Patent Application
20220042261
The present invention relates to systems for bollards. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for easily deployable and storable bollards.
Bollards are short vertical posts that are often used to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles. In conventional systems, each bollard is attached to a horizontal steel beam that is embedded in concrete. In embodiments wherein bollards are not permanently desired, beach bollard may be removed from its steel beam and stored when not in use. This creates a significant man-power and logistics concern to remove and install the bollards when necessary as the bollards must be stored remotely from where they will be deployed. Therefore, a need exists for a bollard system, which allows the bollard to be stored in place and easily deployed.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.
With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to a bollard system including a bollard, a carrier device, a pivot rod, a lock plate, and a cover plate. The carrier device may have a recess adapted to carry the bollard when in a stowed configuration. The pivot rod may be fixedly secured to the bollard and received by a pivot carrier of the carrier device. The bollard may be adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the pivot rod between a deployed configuration and the stowed configuration. The lock plate may be adapted to be received by the carrier device to maintain the bollard in the deployed configuration. The cover plate may be carried by the carrier device and adapted to cover at least a portion of the recess of the carrier device in both the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
The bollard system may also include a handle secured to the cover plate and adapted to lift the cover plate from the carrier device. The cover plate may be hingedly secured to the carrier device proximate the recess. The cover plate may be selectively positionable in an open configurational to allow transition of the bollard between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration and in a closed configuration to cover at least a portion of the recess when the bollard is in the stowed configuration or the deployed configuration.
The bollard system may include a second cover plate adapted to cover at least a portion of the recess of the carrier device and selectively positionable in the open configuration and the closed configuration.
The bollard system may include at least one protrusion secured to a first end of the carrier device and adapted to extend away from the carrier device along a longitudinal axis thereof. The protrusion may be adapted to contact an underside of an object positioned to apply torsional force to the bollard in the deployed configuration.
The bollard system may include a front retaining plate adapted to secured to the carrier device proximate the bollard on a side of the bollard opposing the recess. The front retaining plate may be positioned to prevent rotation of the bollard beyond a deployed angle measured between the bollard and the carrier device in the deployed configuration. The front retaining plate may be positioned and configured to retain the pivot rod within the recess when secured to the carrier device and allow removal of the pivot rod from the recess only when unsecured from the carrier device.
The lock plate may be adapted to prevent the bollard from moving from the deployed position when the bollard is impacted by a first force from a first direction. The front retaining plate may be adapted to prevent the bollard from moving from the deployed position when the bollard is impacted by a second force from a direction opposing the first direction. The first force may not be equal to the second force.
The carrier device may further include a first lock plate channel formed in a first wall on a first side of the recess and a second lock plate channel formed in a second wall on a second side, opposing the first side, of the recess. The first lock plate channel and the second lock plate channel may be cooperatively configured to carry the lock plate when the bollard is in the deployed configuration.
The bollard system may include a tether having a first end secured to the carrier device and a second end secured to the lock plate.
The carrier device may yet further include a plurality of planar members located along a length of the recess and adapted to support a combined weight of the bollard and an object placed upon the cover plate when in the stowed configuration. Each of the plurality of planar members may have an arcuate surface adapted to contact the bollard.
The bollard system may include a rigid support with a first end hingedly secured to the bollard and a second end hingedly secured to the lock plate. The rigid support may be adapted to move the lock plate from a disengaged position when the bollard is in the stowed configuration to an engaged position when the bollard is in the deployed configuration. An elongate surface may be secured to the carrier device and the lock plate may be positioned on the elongate surface. A lock plate recess may be formed in the elongate surface and adapted to prevent movement of the lock plate away from the bollard when the lock plate is positioned in the lock plate recess in the engaged position. The lock plate may be positioned outside the lock plate recess when in the disengaged position.
One embodiment of the invention may be directed to a bollard system including a bollard, a lock plate, a carrier device, a pivot rod, and a cover plate.
The carrier device may include a recess, a first lock plate channel, a second lock plate channel, and a pivot carrier. The recess may be adapted to carry the bollard in a stowed configuration. The first lock plate channel may be formed in a first wall on a first side of the recess. The second lock plate channel may be formed in a second wall on a second side, opposing the first side, of the recess. The first lock plate channel and the second lock plate channel may be cooperatively configured to carry the lock plate when the bollard is in the deployed configuration. The pivot carrier may be formed in the first wall and the second wall of the recess.
The pivot rod may be fixedly secured to the bollard and received by the pivot carrier of the carrier device. The bollard may be adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the pivot rod between a deployed configuration and the stowed configuration.
