Abstract:
A method of applying a film to a handrail of an escalator or moving walkway is provided. The film can be a single or double layered film. Printed matter, e.g. advertising, can be applied to or between the films. A method of removing the film is also provided. The two methods can be effected using a suitable apparatus, that relies on the motion of the handrail to unroll a supply of the film, with one or more rollers pressing the film onto the handrail, or takes off the film from the handrail.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/510,498, filed on Feb. 22, 2000, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/252,784 filed Feb. 19,1999. The contents of application Ser. No. 09/510,498 are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to handrails for escalators and moving walkways, and more particularly is concerned with applying a protective film, optionally including advertising or other visible material, to the surface of such a handrail.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Advertisers continually seek out new locations to place advertisements. It has been recognized for sometime that various forms of mass transit and the like offer good opportunities for advertising. Necessarily, mass transit systems offer a large potential audience, and a relatively small number of well positioned advertisements can be seen by a large number of people. Travelling on mass transit is usually fairly time-consuming and hence travellers of such systems often have plenty of time to view and read advertisements, which also make such advertising attractive to businesses. This has been well recognized in the past, and advertisers have sought various locations for placing advertisements.  
           [0004]    Escalators and moving walkways are a common component of many mass transit systems, and are also found in numerous other locations with a high level of pedestrian traffic, e.g. large office buildings, shopping malls, large stores and the like. While travelling on an escalator is relatively quick compared to, say, a subway journey, an escalator ride nonetheless presents a potential audience for advertisers. While a ride on an escalator is relatively short, it is certainly long enough for a rider to notice and read an advertisement. Moreover, it is not really practical for an escalator rider to do anything else while riding the escalator, such as read a book or newspaper.  
           [0005]    Advertisers have long recognized this, and it is common on well-used escalators to find various advertising panels. Thus, conventional poster advertising is often found lining the walls of escalator shafts. Additionally, advertisers have sought to place smaller, poster-like advertisements on smaller panels on top of the strip separating balustrades of up and down escalators. Commonly, advertisements would be placed on both sides, so as to present advertisements to riders on both the up and down escalators.  
           [0006]    Ingenious advertisers have sought other ways of advertising on escalators. Thus, it has occurred to others that advertising could be placed on escalator handrails. This is attractive, since an escalator handrail presents an otherwise unused surface. As for grasping any object, a rider on an escalator will instinctively first look at the handrail to locate it. This ensures that the handrail, more often than not, will be at least glanced at by each user or rider. This makes it attractive for simple advertising, e.g. well known company logos and other advertising devices.  
           [0007]    Thus, published Japanese application 57-130883 discloses a proposal for providing individual decals or stickers intended to be placed at regular intervals on an escalator handrail. These stickers include some sort of adhesive and a first film, and print ink applied to the rear of the first film.  
           [0008]    The disadvantage with this proposal is that it requires each of these stickers or decals to be placed individually and discretely on the handrail. This is difficult, time-consuming and care would be needed to ensure that they are accurately and uniformly aligned. Moreover, each individual sticker would present a number of edges which could be caught, tending to remove it. Thus, its forward and trailing edges would present edges which could be readily caught by elements of the handrail drive mechanism. It would be appreciated that accidental removal of an adhesive sticker by the drive mechanism, so that the sticker then becomes entangled in the drive mechanism, is highly undesirable. Additionally, these edges, together with side edges of the decal would be readily visible to users, and it is believed that many users or riders of an escalator would, either deliberately, or absentmindedly, tend to pick at these edges and lift them up. This would either tend to remove each sticker or render it more susceptible to accidental entanglement in the drive mechanism.  
           [0009]    An alternative proposal is found in Canadian patent 1,304,035 (Andrew B. French). This proposes a relatively complex construction which would require wholesale redesign of the structure of an escalator handrail. It proposes a handrail provided with some sort of a slot or the like and a transparent cover. Advertising material is then placed between the transparent cover and the main body of the handrail. This would, in theory, overcome some of the disadvantages of the Japanese proposal. Unfortunately, this proposal totally fails to address the structural requirements of an escalator handrail. A handrail is subjected to considerable stresses and strains, and one cannot simply remove substantial sections of the handrail cross-section without addressing the structural considerations.  
           [0010]    For example, a transparent cover could be subject to substantial tensile and/or compressive stresses, depending on the drive mechanism, and this issue is not addressed. Necessarily, this proposal requires complete replacement of each escalator handrail with one according to this invention, if advertising is to be applied.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    A further consideration is that in many situations it may be desirable simply to provide some form of protective cover to an escalator handrail, and this is not addressed by any of the prior art proposals outlined above. First, many escalator handrails, after a period of use can develop a dull, worn appearance. Additionally, they may accidentally have various marks or discolourations on the surface, due either to the drive mechanism or the actions of users. For some situations, eg. in luxury hotels, resorts and the like, it is desirable that escalator handrails present a good appearance. Refinishing the surface of a handrail is not practical. It is therefore desirable to provide some way of applying some sort of a film to an escalator handrail, which can present a new appearance or finish to the handrail.  
           [0012]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a film which can be readily applied in situ to an escalator handrail. Such a film should be capable of providing one or both of: a new, refinished appearance to the handrail; and advertising messages or logos.  
           [0013]    Preferably, the film should be capable of application readily and simply, with minimum interruption in normal operation of the escalator. This should be achievable without requiring removal or replacement of the handrails.  
           [0014]    Additionally, the inventors have realized that this covering should be sufficiently continuous, so as to minimize edges, etc which can promote accidental removal or entanglement in the drive mechanism. Further, this should be such as to minimize the opportunities for users to remove the surface finish or covering.  
           [0015]    The invention is based on the concept of providing a film to the surface of the handrail, which film is both continuous and is removable.  
           [0016]    In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of applying a flexible film to a moving handrail, the method comprising:  
           [0017]    (1) providing a film comprising a first film layer and first layer of adhesive on the underside thereof, the film being generally elongate and having width corresponding to the width of the handrail;  
           [0018]    (2) aligning and adhering a first end of the film to a surface of the handrail;  
           [0019]    (3) driving the handrail relative to the film, to cause the film to adhere continuously and progressively to the handrail; and  
           [0020]    (4) ensuring that the full width of the film is uniformly and smoothly adhered to the surface of the handrail.  
