Bed assist rail

A bed assist rail adapted to be mounted adjacent an edge of a mattress, the bed assist rail comprising:

• a pair of vertical support arms that are laterally spaced by a connecting crossbar, each of the pair of vertical support arms having a top end, a bottom end, and a middle portion;
• an anchor structure extending from the bottom ends of the pair of vertical support arms, for supporting the pair of vertical support arms in an upright configuration adjacent the edge of the mattress when the anchor structure is positioned under the mattress;
• a handle rail that includes an upper portion that extends to ends, each of the ends being pivotally mounted to one of the pair of vertical support arms, the handle rail pivoting between a raised position wherein the handle rail extends upwardly above the mattress, and a lowered position wherein the handle rail is folded downwardly against the pair of vertical support arms;
• a locking mechanism for locking the handle rail in the raised position;
• a release mechanism that releases the locking mechanism to enable the handle rail to pivot to the lowered position;
• wherein the locking mechanism includes a pair of retractable pins that protrude laterally from the vertical support arms adjacent the top end, wherein the ends of the handle rail each include a locking plate;
• and wherein the pins retractably engage with holes in the locking plates of the handle rail;
• and
• wherein the release mechanism includes a press-release bar located on the underside of the connecting crossbar, configured so that when the press release bar is compressed against the connecting crossbar, the pins are both retracted from the locking plates so that the handle rail may pivot.