Handrail wall mount adapter

A handrail wall mount adapter for mounting a handrail wall mounting bracket of a handrail assembly to a wall, the bracket including a mounting plate having a plurality of mounting openings, the adapter comprising: a body having at least one unthreaded opening for receiving a wall mounting fastener and a plurality of bracket mounting openings for receiving at least one bracket mounting fastener, the body being selectively positionable relative to the mounting plate in a first orientation in which the at least one unthreaded opening is aligned with the mounting openings to allow the mounting fasteners to extend through the mounting openings and through the unthreaded openings and securely engage the wall, and in a second orientation in which the bracket mounting openings are aligned with the mounting openings of the mounting plate to secure the mounting bracket to the adapter using the bracket mounting fasteners.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field generally relates to handrails, and more precisely to wall mount adapters for handrail wall mounting brackets.

BACKGROUND

Handrails are adapted to be grasped by the hand of a user to provide stability or support to the user. Handrails are commonly used on stairways, but can also be used in leveled areas such as along a corridor.

When the handrail is disposed along a wall, the handrail is usually mounted to the wall by a generally L-shaped bracket which connects to the underside of the handrail to allow a hand of the user to grip the handrail from above.

When mounting the handrail to the wall, the user may want to position the handrail at a certain distance from the wall, or may be required to do so by local legislation. For example, local legislation may require the handrail to be at a minimum distance of 38 mm from the wall. According to other legislation, the handrail may be required to be at a minimum distance of 57 mm from the wall.

Once the handrail is installed to the wall, the user may want to move the handrail away from the wall, to conform to a change in legislation for example, or to replace the handrail with a handrail with different dimensions. In this case, the user would unfortunately have to replace all of the brackets with brackets of different dimensions.

Furthermore, the wall surface to which the handrail is mounted may not be even. For example, certain features of the wall may create depressions on the wall surface, thereby creating the need for different brackets with different dimensions to support the handrail along its entire length, which creates additional costs for the user and for the manufacturer.

In some cases, the bracket may also be adapted to receive screws such as decorative screws which may not be sufficiently strong to properly secure the bracket to the wall. In these cases, the user may use additional securing fasteners such as toggle bolts, wall anchors, expansion bolts, lag bolts, masonry screws or the like to secure the bracket, which would detract from the appearance of the brackets and/or handrail if left exposed.

There is therefore a need for a device which would overcome at least one of the above-identified drawbacks.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, there is provided a handrail wall mount adapter for mounting a handrail wall mounting bracket of a handrail assembly to a wall, the bracket including a mounting plate having a plurality of mounting openings extending therethrough, the adapter comprising: a body having a front face configured for matingly receiving the mounting plate and a rear face for abutting the wall, the body further having at least one unthreaded opening extending between the front face and the rear face of the body, each unthreaded opening being configured for receiving a wall mounting fastener therethrough, the body further having a plurality of bracket mounting openings defined in the front face for receiving at least one bracket mounting fastener, the body being selectively positionable relative to the mounting plate in a first orientation in which the at least one unthreaded opening is aligned with the mounting openings of the mounting plate to allow the mounting fasteners to extend through the mounting openings and through the unthreaded openings and securely engage the wall, and in a second orientation in which the bracket mounting openings are aligned with the mounting openings of the mounting plate to allow the bracket mounting fasteners to extend through the mounting openings and the bracket mounting openings to thereby secure the mounting bracket to the adapter.

In one embodiment, each bracket mounting opening includes a threaded bore to threadably receive the bracket mounting screws.

In one embodiment, the first, second and third bracket mounting bores are unthreaded and the bracket mounting screws include self-tapping screws.

In one embodiment, the at least one unthreaded opening includes a plurality of offcentered unthreaded holes disposed around a center of the front face.

In one embodiment, the plurality of offcentered unthreaded holes includes first, second and third offcentered unthreaded holes.

In one embodiment, the at least one unthreaded opening includes a central unthreaded hole centered on the front face.

