Railing construction

Claim 2

A railing construction including vertical posts and a top railing, a one-piece frame member positioned between said posts and having a substantially inverted U-shaped configuration comprised of a substantially horizontal upper portion and spaced vertical portions integral therewith at its ends and vertically extending channel members coacting with said vertical portions by means of integral cooperating interdigitated locking means to form the posts for said railing.

Claim 3

The construction of claim 1 wherein said upper portion of said frame member has longitudinally opening grooves facing toward said channel members, said members having upper end portions, brackets secured to the web of said upper end portions of said posts, said brackets including substantially flat bracket portions extending substantially horizontally and having flat bracket portion opposite edges received in said grooves.

Claim 4

The construction of claim 2 and including a top rail, said top rail and said upper portion of said frame member having cooperating interdigitated locking means integral therewith for locking said top rail to said upper portion of said frame member, said top rail extending over the upper end of the posts.

Claim 5

The construction of claim 1 wherein said upright portions have bottom terminal ends and further including a pair of vertically spaced panel support members extending between said upright portions substantially parallel to said upper portion and located intermediate said upper portion and said terminal ends.

Claim 6

The construction of claim 4 wherein said panel support members have hollow opposite end portions and said base portions of said upright portions have holes therethrough aligned with said hollow opposite end portions, and expansion fasteners extending through said holes and into said hollow opposite end portions for fastening said panel support members to said upright portions.

Claim 7

The construction of claim 5 and including a substantially rectangular panel supported between said panel support members.

Claim 8

In a railing construction including a plurality of posts and a top railing the improvement which comprises: a one-piece frame member having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration including a substantially horizontal upper portion having spaced-apart opposite vertical portions integral with saiD upper portion and extending downwardly from the end of said horizontal portions, said frame member having a cross-sectional configuration defined by a base portion having opposite edges, a substantially plane surface and an opposite surface, said opposite surface having opposite locking and mounting legs extending outwardly therefrom and spaced inwardly from said opposite edges, said legs having locking surfaces extending outwardly therefrom toward said opposite edges and facing toward said opposite surface in spaced relationship thereto, said legs having projections extending inwardly therefrom in spaced relationship to said opposite surface to define a pair of spaced-apart grooves facing one another on said opposite surface between said legs, said legs being on the outer surface of said frame member and said plane surface of said base portion defining an inner surface of said frame member, said legs being cut away at said corners so that said grooves on said upper portion open substantially horizontally outward and so that said base portion can be readily bent where said legs are cut away to form said frame member into said substantially inverted U-shaped configuration.

Claim 9

In a railing construction including a plurality of posts and a top railing the improvement which comprises: a one-piece frame member having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration including a substantially horizontal upper portion having spaced-apart opposite vertical portions integral with saiD upper portion and extending downwardly from the end of said horizontal portions, said frame member having a cross-sectional configuration defined by a base portion having opposite edges, a substantially plane surface and an opposite surface, said opposite surface having opposite locking and mounting legs extending outwardly therefrom and spaced inwardly from said opposite edges, said legs having locking surfaces extending outwardly therefrom toward said opposite edges and facing toward said opposite surface in spaced relationship thereto, said legs having projections extending inwardly therefrom in spaced relationship to said opposite surface to define a pair of spaced-apart grooves facing one another on said opposite surface between said legs, said legs being on the outer surface of said frame member and said plane surface of said base portion defining an inner surface of said frame member, said legs being cut away at said corners so that said grooves on said upper portion open substantially horizontally outward and so that said base portion can be readily bent where said legs are cut away to form said frame member into said substantially inverted U-shaped configuration.

Claim 10

The construction of claim 7 wherein said upright portions have bottom terminal ends and further including a pair of vertically spaced panel support members extending between said upright portions substantially parallel to said upper portion and located intermediate said upper portion and said terminal ends.

Claim 11

The construction of claim 8 wherein said panel support members have hollow ooposite end portions and said base portions of said upright portions have holes therethrough aligned with said hollow opposite end portions, and expansion fasteners extending through said holes and into said hollow opposite end portions for fastening said panel support members to said upright portions.

Claim 12

The construction of claim 7 and further including spaced-apart substantially vertical channel members having spaced-apart flange portions, said flange portions having inwardly extending locking projections integral therewith and including flange locking projection surfaces, said legs on said upright portions of said frame member being received between said flanges with said locking surfaces thereon interdigitated with said flange locking projection surfaces, said channel members and said vertical portions when assembled forming the posts of said railing.

Claim 13

The construction of claim 10 wherein substantially flat bracket members are secured to said upper ends of said channel members, said brackets including substantially horizontally extending flat bracket portions having opposite edges received in said grooves between said legs on said opposite surface of said upper portion of said frame member.

Claim 14

The construction of claim 11 and further including a top rail extending integrally over said posts and having a substantially inverted channel-shaped cross-sectional configuration and including opposite channel legs, said channel legs having inwardly extending channel locking projections thereon including channel locking projection surfaces, said locking surfaces on said legs on said upper portion of said frame member and said channel locking projection surfaces being interdigitated for securely locking said rail to said frame member.

Claim 15

The construction of claim 12 wherein said upright portions have bottom terminal ends and further including a pair of vertically spaced panel support members extending between said upright portions substantially parallel to said upper portion and located intermediate said upper portion and said terminal ends.

Claim 16

The construction of claim 13 wherein said panel support members have hollow opposite end portions and said base portions of said upright portions have holes therethrough aligned with said hollow opposite end portions, and expansion fasteners extending through said holes and into said hollow opposite end portions for fastening said panel support members to saiD upright portions.

Claim 17

The construction of claim 14 and including a substantially rectangular panel supported between said panel support members.

Claim 18

The construction of claim 7 and including spaced-apart substantially vertical channel members, substantially flat bracket members secured to the upper ends of said members, said brackets including substantially horizontally extending flat bracket portions having opposite edges received in said grooves between said legs on said opposite surface of said upper portion of said frame member.