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(11) | EP 0 321 593 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
Handrail particularly for helicoidal staircases Geländer, insbesondere für schraubenförmige Treppen Balustrade, notamment pour escaliers hélicoidaux |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0002] Normally, the banisters of helicoidal staircases are constituted by vertical supporting elements (uprights) fixed to the steps and connected, at their head, by a continuous handrail suitably shaped according to the radius and the inclination of each staircase.
[0003] This has hitherto made impossible the prefabrication of a wooden handrail, since even helicoidal staircases with prefabricated composable elements allow a certain variability in the rise and in the step of the steps, the arrangement whereof is therefore adapted to the specific requirements of each individual installation.
[0004] In lower-quality spiral staircases, such as iron ones, the handrail is formed with an extruded profiled element in plastic material the flexibility whereof allows its easy adaptation while assembling the staircase,while instead, if a similar handrail is to be provided in wood, assembling times and costs are considerably higher. In fact the wooden helicoidal handrail is formed by glueing wooden strips kept locked together for the time required for drying by adapted clamps.
[0005] Subsequently, expert craftsmen execute the shaping according to the required profile, prepare the mortises for the uprights coupling and finally perform the finishing treatments, such as painting, polishing, lacquering or others.
[0006] This mode of operation, qualitatively appreciable but onerous, obviously contrasts with what should be a prefabricated composable staircase: a structure completely composed of mass-produced elements assemblable during installation with simple operations of adjustment and assembly.
[0007] US-A-3,879,026 teaches a universal work holder or jig for manufacturing curved supports and railings and the like from a plurality of associated laminas, and supports made thereby, as defined in the precharacterizing part of claim 1 and 15. Each support is in the form of a helix for use in a spiral stairway. Pairs of approximately dimensioned helical supporting units are used to carry the individual stair treads and other appropriately dimensioned helical units may he used with the stairs as inner and outer rails carried by the balusters mounted on the tread supporting units.
[0008] However, the universal work holder or jig known from US-A-3,879,026 cannot he used to form the handrail of a helicoidal staircase during installation of such helicoidal staircase, because the conventional centre post of the helicoidal staircase would prevent the universal workholder from being positioned for formation of the handrail.
[0009] Accordingly, an aim of the invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks encountered in the known handrails for helicoidal staircases.
[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, this aim is achieved by a method of manufacturing a handrail as defined in the characterizing part of claim 1.
[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, this aim is achieved by the handrail as defined in the characterizing part of claim 15.
[0012] Indeed to eliminate the above described limitations, the present invention proposes a new type of handrail to be formed with a bundle of strips, having adequate length and low thickness, which are curved manually in assembly during their fixing to the uprights of the banister.
[0013] Moreover, the head of the uprights is shaped according to the transverse profile to be imposed to the bundle of strips which rests thereon during the execution of holes to be provided with a drill in alignment with holes of the uprights, to allow the insertion therein of adapted screw means by means of which the bundle of strips is fastened and fixed to the uprights.
[0014] The face-to-face fastening of the strips provides the handrail with the required solidity, while offsets in the packing allow to obviate, in an aesthetically appreciable manner, the difficulties of a perfect alignment of all the strips when the bundle is subject to the combined stresses of helicoidal curving.
[0015] It must he added that, even by providing the alignment of the edges during the perforation for assembly, this alignment would have in any case an interim nature due to the differentiated shrinkages of the strips arranged side to side to form a handrail.
[0016] Once the helicoidal curvature of the strips has been performed, it is sufficient to intervene with a saw at one or both ends of the handrail so that they precisely reach the adapted seats or the simple recesses of the two staircase-head uprights.
[0017] Further details will become apparent from the description of some embodiments, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein figures 1 to 16 show, for each example, a lateral view of the coupling of the handrail with one of the intermediate uprights and a transverse cross section referring to the preceding figure. Figures 17-20 are cross-sectioned views of four different handrails according to another aspect of the invention.
