BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Handrails suitable for advertising display are disclosed in US patent No.

5,020, 256 and International PCT patent application No. PCT/CA00/00166 (International publication No. WO 00/48935). Both of these documents disclose a handrail with advertising material beneath a transparent upper cover. The advertising material travels with the handrail and therefore appears stationary to a person travelling adjacent to the handrail.

Disadvantages associated with the handrails disclosed in the noted US patent are the transparent cover is not removable for changing the advertising material or repairing the handrail and the cover does not extend over substantially the entire exterior surface of the handrail and thus does not protect same.

One disadvantage associated with the handrail disclosed in the noted international application is because the transparent cover is bonded to a first film layer which is, in turn, bonded to the handrail base. As a result, the transparent cover is not in itself secured directly to the handrail base and thus the cover can not be independently removed, reused or replaced. Another disadvantage is that the combined cover, advertising material and first film layer are bonded to the handrail across the entire width of the handrail. This leads to difficulties in achieving an application that is free from bubbles, wrinkles or other imperfections and requires the use of the complex and specialised applicator and process described in the international application. This application method also gives rise to difficulties in removing the film and adhesive residues on the surface of the handrail base. Also, the international application discloses the cover, advertising material and first film layer being fitted to an existing unmodified handrail which limits the allowable thickness of the cover and the consequent level of durability and protection afforded by same.

It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a handrail for an escalator, moving walkway or the like, the handrail adapted for advertising display and including: a base portion having a crown, a pair of arms and a pair of lips ; and a cover portion adapted to substantially cover the crown and that is releasably attachable to the base portion only in the region of the arms and/or the lips.

Preferably, the cover portion is releasably attached to the base portion only in the region of the arms. Alternatively, the cover portion is releasably attached only in the region of the lips. As a further alternative, the cover portion is only releasably attached to an arm on one side of the lower portion and a lip on the other side of the base portion.

In an embodiment, the cover portion is releasably attached to the base portion by complimentary interlocking engagement formations. Preferably, the formations are in the form of one of more longitudinal recesses provided in the base portion and one or more longitudinal flanges provided on the cover portion.

In another embodiment, the cover portion is releasably attached to the base portion by removable mechanical fasteners including pins, screws, bolts or the like.

In a further embodiment, the cover portion is releasably attached to the base portion by releasable adhesive or releasable heat bonds, said adhesive/bond adapted for removing cutting or otherwise separating in order to remove the upper portion from the lower portion.

In a yet further embodiment, the cover portion is releasably attached to the base portion by hook and loop fasteners, such as those marketed under the VELCRO trade mark.

In one form, the base portion has dimensions approximating that of a standard handrail.

In another form, the base portion has dimensions smaller than a standard handrail and the addition of the cover portion results in the handrail having dimensions approximating that of a standard handrail. In an embodiment of this form, the base portion has an external recess complimentary to the cover portion.

In the preferred form, the cover portion is produced from a transparent or clear material. However, if required, the cover portion can also be produced from an opaque material.

The cover portion is preferably constructed from material having greater mechanical strength and damage resistance than that of the base portion. The cover portion is preferably constructed from thermoplastic or polyurethane.

The cover portion is preferably constructed from a material which resists infection and/or is capable of being sterilised, most preferably a treated thermoplastic or polyurethane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. la is a cross-sectional end view of a first embodiment of a handrail according to the invention ; Fig. lb is a partial enlarged cross-sectional detail view of the handrail shown in Fig. la Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional end view of a second embodiment of a handrail according to the invention; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional end view of a third embodiment of a handrail according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional end view of a fourth embodiment of a handrail according to the invention; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional end view of a fifth embodiment of a handrail according to the invention; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional end view of a sixth embodiment of a handrail according to the invention; and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional end view of a typical handrail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS By way of background, a"standard"handrail for an escalator, moving walkway or the like is comprised of a crown, a pair of arms and a pair of lips. The crown is the flat exterior portion of the handrail. The arms are the two sides of the handrail that extend from either side of the crown and the lips are the small underhanging parts of the handrail that extend from the ends of the arms that are remote the crown. Fig. 7 shows a standard handrail 6 of rubber and reinforcing belt construction and identifies the approximate extent of a crown 7, pair of arms 8 and a pair of lips 9.

Turning now to Fig. 1, there is a shown a handrail 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The handrail 10 includes a base portion 12 and a transparent cover portion 14. The base portion 12 is constructed from rubber or urethane

with appropriate belting and reinforcement, most preferably high tensile steel wire, as is well known in the art.

