Granted Patent B2

US 12,371,924 · App. 18/004,799 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

Inventors: Yanming Huang (Hong Kong, CN); Jun Ma (Hong Kong, CN)

E04H17/1439E04H17/16

Abstract

Claims (76)

1. A barrier system comprising a plurality of vertical members and at least one horizontal rail, the barrier system further comprising:

a plurality of coupling members, wherein a coupling member of the plurality of coupling members pivotally couples a vertical member of the plurality of vertical members and the at least one horizontal rail and wherein the coupling member comprises:

at least one pivoting feature formed on opposing coupler member front and rear walls of the coupling member configured to pivotally engage at least one of a vertical member front wall and a vertical member rear wall of the vertical member;

at least one retaining feature formed on an inner surface of at least one of the coupling member front and rear walls configured to contact a sidewall of the vertical member formed between the vertical member front wall and the vertical member rear wall when the coupling member is pivoted about the pivoting feature, and

at least one positioning feature configured to engage the at least one horizontal rail.

2. The barrier system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling member comprises a first end and a second end and further comprises:

a first support extending between the coupling member front and rear walls proximate the first end; and

a second support extending between the coupling member front and rear walls proximate the second end.

3. The barrier system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one positioning feature comprises one or more of:

a front flange extending from the coupling member front wall; and

a rear flange extending from the coupling member rear wall.

4. The barrier system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one positioning feature further comprises one or more of:

a front projection extending from the front flange; and

a rear projection extending from the rear flange.

5. The barrier system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one pivoting feature comprises one or more of:

a front tab formed in the coupling member front wall and a front projection extending from an inner surface of the front tab; and

a rear tab formed in the coupling member rear wall and a rear projection extending from a rear face of the rear tab.

6. The barrier system of any one of claim 2 , wherein the coupling member is one of a first coupling member and a second coupling member, wherein the first coupling member and the second coupling member each comprise the first end, the second end, the coupling member front wall, and the coupling member rear wall.

7. The barrier system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one pivoting feature of the first coupling member comprises:

an upward facing front tab formed in the first coupling member front wall and a front pivoting projection extending from an inner surface of the upward facing front tab; and

an upward facing rear tab formed in the first coupling member rear wall and a rear pivoting projection extending from an inner surface of the upward facing rear tab.

8. The barrier system of claim 7 , wherein pivotally engaging the front and rear pivoting projections of the first coupling member with the vertical member front and rear walls restricts downward movement of the vertical member relative to the first coupling member.

9. The barrier system of any claim 6 , wherein the at least one retaining feature of the first coupling member comprises:

at least one first arm extending inward and upward proximate the first end of the first coupling member; and

at least one second arm extending inward and upward proximate the second end of the first coupling member.

10. The barrier system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one pivoting feature of the second coupling member comprises:

a downward facing front tab formed in the second coupling member front wall and a front pivoting projection extending from an inner surface of the downward facing front tab; and

a downward facing rear tab formed in the second coupling member rear wall and a rear pivoting projection extending from an inner surface of the downward facing rear tab.

11. The barrier system of claim 10 , wherein pivotally engaging the front and rear pivoting projections of the second coupling member with the vertical member front and rear walls restricts upward movement of the vertical member relative to the second coupling member.

12. The barrier system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one retaining feature of the second coupling member comprises:

at least one first arm extending inward and downward proximate the first end of the second coupling member; and

at least one second arm extending inward and downward proximate the second end of the second coupling member.

13. The barrier system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one horizontal rail comprises an upper horizontal rail, at least one middle horizontal rail, and a lower horizontal rail, and wherein:

the first coupling member is configured to pivotally couple the vertical member and the upper horizontal rail; and

the second coupling member is configured to pivotally couple the vertical member and one of the at least one middle horizontal rail and the lower horizontal rail.