In one embodiment, the first, second and third offcentered unthreaded holes have the same diameter and the central unthreaded hole has a diameter larger than the diameter of the offcentered unthreaded holes.

In one embodiment, each unthreaded opening is counterbored.

In one embodiment, each unthreaded opening includes a cylindrical recess extending from the front face towards the rear face and a bore extending from the cylindrical recess towards the rear face.

In one embodiment, the body further includes a front recess which extends into the body from the front face towards the rear face and which defines a front peripheral edge surrounding the front recess, the front recess being sized and shaped to receive the mounting plate.

In one embodiment, the body further includes a body sidewall extending between the front and rear faces, the body sidewall being tapered from the rear face towards the front face.

In one embodiment, the body is hollow.

In one embodiment, the front face of the body is closed and the rear face is open.

In one embodiment, the body further includes a rear peripheral edge facing away from the front face for abutting the wall.

In one embodiment, the body further includes a rear lip extending along the inside of the body sidewall near the rear peripheral edge, the rear lip being configured for abutting a front peripheral edge of an additional adapter to allow the adapter to be stacked over the additional adapter.

In one embodiment, the body is rectangular.

According to another aspect, there is also provided a kit for mounting a handrail wall mounting bracket of a handrail assembly to a wall, the bracket including a mounting plate having a plurality of mounting openings extending therethrough, the kit comprising: a first handrail wall mount adapter as described above; and a second handrail wall mount adapter as described above, the second adapter being selectively stackable over the first adapter such that the rear face of the second handrail wall mount adapter engages the front face of the first handrail wall mount adapter and each unthreaded openings of the second handrail wall mount adapter is aligned with a corresponding bracket mounting opening of the first handrail wall mount to receive a corresponding adapter mounting screw therethrough.

In one embodiment, the body of each one of the first and second handrail wall mount adapters further includes a body sidewall extending between the front and rear faces of the corresponding body, the body sidewall being tapered from the rear face towards the front face.

In one embodiment, the body of the second handrail wall mount adapter includes a rear peripheral edge facing away from the front face for abutting the wall and a rear lip extending along the inside of the body sidewall near the rear peripheral edge, the rear lip being configured for abutting a front peripheral edge of the first handrail wall mount adapter.

According to yet another aspect, there is also provided a handrail wall mount adapter for mounting a handrail wall mounting bracket of a handrail assembly to a wall, the bracket including a mounting plate having a plurality of mounting openings adapted to receive mounting fasteners therethrough, the adapter comprising: a body having a front face configured for matingly receiving the mounting plate and a rear face for abutting the wall, the body being positionable relative to the mounting plate in a first portion and a second position, the body further having: at least one unthreaded opening extending between the front face and the rear face of the body for receiving the mounting fasteners therethrough, the at least one unthreaded opening being disposed on the body such that when the adapter is in a first orientation relative to the mounting plate, the at least one unthreaded opening is aligned with the mounting openings of the mounting plate to allow the mounting fasteners to extend through the mounting openings and through the unthreaded openings and securely engage the wall; and a plurality of bracket mounting openings defined in the front face for receiving at least one bracket mounting fastener, the bracket mounting openings being disposed on the body such that when the adapter is in a second orientation relative to the mounting plate, the bracket mounting openings are aligned with the mounting openings of the mounting plate to allow the bracket mounting fasteners to extend through the mounting openings and the bracket mounting openings to thereby secure the bracket to the adapter.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the embodiments of the handrail wall mount adapter and corresponding parts thereof consist of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperation thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations, may be used for the handrail wall mount adapter, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom by a person skilled in the art.

Moreover, it will be appreciated that positional descriptions such as “front”, “rear”, “top”, “bottom” and the like should be taken in the context of the figures only and should not be considered limiting. More particularly, they correspond to the position and orientation of the handrail wall mounting bracket, when mounted such that it supports a handrail from the underside of the handrail to allow a hand of a user to grab the handrail generally from above the handrail and slide longitudinally along the handrail substantially unimpeded. The rear position corresponds to portions adjacent the wall while the front position corresponds to portions opposed to the wall.

