Railings on platforms, such as, stairs, stoops, porches and balconies, may prevent individuals from falling off of a platform, and also provide support. Railing systems typically comprise main vertical posts supporting a top hand railing and in between the main posts a railing barrier, such as, glass panels, more posts or other barrier. Certain building codes allow only a clearance of at most four inches from the platform to the bottom of a railing system. The main vertical posts need to be attached to the platform (e.g. concrete slab or wooden deck etc.).
In a prior art system for attaching a post to a platform shown in FIG. 6a, a post is welded to a square base plate, and the base plate is attached to the platform by securing means such as bolts or screws through the plate into the platform. The bolts or screws extending through the plate into the platform are exposed to precipitation.
In another prior art system for attaching a post to a platform as shown in FIG. 6b, a post is secured to a platform through a shoe. The shoe comprises a base plate connected to a sleeve for receiving a post. The base plate of the shoe is again attached to the landing by bolts, screws or other means. A post is inserted into the sleeve. The sleeve is open to rain or snow seeping in.
In the prior art systems, in order to adjust a post's height (e.g. to keep the hand rail even), shims may be used under the base plate. In the prior art system shown in FIG. 6b, the sleeve of a shoe is typically three inches since certain building codes require that there should only be at most four inches clearance between the platform and the bottom of the railing barrier. This also means that there are typically three inches of post in a shoe sleeve.
Canadian Patent No. 2,200,265 entitled “Railing Assembly” demonstrates the use of a square base and Canadian Patent Application No. 2,648,348 entitled “Railings” demonstrates the use of a circular base, but in both instances the bases are screwed or bolted into the platform.
In Canadian Patent Application No. 2,650,097 entitled “Railing Post and Methods for Making and Using Same”, a post is screwed onto a base plate with four screws extending into the four corners of the post from below the base plate. Canadian Patent Application No. 2,706,896 entitled “A Post Holder” provides a post holder with a sturdy base extending outwardly and a sleeve for insertion of a post. Canadian Patent No. 1285739 entitled “Post Holder Bracket” does not include a sleeve, but rather a two sided bracket.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/838,188 (Publication No. 2002/0152713) entitled “Baluster” the post is not attached to a base plate but rather elongated for attachment to the side of the base platform through securing means through the side of the bottom of the elongated post.