CA2730855A1 - Illuminated handrail - Google Patents
Illuminated handrail Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2730855A1 CA2730855A1 CA 2730855 CA2730855A CA2730855A1 CA 2730855 A1 CA2730855 A1 CA 2730855A1 CA 2730855 CA2730855 CA 2730855 CA 2730855 A CA2730855 A CA 2730855A CA 2730855 A1 CA2730855 A1 CA 2730855A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- handrail
- fastener
- pickets
- light
- combination
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V33/00—Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
- F21V33/006—General building constructions or finishing work for buildings, e.g. roofs, gutters, stairs or floors; Garden equipment; Sunshades or parasols
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
- E04F11/00—Stairways, ramps, or like structures; Balustrades; Handrails
- E04F11/18—Balustrades; Handrails
- E04F2011/1868—Miscellaneous features of handrails not otherwise provided for
- E04F2011/1872—Miscellaneous features of handrails not otherwise provided for illuminated
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Steps, Ramps, And Handrails (AREA)
Abstract
The handrail attaches to the pickets of a fence and is composed of translucent or transparent material. An elongated recess is formed in the handrail for accommodation of an elongated light such as a rope light. A fastener removably engages the handrail to the pickets. A second handrail composed of opaque, metallic material surrounds the former handrail but may be removed so that the light in the former handrail is visible from outside the handrail.
Description
This invention relates to handrails and more particularly to a handrail which is contin-uously illuminated from within the handrail. The handrail may be interchanged with a handrail which is opaque and which transmits no light.
A hand rail adjacent to stairs, balconies and wherever else a support is needed must be adequately illuminated if it is to be used with safety. This is particularly so where the hand rail is to be used at night or by persons with limited vision. Spotlights can be used to illuminate a handrail but an object illuminated by a spotlight is often obscured by shadows and not clearly visible to a person with limited vision. Electric light bulbs in strings can be wound around a handrail to illuminate it but such bulbs can prevent the handrail from being held firmly either because the bulbs may slip when held or because the bulbs, if held too tightly, may break and cause injury I have invented a handrail which is continuously illuminated along its length.
The illum-ination is not obscured by shadows nor is it produced by electric light bulbs which prevent the handrail from being held firmly. In fact, the illumination originates from within the handrail and has no affect on the way in which the handrail is held. Moreover, the source of illumination produces no heat that has any affect on the temperature of the handrail.
Furthermore adverse weather conditions such as rain or snow has no affect on the life of the source of the illumination.
The subject handrail has a number of desirable features in addition to the benefits men-tioned above. It is decorative when illuminated and may be illuminated not only by lights of a I
single colour but by lights of many colours to give it an effect similar to a kaleidoscope. More-over, the lights may be steady or may pulse. Should the handrail not require illumination, it can be replaced by a handrail composed of more durable material such as aluminum.
Briefly, the subject matter of the subject invention is a combination of a first handrail for attachment to at least one of a number of pickets of a fence; a fastener for securing the handrail to the pickets; and an elongated light such as a rope light. The first handrail is composed of trans-parent or translucent material which allows light to pass through it and is adapted to extend between adjacent pickets of a picket fence. The handrail has an elongated recess or groove for receipt of an elongated light. The fastener of the subject combination has means for securing the handrail to at least one of the pickets of the fence and has a connector provided with means for removably engagement of the handrail to the fastener.
The subject combination may include a second handrail which is composed of opaque material and which surrounds the translucent or transparent portion of the first or inner handrail.
The second handrail has a first tab which removably secures a second tab with which the fastener is provided. The second handrail is composed of resiliently deformable material such that a force, when applied to it and directed toward causing the first tab out of engagement with the second tab, causes resilient deformation of the tabs with resulting disengagement of the second handrail from the fastener.