           [0021]    The method may include providing the film on a roll and mounting the roll on a spindle adjacent to the handrail. A roller may then be applied to the surface of the handrail to press the film against the handrail. The method may further comprise progressively wrapping the film around the lips of the handrail by means of pairs of rollers mounted further apart around the outside of the handrail.  
           [0022]    In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing an adhesive film mounted on a handrail, the handrail being mounted for movement relative to a balustrade, and the method comprising:  
           [0023]    (1) mounting an apparatus to the balustrade including a drive cylinder and a spindle for a take-up roll;  
           [0024]    (2) mounting a take-up roll on the spindle and pressing the drive cylinder against the surface of the handrail;  
           [0025]    (3) manually detaching an end portion of the adhesive film and engaging the end portion with the take-up roll;  
           [0026]    (4) driving the handrail, thereby to transfer drive to the drive cylinder, and in turn to cause rotation of the take-up roll to wind up the adhesive film;  
           [0027]    (5) after the entire adhesive film has been removed from the handrail, stopping the handrail and removing the roll with the wound up adhesive film from the apparatus.  
           [0028]    The take-up roll may optionally be driven by a separate external drive.  
           [0029]    In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing contaminants from a drive mechanism of a handrail, the handrail being mounted for movement relative to a balustrade and the drive mechanism being incorporated into the balustrade, and the method comprising:  
           [0030]    (1) mounting a film to the handrail, the film comprising: a first film layer; a first layer of adhesive on the underside of the first film layer for adhering the film to a handrail the film having a width corresponding to the handrail and being elongate, and the film including means for collecting contaminants from a moving handrail and associated drive mechanism;  
           [0031]    (2) driving the handrail to cause the film to pass through the drive mechanism, thereby to cause contaminants to be picked up by the film;  
           [0032]    (3) after a period of time, stopping the handrail and removing the film from the handrail.  
           [0033]    The film has a width corresponding to the handrail in the sense that its width is selected depending on the width of the handrail, but its actual width could be substantially less than that of the handrail so that it only covers part of the handrail. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0034]    For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings which show the preferred embodiment of the present invention and in which:  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 1 is perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention for applying a film to an escalator handrail;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b  are side views of the apparatus of FIG. 1, in different positions;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b  are views along the length of a handrail, showing alternative mounting arrangements;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the apparatus in use on a balustrade of an escalator corresponding to FIG. 3 a;    
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the detail of motion of the film and a release sheet showing application of film to an escalator handrail;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b  are detailed views of a spindle for mounting a roll, for either the film or the release sheet;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIGS. 7 a,    7   b  and  7   c  are schematic views showing paths of the film and release sheet and wrapping of the film around the handrail;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b  are cross-sectional views through a pressing mechanism, showing operation thereof;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 9 a - 9   f  are further cross-sectional views through a pressing mechanism, showing mounting of pressing rollers;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 10 is a side view of the pressing mechanism, showing details of one-half of the trough-shaped pressing mechanism;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIGS. 11 a - 11   f  are views showing details of the spacing mounting of the rollers of the pressing mechanism;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view through a film according to the present invention;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a mechanism for aligning the apparatus of the present invention;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of an apparatus for removing a film from a handrail, the apparatus being shown in use on a handrail;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIGS. 15 a,    15   b  and  15   c  show, for part of the apparatus for removing a film of FIG. 14, a perspective view from the other side, a side view and a perspective view similar to FIG. 14, all on an enlarged scale;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 16 shows a sectional view through the apparatus of  14  and  15 ; and  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 17 a - 17   d  show plan views of examples of perforation patterns for a film for a handrail. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0052]    Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 3 a,  an apparatus in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by the reference  10 . The apparatus  10  includes a main support member  12 , of tubular, square cross-section. The support member  12 , at its lower end is of inverted T-shape and includes two downwardly extending portions  14  of different lengths. At the lower end of each portion  14 , there is mounted a suction cup  16 . If required, the support member  12  can be offset laterally (FIGS. 3 a,    3   b ), to locate the apparatus in the desired position relative to a handrail.  
         [0053]    At the upper end of the support member  12 , there is a pivot connection  18 , providing a connection to a first cross member  19 . In known manner, the pivot connection  18  includes overlapping flanges secured to the members  12 ,  19 , and a nut and bolt adjustable to clamp the flanges together.  
         [0054]    Mounted on the first cross member  19  is a sliding swivel joint  20  which includes a bracket slidable along the first cross member  19 . A threaded screw member  21  enables this bracket to be clamped relative to the cross member  19 .  
         [0055]    The bottom end of the bracket of the swivel joint  20  includes a second pivot connection  22  to a second cross member  23 . Similarly, this pivot connection  22  can be locked or secured by means of a nut and bolt arrangement. A downwardly extending member  24  extends from one end of the second cross member  23 .  
         [0056]    The overall arrangement of the members  12 ,  19 ,  23  and  24 , the pivot connections  18  and  22  and the sliding swivel joint  20  is to provide desired degrees of freedom for the lower end of the downwardly extending member  24 , both vertically and horizontally, i.e. in the plane of FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b.  As the actual applicator of the present invention (to be detailed below) is mounted at the lower end of the member  24 , this enables the applicator to be adjusted to a desired location relative to a handrail. Thus, the pivot connections  18 ,  22  enable the vertical location to be adjusted, and this adjustment will necessarily cause some lateral or horizontal movement of the lower end of the downwardly extending member  24 . The sliding joint along the cross member  19  enables the horizontal location to be adjusted.  
         [0057]    [0057]FIGS. 1 and 3 a  show one mounting arrangement, in which the cross members  19 ,  23  have their free ends extending in general opposite directions. In an alternative mounting arrangement the vertically oriented members  12 ,  24  are located close together, with the free ends of the cross members extending in the same direction away from the members  12 ,  24 .  
         [0058]    In general, the apparatus will always be mounted on the inside surface of a balustrade  198 , and often, the balustrade will not present an accessible outer surface. Thus, both the arrangements of FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b  will be required for the two handrails on either side of an escalator or moving walkway.  
         [0059]    The lower end of the downwardly extending member  24  is connected to a longitudinally extending member  32  (this is described as longitudinally extending, in relation to the escalator handrail, as will become clear from the description below), which forms a main body of the actual applicator for applying the film.  