Having discussed the general context of the handrail wall mount adapter, optional embodiments will be discussed further hereinbelow. The embodiments according to the following description are given for exemplification purposes only.

Referring first toFIGS. 1 and 2, there is provided a handrail wall mount adapter100, in accordance with one embodiment. The adapter100is configured to attach a handrail wall mounting bracket150to a wall. The handrail wall mounting bracket150is adapted to support a handrail and to maintain the handrail spaced from the wall such that a user may readily grab and/or hold the handrail.

In the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the bracket150is generally L-shaped and includes a generally horizontal first elongated portion152having a first end154and a second end156and a generally vertical second elongated portion158having a first end160secured to the second end156of the first elongated portion152and a second end162adapted to be secured to the underside of the handrail.

The bracket150further includes a mounting plate164secured to the first end154of the first elongated portion152. The mounting plate164is adapted to be placed against and fastened to the adapter100to secure the bracket150to the adapter100. Specifically, the mounting plate164is generally planar and extends generally vertically and orthogonally to the first elongated portion152of the bracket150.

In the illustrated embodiment, both the mounting plate164and the adapter100are generally rectangular. Alternatively, the mounting plate164and the adapter100could have a different shape. It will also be understood that although the mounting plate164and the adapter100are shown inFIGS. 1 and 2as having the same shape, the mounting plate164and the adapter100could instead be shaped differently from each other.

Still in the illustrated embodiment, the first elongated portion152of the bracket150has a generally rectangular cross-section. Specifically, the first elongated portion152includes top and bottom walls166,168which are disposed generally horizontally and parallel to each other, and first and second side walls170,172which are disposed generally vertically and parallel to each other. Still in the illustrated embodiment, the side walls170,172are longer than the top and bottom walls166,168, such that the cross-section of the first elongated portion152is vertically elongated. It will be understood that this configuration helps prevent the first elongated portion152from bending downwardly when a user grabbing the handrail puts his weight down on the handrail. Alternatively, instead of being rectangular, the cross-section of the first elongated portion152may instead be circular, oval or have any other shape which a skilled person would consider to be appropriate.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second elongated portions152,158of the bracket150are angled away from each other at an angle of about 90 degrees. Alternatively, the first and second elongated portions152,158could be disposed at a different angle from each other. Specifically, the first elongated portion152may not be exactly horizontal and/or the second elongated portion158may not be exactly vertical.

Still in the illustrated embodiment, the mounting plate164includes a top left mounting opening or hole174disposed to the left of the first elongated portion152, a top right mounting opening or hole176disposed to the right of the first elongated portion158and a bottom mounting opening or hole178which is located below the first elongated portion152and which is generally horizontally centred on the mounting plate164. Alternatively, the mounting plate164could include a different number of holes and/or the holes could be positioned at different locations on the mounting plate164.

The handrail wall mount adapter100is adapted to allow the bracket150to be mounted to a wall, not shown, in one of multiple configurations, each configuration using a certain number and/or type of fasteners, as will be further explained below. In the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the adapter100and the bracket150are configured to be mounted to the wall using a top left wall mounting fastener180engaging the top left mounting hole174of the mounting plate164, a top right wall mounting fastener182engaging the top right mounting hole176and a bottom wall mounting fastener184engaging the bottom mounting hole178.

In one embodiment, the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164are countersunk and the fasteners180,182,184include countersunk screws having a conical head which are sized and shaped to be received snuggly within the countersunk holes. Alternatively, the mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164could have a different configuration.

Now turning toFIGS. 3 to 8B, the adapter100includes a rectangular body300with generally rounded corners. The body300includes a front face310, a rear face402spaced from the front face310and a body sidewall301extending between the front and rear faces310,402. More specifically, the body sidewall301includes a first horizontal wall302, a second horizontal wall304spaced from the first horizontal wall302, a first vertical side wall306and a second vertical side wall308spaced from the first vertical side wall306.

