The present invention pertains to a manufactured road marker for pedestrian crossings and all kinds of roadways.
As for pedestrian crossings, on the surfaces of the roads involved, sections parallel to each other, generally, but not exclusively white striped, alternating with road bed areas, are created.
This solution is adopted worldwide.
It is to be noted that these pedestrian crossings can be simply made by coloring the road bed or by using, for example, porphyry or marble blocks, of different colors.
The solutions adopted so far have many drawbacks.
A first drawback is represented by the poor visibility soon reached by paints, particularly the white paint, due to oily solutions, and above all, to rubber tire deposits. The first drawback becomes even more pronounced in bad weather when, on the road bed, slippery with rain, pedestrian crossings become hardly visible.
A second drawback is specifically related to pedestrian crossings made of porphyry or marble blocks. With heavy traffic and particularly with heavy loads, marble blocks break up and, in any case, either marble and porphyry blocks are likely to be removed from their respective seats, thus creating craters in the pavement. The foregoing drawbacks give birth to a further problem represented by law suits and damage claims for accidents due both to poor visibility of the pedestrian crossing and to the presence of potholes.
Another problem, once again related to pedestrian crossings whose strips are made up of porphyry and marble blocks, is represented by the long time required for the laying of the blocks, which results in high total costs.
Some of the above mentioned drawbacks, particularly the removal of the blocks and their high laying or installation cost, apply to manufactured items suitable for creating special roadways, such as squares and cycle paths. Though free from problems connected to heavy loads, they have to conform to aesthetic requirements together with safety standards.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks.
In particular, the device for making manufactured-items, such as road markers for pedestrian crossing areas and roadways of the type consisting of a plurality of blocks close to each other, which is the object of the present invention, is characterized in that the road marker combines:
This and other features will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, which is to be intended in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The term “a pair of rods” 2 means two rods placed on the same short vertical slide 3a of each cross member 3. Each of said cross members is U-shaped, with its opening upwards, that is towards the aforementioned rods 2; the securing points between rods 2 and the cross members 3 are located in coincidence with both the short vertical sides 3a of each of the aforementioned cross members. The stop member 4 is tightly secured to the last cross member 3 in coincidence with the short vertical side portions 3a between the two pairs of rods 2.
Said stop member 4 performs the function of stopping the sliding of the first block 10 inserted into the frame structure 1.
A plurality of reinforcing rods 5 is tightly secured onto the long horizontal side 3b of each cross member 3; these rods make the frame structure 1 more stable and prevent the mutual displacement of the cross members 3. The above mentioned plurality of reinforcing rods 5 may be omitted without affecting the performance of the present invention.
As shown in
In a plan view, portions 7, 8 and 9 have a square configuration.
At the bottom of the lower portion 7 is a plurality of grooves 6, parallel, angled or perpendicular to each other, in order to provide a better grip between the above mentioned block 10 and the cement layer cast during the laying operation.
As shown in
As illustrated in
Said second embodiment, as shown in
As for the preferred embodiment of
The setting up of an area to be covered with blocks 10 requires the following steps:
During the laying or installation operation, the frame structure 1, including the blocks 10, can be located in place either one by one or side by side lengthwise, or sideways, so as to leave a hollow space at least one centimeter thick among the above mentioned frame structures. Obviously the number of the frame structures, filed in with blocks used in the laying step will vary depending on the extent of the manufactured item to create.
While assembling the plurality of the aforementioned structures and blocks 10, great attention is to be paid to correctly alternate colors, for example in the case of pedestrian crossings.
After laying the frame structures 1 complete with blocks 10, if the gaps between one block and the other and the hollow spaces between the single frame structures show portions left uncovered by the upwards flux of the casting, a further casting will have to be provided in order to clog up said portions.
For pedestrian crossings, a plurality of groups of structures 11, filled in with blocks 10, suitably arranged on the road bed, is needed to create the pedestrian crossing.
As shown in
A first advantage of the present invention is that pedestrian crossings and street furniture areas can be quickly set up.
A second advantage is that the colors used for the blocks prove to be fast, even in severe situations of wear, as porcelainized stoneware is solid color which results in good long lasting visibility. In this connection, it is worth noticing that porcelainized stoneware reconditions through smoothing.
A further advantage is offered by the device strength due to several factors; the frame structures provided inside the device, the material each block is made of, and the fact that the device, as a whole, is blocked by the upwardly flowing cement casting which will cover all the joints between the blocks and the hollow spaces existing between the frame structures.
A further relevant advantage is that the frame structures, making up the road marker which is the object of the present invention, employs easy and inexpensive manufacturing methods. Also the laying or installing step of the present invention can be easily and quickly performed.
Although the description clearly refers to porcelainized stoneware blocks, the road marker of the present invention proves quite effective even when the blocks are made of not stonewared ceramics, glass paste, resins, cement and its by-products, powders from processings such as milling and smoothing processes, for example.
The description simply mentions that the blocks are made of solid color porcelainized stoneware; obviously the blocks can be obtained by drawing or extruding, and either dry or plastic pressing.
Once again the description specifically refers to the fact that the frame structures are made of metal, but it is clear that the device may be fully effective even using frame structures made of hard plastics. The description specifically mentions frame structures consisting of rods parallel to each other tightly secured to a plurality of U-shaped cross members. However it is clear that the road marker of the present invention works efficiently even if said plurality of cross elements is replaced with a simple U-shaped metal sheet, which it might be perforated, or with a U-shaped wire net.
Other modifications and revisions may occur to the skilled artisan. Consequently, the appended claims should be literally construed in a manner consistent with applicant's inventive efforts, and should not be limited to their literal terms.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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MO2007A000185 | May 2007 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2008/004187 | 5/27/2008 | WO | 00 | 11/25/2009 |