Ladder handrail

Claim 1

IN A SAFETY HANDRAIL EQUIPPED STEPLADDER HAVING TWO OPPOSITE SIDE UPRIGHT MEMBERS WITH STEPS MOUNTED BETWEEN, A TOP PLATFORM, AND TWO REAR PROPS: A DEPENDING HANDRAIL; MULTIPLE LINKS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID DEPENDING HANDRAIL AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID UPRIGHT MEMBERS IN ORDER THAT THE HANDRAIL MAY BE PIVOTALLY RAISED AND LOWER BETWEEN A TOPMOST RAISED POSITION AND A LOWERED RETRACTED STATE; LATCH MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID STEPLADDER; MOUNTING MEANS ADAPTED FOR DEFLECTION OF THE LATCH MEANS BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION AND A DEFLECTED POSITION; MEANS RESILIENTLY URGING THE LATCH MEANS FROM THE DEFLECTED POSITION TO THE FIRST POSITION; A CAM PORTION OF SAID LATCH MEANS POSITIONED TO BE ENGAGED BY ONE OF SAID MULTIPLE LINKS AND, BY CAM RIDING ACTION WITH THE LINK, FOR DEFLECTION OF THE LATCH MEANS FROM THE FIRST POSITION TOWARD THE DEFLECTED POSITION AND TO PERMIT THE LINK TO PASS AS THE HANDRAIL IS BEING RAISED TO THE TOPMOST RAISED POSITION; A LATCH STEP SURFACE BETWEEN THE CAM PORTION AND THE MOUNTING MEANS OF SAID LATCH MEANS; SAID LATCH STEP SURFACE BEING POSITIONED FOR RESILIENTLY BIASED MOVEMENT INTO LINK LOCKING ALIGNMENT AS THE LINK ENGAGING THE LATCH MEANS PASSES THE CAM PORTION AND THE LATCH STEP SURFACE AND THE HANDRAIL IS ATTAINING THE TOPMOST RAISED POSITION; MANUALLY ACTUATED LATCH LOCK RELEASE MEANS MOUNTED ON THE STEPLADDER AND CONSTRUCTED FOR DEFLECTING SAID LATCH MEANS FROM THE FIRST POSITION TO SAID DEFLECTED POSITION AGAINST THE FORCE OF THE MEANS ACTING RESILIENTLY ON THE LATCH MEANS FOR REMOVING THE LATCH MEANS FROM LINK LOCKING ALIGNMENT TO PERMIT HANDRAIL LOWERING FROM THE TOPMOST RAISED AND LOCKED POSITION TO THE RETRACTED STATE; AND WHEREIN THE MOUNTING MEANS ADAPTED FOR DEFLECTION OF THE LATCH MEANS BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION AND A DEFLECTED POSITION INCLUDES: AN ANCHOR MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH STEPLADDER STRUCTURAL MEANS AND THROUGH A PIVOT END OF THE LATCH MEANS OPPOSITE FROM THE CAM PORTION END, AND BOLT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH STEPLADDER STRUCTURAL MEANS AND THE LATCH MEANS TO AN OUTWARDLY SPACED HEAD; AND THE MEANS RESILIENTLY ACTING ON THE LATCH MEANS BEING RESILIENTLY COMPRESSED SPRING MEANS SUPPORTED ON THE SHANK OF SAID BOLT MEANS AND CONFINED BETWEEN THE HEAD OF THE BOLT AND SAID LATCH MEANS.