In the illustrated embodiment, the body300is generally hollow and defines an inner cavity400which is open on one side. Specifically, the front face310is closed and the rear face402is open. The body300further includes a front recess312which extends into the body300from the front face310towards the rear face402and a front peripheral edge314surrounding the front recess312. The front recess312is sized and shaped to receive the mounting plate164of the bracket150. In the illustrated embodiment, the front recess312and the front peripheral edge314are rectangular to receive the mounting plate164which is also rectangular. Alternatively, the front recess312and the front peripheral edge314may have another shape corresponding to the shape of the mounting plate164.

At the rear face402, the first horizontal wall302, the second horizontal wall304, the first vertical side wall306and the second vertical side wall308define a rectangular rear peripheral edge404which faces rearwardly, away from the front face310, and which is adapted to abut the wall to which the handrail is secured.

It will be appreciated that this configuration allows the body300to be manufactured by molding using a moldable material such as a plastic or a die-castable metal such as zinc, aluminium or the like. Alternatively, the body300could instead be solid and be manufactured by machining from a metal, for example, in which case the body300may include a closed rear face.

In the illustrated embodiment, the body sidewall301is tapered from the rear face402towards the front face310. Specifically, the first horizontal wall302and the second horizontal wall304are not disposed in planes which are parallel to each other, but are instead angled towards a center of the front face310. Similarly, the first vertical side wall306and the second vertical side wall308are also not disposed in planes which are parallel to each other, but are instead also angled towards a center of the front face310. More specifically, the first horizontal wall302is angled towards the second horizontal wall304, from the rear face402towards the front face310, and the second horizontal wall304is angled towards the first horizontal wall302, from the rear face402towards the front face310. Similarly, the first vertical side wall306is angled towards the second vertical side wall308and the second vertical side wall308is angled towards the first vertical side wall306, again from the rear face402towards the front face310.

It will be understood that in this configuration, the front peripheral edge314therefore defines a smaller rectangle than the rear peripheral edge404, which allows the adapter100to be stacked over a second, similar adapter, as will be further explained below.

Still in the illustrated embodiment, the body300further includes a rectangular rear lip406which extends along the inside of the first horizontal wall302, of the second horizontal wall304, of the first vertical side wall306and of the second vertical side wall308, near the rear peripheral edge404. The rear lip406is adapted to abut the front peripheral edge314of a second, similar adapter when the adapter100is stacked over the second, similar adapter, as will be explained further below. Alternatively, in an embodiment in which the rear face402is closed instead of being open, the body300could instead include a rear recess which would be generally similar to the front recess312and which would extend into the body300from the rear face402towards the front face310.

Still referring toFIGS. 3 to 8B, the body300further includes plurality of bores or holes316a,316b,316cextending through the body300perpendicularly to the front face310. In the illustrated embodiment, the holes316a,316b,316care generally offcentered relative to the front face310. In other words, the holes316a,316b,316care generally disposed around a center of the front face310. More specifically, the plurality of bores includes a first counterbored hole316awhich is located generally towards the first horizontal wall302and the first vertical side wall306, a second counterbored hole316bwhich is located generally towards the first horizontal wall302and the second vertical side wall308and a third counterbored hole316cwhich is located generally towards the second horizontal wall304and which is generally centered horizontally between the first and second vertical side walls306,308.

As best shown inFIG. 8B, each counterbored hole316a,316b,316cincludes a cylindrical recess800extending from the front face310towards the rear face402of the adapter100and a bore802extending from the cylindrical recess800away from the front face310and towards the rear face402. The cylindrical recess800is adapted to receive a head of the corresponding fastener and the bore802is adapted to receive a body of the fastener.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bore802is unthreaded to allow the corresponding fastener to simply extend therethrough and engage the wall against which the adapter100is placed.

