a clamping system for securing specially designed tables , shelves , benches , and other items to railings or other structures having similar vertical or horizontal supports is described herein . the clamping system , generally illustrated in fig1 through 12 , secures tables , shelves , benches , or other items to railings or other vertical or horizontal supports similar to those of railings . the system makes surfaces stable for dining , serving , writing , card or board games , or electronic devices such as radios , televisions , etc . the clamping system can be adapted to secure other items , e . g . grills , potted plants , flag poles or similar items . the various items that can be attached to railings are hereafter referred to as accessories . the clamping system is preferably used for accessories on outdoor balconies or decks . the system may be used on the railings of stairwells or adapted to secure accessories to wooden or metal railings of decks and porches or other structures . railings prevent stepping or falling off and depending on different building codes are typically about 40 ″ or higher . commonly , the top rails are supported by vertical posts approximately 4 ′ to 6 ′ apart and are anchored to the floor . the space between the top rail , the floor , and the vertical parts is made impassable by vertical spindles approximately 5 ″ apart or horizontal bars between the top rail and the floor approximately 5 ″ apart . spindles are typically made of welded wrought iron or steel . the cross section of spindles and bars are square , oblong , or circular and measure from approximately ¾ ″ to 2 ″ in the level of the greatest dimension . typically , railings are designed to minimally obstruct view and allow the free flow of air through them . as noted above , the clamping system disclosed herein can be used in any situation with suitably sturdy and spaced vertical or horizontal supports , and is not limited to use with only railings . railings are necessarily strong and accessories attached to railings should be as secure from movement or displacement as the method for securing them is strong . accessories are subject to displacement by movement of people , particularly in the crowded floor space of most apartment balconies , or by winds . most apartments have limited storage space so the clamping system and accessories should be lightweight for moving and nearly flat for convenient storage . the clamping system described herein accommodates the various configurations of railings or other supports and the special conditions for securing accessories to them . fig1 illustrates an exploded view of the clamping system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the clamping system 10 includes a threaded bolt 12 with a knob 14 at one end , a plastic washer 22 , a first wing 16 , a second wing 18 and a ring cotter pin 20 . the bolt 12 passes through the hole of the washer 22 , the hole 17 of the first wing 16 and the hole 19 of the second wing 18 . the hole of the second wing 18 has a nut 21 embedded in it . the ring cotter pin 20 is inserted in a hole near the end of the bolt 12 opposite to the knob 14 . the ring cotter pin 20 is used to prevent the first wing 16 and the second wing 18 from falling off of the bolt 12 . other devices that serve the same function as the ring cotter pin 20 , such as a nut , cap , knob or regular cotter pin may also be arranged at the end of the bolt 12 to prevent the wings from coming off of the bolt . preferably , the diameter of the knob 14 provides sufficient leverage for the clamp 10 to be tightened firmly . in an embodiment , the knob may be attached to a head of the bolt . in another embodiment , the knob may serve as the head of the bolt . as for the bolt 12 , typically , a ¼ ″ threaded rod ( bolt ) is sufficient for a clamp for smaller accessories and a 5 / 16 ″ bolt is sufficient for a clamp for larger accessories . embodiments of the present invention may use knobs and bolts of various dimensions and are not limited to the dimensions mentioned herein . one or more washers may be disposed on the bolt 12 to reduce friction between the parts of the clamping system 10 , or between the clamping system 10 and an accessory . the clamp 10 includes a plastic ( such as lexon ®) washer 22 to reduce the friction between the knob 14 and a clamping panel ( not shown in fig1 ), which is described in detail below . in another embodiment , the washer may be disposed between the knob and a clamped accessory to reduce the friction between them . the clamping system 10 includes two wings : a wing 18 with a threaded nut 21 or plate embedded in it , and a wing 16 with a hole larger than the bolt 12 so it can slide easily on the bolt 12 . the wings 16 and 18 of the clamping system 10 are preferably strong , e . g ., ¾ ″× ¾ ″ or 1 ″× 1 ″ oak . in an embodiment , the wings have a length of 7½ ″ and each has either an unthreaded hole or a hole with a threaded nut in the center . the length of 7½ ″ is preferably selected for use on standard railings , but may vary , especially for clamps to be used on other structures . in the clamping system 10 of fig1 , the hole 17 of the first wing 16 is large enough so that the first wing can easily slide on the bolt 12 . in the embodiment of