Claims
- 1. A deformable, detachable base for supporting and stabilizing an attached vertical sign or delineator member in upright orientation with respect to a ground or road surface to which the base may be affixed, said base comprising:
- a. a deformable, resilient, domed structure having an integrally formed (i) top, (ii) intermediate body wall and (iii) base attachment channel, said channel being formed of a resilient, elastic composition at the periphery of the body wall and including an inward channel wall forming one side of a channel enclosure and an outward channel wall coupled at its top to the inward channel wall forming another side of the channel enclosure and further including a flange attached at a lower part of the outward channel wall and projecting inward toward a central axis thereof to thereby form a third wall for the channel enclosure, said domed structure being configured about the central axis in the general shape of a dome;
- b. a rigid, flat base plate adapted near its periphery with a substantially vertically oriented lip adapted in size and configuration for removable attachment in a tight, contour fir within the three channel walls of the channel enclosure and being further adapted with means for attachment to the ground or other flat mounting surface;
- c. said domed structure including means at the top thereof for mounting a delineator or sign member, said mounting means providing a primary transfer path for stress occurring as a result of impact between a fast moving vehicle and the attached delineator or sign member wherein impact forces are transferred directly into the top of the dome and indirectly through the intermediate body wall into the base attachment channel, said indirect forces being operable to tighten the attachment of the base attachment channel at the base plate;
- d. said base attachment channel further providing for immediate detachment at the base plate by direct forces applied by lifting the outer wall of the channel to insert the lip of the base plate therein, yet being adapted at the same time to resist detachment from the base plate in response to the indirect forces applied to the channel through the domed structure wherein forces are distributed over the walls of the channel and where increased frictional contact with the base plate prevents release of the lip from the channel enclosure.
- 2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the channel flange which projects inward from the outer channel wall responds to impact forces applied across the central axis and through the domed structure by being drawn into tension against the base plate to thereby respond at the periphery the base plate with a gripping force which is greater than when impact forces are absent.
- 3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said base attachment channel is integrally formed with and is continuous around the periphery of the lowest portion of the body wall of the domed structure.
- 4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the point of connection between the base attachment channel and the periphery of the body wall is positioned substantially along a plane normal to the central axis and intercepting the channel enclosure to thereby develop rotational movement of the channel walls about the base lip and toward the channel flange in response to radial forces applied to the domed structure toward the central axis, thereby forcing the flange into a more secure position at the base plate.
- 5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the elastic composition of the domed structure comprises a viscoelastic material.
- 6. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the elastic composition of the domed structure comprises a rubberlike material.
- 7. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the base plate lip has a geometric cross-section conforming to the cross-section of the channel enclosure, including a recessed channel at the perimeter for receiving the channel flange.
- 8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the channel flange and recessed perimeter channel of the base plate are radially oriented with respect to the central axis to enhance the gripping action of the channel flange under the indirect forces.
- 9. A device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a locking means for locking the domed structure at a predetermined position with respect to the base plate, thereby preventing rotational movement of the domed structure when the base plate is fixed to the ground.
- 10. A device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a delineator or sign mounted at the top of the domed structure, said delineator or sign including a stiff member extending along the length thereof which is rigidly affixed to the support base such that deflection of the stiff member by an impacting load results in transfer of most of the load into the base support, causing the domed structure to deflect and partially collapse, thereby avoiding a tendency of the delineator or sign to wrap around the impacting load with the attendant risk of being pulled free from the support base.
- 11. A deformable detachable base for supporting and stabilizing an attached vertical member in upright orientation with respect to a flat surface to which the base may be affixed, said base comprising:
- a. a deformable structure having (i) a top, (ii) a body wall and (iii) a base plate attachment member formed of a resilient, elastic composition;
- b. a base plate having a substantially flat bottom and a lip positioned above the bottom and near the periphery of the base plate, said lip having a cross-section defined within the four quarants of a circle whose diameter extends from the top of the lip to the bottom of the base and includes three separate lip surfaces comprising a first lip surface having its primary surface in a first upper quadrant nearest the central axis, a second lip surface having its primary surface in the remaining upper quadrant and a third lip surface with its primary surface in the two lower quadrants, said first and second lip surfaces being primarily oriented along the vertical axis of the quadrant and the third surface being primarily oriented along the horizontal axis, said lip being adapted in size and configuration for removable attachment and contour fit within tbe base plate attachment member;
- c. said base plate attachment member having a channel opening oriented downward and having a channel configuration corresponding to the cross-section of the three lip surfaces of the base plate lip;
- d. said deformable structure including means at the top thereof for mounting a delineator or sign member, said mounting means providing a primary transfer path for stress occurring as a result of impact between a fast moving vehicle and the delineator or sign member wherein impact forces are transferred directly into the top of the deformable structure and indirectly through the body wall into the base plate attachment member, said indirect forces being operable to tighten the attachment of the base attachment member at the base plate;
- e. said base plate being further adapted with means for attachment to the ground or other flat mounting surface.
- 12. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein said body wall comprises a conical midsection having sufficient flexibility to deform when subject to compression or elongation stress yet having sufficient stiffness to provide resilience for supporting an attached vertical member in upright orientation; said top being integrally formed and attached at an upper portion of the walled body and having greater stiffness than the wall body to favor deformation of the walled body under impact stress in preference to the top, said top including means for attaching the vertical member such that the vertical member can withstand a high speed lateral impact without being pulled free from the attached base.
- 13. A device as defined in claim 12, wherein the deformable structure includes a substantially flat, annular ring coupled between the peripheral base of the conical structure and the base plate attachment member and adapted to rest at an upper surface of the base plate when attached thereto.
- 14. A device as defined in claim 11 wherein the configuration of the lip comprises first and second lip surfaces which are substantially concentric with the vertical axis and wherein the third lip surface is at least approximately 270 degrees from the second lip surface, said channel having corresponding configuration to insure a tight fit of the lip therein.
- 15. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein the base plate lip includes at least three lip surfaces which require an applied impact force at the deformable structure to follow a complex path therethrough having at least three changes in direction before reaching the edge of the base plate attachment member.
- 16. A device as defined in claim 14 wherein the lip is arcuate in cross-section having an arc extending through at least approximately 180 degrees, said attachment gripping member having a corresponding configuration to insure maintenance of the required tight, contoured fit at the lip.
- 17. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein said body wall comprises a hemispherical midsection having sufficient flexibility to deform when subject to compression or elongation stress yet having sufficient stiffness to provide resilience for supporting an attached vertical member in upright orientation; said top being integrally formed and attached at an upper portion of the walled body and having greater stiffness than the wall body to favor deformation of the walled body under impact stress in preference to the top, said top including means for attaching the vertical member such that the vertical member can withstand a high speed lateral impact without being pulled free from the attached base.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation in part of U.S. application No. 311,350 filed Oct. 14, 1981 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,281 and U.S. Pat. No. 572,366 filed Jan. 20, 1984 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,118.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
572366 |
Jan 1984 |
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