Referring back toFIGS. 1 and 2, the adapter100is shown ready to be mounted to the wall in a first configuration, in which the adapter100is positioned and oriented such that the first vertical side wall306is disposed to the left of the second vertical side wall308and the first horizontal wall302is disposed above the second horizontal wall304.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316care further positioned on the front face310such that, in this orientation, they are in alignment respectively with the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164when the mounting plate164is received in the front recess312.

In this first configuration, each one of the left, right and bottom fasteners180,182,184includes a screw which passes through a corresponding one of the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164and through a corresponding one of the top left, top right and bottom counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the body300to engage the wall and thereby secure the handrail to the wall.

To mount the bracket150, and therefore the handrail, to the wall in this first configuration, the bracket150is first placed over the adapter100such that the mounting plate164is received in the front recess312of the adapter100. The adapter100is then positioned on the wall in a desired location in which the bracket150extends to and can be connected to the underside of the handrail.

The fasteners180,182,184are then inserted in their respective holes of the mounting plate164until the head of the fastener180,182,184abuts the mounting plate164to firmly secure the adapter100against the wall and the mounting plate164of the bracket150against the adapter100. It will be appreciated that in this configuration, both the adapter100and the bracket150are secured to the wall using only the three fasteners180,182,184.

Referring again toFIGS. 3 to 8B, the body300of the adapter100further includes a first bracket mounting opening or bore318alocated generally towards the first horizontal wall302and horizontally between the first and second counterbored holes316a,316b, a second bracket mounting opening or bore318blocated near the second horizontal wall304and horizontally between the first vertical side wall306and the third counterbored hole316cand a third bracket mounting opening or bore318clocated near the second horizontal wall304and horizontally between the third counterbored hole316cand the second vertical side wall308. The first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318care disposed generally orthogonally to the front face310and therefore parallel to the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316c.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318cextend all the way through the body300between the front face310and the rear face402. Alternatively, the first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318cmay be blind such that they only extend partially through the body300from the front face310towards the rear face310.

Now referring toFIGS. 9 and 10, the adapter100is shown assembled with the bracket150in a second configuration, in which the adapter is rotated 180 degrees from the first configuration illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2. Specifically, the adapter100is positioned and oriented such that the first vertical side wall306is disposed to the right of the second vertical side wall308and the first horizontal wall302is disposed below the second horizontal wall304.

In the illustrated embodiment, the third, second and first bracket mounting bores318c,318b,318aare further positioned on the front face310such that, in this orientation, they are in alignment respectively with the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164when the mounting plate164is received in the front recess312.

In this configuration, the adapter100can first be positioned and secured on the wall. Specifically, the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316care adapted to respectively receive first, second and third wall mounting screws900,902,904, which can be similar to the left, right and bottom fasteners180,182,184used with the adapter100in the first configuration or which could be shorter.

The adapter100is first placed in abutment against the wall at a desired location, and the first, second and third wall mounting screws900,902,904are inserted into the counterbored holes316a,316b,316cand into the wall beyond the adapter100until the head of the screws900,902,904abuts the adapter100and the body of the screws900,902,904firmly engages the wall, thereby securing the adapter100to the wall.

Once the adapter100has been secured to the wall, the bracket150can then be placed over the adapter100such that the mounting plate164is received in the front recess312of the adapter100. As explained above, in this position, the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164are aligned respectively with the third, second and first bracket mounting bores318c,318b,318aof the adapter100.

The bracket150can then be secured to the adapter100using first, second and third bracket mounting screws950,952,954, which are adapted to pass through the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164and to threadably engage the third, second and first bracket mounting bores318c,318b,318aof the adapter100.

It will be appreciated that since the bracket mounting screws950,952,954only secure the bracket150to the adapter100, the bracket mounting screws950,952,954do not need to extend beyond the adapter100and can therefore be substantially shorter than the wall mounting screws900,902,904and the fasteners180,182,184used with the adapter in the first embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2. Alternatively, the bracket mounting screws950,952,954could extend beyond the adapter100and engage the wall to further secure the bracket150and the adapter100to the wall.

