Patent Publication Number: US-2021189735-A1

Title: Handrail for staircase

Description:
The present invention relates to a handrail for a staircase. 
     Most staircases have a handrail on one or both sides of the staircase to help stabilise a person&#39;s balance walking up or down stairs. Most handrails are set at a height suitable for adults. If a small child attempts to climb up or down a staircase the normal handrail is out of arm&#39;s reach, and does not provide a means of stability causing the child to be unstable in both ascent and decent and could lead to a child falling down the stairs. 
     According to the present invention there is provided a handrail for a staircase comprising a handrail member and an adjustable securement device to support the hand rail member at variable heights above the stairs of a staircase. 
     In one embodiment the adjustable securement device supports the handrail member at variable heights to an existing handrail. The adjustable securement device may include at least one tie which secures to an existing handrail and at least one clamp member secured to the handrail member which clamps to a tie at various positions along the length of the tie. 
     In another embodiment the adjustable securement device supports the handrail member at variable heights to an existing substantially vertical surface adjacent the staircase. The adjustable securement device may include at least one track and track follower, each track follower supporting the handrail member and each track follower being adapted to secure itself at various positions on the track. 
     In one embodiment the track follower may include a cam shape which locks to opposing surfaces of the track when rotated in one direction and unlocks from the track when rotated in the other direction. 
     In another embodiment the track may include a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal grooves or apertures and track follower may include at least one horizontal bar or bolt and the or each bar or bolt engages into a groove or aperture on the track. The track follower may be formed in the image of a character such as a climber. 
     The track may also have a vertical groove along which the track follower may be secured at any height by bolts through apertures in the base of the track follower. 
     In one embodiment the track has a front face with an elongate aperture leading into a widened cavity and the track follower has a base with an aperture and a handrail support bracket spaced by an arm from the base, said base being secured to the track front face with a fastener passing through the base aperture and having a head which slides in the widened cavity and can engage with the rear of the front face, the track follower being securable at variable positions along the track. Preferably the fastener is a single axis fastener, with the angle of the support bracket relative to the track being adjustable by rotating the track follower relative to the track. 
     Preferably the single axis fastener is a bolt. Preferably the arm has an opening allowing access to the fastener in the base aperture. Preferably the ends of the track have an aperture to receive a fastener to secure the track to a wall or bannister. 
     The handrail member may be adjustable in length to suit different lengths of stairs. The handrail member may be made of a number of equal length interconnecting sections and one or more telescopic sections. 
     The invention also extends to a handrail with an audible sound operated by a child&#39;s hand touching the rail. The audible sound may increase in pitch and/or volume the higher the child is up the stairs. The audible sound may be customised. The handrail may include features of the handrail member defined above. 
     The invention also extends to a handrail incorporating one or more lights such as LEDs. The lights may be operated by a child&#39;s hand touching the handrail. A string of lights may be provided along the handrail above to follow a child up the stairs in sequence. The or each light may illuminate a staircase. The handrail may include features of the handrails defined above. 
    
    
     
       Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a first embodiment, 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a second embodiment, and 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B, 4, 5, 6 and 7  show perspective views of a third embodiment. 
     
    
    
