U.S. patent application number 12/406797 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-03 for boltless metal stair step system for indoor/outdoor staircase installation.
Invention is credited to Carlos Vargas.
Application Number | 20090293385 12/406797 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41378016 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090293385 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vargas; Carlos |
December 3, 2009 |
Boltless Metal Stair Step System for Indoor/Outdoor Staircase
Installation
Abstract
The invention is a boltless metal stair step system that
provides a simple way to install an indoor/outdoor metal staircase.
The result is a structurally sound, lightweight, fire retardant
staircase that can ultimately be finished with various materials
such as stone, brick, wood, etc. Ordinarily a staircase is
constructed using wood, concrete, etc., and in most cases a skilled
person is needed to repair or install a new staircase. This
invention comes ready to assemble and no staircase building
experience is necessary; and because of the unique interlocking or
"snap in" connections and the minimal use of parts and screws, it
eliminates the need for intricate measuring, cutting and special
tools. Also, the specially designed "snap in" connections and the
method of installing the steps makes the replacement of staircase
parts simple and convenient.
Inventors: |
Vargas; Carlos; (Windber,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Carlos Vargas
221 Jefferson Avenue
Windber
PA
15963
US
|
Family ID: |
41378016 |
Appl. No.: |
12/406797 |
Filed: |
March 18, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61056532 |
May 28, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/191 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 2201/013 20130101;
E04F 11/025 20130101; E04F 11/112 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/191 |
International
Class: |
E04F 11/025 20060101
E04F011/025 |
Claims
1. A boltless metal stair step system for indoor/outdoor staircase
installation in which the stringers are secured to the floor and to
the supporting structure (i.e. a building, a platform, etc) and the
steps are placed one at a time, over and between the stringers from
the bottom up beginning with the starter riser; the specially
constructed steps are designed to interlock or "snap" into place at
specific areas along the stringers, resulting in a staircase that
can then be reinforced with self drilling tapping screws or pop
rivets and covered with various materials.
2. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 1, comprising: two
stringers; a starter riser; steps; and reinforcement hardware.
3. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 1, wherein said
stringers can be secured to the floor and supporting structure
using anchor bolts, screws, machine bolts or by welding.
4. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 1, wherein said
starter riser is placed at the bottom of the staircase and said
steps are then placed consecutively over and between the
stringers.
5. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 1, wherein said
steps are designed to interlock or "snap" into place at specific
areas along the stringers.
6. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 5, wherein the
interlocking lips on the steps and stringers can be hammered down
on each side for permanent staircase installation.
7. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 5, wherein the
interlocking lips on the steps and stringers can be left open for
temporary staircase installation and subsequent disassembly.
8. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 2, wherein said
steps can be constructed to accommodate cladding with masonry or
wood, or to have anti-slip step properties, by varying the fold,
width and tread of the step.
9. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 8, wherein said
steps are designed to interlock or "snap" into place at specific
areas along the stringers regardless of fold, width, and stair
tread design.
10. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 2, wherein said
steps include predrilled holes for reinforcement and cladding.
11. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 2, wherein said
reinforcement hardware (self drilling tapping screws or pop rivets
recommended) can be used to reinforce the resulting staircase.
12. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 1, wherein the
reinforced staircase can then be covered with various materials for
custom cladding.
13. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 1, wherein the
system can be placed over an existing staircase of similar
dimensions for the purpose of remodeling the staircase.
14. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 2, wherein the
mentioned components are constructed from steel for fire resistance
and increased strength.
15. The boltless metal stair step system of claim 2, wherein the
mentioned components can be galvanized or chemically coated for
weather resistance.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of my previously filed
provisional application: application number 61-056,532 filed on May
28, 2008.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
[0003] Not Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT
DISC
[0004] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Building or installing any type of staircase can be a long
process that requires skilled workers and temporary blocked
entryways or exits. Traditional staircases are built to include
stringers, risers and treads, and over the years there have been
many different systems devised for staircase building. Modular and
prefabricated systems such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 960,412; 2,171,951;
and 5,899,032, attempt to simplify the stair building process but
still require a good amount of drilling, measuring, and cutting.
While similar to U.S. Pat. No. 1,701,659 in step design, my
invention does not require any bolts for attaching the steps to the
stringer or to other steps and instead relies on an interlocking
system built into each step and stringer. The steps and stringers
are predrilled for optional reinforcement, but once the
interlocking system is locked, the staircase can be used as is
without reinforcement.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0006] This invention relates to the field of construction and more
specifically the construction of staircases.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] This invention relates to a boltless metal staircase step
system that is easy to assemble and requires no technical skill for
installation. With just 4 main components: stringers, a starter
riser, steps, and hardware for reinforcement, this system does not
require cutting or drilling, and requires minimal measuring and
basic tools, i.e. a hammer and screwdriver.
[0008] The object of this invention is to provide any person,
skilled in the area of stair building or not, the ability to build
their own staircase as needed. Another object of the present
invention is to provide a staircase that can be used immediately
upon construction, eliminating the need for blocked entryways and
temporary staircases that can be dangerous and inconvenient.
Another object of the present invention is to allow any person to
create a metal foundation which can be clad with a variety of
materials such as brick, concrete, stone, and wood for a customized
appearance. Another object of the present invention is to allow any
person to create a durable, fire resistant, level staircase that
will not have to be replaced as often as traditional wooden or
masonry staircases.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1. is a view of the steel concrete pan step.
