Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of utility application Ser. No. 13/771,481, filed Feb. 20, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of design patent application Ser. No. 29/414,565, filed May 11, 2012. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This disclosure is directed to a device and assembly that is a removable handrail extension, to be located, for example, at the top or bottom of stairs. 
     The device allows the user to grip the stable handle portion of the device while climbing up or down a step, or in other situations where a steady handle might be useful, e.g., getting out of bed, using the lavatory, or walking across a slippery surface. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Persons who have difficulty climbing up or going down stairs will often need the assistance of a handrail. However, a stair handrail will ordinarily only extend as far as the last step before a landing or floor. Handrails usually cannot extend farther, either for aesthetic reasons, or for safety reasons, e.g., an extra-long handrail might be a dangerous protrusion. 
     Thus, a person who needs a handrail for every stair step will often have difficulty taking the first or last step on a set of stairs due to the lack of any rail or other sturdy object to hold onto. 
     Thus, there exists a need for a removable handrail that can be easily inserted and removed from a relatively unobtrusive bracket, where the handrail is positioned, for example, to be used for additional threshold support at the first or last step on a set of stairs. 
     In the displayed embodiments, the device comprises a bracket and a handle. In these embodiments, the proximal, connector, and distal portions and sides of the handle are positioned substantially at right angles to each other. Components of the brackets are likewise at substantially right angles to one another and designed to receive the handle at right angles. As a result, when the handle is inserted into the bracket the handle is immobilized in virtually all directions in which a user might exert a force vector upon the handle during use. The handle can be easily removed because an inserted handle is not prevented from being lifted directly upward, and directly upward is the one direction in which a user is extremely unlikely to push during use. 
     Directional terms such as “right”, “left”, “top” and “bottom” in this disclosure and in the claims are only used to explain the relative positions of elements and parts, and are not always absolute. For example, right/left and top/bottom (e.g., for the handle) might be reversed in this disclosure if the bracket were designed or positioned such that the terminal end of the handle were to point right rather than left. 
     Various changes, alternatives and modifications will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art following a reading of this specification and a review of the drawings. It is intended that any such changes, alternatives and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims be considered part of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a front perspective view of the handle portion of a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 1B  is a rear view of the handle of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1C  is a right side view of the handle of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1D  is a front view of the handle of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1E  is a top view of a variation of the handle of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1F  is a bottom view of a variation of the handle of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 2A  is a front perspective view of the bracket portion of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2B  is a top view of the bracket of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 2C  is a bottom view of the bracket of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 2D  is a front view of the bracket of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 2E  is a right view of the bracket of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 2F  is a rear view of the bracket of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3A  is a front perspective view of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 3B  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3C  is bottom view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3D  is a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3E  is a right view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3F  is a rear view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 4A  shows a picture with the bracket of the first embodiment of the device affixed to a wall near the top of a set of stairs, and the handle portion of the embodiment of the device hanging on two screws on said wall. 
         FIG. 4B  shows the picture of  4 A, with the handle portion of the embodiment of the invention inserted into the bracket portion of the first embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5A  shows a front perspective view of the bracket portion of a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 5B  shows a top view of the bracket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5C  shows a bottom view of the bracket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5D  shows a right face view of the bracket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5E  shows a front view of the bracket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5F  shows back view of the bracket of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6A  shows a front perspective view of the second embodiment. 
         FIG. 6B  shows a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 6C  shows a bottom view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 6D  shows a right view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 6E  shows a rear view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 6F  shows a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 7A  shows a picture with the bracket of the second embodiment of the device affixed to a wall near the top of a set of stairs, and the handle portion hanging on two screws on said wall. 
         FIG. 7B  shows the picture of  7 A, with the handle portion inserted into the bracket portion of the second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F , the first displayed embodiment  10  includes a handle  20 . The handle  20  can be made of a strong material such as steel. The distal gripping portion  70  of the handle may be cylindrical and may include a wrap or cover  72  of foam, for example. 
     Handle proximal top side  34  and proximal bottom side  40  are adjacent and perpendicular to proximal front side  32  and proximal back side  36 . Handle proximal end side  38  is adjacent and perpendicular to proximal top, bottom, front, and back sides  34 ,  40 ,  32 ,  36 . 
     Handle connector left side  52  is adjacent and perpendicular to handle proximal back side  36 . Connector right side  56  is adjacent to perpendicular to proximal front side  32 . 
     The distal gripping portion  70  may be parallel to the proximal top, bottom, front, and back sides  34 ,  40 ,  32 ,  36 . The gripping portion  70  may connect to the remainder of the handle at a relative sharp angle as shown at  76  in  FIG. 1A , for example, or may connect at a gentle curve  78  as shown in  FIGS. 1E and 1F . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, and 2F , the displayed first embodiment also includes a bracket  120 . In the displayed first embodiment, the bracket  120  has holes  128  for using screws or other fasteners to affix the bracket  120  to wall studs, for example. 
     The bracket  120  might be cast as one piece, or can be made of three or more parts that are, for example, welded together. As shown in  FIG. 2D , in this first embodiment the bracket  120  includes a face plate  122 , a first extension  124 , and a second extension  126 . The back side (not shown) of the first extension  124  is affixed to the front side  130  of the face plate  122 , and the back side  138  of the second extension is affixed to the front side  144  of the first extension  124 . 