     Referring to  FIG. 1  there is shown a handrail  1  for a staircase X with an existing handrail Y spaced from the staircase by banisters Z. 
     An elongate handrail member  10  is provided for securement to existing handrail Y at variable heights by means of an adjustable securement device  20  above the stairs of a staircase X. Handrail member  10  may be of a dimension appropriate for a child&#39;s hand. 
     Device  20  has a tie in the form of a loop of cord  21  providing two side by side lengths  21 A,  21 B, e.g. made of rope. A clamp member  22  is secured to the handrail member  10  which clamps to a tie at various positions along the length of the tie. Clamp  22  comprises two shells  22 A,  22 B which can be tightened together by rotating a locking nut  23 . 
     It is envisaged that a plurality of devices  20  would be connected to handrail member  10  to secure member  10  to the existing rail Y at various points along their lengths. The height of member  10  relative to existing rail Y can be adjusted as desired using the clamps  22 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown an existing staircase V and an existing substantially vertical wall surface W adjacent the staircase V. 
     A plurality of U-shaped tracks  30  is provided which can be secured vertically against wall surface W. A track follower for each track  30  is provided in the form of an elliptical cam wheel  31  slides up and down a track. Each wheel  31  is locks to opposing surfaces of its track  30  when rotated in one direction and unlocks from its track when rotated in the other direction. Each wheel  31  can thus be locked in variable position along the track. Each wheel is secured to a handrail member  40 . Each track  30  could be secured to the wall (or a banister under an existing stair handrail) by means of permanent fixings such as screws, or by a non permanent fixing such as adhesive so that a track could be removed without soiling the wall. 
     In use handrail member  40  can be adjusted in height as required. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , instead of tracks  30  and track follower  31 , a track  50  is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal recessed apertures  51  along at least part of the length of the track  50 . A track follower is provided in the form of a body  52  shaped like a climber with arms supporting a removable horizontal bar  53 A and legs supporting a removable horizontal bar  53 B. Body  52  supports a bracket  54  to connect to handrail  40 . In use the bars  53 A,  53 B can be used to lock body  52  in variable positions along the track to adjust the height of handrail  40 . This is done by could done by removing the bars  53 A,  52 B from an arm and leg on one side of the body  52 , and sliding bars  53 A,  53 B through the desired apertures  51  so they re-engage with the arms and legs on said one side of the body  52 . 
     Instead of bars  53 A,  53 B releasably engaging in recessed apertures, the bars could be fixed to the body  52  and engage in vertically spaced horizontal grooves. 
     Each track  50  could be secured to the wall (or a banister under an existing stair handrail) by means of permanent fixings such as screws passing through apertures  55 , or by a non permanent fixing such as adhesive so that a track could be removed without soiling the wall. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , an alternative track,  60 , is provided with a vertical groove and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal recessed apertures,  61 , along at least part of the length of the track  60 . A track follower is provided in the form of a rail bracket,  62 , with, at one end, a circular shape that can slide down the vertical groove, and can be supported by a removable horizontal bar or bolt or bar with a quick release clip,  63 , below and secured by a second similar removable bar or bolt above. In use the bar or bolt,  63 , can be used to lock body  62  in variable positions along the track to adjust the height of handrail,  40 . The track follower,  62 , has a bracket,  67 , to connect to handrail,  40 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5  an alternative track,  64 , for the third embodiment could be with a plurality of apertures,  65 , in the front face to allow the track follower,  62 , to slide in and sit in place. 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the track follower,  70 , may be supported at the front face of the track,  71 , by bolts,  72 , securing it to the track through slots in the base of the track follower,  70 , at any height along the track,  71 . The track follower,  70 , has a bracket,  73 , to connect to handrail,  40 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7  there is shown a track  80  (shown cut in half) having a front face  81  with an elongate aperture  82  leading into a widened C-shaped cavity  83 . The ends  82 A, 82 B of aperture are enlarged to take a bolt head, and the ends of the track have apertures  80 A, 80 B to receive fasteners such as screws  84 A, 84 B to secure the track vertical to a wall or banister. Also apertures in the form of slots  80 C, 80 D could be provided to receive fasteners in the form of straps to secure the track to a bannister/handrail. 
     A track follower  85  has a base  86  with an aperture  86 A and a tubular handrail support bracket  87  (with a fastener aperture  87 A) spaced from the base by an arm in the form of a semi-circular tube  88 . Base  86  is secured to the track front face  81  with a single axis fastener in the form of a bolt  89  passing through the base aperture and having a head  89 A which slides in the widened cavity and can engage with the rear of the front face  81 . A nut  89 B can be tightened to secure the base  86  to the front face  81  at any point along the track to secure the track follower at variable positions along the track. 
     Because the bolt is a single axis fastener, with the angle of the support bracket relative to the track can be adjusted by rotating the track follower relative to the track so that a handrail connected to the support bracket can be supported at any desired angle relative to stairs. 
     Because the arm is a semi-circular tube  88 , it creates an opening  88 A allowing access to the nut  89 B on the bolt passing through the base aperture  86 A. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , a handrail includes a handrail member  90  which may be adjustable in length to suit different lengths of stairs. In order to make it adjustable in length and more convenient to transport or package and stock in a store, handrail member  90  may be made of a number of equal length interconnecting sections  91  and one or more telescopic sections  92 . Each equal length section may have a wider body section  91 A with a narrower tail end  91 B which fits into the wider end of an adjacent section. A telescopic section  92  is made up of two telescoping tubes  92 A, 92 B. Telescoping tube  92 A is equal in diameter to the wider body section  91 A and telescoping tube  92 B is equal in diameter to narrow tail end  91 B. The two telescoping tubes may be secured together by a grub screw  93 . It is envisaged that the handrail member could be sold with more than enough numbers of fixed and telescoping sections to create the maximum length possible of a handrail member. The user can then select a sufficient number of fixed length sections and one or more telescoping section to create the exact length of handrail member required. The sections can be interconnected and then secured together using a grub screw (not shown), or the joints between sections could be held and covered in the tubular support brackets  87  using a fastener passing through aperture  87 A (see  FIG. 7 ). End plugs (not shown) may be provided for the ends of the assembled handrail member. 
     As in the third embodiment each track,  60 ,  66 ,  71  and  76  could be secured to the wall (or a banister under an existing stair handrail) by means of permanent fixings such as screws passing through apertures in the track or by a non-permanent fixing so that a track could be removed without soiling the wall. 
     The handrail member  10 ,  40 ,  90  described above could include an audible sound operated by a child&#39;s hand touching the rail. The audible sound may increase in pitch and/or volume the higher the child is up the stairs. The audible sound may be customised, e.g. with a child&#39;s favourite tune. This would alert parent of a child walking up or down the stairs that a child was on the stairs and a pitch or volume change could indicate a direction of travel either up or down the stairs. The invention thus also extends to a handrail with an audible sound operated by a child&#39;s hand touching the rail. The audible sound could be produced by a circuit with a “resistive ladder” extending along the rail similar to a keypad, or by a captive touch sense method. Also the rail could be a hollow extrusion with the circuit possible mounted in the extrusion. The circuit could be interchangeable and upgradeable. 
     The handrail member  10 ,  40 ,  90  described above could include one or more lights such as LEDs to illuminate the handrail and staircase for a child at night. The lights may be operated by a child&#39;s hand touching the handrail. A string of lights may be provided along the handrail above to follow a child up the stairs in sequence. The invention thus also extends to a handrail incorporating one or more lights such as LEDs. 
     The invention may take a form different to that specifically described above. For example two handrails could be supported by the same adjustable securement device at different heights for children of different sizes, for example each track could support two track followers. A silicone membrane may lie on top of the rail to give the rail non-slip properties and/or act as the compliance to activate the resistive ladder (Keypad). 
     Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.