The combination of the subject invention including first and second handrails is described
A hand rail adjacent to stairs, balconies and wherever else a support is needed must be adequately illuminated if it is to be used with safety. This is particularly so where the hand rail is to be used at night or by persons with limited vision. Spotlights can be used to illuminate a handrail but an object illuminated by a spotlight is often obscured by shadows and not clearly visible to a person with limited vision. Electric light bulbs in strings can be wound around a handrail to illuminate it but such bulbs can prevent the handrail from being held firmly either because the bulbs may slip when held or because the bulbs, if held too tightly, may break and cause injury I have invented a handrail which is continuously illuminated along its length.
The illum-ination is not obscured by shadows nor is it produced by electric light bulbs which prevent the handrail from being held firmly. In fact, the illumination originates from within the handrail and has no affect on the way in which the handrail is held. Moreover, the source of illumination produces no heat that has any affect on the temperature of the handrail.
Furthermore adverse weather conditions such as rain or snow has no affect on the life of the source of the illumination.
The subject handrail has a number of desirable features in addition to the benefits men-tioned above. It is decorative when illuminated and may be illuminated not only by lights of a I
single colour but by lights of many colours to give it an effect similar to a kaleidoscope. More-over, the lights may be steady or may pulse. Should the handrail not require illumination, it can be replaced by a handrail composed of more durable material such as aluminum.
Briefly, the subject matter of the subject invention is a combination of a first handrail for attachment to at least one of a number of pickets of a fence; a fastener for securing the handrail to the pickets; and an elongated light such as a rope light. The first handrail is composed of trans-parent or translucent material which allows light to pass through it and is adapted to extend between adjacent pickets of a picket fence. The handrail has an elongated recess or groove for receipt of an elongated light. The fastener of the subject combination has means for securing the handrail to at least one of the pickets of the fence and has a connector provided with means for removably engagement of the handrail to the fastener.
The subject combination may include a second handrail which is composed of opaque material and which surrounds the translucent or transparent portion of the first or inner handrail.
The second handrail has a first tab which removably secures a second tab with which the fastener is provided. The second handrail is composed of resiliently deformable material such that a force, when applied to it and directed toward causing the first tab out of engagement with the second tab, causes resilient deformation of the tabs with resulting disengagement of the second handrail from the fastener.
The combination of the subject invention including first and second handrails is described
2 with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a simplified elevation of the subject combination in combination with a conventional rail fence;
Figure 2 is a section of the first and second handrails and the fastener, in enlarged scale;
Figure 3 is a section in enlarged scale of the fastener;
Figures 4 and 5 are sections of the second and first handrails, respectively, and Figure 6 is a section in enlarged scale of a variation of the combination illustrated in Figure 2.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings.
With reference to Figure 1, the subject combination, generally 10, is shown in conjunct-ion with a conventional fence composed of a horizontal lower rail 12 and a number of pickets 14 which extend upwardly from the base. The pickets are equally spaced along the length of the base and terminate at the subject combination.
With reference to Figures 2, 4 and 5, the subject combination of the invention includes a first or inner handrail 20 and a second or outer handrail 22. When the handrails are installed at a job site, the inner handrail will generally be within the outer handrail as illustrated. A landowner accordingly has a choice between a handrail which is opaque and metallic such as aluminum, as is the outer handrail, or a handrail which is transparent or translucent and is composed of non-metallic material such as vinyl, as is the inner handrail. Should the customer wish a handrail
Figure 1 is a simplified elevation of the subject combination in combination with a conventional rail fence;
Figure 2 is a section of the first and second handrails and the fastener, in enlarged scale;
Figure 3 is a section in enlarged scale of the fastener;
Figures 4 and 5 are sections of the second and first handrails, respectively, and Figure 6 is a section in enlarged scale of a variation of the combination illustrated in Figure 2.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings.
With reference to Figure 1, the subject combination, generally 10, is shown in conjunct-ion with a conventional fence composed of a horizontal lower rail 12 and a number of pickets 14 which extend upwardly from the base. The pickets are equally spaced along the length of the base and terminate at the subject combination.
