Patent Application
20100266337
The application relates generally to delineators and, more particularly, to a flexible delineator adapted to bend upon impact and then return to its original upright position.
Self-restorable delineator posts having the ability to spring back to their original upright positions after an impact are known. Compression spring members are typically used to return the posts to their original upright positions.
One problem associated with these types of posts is that after a certain number of deformations, the spring members tend to loose some of their elasticity and, thus, some of their capability to return the posts to their original positions, thereby resulting in the posts being inclined at an angle from the vertical. Also the installation/removal of such flexible delineator posts is somewhat time consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a new flexible delineator post assembly offering durability and ease of installation.
In one aspect, there is provided a flexible delineator post assembly comprising an inground socket permanently installed in a paved surface; a rubber joint having a plug body including upper and lower end portions, the lower end portion being releasably insertable in the inground socket with the upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket; an anchor for releasably anchoring the rubber joint to the inground socket; a post segment having a tubular lower end portion fitted over the upper end portion of the rubber joint; and a fastener for releasably attaching the post segment to the upper end portion of rubber joint.
In a second aspect, there is provided a self-restorable delineator post adapted to spring back to an original upright position after an impact, comprising an inground socket adapted to be permanently installed in a paved surface, a resilient plug having a lower end portion insertable into the inground socket, the resilient plug having an upper end portion projecting upwardly from the inground socket when the lower end portion of the resilient plug is inserted therein, an anchor operable from the upper end portion of the resilient plug for releasably anchoring the resilient plug to the inground socket, and a post segment fastenable over the upper end portion of the resilient plug, the tension in the resilient plug when subject to a deformation as a result of an impact on the post segment returning the post segment back to its original upright position.
Reference is now made to the accompanying figures, in which:
a to 3e are sequential views illustrating the installation procedure of the delineator post in a paved surface;
Reflective material 13 can be affixed to the post segment 12 to give warning or guidance. The post segment 12 can be tubular and has a lower hollow end section 15 adapted to be tightly fitted over the resilient joint 14. As shown in
The resilient joint 14 can be provided in the form of a one-piece solid rubber plug having an upper cylindrical end or head portion 18 and a lower cylindrical end portion 20. The rubber material can be reinforced with appropriate strengthening fibers. The rubber material is selected to have a medium hardness. According to one example, the hardness of the rubber material is comprised between about 30 to about 70 durometer. Most preferably the rubber material is selected to have hardness in a range from about 40 to about 50 durometer.
The upper and lower end portions 18 and 20 of the joint 14 are coaxial. As can be appreciated from
According to the illustrated example, the joint 14 is releasably anchored against axial removal to the inground socket 16 by means of a hook 22 engageable with a crossbar 24 extending transversally through a lower end portion of the socket 16. The hook 22 is threadably engaged on a bolt 26 mounted inside a central hole 28 extending axially through the joint 14. The bolt 26 has a socket head 30 resting on a metal washer 32 embedded within the joint 14. A tool, such as an Allen key K (see
Other anchoring mechanism could be used as well to anchor the joint 14 to the inground socket 16. For instance, anchors with radially deployable anchoring fingers and the like could be used. Threadably engageable anchors are contemplated as well.
An anti-rotation mechanism can be provided between the joint 14 and the inground socket 16. This is particularly useful whenever the post segment 12 carries a sign or has indicia thereon which must assume a predetermined orientation relative to a road or the like. According to the illustrated example, the anti-rotation mechanism comprises a pair of diametrically opposed stoppers, which can take the form of protrusions 34 depending integrally downwardly from the shoulder between the upper head portion 18 and the lower end portion 20 of the joint 14 for engagement in corresponding diametrically opposed rounded notches 36 defined in the upper lip of the inground socket 16. The engagement of the protrusions 34 in the upwardly opened notches 36 locks the joint 14 against rotation relative to the inground socket. It understood that the anti-rotation mechanism could also form an integral part of the anchoring mechanism used to prevent axial withdrawal of the joint 14 from the inground socket 16. In this case, there is no need for a dedicated or separate anti-rotation mechanism. Also, the inground socket 16 can have a somewhat elliptical cross-section to further restrict angular movement between the joint 14 and the socket 16.
As shown in
The load supported by the bolts 40 is minimized by the presence of the above described anti-rotation mechanism. Indeed, by preventing angular movement between the joint 14 and the inground socket 16 and, thus, between the post segment 12 and the inground socket 16, the bolts 40 do not have to support bending moments in the transversal plane of the post segment 12.
a to 3e illustrate the installation procedure of the flexible delineator post 10. First, as shown in
As shown in
Finally, as shown in
If there is a need to remove the post segment and the rubber joint, as it might be the case during the winter season, a rubber plug 50 can be inserted under pressure into the socket 16 to close the same. The plug 50 can have a plug body 54 and a flexible flap 52 projecting from the plug body 54 to facilitate removal of the plug 50 from the socket 16. The flap 52 can be collapsible in order not to interfere with the passage of vehicle (e.g. a snowplough) thereover. It can be appreciated that the above described assembly provides ease of installation and replacement.
The flexible joint 14 allows the post 10 to withstand repeated vehicle impacts and from different directions. The pole 10 is flexible on 360 degrees. Upon impact, the pole 10 bends and quickly bounces back to its original upright position due to the elasticity of the deformable rubber joint 14. The tension in the rubber joint 14, when deformed, provides the required force to return the post 10 to its upright position even after numerous vehicle impacts. Conventional flexible post arrangements having spring members working in compression will typically lose some of their springiness over time resulting in non-perfectly upright posts. Unlike conventional compression spring members who tend to loose some of their capacity to spring back to their original shape over repeated deformations, the rubber joint maintains a constant elasticity over time to return the post to its exact original upright position. The rubber joint operates in tension and not in compression like the conventional spring members. The elastic properties of the rubber joint are less susceptible to deterioration over time. The rubber joint contributes to provide a durable delineator product. It is also relatively cheap to produce and can be easily installed, which contributes to further lower the overall costs of the flexible or collapsible delineator post.
As can be appreciated the above described flexible delineator post allows for a wide variety of applications, including bicycle path delineation, parking, road side, edge marking in general etc.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Any modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.
