Adjustable Stair Stringer and Railing

Abstract

An adjustable stair stringer and railing construction assembly. The assembly is adapted to use a pair of parallel stringer arms for each stair side, a riser/tread support bracket for each stair, and alignment and spacing elements for spacing the support brackets along the stringers. The brackets include formations for spacing the stringers apart and for spacing adjacent brackets along the stringers. The brackets are initially pivotally attached to each of the stringers so as to be rotatably movable about their pivotal attachment as the stringers are moved axially. Axial movement of the stringers with respect to each other establishes the angle of rise. Treads and risers are attached to the brackets to form stairs, and railings are attachable to the stringer and bracket assembly. The parallel stringers, brackets and spacers are also used in the preparation of formwork for pouring aggregate stairs, with the stringers, brackets and spacers being reusable.

1 . An adjustable stair stringer comprising:
 a) an upper stringer arm;   b) a lower stringer arm parallel to said upper stringer arm;   c) at least one riser/tread support pivotally attached to said upper stringer arm and said lower stringer arm.   
     
     
         2 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said riser/tread support is a plurality of equally spaced riser/tread supports positioned equally along said upper stringer arm and lower stringer arm. 
     
     
         3 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said riser/tread support includes means formed for spacing and aligning adjacent riser/tread supports. 
     
     
         4 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one riser/tread support is in the shape selected form the group consisting of a rectangle, square, triangle, pentangle, circle and a form in the shape of a rectangle with a beveled corner. 
     
     
         5 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one riser/tread support is pivotally attached to said lower stringer arm and to said upper stringer arm by riser/tread stringer arm fasteners. 
     
     
         6 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 5 , wherein said riser/tread support stringer arm fasteners are selected from the group consisting of pins, screws, bolts, clamps, dowels and hooks. 
     
     
         7 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said adjustable stair stringer is manufactured from a material selected from a group consisting of wood, fiberglass, metal, metal alloys, epoxy, carbon graphite, concrete and plastic. 
     
     
         8 . The adjustable stair stringer as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said riser/tread support is attached at horizontally positioned fixed points fastened to said upper stringer arm and to said lower stringer arm. 
     
     
         9 . An adjustable stair stringer and railing comprising:
 a) an upper stringer arm;   b) a lower stringer arm parallel to said upper stringer arm;   c) at least one riser/tread support pivotally attached to said upper stinger arm and to said lower stringer arm;   d) an upper rail support; and   e) at least two rail posts pivotally attached to said upper rail support.   
     
     
         10 . The adjustable stair stringer and railing as defined in  claim 9 , wherein said adjustable stair stringer and railing further comprises at least one ballister pivotally attached to said upper rail support. 
     
     
         11 . The adjustable stair stringer and railing as defined in  claim 9 , wherein said at least two railing posts are pivotally attached by upper rail support railing post fasteners. 
     
     
         12 . The adjustable stair stringer and railing as defined in  claim 9 , wherein said adjustable stair stringer and railing further comprises an upper rail support railing cap attached to said upper rail support. 
     
     
         13 . The adjustable stair stringer and railing as defined in  claim 10 , wherein said at least one ballister being attached to said upper rail support by an upper rail support banister fastener. 
     
     
         14 . The adjustable stair stringer and railing as defined in  claim 10 , wherein said at least one banister is a plurality of ballisters positioned equally along said upper rail support and supported by riser/tread supports attached to said upper and lower stringer arms. 
     
     
         15 . An adjustable stair assembly including:
 a) at least one pair of parallel stringers,   b) a plurality of riser/tread support brackets, and   c) removable means for spacing and aligning said riser/tread support brackets along said parallel stingers,   d) said riser/tread support brackets being pivotally attachable to said parallel stingers so as to be movable with parallel surfaces of said stringers when said spacing and aligning means are removed and when said parallel stringers are moved parallel to each other.   
     
     
         16 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for forming a multistep stair formwork for use in pouring an aggregate setting material and employing stringer support means at each side of said stair, support brackets for each step of said stair, and spacing and each of said stringer support means including a pair of parallel stringer elements movable axially with respect to each other, said support brackets including means for attaching said support brackets to said stringer elements, means for attaching a riser form, and means for cooperating with said spacing and alignment means for assembling said support brackets with said parallel stringer elements,
 the method steps comprising,
 a) positioning said parallel stringer elements parallel to each other, 
 b) placing said support brackets along said parallel stringer elements, 
 c) spacing said support brackets axially along said parallel stringer elements by said spacing and alignment means, 
 d) spacing said parallel stringer elements laterally spacing and alignment means, 
 e) pivotally attaching each of said support brackets to said parallel stinger elements with one pivotal attachment means in each of said parallel stringer elements, 
 f) removing said spacing and alignment means from cooperation with said support brackets and said stringer elements, 
 g) axially moving said parallel stringer elements relative to each other so as to rotate said pivotally attached support brackets, each support bracket being equally rotated, 
 h) fixing said brackets to said stringer elements to position said brackets with a substantially vertical surface for attachment of a riser form, 
 i) and attaching a riser form to said substantially vertical surface of said support bracket, whereby said multistep stair formwork is prepared for receiving aggregate to be finished and set to form said multistep stair. 
   
     
     
         22 - 25 . (canceled)