Variable pitch rail system

Claim 1

A variable pitch railing system comprising: a hand rail having a lower surface, said lower surface having a longitudinally extending, downwardly opening channel formed therein, said downwardly opening channel being formed with first and second side walls, said first side wall having apertures directed therethrough for receiving first pivot pins, said second side wall having sockets formed therein, said second side wall sockets extending only partially through said second side wall, said first side wall apertures and said second side wall sockets being respectively axially aligned whereby one of said first pivot pins may be inserted through one first side wall aperture and into engagement with one second side wall socket; a shoe rail having an upper surface disposed in a facing opposed relation to said lower surface of said hand rail, said upper surface having a longitudinally extending, upwardly opening channel formed therein, said upwardly opening channel being formed with third and fourth side walls, said third side wall having apertures directed therethrough for receiving second pivot pins, said fourth side wall having sockets formed therein, said fourth side wall sockets extending only partially through said fourth side wall, said third side wall apertures and said fourth side wall sockets being respectively axially aligned whereby one of said second pivot pins may be inserted through one third side wall aperture and into engagement with one fourth side wall socket; a plurality of balusters extending between said hand rail and said shoe rail, said balusters having first and second ends with apertures formed therein and extending therethrough, said first and second ends being positionable within said downwardly opening channel and said upwardly opening channel and said first and second pivot pins being positionable through the apertures in said first and second ends so as to effectively secure said balusters to said hand rail and said shoe rail, said first and second ends of said balusters further including first and second oblique, flat chamfered surfaces cut relative thereto so as to permit a variable pitch pivotal movement of said balusters about said first and second pivot pins, said first and second chamfered surfaces being on opposite sides of said balusters and lying in a spaced apart parallel planar relationship with the chamfered surfaces limiting the pivotal movement between the rails and balusters and the outer ends of the chamfered surfaces being located between the walls of the channels in all angular positions of the balusters and rails; and at least one fillet having a length approximately equal to a distance between adjacent balusters, said at least one fillet being dimensioned with a cross section approximately equal to that of said upwardly opening channel for substantially filling the space in said channel between adjacent balusters.