Cable rail with expandable cable assembly

Abstract

A cable railing assembly having a plurality of posts, an expandable cable guide assembly, and a tensioning apparatus, and a method of assembling the cable railing assembly. The expandable cable guide assembly includes a pair of cable braces with a cable extending in a serpentine fashion between the cable braces. The tensioning apparatus includes a tensioner base, a tensioner body, a compression spring positioned between the tensioner base and the tensioner body, a movable carriage slidably mounted adjacent the tensioner body and comprising a cable clamp for gripping the cable, and a threaded adjuster secured to the body and operative for moving the movable carriage along the body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cable-style railing apparatus for installation upon a surface and comprising:
 a pair of posts, the posts being configured to be installed upon the surface;   a cable assembly extending between the posts and threaded therein such that multiple portions of the cable assembly each span between the posts, with the posts initially being in proximity with one another and being adapted to be pulled apart from one another for installation, with the cable assembly threaded between the posts and expanding as the posts are pulled away from one another.   
     
     
         2 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cable assembly is a single cable threaded between the posts in serpentine fashion. 
     
     
         3 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cable comprises multiple separate cables. 
     
     
         4 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the posts comprise a plurality of cable returns. 
     
     
         5 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the plurality of cable returns comprises a plurality of pulleys or rollers. 
     
     
         6 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the plurality of cable returns comprises a plurality of curved non-rotating cable guides. 
     
     
         7 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 6  wherein the plurality of curved non-rotating cable guides comprises low-friction polymer guides. 
     
     
         8 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising a tensioning device for tensioning the cable assembly. 
     
     
         9 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8  further comprising a second tensioning device and wherein the cable assembly comprises a single cable attached at one end to one of the tensioning devices and the opposite end of the cable is attached to the second tensioning device. 
     
     
         10 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8  further comprising a rigid beam to be placed between the posts and in initial contact with upper portions of the posts such that as the cable is tensioned by the tensioning device, the rigid beam keeps the upper portions of the posts a predetermined distance apart from one another. 
     
     
         11 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the rigid beam defines a channel therein and the tensioning device is housed within the channel of the rigid beam. 
     
     
         12 . A cable-style railing apparatus as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the rigid beam or the posts include supports for vertically and loosely supporting the rigid beam at the posts until the tensioning device operating to create tension in the cable, effectively clamping the rigid beam between posts.