         [0060]    A rearward end of the member  32  is secured to an L-shaped bracket  34 . Further cross members  36 ,  37  extend perpendicularly out from the longitudinally extending member, at the middle and forward end thereof. A projecting lug  38  is mounted on and extends upwardly from the longitudinally extending member  32 , between the cross members  36  and  37 .  
         [0061]    The L-shaped bracket  34  includes a horizontal element  40 . A rear roller  41  is mounted on two lugs  41  a extending downwards from the rearwards end of horizontal element  40 . A small frame  42 , comprising a pair of parallel and spaced side members and joining cross member, is pivotally mounted to two small lugs  44  projecting upwardly and forwardly from the front end of element  40 . A roller  46  is rotatably mounted between the free ends of the side members of the frame  42 .  
         [0062]    Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 a  and  2   b,  to bias the frame  42 , and hence the roller  46 , downwards, there is provided a spring mechanism  47  mounted to a vertical element  50  of the L-shaped bracket  34 . The spring mechanism  48  includes a helical coil spring  48   a  (FIG. 1), a plunger  52  and upper and lower discs  49   a  and  49   b.  The plunger  52  is pivotally connected at its lower end to a side projection from the frame  42 . The bottom of the helical coil spring abuts the lower disc  49   b,  while the top end of the spring  48   a  abuts the upper disc  49   a.  The lower disc  49   b  is fixably mounted to plunger  52 , while the upper disc  49   a  is slidably mounted on the plunger. The upper disc  49   a  is also pivotally attached to a vertically-directed crank member  54 . Crank member  54  is attached via a crankshaft (not shown) to a horizontally-directed handle  56  on the opposite side of vertical element  50 , with the crankshaft rotatably mounted in a bore of the element  50 . When handle  56  is horizontal and pointing rearwards (as in FIG. 2 b ), the crank member  54  is pointing downwards, compressing the spring  48   a.  The compression of the spring  48   a  biases frame  42  downwards. Handle  56  is kept in place by means of ratchet  58 . When the ratchet is released and handle  56  is rotated to a forward-pointing horizontal position, crank member  54  is pointing upwards, releasing the compression in the spring (as in FIG. 2 a ). The ratchet  58  is pivotally mounted in an opening in the vertical element  50 , so that it can be displaced away from the handle  56 , to release the handle.  
         [0063]    A swing arm  60  is pivotally mounted to the projecting lug  38  and includes a spacer element  62 , so as to space the swing arm away from the longitudinally extending member  32 , for reasons which will become clear below. Swing arm  60  may comprise two separate members  60   a  and  60   b  fixably attached via a joint  61 . Swing arm  60  may be locked into a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 2 a  by means of a simple locking mechanism  63 . Locking mechanism  63  is a simple L-shaped member where one end is pivotally mounted on longitudinally extending member  32 . The other end abuts the bottom portion of the swing arm preventing the arm from falling. Swing arm  60  may be unlocked by pivoting the locking mechanism  63  away from swing arm  60 .  
         [0064]    First and second spindles  64 ,  66  are rotatably mounted to the swing arm  60 , and details of the spindle  66  is given below in relation to FIGS. 6 a,    6   b.    
         [0065]    The first spindle  64  is secured to a drive gear  68 , while the second spindle is secured to a driven gear  70 . An idler gear  72  is rotatably mounted to the swing arm, so as to engage both the drive and driven gears  68 ,  70 . The drive gear  68  is substantially larger than the driven gear  70 , so as to ensure that the second spindle  66  is driven at a faster speed than that of the first spindle  64 .  
         [0066]    The arrangement of the spindles  64 ,  66  and the roller  46  is intended to apply an adhesive film to the top surface of the handrail. To ensure that the film is applied uniformly around the side edges and at least partially underneath a handrail, a pressing mechanism  90  is provided. The pressing mechanism comprises a trough-shaped element  92  having first and second halves  92   a,    92   b.  Each of the element halves  92   a,    92   b  includes elements  94  that combine to form shallow slots or sleeves. Extending downwardly from each of the cross members  36 ,  37  is a support member  96  having, in cross-section inverted T-shape, so as to present edge portions engaging the sleeves formed by the elements  94 . This mounts the trough-shaped element halves  92   a,    92   b,  for sliding movement laterally, while otherwise limiting their movement.  
         [0067]    As best seen in FIGS. 1, 8 a  and  8   b,  an over-centre mechanism  100  comprises a first arm  101  and a second arm  102  pivotally mounted to the trough-shaped element halves  92   a,    92   b  respectively. The second arm  102  forms an obtuse angle and is formed from two generally parallel side members. The free end  104  of the second arm  102  provides an actuating handle. The first arm  101  is pivotally attached to the second arm  102 , generally at the obtuse angle therein. In known manner, if the handle end  104  is raised and pivoted towards the longitudinally extending member  32 , this causes the trough-shaped elements  92   a,    92   b  to slide apart along the inverted T-shaped member  96  (FIG. 8 b ). When the handle end  104  is displaced to the position shown in FIG. 8 a,  then the trough-shaped halves  92   a,    92   b  are drawn together to the position shown. The first arm  101  includes a nut  105  and bolt  105   a  assembly as shown in FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b.  The nut  105  is used to shorten the first arm  101 . The shortening of the first arm  101  causes trough elements  92   a  and  92   b  to come closer together when in the closed position. This enables adjustment of the width of the trough  92  for handrails of different dimensions.  
         [0068]    Referring now to FIGS. 1, 9 a - 9   f,    10  and  11   a - 11   f,  a series of rollers  110 ,  111 ,  112 ,  113 ,  114 , and  115  are rotatably mounted on roller mounting mechanisms inside each of the element halves  92   a,    92   b.  Rollers  110 - 115  are mounted such that the rollers  110  are relatively close to the centre line of the apparatus and to the centre line of the handrail. Rollers  110  are mounted towards the rear of the element halves  92   a  and  92   b  at position  110   a  (FIG. 10). The other rollers  111 ,  112 ,  113 ,  114 , and  115  are located progressively further away from the centre line and progressively closer to the front of the mechanism at positions  111   a,    112   a,    113   a,    114   a,  and  115   a  respectively, for progressively wrapping a film around the handrail. Rollers  110  to  113 , shown generally as  210  on roller mounting mechanism  212  (FIGS. 11 a,    11   d ), are mounted on a frame  214 . The frame  214  comprises two side members  216  and three cross members  218 ,  220  and  222 . The roller  210  is rotatably mounted on cross member  218 . The frame  214  is pivotally mounted on two lugs  224  extending from the base  226  of roller mechanism. A helical torsion spring  228  is mounted on cross member  222 . One end of the spring is pressed against the base  226  and the other end is pressed against cross member  220 . Spring  228  thus acts to bias frame  214  and roller  210  inwardly towards handrail  200 . The base  226  is mounted to a respective trough-shaped half  92   a,    92   b.    
