Patent Application
20200362582
The present invention generally relates to a replaceable adaptive access product (“AAP” which is also referred to as handrails, support brace structure, and grab bars) that may better assist users while holding on to for support and balance. More particularly, this invention relates to support rail system that may be fastened to walls, fixed supports, flooring, and the like, which lends itself, but is not limited to, immediate application and use in connection with the swimming pool and spa industry.
By way of anecdote, swimming pools and spas have long been locales of serious accidents. This is largely due to the fact that most swimming pool and spa components such as steps, flooring, and decking are fabricated from hard materials such as tile, cement, marble that tend to be polished to a smooth finish, which when exposed to water makes these surfaces especially slippery. Furthermore, the risk of serious bodily injury occurring is likely to increase when the user is physically or mentally disabled, elderly, or a particularly young child.
Undisputed, however, when a bather slips while using these facilities, and is unable to regain his/her balance, it is foreseeable that an impact with the steps, decking, etc. is likely to occur and result in serious bodily injury. Given, therefore, their practical importance to a wide class of users, prior AAP art associated within the pool and spa industry has remained relatively unchanged both in their design and mechanical structure for more than half a century. Further, AAP options offered by pool and spa designers to would-be users has been limited in scope to narrow interpretations centered upon a single hollow rigid circular tubular structure design constructed from grade stainless chrome plated steel with its ends secured into the pool/spa deck. It would, therefore, be desirable to have a handrail that advances risk avoidance technology beyond prior art both in utility, practical and aesthetic purpose without rotting, delaminating or leaching into the environment.
Likewise, prior art handrails suffer from a number of deficiencies. For example, prior art handrail surfaces have often been fabricated to a high polished finish making them slippery when wet. When exposed to higher temperatures, because they are constructed of a metal alloy, these handrails tend to be hot to the touch. It would also be desirable to make available to users handrails, among other things, that remains relatively cool to the touch and unaffected by surrounding atmospheric conditions.
Some prior art handrails have been retrofitted with components comprised of a removable sleeve and secured around the exterior surface area, which is intended to seek to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages. However, these efforts are still less than ideal. This technology does little to advance the improvement in single tube structure design as well as it falls short to ensure users with greater surface area with which to grab on to, which certain users may find uncomfortable, and, others who have small or fragile hands like children and the elderly, determine to be not relating to or designed for efficiency and comfort.
Furthermore, prior art handrails have stifled the encouragement of creating new designs as well as the failure to utilize standardized and interchangeable parts due in large part to the inherent properties and limited characteristics from the materials that they are constructed of. It would also, therefore, be desirable to offer a handrail system that offers utility, functionality, and may also provide the capabilities that can be conveniently replaced, reconfigured, and updated over time as users taste, “special needs,” or for temporary or permanent aesthetic purposes change through the assistance of separate, standardized, and interchangeable parts when desired.
Undeniably, prior AAP art delineates an ineffective means to seek to help minimize the risk of injury and mishap in the pursuit of, among other activities, risk avoidance measures related to swimming pool and spa usage among bathers. In particular, a handrail system, which would offer additional optional grab bar(s) that can be fastened to fixed supports, floors and the like that have a variety of safety and esthetic alternatives as well as structural improvements and use of better suited building materials over prior art is also a welcomed improvement. These as well as other advantages of the invention together with modifications of the components thereof in the purview of the present invention will be evident to those skilled in the art.
The present invention provides a support brace structure that relies on environmentally friendly and better suited building materials, which lends itself to immediate application and use in connection with the swimming pool and spa industry, among others. By moving away from single tube configuration and subscribing to interchangeable parts, another advantage of the present invention over prior art is that it allows customization by end-users. The new invention allows for novel and improved methods of construction affording users with the opportunity to include optional grab bar(s) and balustrade(s) into individual AAP designs. Additionally, the present invention overcomes the above-discussed other deficiencies and disadvantages by way of improved safety measures to a wider class of users. A further advantage as relates to efforts to retrofit or substitute a preexisting AAP, the new invention easily assimilates and avoids the need to fill existing countersunk screw holes and drill new cavities.
Prior to a discussion of the figures, a brief overview of the invention will be provided. For ease of discussion the term “handrail” will be used to refer to adaptive access products such as handrails, guardrails, grab bars, balustrade, newel, or equivalent products.
In a typical swimming pool or spa installation, for example, there is often a handrail that is intended as a risk avoidance measure to better assist individuals when they enter or exit the pool or spa. In pertinent part, handrails (whether they are being associated with the pool and spa industry or some other practical use) are generally constructed from grade stainless chrome plated steel, a single design choice that has remained the industry norm for more than fifty years, which conjures little or no aesthetic appeal.
The preferred embodiments of the handrail system provided by this invention uses handrails that are fabricated from marine grade polymer (“MGP”). MGP is made of high-density polyethylene, making its manufacturing method relatively simple. MGP is a durable and strong material that is environmentally friendly (unlike grade stainless chrome plated steel), which will not rot, splinter, fade or chemically breakdown when exposed to harsh salt water or chlorinated environments or sunlight making it an ideal building material.
