Patent ID: 6073575
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: A62B,E04F,G08B,G09F,Y10S

Abstract:
A railing system for aiding emergency evacuation of people from a building comprising:a plurality of handrails which are installed on walls of the building and which provide hand hold support to said people; anda plurality of direction indicators each of which is physically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of handrails, each direction indicator of said plurality of direction indicators comprising a tactile portion which indicates the direction a person must move in to find an exit, each one of said plurality of handrails having connected thereto at least one of the plurality of direction indicators, wherein said plurality of direction indicators includes indicators of a first type which convey directional information for directing a person from the corresponding handrail across a discontinuity to a target location at which there is another handrail of said plurality of handrails or an exit, wherein the tactile portions of the indicators of the first type include shaped rail portions of a first shape and shaped rail portions of a second shape, wherein the first and second shapes convey different directional information, the first shape being characterized by a flat end surface that is perpendicular to the direction of the handrail to which it is attached and indicating to the person to continue along the direction of the corresponding handrail across a discontinuity to a target location and the second shape being characterized by a flat end surface that is oriented at an angle less than 90.degree. relative the direction of the handrail to which it is attached and indicating to the person to turn 90.degree. to the direction of the corresponding handrail and across a discontinuity to a target location, the direction of the turn depending on the orientation of the angled end surface.