| 摘要 |
The invention relates to a new locking mechanism for The StairSteady, a device to provide assistance when ascending or descending stairs, for which there is an existing UK patent application (Patent GB2440387A). (All numeric references refer to Figure 1 , however the item numbers are common across all other diagrams.) The existing StairSteady comprises of only two items, a handrail (6) and a handle bar (7). The handrail of predominantly hollow box section is secured to a wall by means of supports. Both ends of the handrail have a round section to allow the handle bar to fold away to prevent the obstruction of the stairs. The StairSteady also comprises a handle bar that protrudes at 90 degrees from the handrail; the said handle bar includes, at one end, a sleeve (8) that rides over the handrail. This sleeve houses the patented braking mechanism consisting of two materials with different coefficients of friction that was originally bonded directly to the internal surface of the sleeve. It is an alteration to this brake mechanism that is the subject of this patent. The new development consists of two separate, dissimilar, replaceable pads assemblies 'A' and 'B' attached to the inner surfaces of the sleeve of the handle bar by means of double side adhesive tape (5) to allow maintenance. Pad assembly 'A' ( figure 2 ) consists of a sprung steel backing plate (1) onto which are bonded, at opposite ends, two blocks of material with differing coefficient of friction (2 & 3). Pad assembly 'B' ( figure 3 ) has a sprung steel protrusion (4) formed from the sprung steel backing plate; this spring takes up the 'free play' between the handrail (6) and the handle bar (7). Controlling the 'free play' in this way has been found to provide a superior user experience. To prevent damage to the handrail the sprung protrusion has a material with a low coefficient of friction (2) bonded to it, while the opposing end of the pad has a material with a high coefficient of friction (3) to act as a brake. The end of pad assembly 'A' with the high coefficient of friction is placed opposite the spring end of pad assembly 'B' ( figure 4 ). This modification provides a number of improvements to the product:-
1. By moving the friction materials on to separate backing plates and attaching them to the sleeve with a low adhesive bond like double sided tape allows relatively easy replacement if the braking mechanism shows signs of wear or damaged.
2. The spring built into pad assembly 'B' ensures that the braking surfaces of both pads are held in contact with the handrail when the handle bar is at rest, thus keeping the handle bar locked when not being directly manipulated.
3. The inclusion of the spring in pad assembly 'B' also provides an improved 'feel' to the handle when in operation. |