[0018] The example of figures 1 and 2 illustrates a handrail formed by a bundle of wood strips 1 identical to one another and symmetrically offset in height since they repeat the inner profile of the fork-like head of the upright 2. The screw coupling element 3 is provided with heads with a hexagonal recess which, though trapped in the appropriate holes of the upright, only perform the locking of the strips.
[0019] In the example of figures 3 and 4 the handrail, formed by the bundle of strips 4, is fixed to the upright 5 by means of a screw coupling element 7 the heads whereof, with a hexagonal recess, act lockingly on the upright and on the removable insert 6.
[0020] The example of figures 5 and 6 illustrates a split handrail the strips 8 whereof are divided into two specularly identical groups locked by the screw means 10 against the two outer faces of the upright 9, suitably narrowed, in the region affected by the coupling, with a step-like pattern which determines the offset of the strips.
[0021] If required, in order to further stiffen the handrail, simple spacers, to be interposed and fixed to the two groups of strips, are used.
[0022] In all the uprights described up to now, the offset of the strips of the handrail is determined by their resting on the shaped profile preset, inside or outside said uprights, according to the required offset and to the inclination of the staircase.
[0023] Though the inclination set on the uprights does not condition in any way the one adopted in each case for the handrail, the solution of figures 7 and 8, illustrating the strips 11 of the handrail inserted and fixed to the head of the upright 12, the offsetting profile whereof has a convex curvilinear pattern, may be preferable, most of all for the aesthetical aspect.
[0024] Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the strips 13 of the handrail fastened and fixed, by the screw means 15, against a depressed region of the upright 14 downwardly delimited by as many concentric curved steps as there are strips to be offset. Said steps then continue along the upright, lightening its cross section and making the combination with the handrail more harmonious.
[0025] The example of figures 11 and 12 illustrates a handrail formed by the bundle of offset strips 16, tangentially resting in the steps provided in the rounded end of the upright 20 at the center whereof a hole is provided for the screw means 19 which pivot the two lateral blocks 17 which lock, by virtue of the screw means 18, the bundle of strips 16.
[0026] The example of figures 13 and 14 illustrates a handrail formed by the bundle of offset strips 21 inserted and locked, by means of the screw means 23, in the element 22 which also couples astride the rounded head of the upright 25 in which it is pivoted by the screw means 24.
[0027] The example of figures 15 and 16 illustrates a split handrail the strips 26 whereof are divided into two specularly identical groups locked, by virtue of the screw means 28, to the two sides of the element 27 suitably shaped so as to effect the offset of the strips and also to be coupled fork-wise to the rounded head of the upright 30 where it is pivoted by the screw means 29.
[0028] As for other split handrails, also in this case spacers, to be interposed and fixed to the two groups of strips, can be used if required.
[0029] Since the illustrated and described examples show only some of the different possible embodiments, the invention must therefore be understood to extend also to all those modifications and variations not illustrated but equally comprised within the scope of the invention as specified by the appended claims.
[0030] It is convenient to consider, among the possible variations of the invention, also the possible use of removable shaped elements which, alternately to the shaped resting in the uprights, would determine the offset of the strips during perforation and insertion of the screw coupling means.
[0031] Finally the possible combination is not excluded of the wooden strips with other ones in plastic or in other suitable material, to be interposed among the first ones, to give greater consistency to the bundle-handrail or, more simply, to achieve an aesthetical characterization.
[0032] The offset of the strips can also be obtained by using strips 37 of different height resting on a substantially planar resting region 31 of the upright 32 as illustrated in figures 17,19 and 20, or on a substantially concave resting region 33 of the upright 34 as illustrated in figure 18.
- providing a plurality of manually bendable strips (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) having a length not shorter than the extension of the entire helicoid of said staircase,
- arranging the strips adjacent face to face and manually bending them into a helicoidal shape, characterized in that it further comprises the steps of
- providing banister uprights (2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 20, 25, 30, 32, 34),
- forming seats (31, 33) in said bannister uprights, - accommodating the manually bent strips (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) in said seats,
- perforating said strips (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) for insertion of coupling means (3, 7, 10, 15, 18, 23, 28) therein, whereby to lock and fix said plurality of strips (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) in said seats (31, 33).
