Patent ID: 8702069

Claim:
A guard rail assembly comprising: a top rail portion which extends adjacent at least one side of an access aperture to provide a guard rail for a user maneuvering on a floor surface adjacent the access aperture; an angled portion which extends downwardly from the top rail portion at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the top rail portion to provide a hand grip surface for the user as the user passes through the access aperture; a front leg segment having opposing lower and upper ends, the lower end disposed adjacent the floor surface and the upper end extending above the lower end to support an end of the angled portion opposite the top rail portion; and first and second support brackets configured to receive and engage the lower end of the front leg segment to provide multi-axial support thereto along two orthogonal axes, the first support bracket comprising a first planar base portion which contactingly engages the floor surface and a first planar support flange which orthogonally extends from an edge of the first planar base portion to contactingly engage a first vertical side of the front leg segment, the second support bracket comprising a second planar base portion which contactingly engages the floor surface and a second planar support flange which orthogonally extends from an edge of the second planar base portion to contactingly engage a second vertical side of the front leg segment, each of the first and second planar base portions having a length longer than a width thereof, the first planar base portion extending away from the front leg support so that the length of the first planar base portion extends in a first direction along an edge of the access aperture, the second planar base portion extending away from the front leg support so that the length of the second planar base portion extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and away from the access aperture to contactingly engage, with the first planar base portion, a substantially L-shaped area of the floor surface, and wherein an end of the first planar base portion is disposed under the lower end of the front leg segment; and wherein the second support bracket has a cutout feature configured to insertingly accommodate a portion of the first support bracket to enable both the first and second support brackets to respectively lie flat on the floor surface during said engagement with the lower end of the front leg segment without extending into said access aperture.