: an elongated base strip constituting a web portion, and having substantially monoplanar, parallel surfaces on opposite sides thereof; a pair of spaced, elongated, substantially parallel flanges connected to opposite side edges of said base strip at the opposite sides of the substantially monoplanar, parallel surfaces, said flanges each projecting normal to the major plane of said base strip and to said monoplanar, parallel surfaces for supporting said base strip in spaced relation to a substantially monoplanar surface upon which said chair rail assembly is mounted; a pair of spaced, elongated, substantially parallel protuberances projecting from a central portion of said base strip in a direction opposite from the direction of projection of said flanges therefrom and extending normal to said base strip and to the monoplanar, substantially parallel surfaces thereof, said protuberances defining between them, a central channel extending longitudinally along said elongated base strip, and said protuberances each having a toe projecting therefrom over said base strip and downwardly toward said base strip to define an elongated slot extending longitudinally along said elongated base strip parallel to said central channel and on one side thereof, with the two elongated slots defined by the toes of said pair of protuberances lying on opposite sides of said central channel, each of said toes having a beveled surface thereon which is inclined to the vertical in a downward direction and in an inward direction toward said central channel, said beveled surfaces each terminating in a sharp edge at the entrance to the respective elongated slot to facilitate longitudinal insertion of strips of elastomeric material in the respective elongated slots; a pair of spaced, undercut, elongated inturned additional toes projecting from said base strip normal thereto adjacent the opposite side edges thereof, and projecting from the opposite side of said base strip from said parallel flanges and extending parallel thereto and parallel to said protuberances, each of said inturned toes being transversely spaced on said base strip from one of said protuberances, and defining therewith an elongated outer channel extending parallel to said central channel, each of said in-turned additional toes carrying a tapered lip projecting toward said base strip and tapering to a sharp elongated edge at its nearest point of approach to said base strip, each of said additional toes defining with said base strip, and elongated additional slot disposed on the opposite side of the adjacent outer channel from said central channel and extending parallel to said outer channel and central channel, whereby elongated strips of elastomeric material may be inserted under said tapered lip in said additional slots by longitudiNal sliding movement in the respective outer channels; fastener means in said central channel and spaced therealong for fastening said elongated base strip to a substantially monoplanar supporting surface; a rigid cover plate covering the fastener means and closing said central channel by interlocking, snap-in engagement with said elongated protuberances, said cover plate extending substantially parallel to said base strip; bumper strip means carried in said outer channels and including: a first elongated strip of elastomeric material positioned in one of said outer channels and having a central, relatively thick protuberant bead portion which projects out of said channel in a direction away from said base strip and which has an exposed concave surface outside the respective outer channel in which it is located, said first elongated strip of elastomeric material further having a first relatively thin edge portion on one side of said central bead portion projecting into the slot defined by the toe of one of said protuberances with said base strip, said first edge portion occupying a space less than the entire space defined within said slot, said first strip of elastomeric material further having a second relatively thin edge portion on the opposite side of said central bead portion projecting into one of said additional slots defined by one of said additional toes with said base strip, said second relatively thin edge portion occupying less than the entire space defined within said additional slot, said central protuberant bead portion of said first strip of elastomeric material defining with said base strip, a void air space therebetween, and the thickness of said central protuberant bead portion being greater than the thickness of the underlying void air space as measured from the central protuberant bead portion to the base strip; and a second elongated strip of elastomeric material positioned in the other of said outer channels and having a central, relatively thick protuberant bead portion which projects out of said other outer channel in a direction away from said base strip and which has an exposed concave surface outside said other outer channel in which it is located, said second elongated strip of elastomeric material further having a first relatively thin edge portion on one side of the central bead portion of said second elongated strip projecting into the slot defined by the toe of one of said protuberances with said base strip, said first relatively thin edge portion of said second elongated strip of elastomeric material occupying less than the entire space defined within said slot into which said first relatively thin edge portion of said second elongated strip projects, and said second elongated strip of elastomeric material further having a second relatively thin edge portion on the opposite side of the central bead portion of said second elongated strip projecting into one of said additional slots defined by one of said additional toes with said base strip, with said second relatively thin edge portion of said second elongated strip of elastomeric material occupying less than the entire space defined within said additional slot into which said second relatively thin edge portion projects, said central protuberant bead portion of said second elongated strip defining with said base strip, a void air space therebetween, and the thickness of said central protuberant bead portion of said second elongated strip being greater than the thickness of the underlying void air space as measured from the bead portion to the base strip; and a terminal cap secured to opposite ends of said base strip by said covered fastener means whereby said terminal caps cannot be disconnected from said base strip except by first removing said cover plate.