- providing on each of said banister uprights (2, 12, 25, 32, 34) a fork-like head,
- providing said seat between said fork-like head,
- forming holes in said fork-like head,
- passing said screw coupling means (3) through said holes formed through said fork-like heads of said bannister uprights for engaging the outermost strips of said plurality of strips (1, 11, 21, 35, 36, 37).
- providing a removable insert (6),
- retaining said strips (4) in each of said seats between an upper lateral portion of the bannister upright (5) and said removable insert (6),
- said coupling means (7) having heads engaging said upper lateral portion of said bannister upright (5) and said removable insert (6) for clamping said strips (4) therebetween.
- dividing said plurality of strips (8)into two groups, and
- locking said bannister upright (9) between said two groups of strips (8) with said coupling means (10).
- locking and fixing the strips (13), with the screw coupling means (15), against a depressed region of the upright (14),
- downwardly delimiting the depressed region by forming a succession of curved and concentrical steps, and
- dimensioning the steps according to the thickness of the strips which rest thereon and according to the offset to be provided.
- providing on the bannister upright (20), a rounded end having steps formed thereon,
- resting the strips (16) on said steps,
- providing two lateral blocks (17) and pivoting them to said upright (20),
- rigidly associating and locking said bundle of strips (16) between said two lateral blocks with said screw coupling means (18).
- providing a rounded head on the bannister upright (25),
- positioning an element (22) astride the bannister upright and pivotally connecting it thereto,
- inserting the strips (21) in an offset configuration into the element (22),
- locking the strips (22) in the element (22) by means of the screw means (23).
- dividing the strips (26) into two groups,
- providing a fork-like head on the bannister upright (30),
- providing an element (27) shaped to position the strips (26) in an offset configuration and also to be pivotally coupled in the fork-like head of the upright (30),
- fastening the strips (26) to the two sides of element (27) with the screw coupling means (28).
- providing shaped elements,
- applying said shaped elements temporarily to said strips and arranging said strips so as to have marked offsets determined by shaped elements,
- removing said shaped elements upon fixing said strips to said uprights.
- providing strips (37) having different heights, and
- forming a seat (31) with a substantially rectangular section.
- providing shaped edges on said strips (35), and
- overlapping adjacent strips with said shaped edges when assembling said handrail.
- providing longitudinal dents in the upper edges of said strips (36b, c),
- providing corresponding projections on strips (36a, b) adjacent to said longitudinal dents,
- housing the projections in adjacent dents when assembling said handrail.
- Bereitstellen einer Vielzahl an von Hand biegbaren Streifen (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37), deren Länge nicht kürzer als die Ausdehnung der gesamten Wendel der Treppe ist,
- Anordnen der Streifen Seite an Seite und Biegen derselben von Hand in eine Schraubenform, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß es weiterhin die Schritte aufweist,
- Bereitstellen von Geländersprossen (2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 20, 25, 30, 32, 34),
- Bilden von Sitzen (31, 33) in den Geländersprossen,
- Unterbringen der von Hand gebogenen Streifen (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) in den Sitzen,
- Durchlöchern der Streifen (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) zur Einführung eines Verbindungsmittels (3, 7, 10, 15, 18, 23, 28) in sie, um dadurch die Vielzahl an Streifen (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) in den Sitzen (31, 33) zu sichern und zu fixieren.
- Vorsehen eines gabelförmigen Kopfes an jeder der Geländersprossen (2, 12, 25, 32, 34),
- Vorsehen des Sitzes zwischen dem gabelförmigen Kopf,
- Bilden von Löchern in dem gabelförmigen Kopf,
- Durchführen des Schraubverbindungsmittels (3) durch die Löcher, die in den gabelförmigen Köpfen der Geländersprossen gebildet sind, um an den äußersten Streifen der Vielzahl an Streifen (1, 11, 21, 35, 36, 37) anzugreifen.
