Handrail for staircase or ramp
OwnerPaul Bishop, James Boyd Shaibleinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved handrail for a staircase or ramp. In one embodiment, the handrail includes an elongated member such as a cylinder or bar that spans the length of the staircase or ramp and a riser barrier. The riser barrier has an extender portion and a riser portion. The extender portion of the riser barrier keeps the elongated member a sufficient distance horizontally from the riser portion that a person can slide his or her hand on the rail without interference. The riser portion projects vertically a sufficient distance above the elongated member to deter sliding down the elongated member. Thus, sliding on the member is deterred, while the function of the cylinder as a handrail is preserved.
Claims16
An improved handrail for a staircase or ramp, the handrail comprising:
- an elongated cylinder that spans a length of the staircase or ramp and is held at a height above the staircase or ramp by external supports;
- and
- riser barriers solely supported by the elongated cylinder at a first set of spaced-apart locations along the elongated cylinder, said external supports located at a second set of spaced apart locations along the elongated cylinder, no location in the second set coinciding with any location in the first set,
- wherein each of the riser barriers is arcuate-shaped between a proximal end and a distal end,
- wherein each riser barrier has a curvature at the proximal end that is adapted to the curvature at the bottom of the cylinder so as to allow attachment of the cylinder to the proximal end at points on either side of the cylinder nearest the proximal end of the barrier, and
- wherein each of the arcuate-shaped barriers extends laterally and rises vertically such that the distal end is spaced horizontally away from the elongated cylinder by a first dimension that permits a user hand to slide along the cylinder without interference and vertically by a second dimension that deters sliding along the elongated cylinder.
A plurality of riser barriers for a handrail of a staircase or ramp, the handrail being an elongated cylinder supported at a height above the staircase or ramp by a plurality external supports, each of the riser barriers comprising:
- an extender portion and a riser portion, wherein the plurality of riser barriers are solely supported by the elongated cylinder at a first set of spaced-apart locations along the elongated cylinder,
- wherein the plurality of external supports support the elongated cylinder at a second set of spaced-apart locations along the elongated cylinder, no location in the second set coinciding with any location in the first set,
- wherein each of the riser barriers is arcuate-shaped between a proximal end and a distal end,
- wherein each riser barrier has a curvature at the proximal end that is adapted to the curvature at the bottom of the cylinder so as to allow attachment of the cylinder to the proximal end at points on either side of the cylinder nearest the proximal end of the barrier, and
- wherein each of the each arcuate-shaped barriers extends laterally and rises vertically such that the distal end is spaced horizontally away from the elongated cylinder by a first dimension that permits a user hand to slide along the cylinder without interference and vertically by a second dimension that deters sliding along the elongated cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.