     First extension lower top side  134  is partially located between second extension back side  138  and face plate front side  130 . First extension lower top side  134  is almost exactly the same width as handle proximal bottom side  40 , such that the proximal front side  32  and proximal back side  40  of the handle  20  may fit snugly against second extension back side  138  and face plate front side  130 , respectively, as shown in  FIG. 3A . 
     First extension upper right side  140  is spaced apart from second extension left side  132  so that handle left connector side  52 , right connector side  56 , and bottom connector side  58  fit snugly against first extension upper right side  140 , second extension left side  132  and first extension lower top side  134 , respectively. 
     In any of the embodiments, some of the adjacent parts and sides in the handle (e.g.,  20 ) and/or bracket (e.g.,  120 ) might not be at perfect right angles or perfectly parallel but instead have slight deviations. For example, the handle might be designed such that when the proximal end of the handle is perfectly horizontal, the distal end terminates at a slight upward slope, so that when downward pressure is applied to the distal end during use the distal end will remain at least parallel with the floor. Or, to create the same effect, the first and second extension in the first embodiment might be rotated slightly clockwise on the face plate. 
     As another example of the elements not being at perfect right angles, the top of the second extension  126  might lean slightly outward from the face plate  122  and slope down in toward the face plate so that the proximal portion of the handle  20  can fit easily into the bracket  120  yet have the proximal front and back sides  32 ,  36  fit substantially snugly against the second extension back face  138  and face plate front side  130  once the handle has been completely inserted and the proximal bottom side  40  is resting against the first extension lower top side  134 . 
       FIGS. 3A and 4B  display handle  20  inserted into bracket  120  for use. In this first embodiment, it is assumed that bracket  120  has been affixed to a wall, as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , by, for example, fastening the bracket  120  to wall studs with screws through the bracket apertures  128 . Bracket  120  is positioned such that when handle  20  is inserted, handle grip  70  is located so that a person ascending the stairs  11 , and who can no longer use the hand rail  12  at the last step(s), may then hold on to the handle  120  while stepping on to the landing  13 , as shown in  FIG. 4B . Of course, a similar device  10  could be positioned at the bottom of the stairs  11  such that the gripping portion  70  of the handle would likewise be an essential extension of the handrail, reachable and usable to a user descending the stairs onto the lower floor. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , when handle  20  is not in use it may be removed from bracket  120  and be hung easily on two screws  14  or other wall protrusions. Handle  20  may also be carried with the user for use in another bracket  120 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F , it is shown how handle  20  becomes safely immobilized once the proximal and connector portions are inserted downward into the bracket  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3B , the inserted handle cannot be substantially rotated in the directions R 1  and R 2 , and cannot be moved horizontally in the directions L 1  and L 2 , because handle proximal front side  32  and back side  36  are positioned flat against second extension back side  138  and face plate front side  130 , respectively. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3D , the handle cannot be substantially rotated in the directions R 3  and R 4 , and cannot be moved horizontally in the directions L 3  and L 4 , because handle connector left side  52  and handle connector right side  56  are positioned flat against first extension upper right side  140  and second extension left side  132 , respectively. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3E , the handle cannot be substantially rotated in directions R 5  and R 6  because handle proximal front side  32  and back side  36  are positioned flat against second extension back side  138  and face plate front side  130 , respectively. 
     The handle cannot be moved downward in the direction L 6  because proximal bottom side  40  is resting flat against first extension lower top side  134 . 
     Finally, the handle will not ordinarily move upward L 5  because gravity is holding the handle in place. However, the handle may be removed from the bracket with relative ease by moving the handle straight upward in the direction of L 5 . 
     An easily reversible version of bracket  120  is embodied in cuboid-shaped bracket embodiment  220 , as shown in  FIGS. 5A-F , and as shown used in conjunction with handle  20  in  FIGS. 6A-6F . Bracket  220  may be made from a single piece of material, for example, aluminum. Top face  222  includes a first channel  224  that extends from front face  226  to back face  228 , and the first channel walls are at right angles to the first channel floor. Top face  222  also includes a second channel  230  that extends from right face  232  to at least first channel  224 , and the second channel walls are at substantially right angles to the second channel floor. Second channel is equidistant from said front face  226  and said back face  228 . In this embodiment, first and second channels  224 ,  230  are perpendicular to one another. 
     The width of first channel  224  is substantially equal to the width of the connector portion of handle  20 , i.e., the distance between handle connector left side  52  and handle connector right side  56 . The width of second channel  230  is substantially equal to the width of the distal portion of handle  20 , i.e., the distance between handle proximal front side  32  and proximal back side  36 . In this embodiment, the proximal end  38  of handle extends beyond bracket right face  232 , but this is not required in all embodiments. In this embodiment, the depth of channels  224 ,  230  are substantially equal to, but greater than, the height of handle proximal and distal portions, i.e., the distance between proximal top side  34  and proximal bottom side  40 , which in these embodiments is the same as the distance between connector top side  54  and connector bottom side  58 . 
     Bracket  220  includes four holes  234  that extend from front face  226  to back face  228  and are generally parallel with first channel  224 . The holes may be countersunk on both front face  226  and back face  228 . 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  display the second embodiment  210  being used in the same way that first embodiment  10  is shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . Second embodiment bracket  220  is reversible and may be fastened to a wall with the “back face”  228  facing outward, thereby causing the handle distal end  74  in this display to point rightward when handle  20  is properly inserted in bracket  220 .

Technology Category: 4