| 摘要 |
A fencing/railing assembly adapted to be positioned between a pair of posts and mounted thereto includes a plurality of pickets, a plurality of rails extending transverse to the pickets, and one or more pivoting, sliding connectors for connecting a picket to a rail, with the sliding, pivotal connection concealed by the rail. The connector is slidably mounted to the rail and is pivotally connected to the picket. In one embodiment, an elongated connector strip is concealed by the rail and spans multiple pickets. In another embodiment, the assembly includes a plurality of shorter connectors, one for each picket/rail connection. |
| 主权项 |
1. A fencing/railing assembly adapted to be positioned between a pair of posts and mounted thereto, the assembly comprising:
a plurality of vertical pickets, each picket comprising an upper end and a lower end opposite the upper end; a plurality of elongate rails extending transverse to the pickets, each rail having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, and having at least an upper wall and a side wall, with at least one rail further comprising a plurality of picket openings formed therein and spaced longitudinally along the upper wall thereof, wherein each one of the plurality of pickets is received in a respective one of the plurality of picket openings; and one or more connectors that assemble to and connect the plurality of pickets to the plurality of rails, each connector comprising an elongate strip with opposing first and second sides; wherein each connector is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of pickets in a manner such that the connector is pivotably connected to the picket, and wherein the sliding surface of each connector is slidably engaged with an inner portion of a respective one of the plurality of rails, and wherein each connector is pivotally connected to the respective picket to permit a pivoting motion therebetween, and wherein the connector is slidably connected to the respective rail to permit a sliding motion therebetween, to permit a combination pivoting and sliding motion between the rail and the picket, wherein pivoting the upper end of the respective picket towards the first end of the respective rail causes the respective connector to slide along the respective rail towards the second end of the respective rail, and vice versa, in such a manner that a pivotal range of the plurality of pickets relative to the plurality of rails is at least about 20 degrees in each direction, and wherein the rails each have an inner profile that is sized and shaped to retain the connector strips between the rails and the pickets, and wherein a leading, inner edge of each rail is eased to facilitate slipping the rail over the connector strip while the connector strip is connected to the pickets. |