         [0069]    Referring mainly now to FIGS. 11 b,    11   c,    11   e,  and  11   f,  rollers  114  and  115  are similarly mounted within roller mounting mechanisms with some exceptions. First, rollers  114  and  115  have smaller diameters than rollers  110 - 113 . As well, rollers  114  and  115  are spaced laterally away from spring  228  with spacing elements  230 . Both of these differences are designed to allow the rollers to press the film against the shoulder of the handrail where space is limited.  
         [0070]    As best shown in FIGS. 2, 9 e,    9   f  and  10 , the trough-shaped element halves  92   a,    92   b  include a forward extension  116 . Mounted to each of these extensions  116  are brackets  118  and  119 . Rollers  114  are rotatably mounted to the first brackets  118  and rollers  115  are rotatably mounted to second brackets  119 .  
         [0071]    Reference will now be made to FIG. 6 a  and  6   b,  which show details of a clutch mechanism for the spindle  66  and friction mounting mechanism for both spindles  64 ,  66 . Each of the spindles  64 ,  66  includes a rotatably mounted spindle body  120 , each of which is attached to a respective gear  68 ,  70 . However, only spindle  66  includes the clutch mechanism.  
         [0072]    The spindle body  120  of spindle  66  includes an internal tubular bearing  122  mounted on a shaft  124 . The shaft  124  has an enlarged head  126 . A helical coil spring  128  is mounted between the enlarged head  126  and a washer  130  abutting the end of the bearing  122 . The coil spring  128  presses the spindle body  120  against the gear  70  mounted on the shaft  124 .  
         [0073]    The shaft  124  extends through a bearing hole  134  in the swing arm  60 , and washers  136  are provided on either side of the swing arm  60 . The washers  136  are secured to, or integral with the shaft  124 .  
         [0074]    Within the spindle body  120 , there is a lever  138  including a projecting lever end or actuation portion  140 . The lever  138  is pivotally mounted at  142  and a spring  144  biases the lever radially outwards. Bearing projections  146  extend radially out through openings in the tubular spindle body  120 .  
         [0075]    Accordingly, in use, as shown in FIG. 6 a,  to mount a roll  150  for taking up a release sheet from a film, the lever end  140  is pressed radially inwards, to bring the projections  146  radially inwards. This permits the roll  150  to be slid onto the spindle  66 . With the roll  150  in position, the lever  138  can be released. Then, the spring  144  acts to press the bearing projections  146  against the inside of the roll  150  securely mounting the sleeve. Torque can then be transmitted between the sleeve  150  and the spindle body  120 .  
         [0076]    The arrangement of the spring  128  and related elements of the spindle  66  acts as a clutch to limit torque transmission between the tubular spindle body  120  and the shaft  124 . In particular, the drive ratio required between the two spindles  64 ,  66  will vary as the size of the rolls on the two spindles varies. It is impossible to maintain a completely accurate ratio at all times. Accordingly, the ratio between the drive and driven gears  68 ,  70  is such as to ensure that, at a minimum, the second spindle  66  is driven at a slightly faster speed than required, for all effective sizes of rolls on the spindles  66  (the effective size being the diameter of the roll at any instant including material wound on it). Then, any excess speed is, effectively, dissipated by the clutch mechanism in the spindle  66 . In use, this will maintain a constant torque tending to wind up the release sheet.  
         [0077]    Reference will now be made to FIGS. 4, 5,  7 ,  8 ,  12  and  13  to describe a preferred film configuration and method of using the apparatus of the present invention.  
         [0078]    Referring first to FIG. 12, there is shown, schematically, a cross-section of a film in accordance with the present invention. This cross-section is shown transverse to the longitudinal direction of the handrail. This film is indicated at  160  and comprises a first film layer  162  with a first adhesive layer  164  on the underside thereof. To protect the film until this is applied and to enable the film to be wound up onto a sleeve  150 , a release sheet  166  is provided in known manner.  
         [0079]    On top of the first layer  162 , printed matter is provide as indicated at  168 . This printed matter can be text, logos, images, etc., and it is expected that it will often comprise a repeated pattern. Shown schematically, this printed matter would have a negligible thickness, so as not to significantly affect the thicknesses of other layers. This printed matter  168  is printed directly onto the top of the first film layer  162 .  
         [0080]    Following application of printed matter  168 , a second film layer  170  with a respective second layer of adhesive  172  is applied to the top of the first sheet, so as to sandwich the printed matter  168  between the two film layers  162 ,  170 . This serves to protect the printed matter.  
         [0081]    Each film layer  162 ,  170  is preferably a polyurethane film having a thickness of 3 mils. The film is preferably a high gloss, clear flexible film, coated with a clear acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive. These films are provided with a release liner. Thus, once the top of the first film layer  162  has been printed, the second film layer  170  with its associated adhesive  172 , after the release liner or sheet removed, is then applied to the top of the first film layer  162  to form the combined film  160  shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0082]    The width of the film as supplied is commonly several feet. For the present purposes, it would be cut to widths depending upon the particular handrail application.  
         [0083]    While it is expected that the first and second film layers  162 ,  170  would both be clear, for some applications, it may be desirable to colour the second film layer  170 . Thus, the second layer  170  could be a solid, uniform colour to provide a suitable background to advertising material or a manufacturer&#39;s logo, and this colour could be a colour associated with the particular product or manufacturer. Additionally, the first film layer  162 , if desired, could be provided with some tinting.  
         [0084]    Another aspect of the invention is the use of a film simply to protect a handrail for an escalator or moving walkway. For this purpose, the film  160  could have a single layer. For such an application, the second film layer  170  and its adhesive  172  could be omitted. For completeness, it is noted that, conceivably, in such applications, some printed material could still be provided on the top of the first film layer  162 , but such printed matter would not then be protected, and would likely by subject to excessive wear, marking, etc. during passage through the handrail drive mechanism.  
