FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bollard system according to the invention and, more particularly, to a bollard system according to the invention having a removable pole.
BACKGROUND
Bollards known in the art are poles used to form a barrier in various applications including road closures and the protection of road-adjacent elements. Known bollards are typically permanently mounted on a surface by bolt fasteners or are set in concrete under the surface. Known bollards are difficult to install, requiring pre-installation of an element to attach to the fasteners or the labor-intensive concrete setting, and further, are not removable once installed.
SUMMARY
A bollard system according to the invention is provided and generally includes a mounting device and a pole. The mounting device has a mounting body defining a pole receiving passageway and a mounting attachment device disposed on the mounting body. The pole has a pole attachment device disposed on an insertion end of the pole. The pole attachment device removably engages the mounting attachment device to secure the pole within the pole receiving passageway.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, of which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bollard system according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the bollard system according to the invention of FIG. 1 installed in a ground;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the bollard system according to the invention of FIG. 1 installed in the ground with a pole of the bollard system according to the invention removed; and
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of another bollard system according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
An exemplary embodiment of a bollard system according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The bollard system according to the invention generally includes a pole 100 and a mounting device 200.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pole 100, as shown in FIG. 1, is a cylindrical member having a free end 110 and an opposite insertion end 120 along a longitudinal direction P of the pole 100. The pole 100 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or may be formed from a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The pole 100 has a pole attachment device 130 disposed on the insertion end 120. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the pole attachment device 130 is a pair of locking protrusions 132 disposed opposite one another on an outer surface of the pole 100. Each locking protrusion 132 protrudes from the outer surface of the pole 100 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction P of the pole 100.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mounting device 200, as shown in FIG. 1, has a mounting body 210, a mounting attachment device 220, a flange 230, and a drill bit 240.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mounting body 210 is a cylindrical member having a surface end 212 and an opposite embedded end 214 along a longitudinal direction M of the mounting device 200. The mounting body 210 is hollow and defines a pole receiving passageway 216 having a cylindrical profile in the embodiment shown. The mounting body 210 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or may be formed from a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mounting attachment device 220 is disposed on the mounting body 210. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the mounting attachment device 220 is a plurality of protrusion receiving passageways 222 extending through the mounting body 210 and communicating with the pole receiving passageway 216. The protrusion receiving passageways 222 are positioned opposite one another on the mounting body 210 and each protrusion receiving passageway 222 has an approximate L-shape, extending from the surface end 212 of the mounting body 210 in the longitudinal direction M and turning in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction M prior to reaching the embedded end 214 of the mounting body 210.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the flange 230, as shown in FIG. 1, is disposed on the surface end 212 of the mounting body 210 and extends in the direction transverse to the longitudinal direction M. In the shown embodiment, the flange 230 is circular, however, one with ordinary skill in the art would understand that the flange 230 may alternatively be square, rectangular, or any other shape known to those with ordinary skill in the art. The flange 230 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or may be formed from a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). In an embodiment, the mounting body 210 and the flange 230 are monolithically formed.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the drill bit 240, as shown in FIG. 1, is attached to the embedded end 214 of the mounting body 210 and extends away from the embedded end 214 along the longitudinal direction M. The drill bit 240 has a width WD equal to a width WB of an outer surface of the mounting body 210 in the direction transverse to the longitudinal direction M. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the drill bit 240 is a spade drill bit. In other embodiments, the drill bit 240 may be an auger drill bit or any other type of drill bit known to those with ordinary skill in the art. The drill bit 240 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or may be formed from a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). In an embodiment, the entirety of the mounting device 200, including the mounting body 210, the mounting attachment device 220, the flange 230, and the drill bit are monolithically formed.
Installation of the bollard system according to the invention according of the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1-3. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the bollard system according to the invention is installed in a ground 300 having a ground surface 310. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the ground 300 is formed of concrete material. In other embodiments, the ground 300 may be formed of soil, sand, or any other ground material commonly known. In further embodiments, the ground surface 310 may comprise a material different from the ground 300, for example, asphalt or pavers.
A user places the drill bit 240 of the mounting device 200 on the ground surface 310 with the longitudinal direction M aligned with an insertion direction I and, using a tool or manually, turns the drill bit 240 along a rotation direction R. The drill bit 240 displaces material of the ground surface 310 and ground 300 when rotated along the rotation direction R and moves along the insertion direction I, creating a bollard passageway 320 in the ground 300 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The drill bit 240 is rotated and moved along the insertion direction I until, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bottom surface of the flange 230 abut the ground surface 310. The mounting device 200 is shown in a fully mounted position in the ground 300 in FIGS. 2 and 3.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pole 100 is then inserted into the mounting device 200. The pole 100 is moved along the insertion direction I and the insertion end 120 of the pole 100 is introduced into the pole receiving passageway 216 of the mounting device 200. The pole attachment device 130 engages the mounting attachment device 220 during insertion. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the locking protrusions 132 are inserted into the protrusion receiving passageways 222 as the pole 100 moves along the insertion direction I. When the insertion end 120 of the pole 100 reaches the embedded end 214 of the mounting body 210 in the pole receiving passageway 216, a user turns the pole 100 along the rotation direction R, positioning each locking protrusion 132 in a portion of one protrusion receiving passageway 222 extending in the direction transverse to the longitudinal direction M.