The cover plate may be carried by the carrier device and adapted to cover at least a portion of the recess of the carrier device in both the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
The bollard system may include a front retaining plate adapted to be secured to the carrier device proximate the bollard on a side of the bollard opposing the recess and positioned to prevent rotation of the bollard beyond a deployed angle measured between the bollard and the carrier device in the deployed configuration.
One embodiment of the invention may be directed to a bollard system including a bollard, a carrier device, a pivot rod, a lock plate, a cover plate, a rigid support, an elongate surface, and a lock plate recess.
The carrier device may have a recess adapted to carry the bollard in a stowed configuration.
The pivot rod may be fixedly secured to the bollard and received by a pivot carrier of the carrier device. The bollard may be adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the pivot rod between a deployed configuration and the stowed configuration.
The lock plate may be adapted to be received by the carrier device to maintain the bollard in the deployed configuration.
The cover plate may be carried by the carrier device and adapted to cover at least a portion of the recess of the carrier device in both the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
The rigid support may have a first end hingedly secured to the bollard and a second end hingedly secured to the lock plate. The rigid support may be adapted to move the lock plate from a disengaged position when the bollard is in the stowed configuration to an engaged position when the bollard is in the deployed configuration.
The elongate surface may be secured to the carrier device, wherein the lock plate is positioned on the elongate surface.
The lock plate recess may be formed in the elongate surface and adapted to prevent movement of the lock plate away from the bollard when the lock plate is positioned in the lock plate recess in the engaged position and wherein the lock plate is positioned outside the lock plate recess when in the disengaged position.
The bollard system may include a front retaining plate adapted to secured to the carrier device proximate the bollard on a side of the bollard opposing the recess and positioned to prevent rotation of the bollard beyond a deployed angle measured between the bollard and the carrier device in the deployed configuration. The front retaining plate may be positioned and configured to retain the pivot rod within the recess when secured to the carrier device and allow removal of the pivot rod from the recess only when unsecured from the carrier device.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention.
Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the art should note that quantitative qualifying terms such as “generally,” “substantially,” “mostly,” and other terms are used, in general, to mean that the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes a majority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of these terms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and the meaning may be expressly modified.
An embodiment of the invention, as shown and described by the various figures and accompanying text, provides a bollard system 100, which may include a bollard 101, a carrier device 110, a pivot rod 120, a lock plate 130, and a cover plate 140.
When installed, the bollard system 100 may be recessed into a ground surface, as depicted at least in
The carrier device 110 may be an elongate structure having a recess 111 formed in an interior portion. The recess 111 may be sized and constructed to carry the bollard 101 when in the stowed configuration. The carrier device 110 may have a pivot carrier 121 located proximate a first end of the recess 111. The pivot carrier 121 may be a notch or a groove formed in a side wall defining the recess 111 of the carrier device 110. There may be a pair of notches or grooves formed on opposing sides of the recess 111 of the carrier device 110 to form the pivot carrier 121.
A pivot rod 120 may be secured proximate a first end of the bollard 101. The pivot rod 120 may be an elongate structure, it may be hollow or solid, and it may be cylindrical. A single pivot rod 120 may extend through an entirety of a thickness of the bollard 101 near the first end. Alternatively, a first pivot rod 120 may be secured to a first side of the bollard 101 with a second pivot rod 120 secured to a second, opposing side of the bollard 101. In either embodiment, the pivot rod 120 is fixedly secured to the bollard 101 with portions of the pivot rod 120 extending from the perimeter of the bollard 101 at opposing sides of the bollard, with a projected line between each longitudinal axis of the protruding pivot rods 120 extending through a center of a cross-section of the bollard 101. The pivot rod 120 may be received by the pivot carrier 121. Each end of a single pivot rod 120 or, in embodiments with two separate pivot rods 120, one end of each of the pivot rods 120 may be received by the pivot carrier 121.
The bollard 101 may be adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the pivot rod 120, which may be perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bollard 101. In a stowed configuration, the bollard 101 may be positioned within the recess 111 of the carrier device 110 and the carrier device 110 may support some or all of the weight of the bollard 101 along a length of the carrier device 110. In the deployed configuration, the bollard 101 may be rotated approximately 90 degrees about the pivot carrier 121 to be positioned orthogonally to the length of the carrier device 110. In such an embodiment, the weight of the bollard 101 may be supported by a portion of the carrier device 110 directly beneath the end of the bollard 101 in which the pivot rod 120 is carried.