         [0085]    Reference will now be made to FIG. 13, which shows an alignment mechanism  180 , which essentially comprises a five-member pivoted parallelogram mechanism. The mechanism  180  comprises a pair of side elements  182 , pivotally attached to a pair of transverse elements  184 . a central element  186  extends longitudinally, parallel to the side elements  182 , and is pivoted to the transverse elements  184 . Tension springs  188  may be omitted. If the springs  188  are omitted, it is a simple matter to hold the unit by hand and provide the closing tension required to centre the mechanism mounted between the central element  186  and ends of the transverse elements  184 . The tension springs  188  act to bias the side elements  182  together, tending to collapse the parallelogram formed by the elements  182 ,  184 .  
         [0086]    Mounted on the central element  186  is a light source  190 , here a laser. The laser  190  is mounted in a bracket  192  pivotally mounted to the central element  186 .  
         [0087]    Pivot connections between elements  182 ,  184  are formed by pivot pins, one of such is indicated at  194 . Each pivot pin  194 , beneath the respective side element  182  is provided with a cylindrical collar  196 .  
         [0088]    A description will now be given of the use of the equipment of the present invention. Firstly, before a film is applied to a handrail, the handrail must be properly prepared. Most handrails, after a period of use, will acquire a film of dirt and grease, preventing proper adherence of an adhesive film.  
         [0089]    Accordingly, the handrail is first washed with a solvent, preferably an EH-101 solvent blend to remove all dirt and grease. EH-101 solvent blend is composed of ethyl acetate, naphtha, toluene and benzene. For this purpose, operators should wear rubber gloves and use appropriate applicators.  
         [0090]    The handrail is then inspected for gouges or defects that impede application. If deep gouges are present, the handrail may need to be replaced before the film is applied.  
         [0091]    Any deep stains or marks can be removed with a scrub pad and EH 101 solvent blend.  
         [0092]    The handrail is cleaned by first cleaning an exposed run of the handrail, and both handrails of an escalator or moving walkway could be cleaned simultaneously. Each run is then marked with a china marker. The drive mechanism of the escalator is then used to jog the escalator and its handrail, to the end of the marked and cleaned areas, to expose further stretches of the handrails. This procedure is repeated, and until the entire length of both handrails of an escalator are cleaned.  
         [0093]    Once clean, the handrail is coated with a sealant, to reduce slightly the adhesive bond between the film and the handrail. This ensures that the applied film can be peeled off readily. An appropriate sealant is applied as specified, generally as a thin film. The film of sealant is buffed to a smooth, shiny finish. Again, the handrails on two sides of an escalator can be treated simultaneously. The handrails are marked with a china marker to indicate areas that have been sealed, and then jogged forward using the escalator drive mechanism; this is repeated until both handrails are treated and sealed.  
         [0094]    To provide a film for an escalator, two matched rolls of film are provided, one for each handrail. The handrails have the film applied separately. Theoretically, it may be possible to apply both films simultaneously, but this is usually not practical. It has been found that application of the film needs to be monitored carefully, and, on occasion, adjustments and the like are required. To monitor two films simultaneously would be difficult.  
         [0095]    For an escalator, an operator is provided with two matched rolls of film, one for each handrail; the handrail is indicated at  200  and its balustrade at  198  in the drawings, while the rolls of film are indicated at  174 . First, the operator should confirm that the correct rolls  174  are present for the particular site or escalator. The wind configuration of the rolls should be checked. Commonly, most advertising material should be viewed from one direction, and should be applied in the appropriate orientation, for each of up and down escalators.  
         [0096]    The apparatus  10  is then mounted to the balustrade  198 , shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, with just the support member  12  attached, i.e. with the cross member and attached components removed. The apparatus  10  is preferably mounted at the top of the escalator for down escalator units and at the bottom of the escalator for up escalator units. On installations where obstacles prevent mounting at these locations, it is permissible to attach the apparatus  10  away from the ends on a straight, sloped portion of the handrail.  
         [0097]    The vacuum cups  16  are pumped up, in known manner, to securely mount them to the balustrade. With the support member  12  securely mounted, the rest of the apparatus or the applicator is mounted by sliding the swivel joint  20  onto the first cross member  19 , in accordance with FIG. 3 a  or FIG. 3 b  as required.  
         [0098]    The swing arm is raised into the retracted position with the locking mechanism  63 . A roll of film  174  is then mounted on the first spindle  64 . This is mounted as shown in FIGS. 6 a  and  6   b  and as detailed above.  
         [0099]    The apparatus  10  is mounted on the balustrade  198  with the trough-shaped pressing mechanism  90  in the open configuration (FIG. 8 b ). The pressing mechanism  90  is then closed. With the pivot connections  18 ,  22  and the sliding swivel joint  20  loosened as required, the horizontal and vertical position of the apparatus is adjusted. The rear roller  41  and rollers  110 - 115  serve to ensure that the apparatus is accurately located relative to the handrail. If required, the nut and bolt assembly  105 ,  105   a  is adjusted. With the apparatus properly located, the pivot connections  18 ,  22  and the sliding swivel joint  20  can be locked. Final angular adjustment is achieved using a bubble level.  
         [0100]    Alignment and clearances should then be checked. The alignment can be checked using the mechanism shown in FIG. 15. For this purpose, the centre line of the release sheet  166  is measured and marked with a ruler and pen, or the release sheet can be provided with a preprinted centre line. First, side elements  182  of the alignment mechanism  180  are grasped and displaced sideways and the mechanism  180  fitted onto the handrail  200 . The side elements  182  are then released, so that the springs  188  cause the mechanism  180  to snugly abut the sides of the handrail  200 . This will automatically align the laser  190  with the centre of the handrail. The angular position of the laser  190  can be adjusted if desired.  
         [0101]    The position of the laser beam relative to the centre line mark will indicate whether roll  174  is properly aligned. If necessary, the roll position can be adjusted, depressing spindle lever  140  to release the spindle tension and sliding roll  174  until the mark and laser coincide. The laser guide is then removed from the handrail.  