It will be appreciated that this second configuration allows the user to first position the adapter100on the wall in a desired or required location, and then secure the handrail to the adapter100in a separate operation.

In one embodiment, the first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318care threaded to threadably receive the bracket mounting screws950,952,954. Alternatively, instead of the first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318cbeing threaded, the first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318ccould be unthreaded and the bracket mounting screws950,952,954could be self-tapping screws. Specifically, the body300could be made of a material adapted to receive self-tapping screws, such as a plastic, and the self-tapping screws could be sized and shaped to create threads in the unthreaded first, second and third bracket mounting bores318a,318b,318cas the bracket mounting screws950,952,954are screwed into their respective bore to thereby secure the bracket150to the adapter100.

Referring back once again toFIGS. 3 to 8B, the body300further includes a central counterbored hole350generally centered on the front face310and extending through the front face310. As shown more precisely inFIG. 8B, the central counterbored hole350is generally similar to the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316c, albeit slightly larger. Specifically, the central counterbored hole350includes a cylindrical recess850extending from the front face310towards the rear face402of the adapter100and a bore852extending from the cylindrical recess850, away from the front face310.

Turning now toFIGS. 11 and 12, the adapter100is shown assembled with the bracket150and the adapter100is shown ready to be mounted to the wall in a third configuration. In this third configuration, the adapter100is oriented similarly to the second configuration, with the first vertical side wall306disposed to the right of the second vertical side wall308and the first horizontal wall302disposed below the second horizontal wall304.

In this third configuration, the adapter100is secured to the wall using a single central wall mounting fastener1100, which is sized and shaped to be received in the central counterbored hole350of the adapter100and is adapted to engage the wall. In one embodiment, the central wall mounting fastener1100could be a screw adapted to directly penetrate a surface of the wall when screwed into the wall. Alternatively, the central wall mounting fastener1100could include a bolt adapted to engage a pre-drilled and pre-threaded bore defined in the wall or in another similar structure.

In addition to the configurations illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 12and described above, the adapter100could also be configured in one of various configurations in which the adapter100is secured to the wall using a combination of different types of fasteners. For example, the adapter100could be secured to the wall using a central fastener similar to the central wall mounting fastener1100illustrated inFIGS. 11 and 12, as well as one or more fasteners similar to fasteners180,182extending through corresponding counterbored hole316a,316b,316cof the adapter100.

Referring now toFIGS. 13 to 15, there is shown a first handrail wall mount adapter100aand a second handrail wall mount adapter100bboth used to mount the bracket150to the wall. Both the first and the second handrail wall mount adapters100a,100bare similar to the adapter100illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 12and described above.

In this embodiment, the first and second adapters100a,100bare stacked over each other. As explained above, the first and second horizontal walls302,304are not parallel to each other, but are instead angled towards each other from the rear face402towards the front face310. Similarly, the first and second vertical side walls306,308are not parallel to each other, but are instead angled towards each other from the rear face402towards the front face310. In this configuration, the front face310of the first adapter100acan be received in the second adapter100bthrough the open rear face402of the second adapter100b. Specifically, the front face310of the first adapter100acan be inserted into the rear face402of the second adapter100b, past the rear peripheral edge404of the second adapter100b, until the front peripheral edge312of the first adapter100aabuts the rear lip406of the second adapter100b. The first adapter100ais therefore held between the second adapter100band the wall and is thereby prevented from moving horizontally. Furthermore, since the front face310of the first adapter100aextends into the body300of the second adapter100bbeyond the rear peripheral edge404of the second adapter100b, the first adapter100ais further prevented from moving out of alignment with the second adapter100bby the horizontal and vertical sidewalls302,304,306,308of the second adapter100b.

In this embodiment, the bracket150can be secured to the wall according to one of various arrangements. In the arrangement illustrated inFIGS. 13 to 16, the first adapter100ais placed against the wall in the first configuration as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2and the second adapter100bis placed over the first adapter100ain the second configuration as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10. In this arrangement, the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the second adapter100bare aligned respectively with the third, second and first bracket mounting bores318c,318b,318aof the first adapter100a.

