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  Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridorsRelated Patent Categories: Fences, RailHand rail for stairs and inclined corridors description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060102886, Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10,991,117, filed Nov. 17, 2004. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002] N/A COPYRIGHT NOTICE [0003] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights rights whatsoever. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0004] 1. Field of the Invention [0005] The present invention relates to handrails for stairs, and more particularly, to a generally wave-shaped handrail design for stairs and sloped corridors that provides the user with structure positioned and shaped for maximum gripping potential thereby preventing fall-related accident and injury, while further reducing stress and strain on the user's legs. [0006] 2. Description of Related Art [0007] Many people are afflicted with conditions that affect mobility. Even if walking itself does not present severe difficulty, climbing and descending stairs can make movement about the house or building difficult if not impossible. Many people, particularly the elderly, are afflicted with ailments that weaken their legs and the joints in their legs. Arthritis and other illnesses slowly deteriorate muscles, bones, and joints, making walking increasingly difficult. As a result, such people often experience difficulty in supporting their own weight, particularly when walking up and down stairs and sloped walkways. [0008] The difficulty such people experience in walking up and down stairs limits their mobility in public buildings as well as in their home. Probably the most helpful device for climbing stairs is the fixed handrail or banister mounted alongside the staircase. While the conventional fixed handrail provides the person with a rigid support during their entire trip up or down the stairs, it fails to provide adequate support. More particularly, conventional handrails are limited in that they only allow the person to hold on thereto with one hand, as the staircase is often too wide to allow the person to simultaneously use handrails on both sides of the staircase. In addition, conventional handrails are often placed relatively low, typically between 34'' and 38'' above the stairs, and thus are positioned poorly to provide support to a person who has lost his or her balance and is falling. [0009] As a result of the limitations associated with conventional handrails, the prior art reveals a number of attempts directed to assisting people while climbing and descending stairs and inclined walkways. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,242, issued to Roberts, discloses an auxiliary stair railing adapted to be used in conjunction with a standard stair railing to assist children, and includes a plurality of hangers mounted on the brackets securing the standard stair railing to the wall. An elongated rail member is provided, and supported by the hanger generally parallel to the standard stair railing and closer to the steps. U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,832, issued to Ferwerda, discloses a stairway safety suspension support means that includes suspended loops of flexible strand material with the bottoms of the loops located above the steps less than the heights of people. [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,201, issued to Turner, discloses a handrail assembly for the erection or a temporary handrail designed for a toddler or young child. The assembly includes a set of elongate rail members which can be connected end-to-end to provide a handrail member of the desired length. Two or more elongate hanging devices are used to mount the handrail member below another handrail. [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,528, issued to Jaworski et al., discloses an assist rail and support system is disclosed which is adapted for attachment to an existing or new handrail at a stairway. The assist rail and support system includes a plurality of suspension elements and a strap associated with each suspension element. The strap is adapted to suspend the associated suspension element below the handrail. [0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,968, issued to Marsden, discloses an adjustable stair railing for a stairway railing being a plurality of balusters supporting a handrail on a stairway. The adjustable stair railing comprises an auxiliary rail and a facility for attaching the auxiliary rail to some of the balusters in a height adjustable manner and a parallel relationship below the handrail on the stairway railing. [0013] U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,166, issued to Koza, discloses a handrail assembly which may be mounted on an existing handrail and used to aid children in ascending or descending a set of stairs. The handrail assembly includes a plurality of clamping devices which may be removably mounted on an existing handrail and which support a secondary handrail at a predetermined position below the existing handrail. The secondary handrail includes a plurality of telescopically mated rods which enable the overall length of the secondary handrail to be adjusted to coincide with the overall length of the existing handrail. The secondary handrails are telescopically attached to the clamping devices which allows the distance from the secondary handrail to the stairs to be adjusted according to the needs of a particular child. [0014] U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,146, issued to Corey, discloses a portable banister, for use by a person in climbing or descending a staircase. The portable banister comprises a foot portion, a handgrip portion, and mast members extending between the foot portion and handgrip portion. The foot portion includes a pair of horizontal slabs that rest against sequential steps, and a vertical member that extends between the horizontal slabs and rests against the riser therebetween. The mast members each extend between one of the horizontal slabs and the handgrip portion, and are each adjustable in length to vary the height and angle of the handgrip portion for the comfort and safety of the user. [0015] U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,854, issued to Sedlack et al., discloses a handrail assembly consists of four equally spaced connector brackets having three sections of plastic tubing interconnected therebetween. [0016] The above referenced disclosures of the background art, however, fail to provide a simple and effective handrail system that provides optimal support for the user while ascending or descending stairs and inclined corridors. Consequently, a need exists in the art for an apparatus that would aid the infirm in walking up and down stairs. In addition, there is a need for such an apparatus that would be inexpensive and useful in public buildings as well as in private homes. There further exists a need for such an apparatus that would not interfere with the normal activities of people who would not ordinarily need to use such an apparatus. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0017] The present invention overcomes the limitations and disadvantages in the art by providing a wave-shaped handrail for stairways and inclined corridors that is ergonomically shaped to allow the user to maintain a constant and firm grip while being fixed at an optimal height to allow the user to fully support his or her self when necessary. A handrail according to the present invention includes an elongate wave-shaped railing anchored relative to the stairs by generally J-shaped brackets. The wave-shaped railing is configured with generally alternating horizontal and vertical portions that allow the user the most strength and support. Each bracket has a first end connected to the railing on the side thereof proximal the centerline of the stairs, and a second end thereof anchored to the wall or other supporting structure. The railing is preferably mounted such that each horizontal portion is approximately 5'-0'' above a corresponding tread of the stair. [0018] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved handrail for use alongside stairs and inclined walkways or corridors. [0019] Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved handrail that maximizes a person's ability to maintain his or her grip. Continue reading about Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors... Full patent description for Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors Next Patent Application: Protection of active layers of memory cells during processing of other elements Industry Class: Fences ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Hand rail for stairs and inclined corridors patent info. 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