         [0102]    The swing arm  60  is locked in place using locking mechanism  63  and the pressing mechanism  90  is opened. The roller  46  is placed in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 2. a  by turning handle  56  to the forward direction. This causes the crank member  54  to point upwards and the roller  46  to lift above the handrail. With roll  174  in place, the end  160   a  of the film is fed around the retracted roller  46  and pulled manually through the open press mechanism  90  and directed along the length of the handrail. The tail end of the film is wrapped around the sides of the handrail, after peeling back a corresponding length of the release sheet  166 . The adhesion at this point allows for wrinkles and air pockets. The pressing mechanism  90  is then closed and release sheet  166 , peeled off the film  190 , is directed around and above the roll  174  and secured by tape to a take up roll  178 . The roll  178  is mounted on the spindle  66 . The crank is released from the ratchet  58  and rotated 180° and the crank member  54  now points downwards relative to the crankshaft and the roller  46  is pressed by the spring into contact with the handrail  200  (FIG. 2 b ). The swing arm  60  is then unlocked so that the roll  174  abuts and tracks against roller  46 . The weight of the swing arm adds to the force applied to the film during application.  
         [0103]    Once the film  160  contacts the handrail  200 , this can be jogged a short distance, to establish the thread-up and confirm the centre alignment. The edges of the film should be even and symmetrical on the handrail shoulders. If not, the position of roll  174  can be adjusted.  
         [0104]    The leading portion of the film  160  adjacent the end  160   a  is then manually wrapped around the handrail  20 , to the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 c,  ensuring that no bubbles are formed or left under the film. The pressing mechanism  90  is then closed, and the escalator jogged to run a test strip of approximately five feet to ensure that no bubbles or wrinkles are formed. The pressure applied by roll  46  can be adjusted by turning a nut (not shown) below spring  48   a  on plunger  52 . Roll pressure within press mechanism  90  is adjusted by turning the bolt  105   a  which varies the closing of the two halves of the pressing mechanism.  
         [0105]    Once it has been established that the apparatus is properly centered with adequate clearances and that the film  160  is being applied uniformly without wrinkles, bubbles, etc., then the escalator can be operated to run the film around the entire length of the handrail.  
         [0106]    The operator watches for the end  160   a  of the film to come back towards the apparatus  10 . End  160   a,  which was pressed down by hand, passes underneath the roller  41  which helps ensure that the film was adequately pressed onto the handrail. Once end  160   a  returns to the mechanism, a portion of the film is allowed to overlap the end  160   a  by approximately 12 inches.  
         [0107]    At this time, the swing arm  60  is raised, and pressure on the roller  46  is released by engaging the handle  56 . The pressing mechanism  90  is opened. The film is cut. The threaded screw member  21  is loosened to permit removal of the upper portion of the apparatus  10  from the support member  12 . The support member  12  with the vacuum cups  16  is then removed separately.  
         [0108]    An overlap splice is then prepared by pulling up 3 to 4 inches of the excess film. This is trimmed cleanly at a 90° angle. It is then smoothed down by hand ensuring that no bubbles or wrinkles are present. It can be noted that this splice joint is such that the natural action of rollers and other drive elements contacting the handrail will tend to smooth down the joint, rather than tending to lift up the end of the film.  
         [0109]    It is recognized that where the film  160  bears advertising, it would almost certainly be intended that a particular application only be left on an escalator for a set period of time. Indeed, rates for advertising on escalator handrails will almost certainly be determined on a time basis.  
         [0110]    When a particular advertiser&#39;s time has ended and it is desired to replace the film, then the existing film needs to be removed. To do this, the escalator is stopped with the film splice exposed on one handrail (it is expected that each handrail will need to be stripped separately). The end of the film is peeled up, to reveal the end last applied to the handrail. This end can then be peeled off itself. If the film peels cleanly, then the escalator can be started and the strip removed continuously while standing at the top or bottom of the escalator.  
         [0111]    If the film  160  leaves any residue on the handrail  200 , then it is preferred to proceed more slowly and to strip the handrail  200  carefully, to reduce the clean up time. In this case, it is preferred to leave the escalator turned off and from a lower angle, peel the film from the lip area to the top face in small steps and clean adhesive off as one proceeds.  
         [0112]    Any remaining adhesive left on the handrail should be removed. To remove adhesive, EH 101 solvent blend, acetone, Oil Flo or Liftoff or other suitable solvent should be used, and again in accordance with manufacturers&#39; instructions.  
         [0113]    Even for a handrail that has had a film applied before, it should then be washed and sealed as detailed above.  
         [0114]    Reference will now be made to FIGS. 14,15 and  16 , which show an apparatus, generally indicated at  210 , for peeling or removing a film from a handrail. Here, a balustrade  212  of a moving walkway or the like is shown, by way of example, with a handrail indicated at  214 , in cross-section.  
         [0115]    The apparatus  210  has a pair of suction cups  216 , which can correspond to the suction cups  16  of the earlier embodiment. A support arm  218  is provided extending out from the suction cups  216 , corresponding to the support member  12 . A longitudinal member  220  has a general L-shape and is mounted to the support arm  218 . The member  220  includes a downwardly extending end portion  222 , so as to have an overall L-shape.  
         [0116]    Pivotally mounted to the downwardly extending portion  222  is a yoke  224 . A pin  226  extends between side arms  228  of the yoke  224  and a drive drum or cylinder  230  is rotatably mounted on the shaft  226 . A first drive gear  232  is securely mounted to the shaft  226 . A first clutch plate  234  is attached to a pressure plate  236  which is mounted for sliding movement on the shaft  226  and is provided with splines or the like to cause it to rotate with the shaft  226 . A second clutch plate  235  is secured to the drive drum  230 . A spring  38  is provided for pressing the two clutch plates  234 ,  236  together, and acting between one arm  228  and the pressure plate  236 .  
         [0117]    Consequently, in use, as the drive drum  230  is rotated, as detailed below, it transfers drive through the two clutch plates  234 ,  236  to the shaft  226 . This in turn drives the first drive gear  232 .  
         [0118]    A swing arm  240  is freely, pivotally mounted on the shaft  226 . An idler gear  242  is pivotally mounted to the middle of the swing arm  240 . A further shaft  244  is pivotally mounted to the other end of the swing arm  240 .  
         [0119]    A second drive gear  246  and an associated first spindle  247  are secured together and to the shaft  244 .  
         [0120]    To maintain necessary pressures, telescopic shafts with bias springs are provided, as indicated at  248 ,  249 . The shaft  248  is pivotally connected to the longitudinally extending member  220  and to a side arm of the yoke  224 . The second telescopic shaft  249  is pivotally connected between the longitudinally extending member  220  and the swing arm  240  to maintain a take-up roll (detailed below) pressed against the handrail.  
