Structural glass railing base shoe design

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to structural glass railing base shoe designs and particularly to a structural glass railing base shoe design that uses no grout or wedges.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Structural glass railing systems with an extruded base shoe component have been rather common in the market for many years. These prior art systems utilize a U-shaped base extrusion called the base shoe to hold and support tempered glass panels. The glass panels are retained in the base shoe with either a grout material or mechanical wedges. The grouted application involves simply pouring liquid grout, cement, or other adhesive into the channel once the glass is properly positioned, thus locking the glass panel in place and creating a relatively permanent installation. If a glass panel should need to be removed due to breakage or some other reason, the hardened grout must be chipped away to clear the pocket before a new panel could be installed. Because workers are chipping out grout right next to some exposed glass edges of adjacent glass panels, this activity is very time consuming and possibly dangerous.

One recent solution to the grout problem is a system that replaces the grout with a system that uses a wedge-shaped piece that is pounded down on either side of the glass panels in conjunction with some vinyl pieces. This design is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,419,209, 6,517056, and 7,036,799. The force produced by the wedge action is enough to hold the glass firmly. There is also a special tool that can actually pull the wedges out of the channel to facilitate a removal. However, this operation is difficult to do, and one must have this special tool to do it. Moreover, the wedges are driven into the base shoe using a special chisel type tool and a hammer. This type of installation increases the risk of damage to a glass panel during the installation.

The instant invention solves these problems. It eliminates the wedges all together, and utilizes a simple internal clamp system that makes initial installation and removal a very simple process. Stainless setscrews are mounted in one of the vertical legs of the base shoe and spaced at some interval. The stainless setscrews exert force on a stainless steel and neoprene compression plate, which exerts force on the glass panel. The opposite side of the glass panel then seats against a neoprene compression pad. This system allows for very easy glass installation, makes minor glass adjustments very simple, and allows for glass removal with a turn or two of the setscrews. Another important feature of this design is that the installers can insert temporary panels, such as wood, that can be installed as a temporary railing while the jobsite is waiting for the glass panels.

FIG. 1 is front elevation of a rail section using the improved base shoe.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section of rail taken along the lines 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional detail view of the base shoe.

FIG. 4 is an assembly detail view of the base shoe assembly.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of the cap plug.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the pressure plate.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the pressure plate.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the vinyl compression pad.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the vinyl compression pad.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a rail utilizing the new base shoe is shown. The railing has a top rail 100 , a series of tempered glass panels 101 , which are, in the preferred embodiment nominally ½ inch or ¾ inch thick and typically no more than 60 inches long. The glass panels are set into the base shoe 10 the structure of which is discussed below.

The base shoe 10 is typically set on a concrete surface 102 and is held in place, in the preferred embodiment using typical fasteners 103 such as expansion anchors, threaded rod and epoxy, lag bolts, or through bolts spaced at approximately 12 inch intervals. Of course, any other suitable fastening system can be utilized.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section of rail taken along the lines 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 . Here, the top rail 100 , tempered glass panel 101 , base shoe 10 , curb 102 and fasteners 103 are shown.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional detail view of the base shoe 10 . FIG. 4 is an assembly detail view of the base shoe assembly. Here, all of the components are shown in a partially exploded view. The base shoe has a number of components that are assembled into the final shoe assembly. First, there is the outer shoe 11 . In the preferred embodiment, the outer shoe 11 is made of aluminum and is nominally 2 inches wide and 4 inches high. It has a base and two upright side walls as shown. Of course, the dimensions may be varied within the normal scope of use. One of the vertical side walls of the outer shoe has a threaded hole 12 formed in it to accept a setscrew, as described below. In the preferred embodiment, the length of the outer shoe is selected to limit splicing as much as possible and is balanced by the weight of the shoe. Thus, typical lengths of shoe are preferably 15 feet. The setscrew holes 12 are positioned along the length of shoe and are preferably spaced at 12-18 inch intervals along the outer shoe 10 . This spacing depends on factors such as the height of the rail and the wind load on the system. The outer shoe has an inner channel 15 that accepts the glass panels 101 as well as the components used to support the panels

A vinyl compression pad 13 is positioned in the bottom of the channel 15 as shown. In the preferred embodiment, the vinyl compression pad 13 is three inches long, positioned on the opposite side from the setscrew hole 12 , and is centered thereon. The vinyl compression pad 13 has a vertical back portion 13 a and a base portion 13 b . The vertical back portion 13 a has a number of ribs 13 c that provide support for the glass once it is installed.

The glass panel can then be inserted into the channel and set upon the base 13 b of the vinyl compression pad 13 . Next, a pressure plate 14 is slid into the space between the glass panel and the side of the outer shoe that has the setscrew hole 12 . This plate has a thin stainless steel plate 20 and a neoprene pad 21 (see FIGS. 6 and 7 ). Here, the components are shown aligned for installation. A setscrew 16 and a cap plug 17 are shown in this view. Once the components are in place as shown in FIG. 4 , the setscrew 16 can be installed and tightened to compress both the vinyl compression pad 13 and the neoprene pad 21 of the compression pad to lock the glass panel in place. Once the installation is complete, the setscrew holes can be covered with the cap plugs 17 . The cap plugs can be removed, which allows easy access to the setscrews to replace a broken panel, to adjust a panel as needed or to replace panels that might be used as a temporary barrier (these can be wood, metal or composite).

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of the cap plug 17 . Here, the cap plug 17 is shown with a number of spring feet 18 that allow the cap to be removed.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the pressure plate. FIG. 7 is a front view of the pressure plate. As discussed above, this pad has a thin stainless steel plate 20 and a neoprene pad 21 . An alternative to the neoprene pad is Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM), which is a rubber compound.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the vinyl compression pad and FIG. 9 is a front view of the vinyl compression pad. As discussed above, the vinyl compression pad 13 has a vertical back portion 13 a and a base portion 13 b . The vertical back portion 13 a has a number of ribs 13 c that provide support for the glass once it is installed.

The present disclosure should not be construed in any limited sense other than that limited by the scope of the claims having regard to the teachings herein and the prior art being apparent with the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein and which reveals details of structure of a preferred form necessary for a better understanding of the invention and may be subject to change by skilled persons within the scope of the invention without departing from the concept thereof.