The carrier device 110 may receive a lock plate 130 adapted to maintain the bollard 101 in the deployed configuration. The lock plate 130 may be a rigid, planar structure adapted to prevent rotation of the bollard 101 about the pivot rod 120 into the stowed configuration when the bollard 101 is in the deployed configuration.
In one embodiment, the carrier device may include a pair of lock plate channels 122, 123 adapted to receive a lock plate 130. The first lock plate channel 122 may be positioned on a side wall of the carrier device 110, which defines a first side of the recess 111. The second lock plate channel 123 may be positioned on a side wall of the carrier device 110, directly opposing the first lock plate channel 122, on a second side of the recess 111. The first and second lock plate channels 122, 123 may be positioned in a side wall of the carrier device 110 a distance from the pivot carrier 121 equal to a radius of the bollard 101. This placement of the lock plate channels 122, 123 allows a lock plate 130 to be positioned within the channels 122, 123 and extend across an entirety of the width of the recess 111 without interference from the bollard 101. The lock plate 130 may be secured to the carrier device 110 with a flexible tether 131. The tether 131 may have a first end secured to the lock plate 130 and a second end secured to the carrier device 110. The tether may be adapted to allow the lock plate 130 to be positioned in and carried by the first lock plate channel 122 and the second lock plate channel 123 when the bollard is in the deployed configuration and to be removed from the channels 122, 123 and carried in the bottom of the recess 111, below the bollard 101, when the bollard 101 is in the stowed configuration.
In another embodiment, as depicted at least in
The lock plate 130 may be positioned on an elongate surface 152 of the carrier device 110. The elongate surface 152 may be formed on the interior surface of the bottom of the carrier device 110, may be formed along a side of the carrier device 110, or may be located within an interior of the carrier device 110. In the disengaged position, the lock plate 130 may freely move along the elongate surface 152 in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the carrier device 110. A lock plate recess 151 may be formed in the elongate surface 152. The surface of the lock plate recess 151 may be in a plane parallel to and below the plane of the elongate surface 152. As the bollard 101 rotates from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration, the end of the rigid support 150 secured to the lock plate 130 and may move along the elongate surface 152 toward the lock plate recess 151. When the bollard 101 reaches the deployed configuration, an entirety of the lock plate 130 may be positioned within the lock plate recess 151 in the engaged position. In the engaged position, the lip defining the transition between elongate surface 152 and lock plate recess 151 may be in contact with one end of the lock plate 130 and prevent the lock plate 130 from moving out of the lock plate recess 151. An upward force may be applied to the lock plate 130 to move it out of the engaged position and back to the disengaged position, in which the lock plate 130 may move along the elongate surface 152 away from the bollard 101 to position the bollard 101 in the stowed configuration.
A protective box 124 may be secured to the carrier device 110. In one embodiment, the protective box 124 may be located on both sides of the carrier device 110 outward of the recess 111. The protective box 124 may be secured to an outer surface of the carrier device 110. The protective box 124 may be secured to the carrier device 110 to define a void therebetween. In one embodiment, a structure may be secured to each side of the carrier device 110, opposing one another and creating two separate voids. Either one of these structures, or the combination of both of these structures may be referred to as the protective box 124. The protective box 124 may be placed on the outer surface of the carrier device 110 and surround the pivot carrier 121, the first lock plate channel 122, and the second lock plate channel 123. The top side of the pivot carrier 121, first lock plate channel 122, and second lock plate channel 123 may be left uncovered to allow the lock plate 130 and the pivot rod 120 to enter and be removed from these devices from the top of the bollard system 100. The protective box 124 may extend outwardly from the carrier device 110.
A plurality of planar members 112 may be secured to a bottom interior wall defining the recess 111 of the carrier device 110. The plurality of planar members 112 may be adapted to support the bollard 101 when in the stowed configuration. As shown at least in
A protrusion 125 may be secured to one or more ends of the carrier device 110. The protrusion 125 may be an elongate, rigid member. In one embodiment, the protrusion 125 may be sharp or pointed at the end distal the connection to the carrier device 110. The protrusion 125 may extend away from the carrier device 110 along a longitudinal axis thereof. The protrusion 125 may be configured to angle upward from its underground installed position when a vehicle or object applies torsional force to the bollard 101 in the deployed position. The protrusion 125 may be adapted to strike, and potentially disable, a vehicle applying torsional force to the bollard 101 in the deployed configuration.
