Patent ID: 7200915

Claim:
A method of forming a continuous closed-loop handrail for a moving stairway or moving walkway, comprising the steps: a) providing an elongated handrail stock member that extends in a longitudinal direction, has two opposite terminal ends, and comprises a handrail body and a longitudinal reinforcement layer, wherein said handrail body comprises a polymeric material, and wherein said longitudinal reinforcement layer comprises longitudinal reinforcement fibers that extend in said longitudinal direction, are embedded in or bonded to said handrail body, and are adapted to take up tension forces in said longitudinal direction; b) respectively forming in each one of said terminal ends, a slot respectively extending with a limited length in said longitudinal direction, parallel and proximate to said longitudinal reinforcement layer; c) arranging said handrail stock member in a loop configuration with said terminal ends facing one another across a joint plane defined therebetween, with said respective slots aligned coplanar with one another on opposite sides of said joint plane; d) inserting a joint reinforcement insert into said slots and spanning across said joint plane, wherein said joint reinforcement insert is a flat planar element comprising joint reinforcement fibers extending in said longitudinal direction; e) heating a first portion of said handrail body along said slots so as to soften or melt said polymeric material of said first portion; f) press-molding said handrail body so as to penetrate said polymeric material that has been softened or melted into said joint reinforcement insert along said slots; and g) cooling said first portion of said handrail body to harden said polymeric material that had been softened or melted, thereby bonding said joint reinforcement insert into said polymeric material of said handrail body and forming a junction between said terminal ends across said joint plane.