Patent ID: 7523592

Claim:
A handrail assembly, comprising: a panel having a face, said panel defining a pair of grooves on opposite sides of said panel, wherein said face defines one of said grooves such that said face has flat portions that lie in the same plane on opposite sides of said groove; a sleeve engaging said panel and at least partially disposed within at least a portion of both of said grooves, wherein said sleeve has a curved inner surface that has a radius of curvature that is the same about the inner surface of said sleeve, wherein an outer surface of said sleeve is curved and extends circumferentially beyond said inner surface of said sleeve, wherein the portion of said sleeve disposed in said groove defined in said face is located beyond the plane into which said flat portions of said face lie such that said curved outer surface of said sleeve disposed in said groove defined in said face faces a portion of said panel, and such that said curved inner surface of said sleeve disposed in said groove defined in said face faces another portion of said panel; and a mounting post engaging said panel, wherein said mounting post is configured for spacing said panel and said sleeve from an object to which said mounting post is attached.