In the preferred embodiment, the handrails are constructed out of MGP that has been extruded and formed into continuous profile sheet stock, which can be easily fabricated using traditional wood working and furniture making techniques making them convenient for a variety of standardized as well as custom ordered parts of varying sizes and shapes.
MGP is a high-volume melted plastic, each sheet stock plank and manufactured into an array of solid color option variations, which includes the following manufacturers' standard color choices: Arctic White, SeaFoam, Tan, Light Gray, Medium Gray, Charcoal Gray, Light Green, Dark Green, Yellow, Red, Orange, Brown and Black. As a further means to satisfy users' individual tastes and preferences, MGP building material is also available in the lack of a color hue. Lucite™ is an example of a commercially available transparent material, which is a registered trademark of Lucite International, Inc.
In addition, there exists for users other MGP material options that have been traditionally associated with custom signage usage in which a center-core-color is adhered to contrasting outer-layer-color choices that has been extruded to forma variety of color combinations including Blue-White-Blue, White-Blue-White, Green-White-Green, White-Green-White, Green-Tan-Green, Tan-Green-Tan, Brown-Tan-Brown, Tan-Brown-Tan, Red-White-Red, White-Red-White, Red-Black-Red, Black-Red-Black, Yellow-Black-Yellow, Black-Yellow-Black, Brown-White-Brown, White-Brown-White, Black-White-Black, and White-Black-White.
These multilayered contrasting color sheet stock are easy to engrave and machine. Like handrails can therefore be customized in their designs to display messages such as sports team logos, company logos, etc. The takeaway relating to this MGP constructed handrail, therefore, is that a variety of point of purpose displays and customization opportunities can be readily available and targeted to a wider class of users.
In addition to the foregoing, the invention is not limited to simple flat sheet stock. MGP material can be fabricated into a multitude of shapes or forms to best suit a particular desired design. This can be accomplished by a variety of manufacturing techniques, such as extrusion, molding, 3-D printing, etc.
Another advantage of the invention, by employing MGP made building material, handrail as well as grab bar surface areas can be created to form predetermined surface area textured configurations, intended to further improve anti-slipping surfaces for users.
The present invention is also characterized by improved safety and user-friendly characteristics that a wider class of users may benefit from as compared to prior art handrails in relevant part because MGP remains relatively cool to the touch regardless of choice of color hue when exposed to warmer surrounding atmospheric conditions. Further, by moving away from single metal alloy tube design, this invention's user friendliness is furthered by its availability to incorporate staggered surface areas and multiple surface textures that also allow for optional grab bars, which children and the elderly in particular would find to be of great assurance during normal usage as well as in cases of an emergency.
In the preferred embodiment, the handrail is supported by one or more vertical supports (aka “baluster” or “newel”). As a practical matter, the number of supports would depend on the number of steps, handrail length, and other practical matters associated with the installation at issue. Preferably, each support is securely embedded in the flooring and extend upward to the handrail. In turn, the handrail is secured to the upper ends of the supporting baluster(s). The handrail is attached to the support baluster(s) by bolts, screws, or other suitable alternatives.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in addition to MGP, any other suitable material can be used so long as it is suitable for use in the environment as described herein.
Another advantage provided by the invention is that the handrail can easily be removed and replaced by another handrail that offers either an alternative aesthetic or functional application due to personal or practical needs. For example, the demand for a new AAP given the sudden and sustained sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve by a user. Likewise, the new invention handrail may be replaced simply to create a new variation on a different architectural aesthetic.
The fact that the handrail and its parts are easily replaceable also means that a damaged part can be easily replaced with a new one.
Having discussed the features and advantages of the invention in general, we turn now to a detailed discussion of the figures.
The supporting baluster 2 is shown embedded into steps 3 of a swimming pool or spa. The steps 3 provide a support surface for the supporting baluster 2. The supporting baluster 2 is preferably secured to the steps 3 of the swimming pool or spa by embedding the supporting baluster 2 into the concrete that the steps 3 are fabricated from.
Also shown in this figure are optional recesses 5. The recesses 5 allow the ends of the bolts 4 to rest below the surface of the handrail 1 such that they do not scrape or injure an individual when they are entering or leaving the swimming pool or spa.
In the preferred environment, the handrail 1 is envisioned as having a surface texture that provides a non-slip gripping surface. As a result, an individual's hand is less likely to slip when climbing in and out of a swimming pool or spa.
For ease of illustration, the handrail 1 is shown as a smooth surface. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that any surface texture or aesthetic pattern can be used on the handrail 1. Likewise, any desired color, or combination of colors can be used to achieve a particular design goal.
The apertures 7 enhance safety by providing an individual a place to securely grip the handrail 1. This provides improved safety over prior art handrails 1 that are typically metal tubes with smooth surfaces which increase the risk of an individual's hand slipping such that the individual slips and falls.
As can be seen, the invention provides multiple ways in which the handrails 1 can be configured. As a practical matter, the handrails 1 can be configured in any aesthetic configuration to suit a particular design goal. Further, the fact that the handrails are replaceable allows them to be removed or replaced for a particular event or holiday.
The particular designs shown in
While specific embodiments have been discussed to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations in the embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The types of materials used can vary, the method of attachment can vary, etc. Therefore, the invention shall be limited solely to the scope of the claims.
