Patent ID: 7257850

Claim:
An articulating side rail assembly for a bed having a bed frame with a horizontal position, comprising: a mounting bracket connectable to said bed frame; a handle assembly; first and second linkage arms each having first and second ends and each being pivotally connected at their first ends at first and second pivot axes to said mounting bracket and at their second ends at third and fourth pivot axes to said handle assembly to permit said side rail assembly to articulate generally in a common plane between a down position and an up position, and wherein a is the distance between first and third pivot axes, b is the distance between second and fourth pivot axes, c is the distance between first and second pivot axes, and d is the distance between third and fourth pivot axes, and wherein in the down position, said handle assembly is entirely lateral of the first and second pivot axes; and, a position control assembly connected with at least one of said handle assembly and said first and second linkage arms for releasably locking said side rail assembly in at least one of the down and up positions.