         [0121]    In use, the apparatus  210  would be mounted as shown in FIG. 14. It would be mounted with the drive roller  230  pressed against the top of the handrail  214 , by suitable adjustment of the vacuum clamps  216  and the support arm  218 . A take-up roll  250  is mounted on the spindle  247  in such a manner that torque or drive is transmitted between them. The handrail would then be driven in the direction of the arrow  252  causing the drum  230  to rotate. The drive gears  232  and  246  are sized so that the surface of the take-up roll  250  is moving at a greater speed than the handrail  214 . It can be noted that, as detailed below, film is continuously wound on the roll  250 , so that this surface or circumferential velocity will increase, for a constant angular velocity. The clutch mechanism, formed by the clutch plates  234 ,  235  is designed to compensate for this difference in speeds, as for the apparatus described above, and to maintain a constant torque on the take-up roll  250 .  
         [0122]    As shown, with a film  254  present on the handrail, a free end  256  of the film is first manually detached from the handrail and wound sufficiently around the roll  250  to be secured thereto.  
         [0123]    Consequently, as the handrail  214  is driven in the direction  252 , the mechanism of the apparatus  210  continuously removes the film  254  and winds it up on the roll  250 . This is continued until the entire film has been removed. At this time, the apparatus  210  can then be used to remove the film on the opposite side of the moving walkway or escalator, in known manner. It will be appreciated that, for this purpose, the support arm  218  is configured to enable the apparatus to be mounted to both sides of escalators and moving handrails.  
         [0124]    It has been found that, for a five-inch wide film, the peel strength or load required is 35 pounds (155 Newtons). This is a substantial load, and in some cases, it may cause slipping of the handrail drive mechanism, particularly where it has been set up with relatively low tension levels. For these situations, it is envisaged that the drive drum  230  can be provided with a separate power source, e.g. an electric motor, to ensure adequate driving of both the apparatus  210  and the handrail during film removal. Alternatively, the drive drum  230  can be omitted and a separate drive connected directly to the spindle  248 .  
         [0125]    It is also envisaged that the apparatus  210  could be integral with the apparatus  10 . For this purpose, the support member  12  and the support arm  218  could be integral with one another, and an appropriate number of suction cups  16 ,  216  could be provided. For a combined apparatus, two suction cups may be sufficient, or it may be desirable to provide more than two.  
         [0126]    Then, the longitudinally extending member  32  of the apparatus  10  and the longitudinally extending member  220  of the peeling or stripping apparatus  210  can be integral with one another, so as to provide an integral device or apparatus. Such a combined apparatus would enable simultaneous stripping or removal of one film and mounting of a new film, replacing the older film. Clearly, this is only acceptable in cases where stripping of the film leaves the handrail sufficiently clean, without undesirable traces of adhesive and the like.  
         [0127]    In such a combined apparatus, it is believed that the problem of accidental stalling of the handrail will be more acute, due to the increased load required to both remove an existing film and lay down a new film. For this purpose, it may be more desirable to provide some separate drive, from an electric motor or the like, to drive the equipment.  
         [0128]    Reference will now be made to FIGS. 17 a - 17   d,  which show examples of perforation patterns for incorporation in the film of the present invention. It is proposed to provide the film with a relatively strong adhesive, but as will be explained, it is believed that this could cause problems and for this reason perforations are provided. When the adhesive is functioning properly, this will ensure that the film remains in position, does not tend to become removed and entangled with the drive mechanism. Nonetheless, it must be recognized that, for a variety of reasons, the edge or end of the film, or other portions, of the film could become detached for one reason or another.  
         [0129]    In this context, it is to be appreciated that the film presently proposed for the present invention has significant strength, and indeed has a 250-pound break strength across a 5-inch (approx. 12.5 cm) width. If an edge of the film becomes detached, it could become entangled with part of the drive or guidance mechanism of the handrail. Conceivably an end of the film could become wrapped around a guide roller and it could progressively remove the entire length of the film and cause it to wrap around the roller; likely the mechanism would jam before the entire length had been removed. In any event, this is highly undesirable and would present a significant maintenance problem. In this context, it is noted that the present invention is intended for operation by relatively low-skilled personnel, or at least personnel that need no detailed knowledge of an escalator or handrail drive mechanism. Such personnel would not have the skills necessary to deal with a major entanglement of the film about part of the drive or guidance mechanism.  
         [0130]    Accordingly, with the intention of avoiding this problem, it is proposed to weaken the film, by means of perforations. The intention is that if any edge does become free so as to adhere to part of the drive mechanism etc., the film should enable a small portion of the film to become detached from the handrail, by the film separating at lines or perforations. This should ensure that a small portion of the film becomes detached and this should not interrupt operation of the handrail. If when inspecting the film, or replacing the film, it is noted that one or more portions of the film are missing and it is suspected that they have become attached to hidden parts of the drive mechanism, then this can be noted for investigation for a qualified maintenance team at a later date.  
         [0131]    As noted above, the peel strength for a    5   -inch width of film is approximately 35 pounds (155 Newtons). It is intended to provide perforations to weaken the film strength down to approximately 45 pounds (200 Newtons). This gives an adequate margin for enabling the film to be peeled off the handrail, while at the same time significantly weakening the film, down from the original strength of 250 pounds (1,112 Newtons). This avoids any excessive and unwanted loads being applied to any part of the drive and guidance mechanism.  
         [0132]    Reference will now be made to FIGS. 17 a,    17   b  which show in detail alternative perforation patterns. It will be appreciated that any suitable perforation configuration can be provided. Indeed, it is conceivable that the arrangement of the perforations could be shaped according to advertising material placed on the film and even incorporated as part of the advertising material; otherwise the perforations are intended to be largely invisible to an ordinary user.  
         [0133]    In all of FIGS. 17 a - 17   d,  a simple section of handrail is indicated, with the longitudinal axis of the handrail extending vertically in all these figures. It will be appreciated that the perforation pattern will be repeated at suitable intervals, for example, every 12 inches (30 cm).  