With reference to Figures 2, 4 and 5, the subject combination of the invention includes a first or inner handrail 20 and a second or outer handrail 22. When the handrails are installed at a job site, the inner handrail will generally be within the outer handrail as illustrated. A landowner accordingly has a choice between a handrail which is opaque and metallic such as aluminum, as is the outer handrail, or a handrail which is transparent or translucent and is composed of non-metallic material such as vinyl, as is the inner handrail. Should the customer wish a handrail
3 which is illuminated, he will remove the outer handrail from the combination, while if he does not wish an illuminated handrail, he will leave the outer handrail attached as illustrated in the drawings. The means by which one or the other handrail can be removed from the subject combination is described below.
With reference to Figures 2 and 3, a fastener, generally 26, secures both handrails to pickets 14. The fastener has a pair of flanges 26a,b between which a web 26c extends. The flanges straddle each picket such that the web is seated upon the picket while the flanges extend downwardly from the web and are disposed on opposite sides of the picket. A
rivet 27 perm-anently secures the fastener to each picket.
Fastener 26 has a connector 28 which extends upwardly from web 26c and which interconnects the fastener with both of the handrails.
Both the inner and the outer handrails are composed of resiliently deformable material so that they can be releasably interconnected to a fastener resiliently in the manner described in detail below.
The inner handrail has an upper portion 20a which defines an elongated recess and a lower portion 20b which terminates at an annular lip 30. The lip flares outwardly of the lower portion of the handrail and engages with an inwardly extending annular limb 32 at the top of the fastener.
The inner handrail may be separated from the fastener simply by squeezing the side walls of the upper portion 20a together in order to removed the lip from the recess 34 between the limb 32 and
With reference to Figures 2 and 3, a fastener, generally 26, secures both handrails to pickets 14. The fastener has a pair of flanges 26a,b between which a web 26c extends. The flanges straddle each picket such that the web is seated upon the picket while the flanges extend downwardly from the web and are disposed on opposite sides of the picket. A
rivet 27 perm-anently secures the fastener to each picket.
Fastener 26 has a connector 28 which extends upwardly from web 26c and which interconnects the fastener with both of the handrails.
Both the inner and the outer handrails are composed of resiliently deformable material so that they can be releasably interconnected to a fastener resiliently in the manner described in detail below.
The inner handrail has an upper portion 20a which defines an elongated recess and a lower portion 20b which terminates at an annular lip 30. The lip flares outwardly of the lower portion of the handrail and engages with an inwardly extending annular limb 32 at the top of the fastener.
The inner handrail may be separated from the fastener simply by squeezing the side walls of the upper portion 20a together in order to removed the lip from the recess 34 between the limb 32 and
4 a horizontal portion 36 of connector 28. Lip 30 and limb 32 accordingly function to removably secure the handrails to the fastener.
As previously mentioned, the outer handrail 22 has an upper portion 22a which surrounds the upper portion of the inner handrail. The lower portion 22b of the outer handrail is removably secured to connector 28 by means of a first tab 40 which removably secures a conforming second tab 42 with which the fastener is provided. AS indicated previously, the second handrail is com-posed of resiliently deformable material such that a force, when applied to the outer handrail and directed toward causing the first tab out of engagement with said second tab, causes resilient deformation of the outer second handrail with resulting disengagement of the second handrail from the fastener Recess 20a in the inner handrail accommodates an elongated light such as a conventional rope light composed of a light-emitting diode. As previously mentioned, the outer wall 62 of the handrail is composed of translucent or transparent material such as clear or cloudy vinyl so that the illumination from the light is visible from outside the handrail.
The outer wall 22a of the outer handrail is composed of metal such as aluminum and is opaque so that if the inner handrail is illuminated, the light is invisible from outside the outer handrail.
With reference again to Figure 2, a cylindrical cover 52 is removably secured to the fastener to the pickets. The cover has a pair of upwardly and downwardly extending protrusions 52a, b respectively against which lower and upper ears 54a,b of the flanges abut in order to secure the cover securely to the fastener. The cover serves both as decoration and as means to conceal rivets 27.