14. A method of assembling a barrier system comprising a plurality of vertical members and at least one horizontal rail, the method comprising:

engaging at least one positioning feature of a coupling member with a corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail; and

pivotally engaging at least one pivoting feature formed on opposing coupling member front and rear walls of the coupling member with at least one of a vertical member front wall and a vertical member rear wall of a vertical member of the plurality of vertical members to pivotally couple the vertical member with the at least one horizontal rail, wherein after pivotally engaging the at least one pivoting feature of the coupling member with the least one of the vertical member front and rear walls, and when the coupling member is pivoted about the at least one pivoting feature, at least one retaining feature formed on an inner surface of at least one of the coupling member front and rear walls contacts a sidewall of the vertical member formed between the vertical front member front wall and the vertical member rear wall.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one positioning feature of the coupling member comprises a front flange extending from the coupling member front wall and a rear flange extending from the coupling member rear wall and the corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail comprises a front ledge extending from a horizontal rail front wall of the at least one horizontal rail and a rear ledge extending from a horizontal rail rear wall of the at least one horizontal rail, and engaging the at least one positioning feature of the coupling member with the corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail comprises:

contacting the front flange with the front ledge; and

contacting the rear flange with the rear ledge.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one positioning feature of the coupling member further comprises a front positioning projection extending from the front flange and a rear positioning projection extending from the rear flange and the corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail further comprises a front recess in the front ledge and a rear recess in the rear ledge, and engaging the at least one positioning feature of the coupling member with the corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail comprises:

receiving the front projection in the front recess; and

receiving the rear projection in the rear recess.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one pivoting feature of the coupling member comprises a front tab comprising a front pivoting projection formed in the coupling member front wall and a rear tab comprising a rear pivoting projection formed in the coupling member rear wall and pivotally engaging the at least one pivoting feature of the coupling member with the at least one of the vertical member front and rear walls comprises:

deflecting the front tab to removably insert the front pivoting projection into a front aperture formed in the vertical member front wall; and

deflecting the rear tab to removably insert the rear pivoting projection into a rear aperture formed in the vertical member rear wall.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the at least one horizontal rail comprises an upper horizontal rail and one or more of at least one middle horizontal rail and a lower horizontal rail, and

the coupling member is one of a first coupling member and a second coupling member, wherein the first and second coupling members each have the coupling member front wall and the coupling member rear wall.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the at least one pivoting feature of the first coupling member comprises:

an upward facing front tab comprising a front pivoting projection formed in the first coupling member front wall; and

an upward facing rear tab comprising a rear pivoting projection formed in the first coupling member rear wall,

the at least one retaining feature of the first coupling member comprises:

at least one first arm extending inward and upward proximate a first end of the first coupling member; and

at least one second arm extending inward and upward proximate a second end of the first coupling member;

engaging the at least one positioning feature of the coupling member with the corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail comprises engaging the at least one positioning feature of the first coupling member with a corresponding at least one positioning feature of the upper horizontal rail; and

pivotally engaging the at least one pivoting feature of the coupling member with the at least one of the vertical member front and rear walls comprises:

removably inserting the front pivoting projection into a front aperture formed in the vertical member front wall;

removably inserting the rear pivoting projection into a rear aperture formed in the vertical member rear wall;

deflecting the at least one first arm with a first sidewall of the vertical member, wherein the inward and upward extension of the at least one first arm biases the at least one first arm to contact the first sidewall; and

deflecting the at least one second arm with a second sidewall of the vertical member, wherein the inward and upward extension of the at least one second arm biases the at least one second arm to contact the second sidewall.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the at least one pivoting feature of the second coupling member comprises:

a downward facing front tab comprising a front pivoting projection formed in the second coupling member front wall; and

a downward facing rear tab comprising a rear pivoting projection formed in the second coupling member rear wall;

the at least one retaining feature of the second coupling member comprises:

at least one first arm extending inward and downward proximate a first end of the second coupling member; and

at least one second arm extending inward and downward proximate a second end of the second coupling member;

engaging the at least one positioning feature of the coupling member with the corresponding at least one positioning feature of the at least one horizontal rail comprises engaging the at least one positioning feature of the second coupling member with a corresponding at least one positioning feature of one of the at least one middle horizontal rail and the lower horizontal rail; and

pivotally engaging the at least one pivoting feature of the coupling member with the at least one of the vertical member front and rear walls comprises:

removably inserting the front pivoting projection into a front aperture formed in the vertical member front wall;

removably inserting the rear pivoting projection into a rear aperture formed in the vertical member rear wall;

deflecting the at least one first arm with a first sidewall of the vertical member, wherein inward and downward extension of the at least one first arm biases the at least one first arm to contact the first sidewall; and

deflecting the at least one second arm with a second sidewall of the vertical member, wherein the inward and downward extension of at least one second arm biases the at least one second arm to contact the second sidewall.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (16)