In the fully inserted position of the pole 100 in the mounting device 200 shown in FIG. 2, to remove the pole 100, a user must first turn the pole 100 counter to the rotation direction R before moving the pole 100 counter to the insertion direction I. The locking protrusions 132 and protrusion receiving passageways 222 secure the pole 100 within the mounting device 200 and ensure that the pole 100 is not accidentally removed from the mounting device 200. The bollard system according to the invention is shown fully installed in the ground 300 in FIG. 2.
The bollard system according to the invention may be used in a variety of barrier applications. In an embodiment, the bollard system according to the invention is used to create a roadblock for a temporary road closure; in this embodiment, the ground 300 is commonly concrete, the pole 100 and mounting device 200 are formed of a metal material, and the pole 100 and mounting body 210 have a larger diameter. In another embodiment, the bollard system according to the invention is used to protect a curb or other road-adjacent element from, for example, a snow plow; in this embodiment, the ground 300 is commonly concrete, the mounting device 200 is formed of a metal material, the pole 100 is formed of a plastic material, and the pole 100 and mounting body 210 have a smaller diameter. In another embodiment, the bollard system according to the invention is used to create a pedestrian barrier at, for example, an outdoor festival; in this embodiment, the ground 300 is commonly soil, the pole 100 and mounting device 200 are formed of a plastic material, and the pole 100 and mounting body 210 have a smallest diameter. In any embodiment, a plurality of bollard system according to the inventions may be installed aligned to create an elongated barrier. One with ordinary skill in the art would understand that these embodiments are merely exemplary and other combinations of materials and sizes of the pole 100 and mounting device 200 may be used.
Whenever the user does not require the barrier protection of the bollard system according to the invention, the user may remove the pole 100 from the mounting device 200. As described above, the pole attachment device 130 is disengageable from the mounting attachment device 220; in the shown embodiment the user first turns the pole 100 counter to the rotation direction R before moving the pole 100 counter to the insertion direction I, moving the locking protrusions 132 along the protrusion receiving passageways 222. The pole 100 is thus removed from the mounting device 200, exposing the pole receiving passageway 216 as shown in FIG. 3.
In an embodiment of the invention, a plug 400, shown in FIG. 3, is insertable along the insertion direction I into the pole receiving passageway 216 of the fully mounted mounting device 200 when the pole 100 is removed and not in use. The plug 400 is a cylindrical member having a surface end 410 and an opposite embedded end 420 along a longitudinal direction G of the plug 400. The plug 400 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or a resilient material such as rubber. The plug 400 is sized to fit the pole receiving passageway 216 and, when the plug 400 is inserted, the surface end 410 is flush with the flange 230. The plug 400 thus creates a continuous, planar surface with the flange 230 along the ground surface 310 to avoid disrupting movement over the ground surface 310 when the pole 100 is not inserted. The plug 400 is removable counter to the insertion direction I to permit the pole 100 to be re-inserted.
A bollard system according to the invention according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The bollard system according to the invention includes a pole 100′ and a mounting device 200′. Like reference numbers indicate like elements and only the differences with respect to the pole 100 and mounting device 200 shown in FIGS. 1-3 will be described in detail herein. In further embodiments, the features of the bollard system according to the invention shown in FIG. 4 and described herein are freely interchangeable and combinable with the features of the bollard system according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1-3.
In an embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 4, the pole attachment device 130 is a pole thread 134 extending circumferentially around the pole 100. The pole thread 134 extends from the insertion end 120 along part of a length of the pole 100′ in the longitudinal direction P. In the mounting device 200′ shown in FIG. 4, the mounting attachment device 220 is a mounting thread 224 extending circumferentially around an interior surface of the mounting body 210 from the surface end 212 to the embedded end 214 and facing the pole receiving passageway 216. The mounting device 200′ shown in FIG. 4 does not have a drill bit 240 and instead has a flat surface on the embedded end 214 of the mounting body 210.
The bollard system according to the invention shown in FIG. 4 is also installable in the ground 300. A user uses a commonly known, separate drill tool (not shown) to independently create the bollard passageway 320 prior to insertion of the mounting device 200′. The mounting device 200′ is then inserted into the bollard passageway 320 until the flange 230 abuts the ground surface 310. The pole 100′ is insertable into the mounting device 200′ by moving the pole 100′ along the insertion direction I and having the pole attachment device 130 engage the mounting attachment device 220. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the pole thread 134 engages the mounting thread 224 and the pole 100′ is rotated along the rotation direction R to move the pole 100′ along the insertion direction I into the pole receiving passageway 216. The pole 100′ is fully inserted in the pole receiving passageway 216 when the insertion end 120 abuts the embedded end 214 and the pole thread 134 is engaged with the mounting thread 224. The pole 100′ is removable from the mounting device 200′ by rotating the pole 100′ counter to the rotation direction R and disengaging the pole thread 134 from the mounting thread 224. The plug 400 can be inserted into the mounting device 200′ similarly to the insertion of the plug 400 into the mounting device 200 described with reference to FIG. 3.
The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, more or less of the aforementioned components can be used to conform to that particular purpose. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents.
Patent Application
20190368140