[0010] FIG. 1.A is a view of the L shaped lips on each step that
are at a 90 degree angle to the riser edges.
[0011] FIG. 1.B depicts the upper metal fold unique to the steel
concrete pan step.
[0012] FIG. 1.C depicts the riser edge found on both ends of the
step.
[0013] FIG. 1.D depicts the square shaped lips on each step that
are at a 90 degree angle to the riser edges.
[0014] FIG. 2. is a view of the step modified for wood
cladding.
[0015] FIG. 2.C depicts the lower metal fold unique to the wood
cladding step.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a view of the step modified for anti-slip
function.
[0017] FIG. 3.C depicts the grate pattern on the tread that makes
the step anti-slip.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a view of the assembled staircase.
[0019] FIG. 4.A depicts the points at which the staircase and
stringer lips interlock or "snap in" to each other and are hammered
down to lay flat against the riser. These points are present on
both sides of each step.
[0020] FIG. 4.B depicts the stringers in the system.
[0021] FIG. 4.C depicts the starter riser in its intended
position.
[0022] FIG. 4.D depicts the points at which the staircase is
attached to the floor and to a supporting structure.
[0023] FIG. 4.E depicts pre-drilled holes that can be used to
reinforce the stringers to the steps.
[0024] FIG. 4.F depicts pre-drilled holes that can be used to
reinforce the steps to one another.
[0025] FIG. 4.G depicts the square shaped lips on the stringers
that abut the steps. These points are present on both sides of each
step.
[0026] FIG. 5. is an exploded view of the staircase system showing
how the entire system fits together.
[0027] FIG. 5.A depicts the stringers in the system.
[0028] FIG. 5.B depicts the L shaped and square shaped lips present
on each stringer.
[0029] FIGS. 5.1, 2, and 3 depicts the order in which the steps are
placed, beginning with the starter riser.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] The present invention relates to a boltless metal stair step
system for indoor/outdoor staircase installation. The invention is
comprised of the following: [0031] (1) Step--Each steel concrete
pan step (FIG. 1) is constructed to have 4 L shaped lips: 2 on each
side of the riser area along the outer edges (FIG. 1.A). There is
also one square shaped lip (FIG. 1.D) on each side of the riser
area along the outer edges. The L shaped lips, which face downward,
and the square shaped lips are at a 90 degree angle from the riser
edge (FIG. 1.C) which will allow them to lay flat against the
stringer once connected. The front portion of the step has an
upward metal fold (FIG. 1.B) that will facilitate masonry cladding.
Alternatively, the front portion of the step can have a downward
fold (FIG. 2.C) that will allow it to be covered with wood or the
step can have a longer riser and several grates along the top of
the step (FIG. 3.C) to provide an anti-slip step. The entire step
has pre-drilled holes to facilitate final reinforcement (FIGS. 4.E
and 4.F). [0032] (2) Starter riser--First steel riser to be placed
at the bottom of the staircase before the steps are placed (FIG.
4.C). [0033] (3) Stringers--Each steel stringer is constructed to
have 2 L shaped lips and one square shaped lip (FIG. 5.B) per step
in the riser areas along the side edges. The L shaped lips, which
face upwards, and the small square lip will ultimately be hammered
down to lay flat against the riser of the step once connected. Each
stringer has a connection piece at the bottom for attaching it to
the floor and at the top (FIG. 4.D) for attaching it to a
supporting structure. [0034] (4) Reinforcement hardware: self
drilling tapping screws or pop up rivets and anchor or machine
bolts for attaching stringers.
[0035] The two stringers (FIG. 4.B) are positioned so that they are
parallel to each other with enough space in between them to
accommodate the steps that will be attached later. The starter
riser (FIG. 4.C) is attached at the bottom to connect and space the
stringers. The stringers are then affixed to the ground and to a
supporting structure (i.e. a platform, porch, building, etc) at
FIG. 4.D by using anchor bolts, screws, machine bolts or by
welding. The steps are then placed one at a time, over and between
the stringers from the bottom up The L shaped lips present on the
riser area of both the stringers and the individual step lock into
place firmly (FIG. 4.A). The steps can then be reinforced to each
other with screws or rivets from the top of the staircase (FIG.
4.F) and the resulting staircase can be reinforced to the stringers
by hammering the lips on the stringer (FIGS. 4.A & 4.G) down to
lay flat against the riser of the steps and by using self drilling
tapping screws or pop rivets at the sides (FIG. 4.E). The staircase
can also be clad with wood, stone, brick and various other
materials depending on the step used (FIGS. 2 & 3).
[0036] The front metal fold of the step can be constructed with a
downward fold so that instead of masonry cladding, the steps can be
covered with wood (FIG. 2). In addition, the step can be
constructed with a longer riser and several grates along the
surface of the step to provide an anti slip step (FIG. 3).
[0037] The invention can be used to build a temporary staircase, a
permanent staircase or to remodel an existing staircase and the
components of the invention can be galvanized or chemically coated
for protection from the elements in outdoor environments.
[0038] The invention provides a simple method of building a metal
staircase and with minimal measuring and no cutting or other
material preparation, it can be assembled within minutes by any
person, skilled or not. It also provides an immediate staircase,
eliminating the need for improvised temporary staircases or
ladders. The unique interlocking or "snap in" connections that
connect the steps to the stringers are a significant improvement
over other modular stairs that require intricate attachment of each
step using screws. This invention can also be disassembled, meaning
it can be moved from one location to another with minimal damage or
it can be used as a temporary staircase.
* * * * *