The cover portion 14 is preferably transparent and formed from a thermoplastic or polyurethane. The cover 14 is attached to the base portion 12 only in the region in the end of the arms nearest the lips. More particularly, the left hand side of the base portion has a longitudinal recess 16 formed therein into which is snap-engaged a complimentary longitudinal flange 18 provided on the left hand side of the cover portion 14. The right hand end of the cover portion 14 is attached to the base portion 12 by a region 20 of releasable adhesive. These releasable connections allow one or more ends of the cover portion 14 to be easily and quickly disengaged from the base portion 12 to allow the introduction, or changing, of advertising display material 22, which is usually in the form of thin printed sheets.

It should be noted that there is no connection or fixing between the base portion 12 and the cover portion 14 in the region of the handrail crown.

It should also be noted that the base portion 12 has a recess over most of its exterior that corresponds to the thickness of the cover portion 14. Accordingly, the base 14 has external dimensions smaller than existing handrails and the addition of the cover portion 14 results in a handrail having external dimensions approximating that of existing handrails. The base portion 12 may be either formed by modifying the dimensions of an existing handrail either in-situ or off-site by forming a new profile from rubber or urethane corresponding to the required dimensions of the base portion 12.

The cover portion 14 being transparent is required for the display of the advertising material 22 or where it is desirable for the region of the base portion 12 that underlies the crown to be viewed. However, where these factors are not important, the cover portion 12 can be made from an opaque material.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of handrail 24 in which like reference numerals to the first embodiment have been used to indicate like features. However, in the handrail 24, both sides of the transparent cover portion 14 are releasably attached to the base portion 12 by complimentary recesses and flanges 16 and 18 respectively.

Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of handrail 26 according to the present invention and again like reference numerals to the earlier embodiments will be used to indicate like features. In the handrail 26, both ends of the transparent cover portion are attached to the base portion by regions 20 of releasable adhesive or releasable heat bonds or hook and loop fasteners.

Fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of handrail 28 according to the present invention in which the cover portion 14 is attached to the base portion 12 in a similar manner to that described with reference to Fig. 3 and has like features to earlier embodiments have been to earlier embodiments denoted with like reference numerals. However, in this embodiment, the base portion 12 has exterior dimensions approximating that of existing handrails and the addition of the cover portion 14 results in a handrail 28 having dimensions larger than that of existing handrails.

Fig. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of handrail 30 according to the present invention which is similar to the handrail shown in Fig. la and lb and has like features denoted with like reference numerals. However, in the handrail 30, the base portion 12 includes a large recess 32 for the placement of advertising, or other, items 34 that are larger than the sheets previously described.

The recess 32 also allows materials of varying colour, textures or patterns to be inserted therein between the base portion 12 and the cover portion 14. This enables the overall appearance of the handrail 30 to be altered as desired. For example, a fabric material such as velour, ribbed, nylon or some other fabric may be inserted so that, when viewed through the cover portion 14, the handrail 30 appears to be finished in that material. Alternatively, a material printed with a pattern designed to give the handrail an appearance of, for example, a marble, metallic or timber finish can be placed in the recess 32. The recess 32 in combination with the removable cover portion 14 thus provides a handrail whose overall appearance can be quickly and easily changed by removing the cover portion, changing the material in the recess, and replacing the cover portion.

Printed material such as safety, directional or other messages can also be inserted into the cavity, or in respect of earlier embodiments included on the sheet material, enabling them to be viewed by persons travelling adjacent the handrail. Again, the removable cover portion 12 enables these messages to be quickly and easily changed as desired.

Fig. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of handrail 36 according to the present invention and again like reference numerals to the earlier embodiments will be used to indicate like features. In the handrail 36, both ends of the transparent cover portion are attached to the base portion by releasable countersunk screws 38.

As discussed above, the primary advantage provided by the embodiments of handrail according to the present invention is that the cover portion can be easily and quickly disengaged from the base portion to allow the introduction, or changing, of material displayed within the handrail.

Further, the above embodiments allows the useful life of the handrail to be economically improved by allowing the replacement of the cover portion only, which is subject to a greater amount of wear and tear and other damage than the base portion.

Further, known handrails are principally constructed from rubber which can become dry and brittle when it ages and is difficult to clean and sterilise. The above embodiments allow the use of a removable cover that may be constructed from material that reduces or eliminate these issues.

Also, if the removable cover is formed from a clear material then it both protects and displays the surface of the base portion immediately below the crown area of cover portion, thereby resulting in a handrail in which the aesthetic quality of the apparent visible surface (ie. that of the base portion) is maintained without degradation.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.