         [0134]    Referring first to FIG. 17 a,  a film is indicated at  260  and is provided with a diagonal line of perforations  262 . Additionally, FIG. 17 a  shows side margins  264 . These were originally intended to provide unperforated zones at the edge of the film, in the belief that this was necessary to maintain sufficient film strength. In fact, it has been found that the opposite is the case; it is necessary to have significant perforations going the full width in order to reduce the film&#39;s strength down to a suitable level. For this reason, it is envisaged that unperforated side margins will likely not be provided.  
         [0135]    The length of the slits and the gap between the slits can be varied and the following table gives some exemplary dimensions:  
                                                   Slit Length (inches/mm)   Slit Gap (inches/mm)                           0.5/1.3   0.2/5.1           0.5/1.3    0.4/10.2           0.05/1.3     0.8/20.3           0.025/0.6     0.8/20.3                      
 
         [0136]    [0136]FIG. 17 b  shows a slight variation of FIG. 17 a.  Here, the slits are longitudinal, although the line along which the slits or perforations are located is again diagonal 45 degrees. The slits here are 0.2 inches long and spaced apart by 0.2 inches.  
         [0137]    A further variant is shown in FIG. 17 c.  Here, a line of perforations is provided, which comprises different line segments all running at 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis for the handrail, but in alternating directions. Slit lengths and slit gaps as in the table above could be employed in this configuration.  
         [0138]    [0138]FIG. 17 c  also shows another variant that can be employed with all the configurations for the perforations, namely the provision of two rows of longitudinally extending perforations  270  defining side margins. Here the side margins are relatively small at 0.0625 inches (1.6 mm), but the side margins could have varying dimensions and could be significantly larger, for example 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) or larger. More particularly, the side margins could be dimensioned so that a portion of the film that, in use covers just the top surfaces of the handrail is separated by these longitudinally extending perforations  270  from film that wraps underneath the bottom of the lips of the handrail.  
         [0139]    [0139]FIG. 17 d,  finally, shows a simple version of the perforations. Here, the perforations are arranged in a straight line  272  extending perpendicularly across the film. Again, slit lengths and slit gaps can be taken from the table given above. Longitudinally extending perforations  270  can optionally be included.  
         [0140]    It is noted above that the film is ideally made from two layers of polyurethane with a thickness of 3 mil. It is now anticipated that the bottom layer of film could have a thickness of 2 mil and the top layer a thickness of  3  mil and conceivably, both layers could have a thickness of 2 mil. This will reduce the overall break strength of the film, and hence reduce the level of perforation required to reduce the break strength down to a reasonable figure, for safety purposes.  
         [0141]    A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a flexible film for mounting on a handrail, to provide a cleaning function. Thus, rather than providing advertising or the like, it is envisaged that the surface of the film could be provided with some coating to provide a cleaning function as it runs through the hidden and enclosed mechanism of an escalator or moving walkway. For this purpose, it will be appreciated that it is not necessary for the film to have two layers. With reference to the configuration of FIG. 12, the layers  168  and  170 , and optionally  172 , could be omitted, i.e. at a minimum for this aspect of the invention, just a layer  162  (with different properties from those described above, as detailed below), an adhesive layer  164  and a release sheet  166  are required.  
         [0142]    For example, in one embodiment, such a proposal could include an adhesive on the top surface of the film, i.e. similar to the layer  172  but with selected adhesive properties, intended to pick up fluff, dirt, lint and the like from within the escalator mechanism. For this purpose, the film would be mounted on the handrail as described above and the handrail operated for a desired period of time. The film would then be removed, taking with it any fluff, dirt, etc. picked upon the film. Other variants are envisaged. For example, the film could be provided with a porous or absorbent structure to absorb oils, greases and the like from surfaces within the handrail mechanism; this could be provided either by incorporating this characteristic into the single layer  162  or by providing a separate layer adhered to the film  162  by the adhesive layer  172 . It is recognized that an inherent difficulty with such an approach is that the drive mechanism of many escalators imposes a strong pinch load on the handrail, which will naturally tend to squeeze out absorbed oils, greases and other fluids. For example, many escalators now employ a so-called linear drive which, by its very nature, requires a high pinch load, to provide an adequate drive.  
         [0143]    For such installations, it is envisaged that an absorbent layer could be in the form of an open, porous absorbent material provided with longitudinally extending ribs or the like of relatively hard material. These ribs would be flush with the absorbent material, but would serve to transfer the pinch load of the rollers, to prevent excessive compression of the porous material, thereby preventing absorbed fluids and the like from being expelled.  
         [0144]    A further possibility is that a multi-layer film could be provided. For example, a bottom or main film could be provided with adhesive on both sides, so as to adhere to an escalator handrail on one side. The adhesive on the other side could initially be bonded to an absorbent layer of material. Such a film would first be run so that the absorbent layer picks up oils, other fluids, etc. After a sufficient period of time, this absorbent layer would, separately, be removed, to leave the film itself and an exposed layer of adhesive. The film itself would then be run through the drive mechanism, so that the exposed layer of adhesive picks up dirt, fluff and the like. The film would then be peeled off the escalator to remove the accumulated dirt, fluff, etc.  
         [0145]    The presently preferred adhesive film only sticks properly to Hypalon rubber handrails. Hypalon is a chlorosulphonated rubber made by DuPont, which has enhanced UV properties and is pigmentable. It is more expensive material, but is commonly selected where coloured handrails are required.  
         [0146]    Most handrails are made with SBR (styrene butadiene rubber) because it has sufficient properties for most applications and is cheaper. SBR can only be black. Adhesive film will initially stick, but will delaminate within days, if not hours because of the antioxidant component that leaches from SBR.  
         [0147]    Hence, for the presently preferred adhesive, most escalator sites will require handrail replacement/upgrade to Hypalon prior to film application. It may be possible to find a suitable adhesive that will bond adequately to SBR handrails.  
         [0148]    It will be appreciated that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, numerous variations are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.  
         [0149]    In particular, the degree to which the film  160  wraps around the handrail can be adjusted and will depend on individual handrail profiles and installations. Having the film wrap a large way around the handrail lips is advantageous as it puts the edge of the film well away from users and not readily accessible to anyone who, for whatever reason, might want to try and peel it off. On the other hand, where the film wraps all the way around the lips, it can tend to buckle as the handrail travels around end rollers and the like. Accordingly, it is expected that some compromise will usually be needed between these two parameters.  
         [0150]    On a more general note, the film described herein can be applied to a stationary handrail as used in a normal stairwell.