fig1 , the hole 17 of the first wing 16 does not contain threads ; however , the hole of the first wing may be threaded in other embodiments . in the clamping system 10 of fig1 , the hole 19 of the second wing 18 includes threads so that the second wing 18 can be screwed onto the bolt 12 . the hole 19 contains a threaded nut 21 to provide the threads . in another embodiment , the threaded wing does not contain a nut , but contains threads etched inside the hole of the wing . fig2 illustrates a perspective view of a table 30 using the clamping system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the table 30 includes a clamping panel 32 . the clamping panel 32 serves to secure the table 30 to one or more clamps 10 . the clamping panel 32 also serves to keep objects from spilling or rolling off of the top 34 of the table 30 to the area behind a railing , such as off of the edge of a balcony and onto the ground below . if the table 30 were attached to rails or similar supports , the clamping panel 32 would typically be the component adjacent to the rails or supports . a clamping panel can have various configurations depending on what it secures . in an embodiment , the clamping panel may be constructed as part of a small serving table . in another embodiment such as the embodiment of fig2 , the clamping panel 32 may be t - shaped and include a vertical component 36 perpendicular to the horizontal component of the clamping panel 32 . in addition , as shown in fig2 , the clamping panel 32 may extend to the floor to support the hinged table 30 . the clamping panel 32 may also be attached to hinged gate legs 38 and 40 as shown in fig2 . in one embodiment , a clamping panel may be adapted for securing a grill or other object to a railing . in an embodiment , a clamping panel may include c - shaped supports attached to the panel , and a strap , a rope or a chain may secure an item such as a grill , a flower pot , etc . to the clamping panel using the c - shaped supports . the construction of a clamping panel can be of any material strong and rigid enough to accept the tightened clamps without crushing the other components of the accessory . on the front side of the clamping panel 32 is knob 14 . the knob 14 is attached to the front end of the clamp 10 . the table 30 shown in fig2 uses two clamps , one at the left side and one at the right side of the clamping panel 32 . however , other embodiments may use only 1 clamp or more than 2 clamps . the number of clamps used may correspond to the weight and size of the clamped accessory . fig3 illustrates a front view of the table 30 shown in fig2 . as illustrated in fig3 , the clamping panel 32 of the table 30 includes multiple holes — hole 44 , hole 48 , and the hole behind knob 14 attached at the front of clamp 10 . in a preferred embodiment , depending on the size and configuration of the clamping panel , there can be two or more sets of holes , each set accommodating a clamp , and each set can include four to nine or more holes . other embodiments may include elongated slots for accommodating the clamp . the holes 44 , 48 and the hole behind knob 14 on the clamping panel are sized to receive the threaded bolt 12 of the winged clamp 10 . the holes 44 , 48 and the hole behind knob 14 are larger than the threaded bolt 12 so that bolt 12 can slide easily through them . in another embodiment , the holes of the clamping panel may be threaded to engage the threads of the bolt . embodiments of the present invention may use , for example , 5 / 15 ″ holes for ¼ ″ bolts , or 7 / 16 ″ for 5 / 16 ″ bolts . the holes may be arranged in many ways including in a linear arrangement as shown in fig3 or a rectangular arrangement . the holes 44 , 48 and the hole behind knob 14 allow for the clamping system 10 to be flexibly arranged on the clamping panel 32 to accommodate various arrangements and spacing of rails . preferably , the distance between holes of a set is approximately 1 . 5 ″ on center in both vertical and horizontal directions , and the distance between sets of holes on the length of the panels is 10 ″ or multiples of 10 ″ depending on the length of the clamping panel . this configuration of holes allows selection of vertical and horizontal distances which permit the wings of the clamps to pass through the open spaces between vertical spindles or horizontal bars to the outside of the railing and be turned at various angles to clasp the spindles or bars of the railing . in the embodiment of fig3 , the vertical component of the clamping panel 32 and the gate legs 38 and 40 are adjustable in length . the length of the vertical component may be altered by screwing and unscrewing component 42 to accommodate various arrangements and spacing of rails . fig4 shows a rear view of the table 30 . as illustrated in the embodiment shown in fig4 , the table 30 includes two bolts 12 and 12 passing through the clamping panel 32 and the threaded wings 18 and 18 of two clamps . at the end of each bolt 12 is ring cotter pin 20 . the winged clamps secure the clamping panel 32 to a railing ( not shown ). usually , two clamps are used to secure a clamping panel to a railing . in an embodiment , the clamping system functions as follows . the winged clamps are assembled on the clamping panel