A cover plate 140 may be received by the carrier device 110 and adapted to cover the bollard 101 and the recess 111 when the bollard 101 is in the stowed configuration. The cover plated 140 may rest on a ridge formed about the perimeter of the recess 111. The cover plated 140 may be hingedly secured to the carrier device 111 and selectively positioned in an open configuration or a closed configuration. In the closed configuration, the cover plate 140 may cover the recess and prevent pedestrians from accidentally falling into the recess 111 when the bollard 101 is in the deployed configuration. In the closed configuration, the cover plate 140 may also cover the recess 111 and the bollard 101 and protect these components when the bollard 101 is in the stowed configuration. The cover plate 140 may be at the level of surrounding ground when in the closed configuration. The cover plate 140 may be moved into an open configuration, in which the recess 111 is exposed, to allow the bollard 101 to transition between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration. The cover plate 140 may cover the recess 111 or portion of the recess 111 behind the bollard 101 in the deployed configuration and occupied by the bollard 101 in the stowed configuration.
A front retaining plate 126 may cover the recess 111 or portion of the recess 111 not covered by the cover plate 140. The front retaining plate 126 may be positioned in front of the bollard 101 in the deployed configuration and above a portion of the bollard 101 in the stowed configuration. The front retaining plate 126 may cover the pivot carrier 121 when secured to the carrier device 110, thereby preventing the bollard from being removed from the carrier device 110 without removal of the front retaining plate 126. The front retaining plate 126 may not cover the first lock plate channel 122 and second lock plate channel 123 when secured to the carrier device 110, thereby allowing the lock plate 130 to be freely placed in and removed from these channels 122, 123 while the front retaining plate 126 is secured to the carrier device 110. The front retaining plate 126 may be removably secured to a frame of the carrier device 110. The front retaining plate 126 may be adapted to support the bollard 101 and prevent the bollard 101 from rotating past the deployed configuration. The front retaining plate 126 may prevent rotation of the bollard 101 in a first direction, while the lock plate 130 may prevent rotation of the bollard 101 in a second, opposite direction when the bollard is in the deployed configuration and the lock plate 130 is in an engaged position.
The front retaining plate 126 and the lock plate 130 may be configured to withstand forces of different magnitudes. By way of example, and not as a limitation, the bollard system 100 may be installed in a road way leading to a secure location. In such an embodiment, it may be desirable for the bollard system 100 to robustly prevent traffic from heading toward the secure location while providing less robust protection against vehicles heading away from the secure location. In such an embodiment, the bollard system 100 may be installed with its length parallel to the direction of traffic flow on the roadway. The lock plate 130 may be positioned on the side of the bollard 101 closer to the secure location and the front retaining plate 126 may be positioned distal the secure location. The front retaining plate 126 and the lock plate 130 may be designed to withstand different degrees of force, the effect of which may be that the lock plate 130 supports the bollard 101 in the deployed configuration when the bollard 101 is impacted by a heavy vehicle moving quickly, while the front retaining plate 126 may allow the bollard 101 to collapse into the stowed configuration when the bollard 101 is hit by a light weight vehicle moving slowly. This above is given for exemplary purposes only and one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the lock plate 130 and front retaining plate 126 may be engineered with differing strength attributes and either one may be engineered to provide more robust support than the other.
In the example provided above, it may be desirable to position a protrusion 125 on an end of the carrier device 110 distal the lock plate 130. In such an embodiment, when the bollard 101 is impacted on the side distal the lock plate 130, the torsional force place on the bollard 101 by the impact may rotate the protrusion 125 upward from its installed position below the ground and cause it to impact the underside of the vehicle impacting the bollard 101. This may disable or damage the vehicle impacting the bollard 101 and provide secondary protection for the secure location. One skilled in the art will realize that the protrusion 125 may be placed on either or both ends of the carrier device 110 to provide protection from impact in a desired direction.
When in the deployed configuration, the bollard 101 may form approximately a 90 degree and with the carrier device 110. The angle between the bollard 101 and the carrier device 110 when in the deployed configuration may be the deployed angle.
The front retaining plate 126 may secure to the carrier device 110 over the pivot carrier 121. In such an embodiment, the front retaining plate 126 may cover the pivot rod 120 and prevent the bollard 101 from being lifted out of the carrier device 110 without removal of the front retaining plate 126. The front retaining plate 126 may be secured with a plurality of screws, bolts, or the like. Removal of the front retaining plate 126 may unsecure the pivot rod 120 and allow the bollard 101 to be lifted out of the carrier device 110 for maintenance, repair, or replacement.
In one embodiment, as shown at least in
Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.
While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