- Bereitstellen eines abnehmbaren Einsatzstückes (6),
- Festhalten der Streifen (4) in jedem der Sitze zwischen einem oberen seitlichen Teil der Geländersprosse (5) und dem abnehmbaren Einsatzstück (6),
- wobei das Verbindungsmittel (7) Köpfe hat, die an dem oberen seitlichen Teil der Geländersprosse (5) und dem abnehmbaren Einsatzstück (6) angreifen, um die Streifen (4) zwischen sich zu klemmen.
- Einteilen der Vielzahl an Streifen (8) in zwei Gruppen, und
- Festhalten der Geländersprosse (9) zwischen den beiden Gruppen von Streifen (8) mit dem Verbindungsmittel (10).
- Sichern und Befestigen der Streifen (13) mit dem Schraubverbindungsmittel (15) an einem vertieften Bereich der Sprosse (14),
- Begrenzen des vertieften Bereichs nach unten durch Bilden einer Folge von gebogenen und konzentrischen Stufen, und
- Bemessen der Stufen entsprechend der Dicke der Streifen, die darauf aufliegen, und entsprechend dem zu schaffenden Versatz.
- Vorsehen eines abgerundeten Endes mit daran geformten Stufen an der Geländersprosse (20),
- Auflegen der Streifen (16) auf die Stufen,
- Bereitstellen von zwei seitlichen Blöcken (17) und Lagern derselben drehbar an der Sprosse (20),
- starres Zusammenfügen und Festmachen des Bündels von Streifen (16) zwischen den beiden seitlichen Blöcken mit dem Schraubverbindungsmittel (18).
- Vorsehen eines abgerundeten Kopfes an der Geländersprosse (25),
- Positionieren eines Elementes (22) rittlings auf der Geländersprosse und Verbinden desselben drehbar mit ihm,
- Einführen der Streifen (21) in einer versetzten Konfiguration in das Element (22),
- Festmachen der Streifen (21) in dem Element (22) mit Hilfe des Schraubmittels (23).
- Einteilen der Streifen (26) in zwei Gruppen,
- Vorsehen eines gabelförmigen Kopfes an der Geländersprosse (30),
- Bereitstellen eines Elements (27), das geformt ist, um die Streifen (26) in einer versetzten Konfiguration anzuordnen und um auch in dem gabelförmigen Kopf der Sprosse (30) drehbar verbunden zu werden,
- Befestigen der Streifen (26) auf den beiden Seiten des Elements (27) mit dem Schraubverbindungsmittel (28).
- Bereitstellen von geformten Elementen,
- Aufbringen der geformten Elemente zeitweilig auf die Streifen und Anordnen der Streifen, so daß sie deutliche Versetzungen haben, die durch die geformten Elemente bestimmt werden,
- Entfernen der geformten Elemente nach dem Befestigen der Streifen an den Sprossen.
- Bereitstellen von Streifen (37) mit unterschiedlichen Höhen und
- Bilden eines Sitzes (31) mit einem im wesentlichen rechtwinkligen Querschnitt.
- Vorsehen von geformten Kanten an den Streifen (35) und
- Überlappen von benachbarten Streifen mit den geformten Kanten, wenn der Handlauf zusammengebaut wird.
- Vorsehen von länglichen Vertiefungen in den oberen Kanten der Streifen (36b, c),
- Vorsehen von entsprechenden Vorsprüngen an den Streifen (36a, b), die an die länglichen Vertiefungen angrenzen,
- Unterbringen der Vorsprünge in den benachbarten Vertiefungen, wenn der Handlauf zusammengebaut wird.
- fourniture d'une pluralité de bandes cintrables manuellement (1, 4, 11, 13, 16, 21, 35, 36, 37), présentant une longueur non inférieure à l'étendue de toute la spirale dudit escalier,
- disposition des bandes de façon adjacente en se faisant face et cintrage de ces
bandes en une forme hélicoïdale,
caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend, en outre, les étapes de:
- fourniture de montants à main-courante (2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 20, 25, 30, 32, 34)
- formation de sièges (31, 33) dans lesdits montants à main-courante, en logeant les bandes cintrées manuellement (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) dans lesdits sièges,
- perforation desdites bandes (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) pour insérer, à l'intérieur, des moyens de couplage (3, 7, 10, 15, 18, 23, 28), de manière à verrouiller et fixer ladite pluralité de bandes (1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37) dans lesdits sièges (31, 33).