before the accessory is moved to the railing . as shown in the side view of table 30 in fig5 , a knobbed bolt 12 is passed through a hole in one set of holes on clamping panel 32 such that knob 14 is arranged on the front side of the clamping panel 32 ; similarly a second bolt ( not shown ) is passed through a hole in a 2nd set of holes ( the same procedure would typically be used for a 3rd bolt if the clamping panel has 3 sets of holes and uses 3 bolts ). holes are preferably selected so that a bolt , after passing through a hole , will be approximately 2 ″ to 3 ″ from the nearest vertical spindle or horizontal bar of the railing . after the bolt 12 passes through the clamping panel 32 , the bolt 12 is passed through the unthreaded wing 16 and then screwed through the threaded wing 18 . a ring cotter pin 20 is inserted in a hole at the end of the bolt 12 . in an embodiment , a bolt may extend beyond the wing farthest from the knob approximately 1 ″. in other embodiments , the bolt may extend beyond the wing farthest from the knob by more or less than 1 ″. the accessory , table 30 , with the clamping system 10 is now ready to be moved and clamped to the railing . fig6 shows a top view of table 30 using clamping system 10 . the knobbed bolt 12 passes through a hole in the clamping panel 32 attached to the table 10 . the knob 14 is arranged on the front side of the clamping panel 32 , while the unthreaded wing 16 , threaded wing 18 and ring cotter pin 20 are arranged on the bolt 12 on the back side of the clamping panel 32 . the wings 16 and 18 are positioned in a substantially horizontal direction as they may be positioned if the table 30 were clamped to vertical rails . preferably , the selection of the holes used for the clamps and the length of the wings assures that when the accessory is moved against a railing with vertical spindles , both wings , one against the other , can be turned 90 degrees to a horizontal position and be tightened by the knob of the bolt so that the wings clasp strongly the vertical spindles . in other embodiments , the wings may be turned at other angles greater than or less than 90 degrees . in this arrangement , the unthreaded wing may or may not be included on the clamp . for railings with horizontal bars , the unthreaded wing is preferably moved to the vertical position and remains next to the clamping panel while the threaded wing is moved to the horizontal position and is passed through the railing ; the threaded wing is then moved to the vertical position . typically , screwing the bolt tightens the wing against the railing . fig7 is a rear view of table 30 attached to a railing 50 with horizontal bars 50 a and 50 b , which are supported by vertical posts 50 c and 50 d . in the embodiment of fig7 , the vertical posts 50 c and 50 d are slightly larger than the horizontal bars 50 a and 50 b . in alternative embodiments , however , vertical posts may be the same size as , smaller than or larger than the horizontal bars of a railing . the clamping panel 32 of the table 30 is on the inside of the railing 50 , while the threaded wings 18 and 18 are on the outside of the railing . ring cotter pins 20 and 20 are secured to the end of the bolts 12 and 12 on the outside of the railing . the threaded wings 18 and 18 and unthreaded wings 16 and 16 are turned about 90 degrees to a substantially vertical position , clamping horizontal rails 50 a and 50 b . in the alternative , if the table 10 were clamped to a railing with vertical rails , the threaded wings 18 and 18 and unthreaded wings 16 and 16 would be turned about 90 degrees to a substantially horizontal position . in this scenario , both the unthreaded wings 16 and 16 , and the threaded wings 18 and 18 could be positioned on the outside of the railing . the wings can be positioned in other directions as well and are not limited to horizontal and vertical positions for clamping . fig8 shows a top view of the table 30 attached to the railing 50 . as shown in fig8 , the unthreaded wings 16 and 16 are on the part of bolts 12 and 12 on the inside of the railing 50 , while the threaded wings 18 and 18 are on the part of bolts 12 and 12 on the outside of the railing 60 . ring cotter pins 20 and 20 are secured to the end of the bolts 12 and 12 on the outside of the railing . fig9 a , 9 b and 9 c illustrate alternate arrangements for holes on a clamping panel according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig9 a , a set 52 of five holes 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 and 48 is arranged in a cross - shaped pattern on the right side of table 30 . similarly , a set 60 of five holes 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 is arranged in the same cross - shaped pattern on the left side of table 30 . in this embodiment , each set 52 and 60 of holes accommodates one clamp . in fig9 b , a set 70 of five holes 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 and 68 is arranged in an x - shaped pattern on the right side of the table 30 , and a set 80 of five holes 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 and 78 is arranged in the same x - shaped pattern on the left side of table 30 . in fig9 c , a set of nine holes , including holes 82 , 84 and 86 and a hole above and below each of