To mount the bracket150and the first and second adapters100a,100bto the wall, the first adapter100ais first placed against the wall in a desired location. Wall mounting screws1300a,1300b,1300care then inserted into the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the first adapter100aand through the wall to secure the first adapter100ato the wall.

The second adapter100bis then placed over the first adapter100ain the second configuration such that the front peripheral edge312of the first adapter100aabuts the rear lip406of the second adapter100b. The rear lip is configured such that when the front peripheral edge of the first adapter100aabuts the rear lip of the second adapter100b, the second adapter100bis generally parallel to the first adapter100a. Alternatively, the second adapter100bmay not include a rear lip406, and the front peripheral edge312of the first adapter100acould simply abut the inside of the horizontal walls302,304and the vertical side walls306,308of the second adapter100bas the distance between the horizontal walls302,304and between the vertical side walls306,308of the second adapter100bgets progressively smaller from the rear face404to the front face310.

The second adapter100bcan then be secured to the first adapter100aby a plurality of adapter mounting screws1500which are each inserted in one of the counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the second adapter100band threadably engage the corresponding bracket mounting bore318a,318bor318cof the first adapter100aaligned with the counterbored hole. The adapter mounting screws1500can be inserted by rotating the screws1500until the head of the screws1500abut the second adapter100b, thereby securing the second adapter100bto the first adapter100a.

The bracket150can then be placed against the second adapter100bsuch that the mounting plate164of the bracket150is received in the front recess312of the second adapter100b. Since the second adapter100bis in the second configuration illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10, the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164are respectively aligned with the third, second and first bracket mounting bores318c,318b,318aof the second adapter100b. The bracket150can then be secured by a plurality of bracket mounting screws1350passing through the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164and threadably engaging the third, second and first bracket mounting bores318c,318b,318aof the second adapter100bas described above with reference toFIGS. 9 and 10.

It will be understood that instead of the above-described arrangement, the bracket150and the first and second adapters100a,100bcould be mounted to the wall using one of various alternative arrangements.

For example, the bracket150and the first and second adapters100a,100bcould instead be mounted to the wall using only first, second and third wall mounting fasteners, similar to the first, second and third wall mounting fasteners180,182,184used to secured the adapter100to the wall in the first configuration illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2. Specifically, to secure the first and second adapters100a,100bto the wall, the first adapter100ais oriented in the first configuration shown inFIGS. 1 and 2and is placed in abutment with the wall at a desired location, the second adapter100bis stacked over the first adapter100aas described above, but in the first configuration rather than the second configuration shown inFIGS. 9 and 10. In this configuration, the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the second adapter100bare aligned with the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the first adapter100a. When the mounting plate164of the bracket150is received in the front recess312of the second adapter100b, the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164are also aligned with the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the first and second adapters100a,100b. The first, second and third wall mounting fasteners can then be inserted into the top left, top right and bottom mounting holes174,176,178of the mounting plate164and further into the first, second and third counterbored holes316a,316b,316cof the first and second adapters100a,100buntil they engage the wall, thereby securing the bracket150and the first and second adapters100a,100bto the wall.

It will be appreciated that in the above embodiment, the second adapter100bstacked over the first adapter100aallows the handrail to be spaced further away from the wall than if a single adapter100were used. Alternatively, more than two adapters100may be used and stacked over each other in one of various arrangements to further space the handrail from the wall if desired and/or required.

It will further be appreciated that the adapter100described above allows the bracket150to be secured to the wall using various types of fasteners.

Furthermore, the adapter100further serves to increase the spacing between the handrail and the wall. By using multiple adapters stacked over each other, the spacing between the handrail and the wall can be further increased.

It will be further appreciated that the arrangements described above are merely provided as examples, and that many alternative configurations may be considered. For example, the adapter100described above could have one of various alternative shape and have a different number of holes and/or holes which are disposed at different locations, depending on the configuration of the handrail wall mounting bracket150.