- fourniture d'une tête en forme de fourche sur chacun des montants à main-courante (2, 12, 25, 32, 34),
- fourniture dudit siège dans ladite tête en forme de fourche,
- formation de trous dans ladite tête en forme de fourche,
- passage dudit moyen de couplage à vis (3) à travers lesdits trous formés dans lesdites têtes en forme de fourche desdits montants à main-courante, pour venir au contact des bandes les plus extérieures dans ladite pluralité de bandes (1, 11, 21, 35, 36, 37).
- fourniture d'un insert démontable (6),
- maintien des bandes (4) dans chacun desdits sièges, entre une partie latérale supérieure du montant à main-courante (5) et ledit insert démontable (6),
- ledit moyen de couplage (7) présentant des têtes en contact avec ladite partie latérale supérieure dudit montant à main-courante (5) et ledit insert démontable (6), pour le serrage desdites bandes (4) entre eux.
- division de ladite pluralité de bandes (8) en deux groupes et
- verrouillage dudit montant à main-courante (9) entre lesdits deux groupes de bandes (8), à l'aide dudit moyen de couplage (10).
- verrouillage et fixation des bandes (13) à l'aide du moyen de couplage à vis (15), contre une zone abaissée du montant (14),
- délimitation, vers le bas, de la zone abaissée, en formant une succession de degrés courbés et concentriques et
- dimensionnement des degrés en fonction de l'épaisseur des bandes qui reposent sur ces dernières et selon l'étagement à fournir.
- fourniture, sur le montant à main-courante (20), d'une extrémité arrondie présentant sur elle des degrés formés,
- pose des bandes (16) sur lesdits degrés,
- fourniture de deux blocs latéraux (17) et pivotement de ces derniers par rapport audit montant (20),
- association et verrouillage rigides dudit ensemble de bandes (16) entre lesdits deux blocs latéraux, à l'aide dudit moyen de couplage à vis (18).
- fourniture d'une tête arrondie sur le montant à main-courante (25),
- positionnement d'un élément (22) à califourchon sur le montant à main-courante et connexion à pivotement de l'élément sur ce montant,
- insertion des bandes (21) présentant une configuration étagée, dans l'élément (22),
- verrouillage des bandes (21) dans l'élément (22) à l'aide du moyen à vis (23).
- division des bandes (26) en deux groupes,
- fourniture d'une tête en forme de fourche sur le montant à main-courante (30),
- fourniture d'un élément (27) profilé pour positionner les bandes (26) en une configuration étagée et également pour être couplé à pivotement dans la tête en forme de fourche du montant (30),
- fixation des bandes (26) des deux côtés de l'élément (27) à l'aide du moyen de couplage à vis (28).
- fourniture d'éléments profilés,
- application temporaire desdits éléments profilés sur lesdites bandes et agencement desdites bandes, de façon à obtenir des étagements marqués, déterminés par les éléments profilés,
- enlèvement desdits éléments profilés lors de la fixation desdites bandes sur lesdits montants.
- fourniture de bandes (37) de différentes hauteurs et
- formation d'un siège (31) doté d'une section sensiblement rectangulaire.
- fourniture de bords profilés sur lesdites bandes (35) et
- recouvrement des bandes adjacentes avec lesdits bords profilés, lors de l'assemblage de ladite balustrade.
- fourniture de dentelures longitudinales dans les bords supérieurs desdites bandes (36b, 36c),
- fourniture de saillies correspondantes sur les bandes (36a, 36b), de façon adjacente par rapport auxdites dentelures longitudinales,
- logement des saillies dans des dentelures adjacentes, lors de l'assemblage de ladite balustrade.