holes 82 , 84 and 86 are arranged in a rectangular pattern on the right side of table 30 . similarly , a set of nine holes , including holes 92 , 94 and 96 and a hole above and below each of holes 92 , 94 and 96 are arranged in a rectangular pattern on the left side of table 30 . fig9 a - 9c illustrate that the clamping panel 32 of table 30 may include multiple holes so that the table 30 can be used with railings with varying orientations and spacing . embodiments of the present invention are not limited in the number or arrangement of holes for accommodating clamps . typically , each set of holes accommodates one clamp . however , some embodiments may not use a clamp for each set of holes , i . e ., there may be 4 sets of holes and only 2 clamps used . in this scenario , one may choose which sets of holes will be used . fig1 illustrates a top view of the table 30 shown in the embodiment of fig2 clamped to vertical rails 100 a and 100 b . in the embodiment of fig1 , wings 16 and 18 are positioned horizontally so that they are substantially perpendicular to the vertical rails 100 a and 100 b of railing 100 . a ring cotter pin 20 is secured near the end of the bolt 12 . in the embodiment of fig1 , both wings 16 and 18 are adjacent to each other and positioned on the side of the railing 100 opposite the table 30 . in this embodiment , the rails 100 a and 100 b are clamped between the wing 16 and clamping panel 32 . alternatively , wing 16 could be removed from the clamping system such that rails 100 a and 100 b are clamped between wing 18 and clamping panel 32 . in another embodiment , wing 16 could be positioned on one side of rails 100 a and 100 b and wing 18 could be positioned on the other side of rails 100 a and 100 b . fig1 illustrates a side view of the table 30 shown in the embodiment of fig2 clamped to horizontal rails 102 a and 102 b . in the embodiment of fig1 , wings 16 and 18 are positioned vertically so that they are substantially perpendicular to the horizontal rails 102 a and 102 b of railing 102 . in this embodiment , wing 16 is positioned on one side of the railing 102 and is adjacent to the clamping panel 32 , and wing 18 is positioned on the other side of the railing 102 . a ring cotter pin 20 is secured near the end of the bolt 12 . fig1 illustrates a rear view of the table 30 shown in the embodiment of fig2 clamped to vertical rails . in the embodiment of fig1 , threaded wings 18 and 18 are positioned horizontally so that they are substantially perpendicular to vertical rails 104 a , 104 b , 104 c and 104 d of railing 104 . similar to the railing 50 shown in the embodiment of fig7 , the railing 104 of fig1 has vertical support posts 104 e and 104 f ( 50 c and 50 d in fig7 ) that are slightly larger than the rails 104 a , 104 b , 104 c and 104 d ( 50 a and 50 b in fig7 ). in this embodiment , rails 104 a , 104 b , 104 c and 104 d may be clamped between wings 18 and 18 and the clamping panel 32 . alternatively , rails 104 a , 104 b , 104 c and 104 d may be clamped between wings 18 and 18 and wings 16 and 16 . a ring cotter pin 20 is secured near the end of each bolt 12 . using the embodiments described in fig1 through 12 , accessories can be clamped securely to the railings , or other supports , regardless of the usual configuration of vertical spindles and horizontal bars . the procedure is done in the space protected by the railing without complex manipulation outside the railing . there is no danger to those securing the accessory or to people or property outside the railing from dropped tools or parts of the assembly . the clamping system can be constructed out of many different kinds of materials including : wood , fiberglass , marine or exterior plywood , melamine clad wood , fiberwood , metal , etc . the threaded bolts and nuts may be brass , bronze , or stainless steel . the wings of the clamp are preferably strong and stiff and can be constructed of hard wood , metal , or appropriate plastic . the longitudinal component of the clamping panel is preferably strong and stiff enough to withstand the pressure of the tightened clamp and dense enough where the holes pass through to not be crushed . the choice of material for constructing the clamping system depends on where it will be used . it is expected the clamping system will be used primarily outdoors and therefore should be constructed of materials resistant to water , weathering , freezing , and thawing . although typical and preferred dimensions for various parts of the embodiments of the present invention are described herein , the present invention is not limited to those dimensions . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
provided are a system for clamping an object to a railing and a table and apparatus using the system . in one aspect , the system for clamping an object to a railing includes : a threaded bolt , a knob secured to a first end of the bolt , a first wing with an elongated body that is carried on the bolt , and a second wing with an elongated body that is threadedly engaged on the bolt . the first wing is positioned on the bolt between the knob and the second wing . in addition , the first and second wings are movable toward and away from the knob between a clamping and a non - clamping position .