The handrail illustrated in Figure 6 is the same as that illustrated in Figure 2 except that the outer handrail 60 is only slightly larger than the inner handrail 62 so that there is little space between the two handrails. The outer handrail serves to protect the inner handrail but, occupying less space, is easier to hold than the outer handrail of Figure 2.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the combination of the subject invention without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
As previously mentioned, the outer handrail 22 has an upper portion 22a which surrounds the upper portion of the inner handrail. The lower portion 22b of the outer handrail is removably secured to connector 28 by means of a first tab 40 which removably secures a conforming second tab 42 with which the fastener is provided. AS indicated previously, the second handrail is com-posed of resiliently deformable material such that a force, when applied to the outer handrail and directed toward causing the first tab out of engagement with said second tab, causes resilient deformation of the outer second handrail with resulting disengagement of the second handrail from the fastener Recess 20a in the inner handrail accommodates an elongated light such as a conventional rope light composed of a light-emitting diode. As previously mentioned, the outer wall 62 of the handrail is composed of translucent or transparent material such as clear or cloudy vinyl so that the illumination from the light is visible from outside the handrail.
The outer wall 22a of the outer handrail is composed of metal such as aluminum and is opaque so that if the inner handrail is illuminated, the light is invisible from outside the outer handrail.
With reference again to Figure 2, a cylindrical cover 52 is removably secured to the fastener to the pickets. The cover has a pair of upwardly and downwardly extending protrusions 52a, b respectively against which lower and upper ears 54a,b of the flanges abut in order to secure the cover securely to the fastener. The cover serves both as decoration and as means to conceal rivets 27.
The handrail illustrated in Figure 6 is the same as that illustrated in Figure 2 except that the outer handrail 60 is only slightly larger than the inner handrail 62 so that there is little space between the two handrails. The outer handrail serves to protect the inner handrail but, occupying less space, is easier to hold than the outer handrail of Figure 2.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the combination of the subject invention without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (8)
1. In combination, a handrail for attachment to at least one of a plurality of pickets of a fence, said handrail being composed of material which allows light to pass therethrough and which is adapted to extend between adjacent said pickets, said handrail having an upper portion which defines an elongated recess and a lower portion; a fastener having means for securing said handrail to said at least one picket, said fastener having a connector provided with means for removably engagement of said handrail thereto; and an elongated light disposed within said recess.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said fastener has a pair of flanges between which a web extends and being adapted to straddle said adjacent pickets such that said web is seated upon said adjacent pickets while said flanges extend downwardly from said web and are disposed on opposite sides of said adjacent pickets.
3. The combination of claims 1 or 2 wherein said lower portion of said handrail is provided with an outwardly extending lip and said connector has an inwardly extending limb which engages said lip and which defines said means for removably securing said handrail to said fastener
4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said handrail is composed of resiliently deformable material such that a force, when applied to said handrail and directed toward causing said lip out of engagement with said limb, causes resilient deformation of said handrail with resulting disengagement of said handrail from said fastener.
5. The handrail of any one of claims 1- 4 wherein said handrail is composed of translucent or transparent material.
6. The handrail of any one of claims 1-5 wherein said elongated light is a light-emitting diode.
7. The handrail of any one of claims 1-5 wherein said elongated light is a rope light.
8. The combination of claim 1 further including a second handrail which is composed of opaque material and which surrounds said upper portion, said second handrail having a first tab which removably secures a second tab with which said fastener is provided, said second handrail being composed of resiliently deformable material such that a force, when applied to said second handrail and directed toward causing said first tab out of engagement with said second tab, causes resilient deformation of said second handrail with resulting disengagement of said second handrail from said fastener.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2730855 CA2730855A1 (en) | 2011-02-02 | 2011-02-02 | Illuminated handrail |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2730855 CA2730855A1 (en) | 2011-02-02 | 2011-02-02 | Illuminated handrail |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2730855A1 true CA2730855A1 (en) | 2012-08-02 |
Family
ID=46599572
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2730855 Abandoned CA2730855A1 (en) | 2011-02-02 | 2011-02-02 | Illuminated handrail |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2730855A1 (en) |
-
2011
- 2011-02-02 CA CA 2730855 patent/CA2730855A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |
Effective date: 20150203 |