Patent Application
20220189299
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to traffic light devices and more particularly pertains to a new traffic light device for facilitating a person to direct traffic without using hand signals.
The prior art relates to traffic light devices including a variety of traffic signs that each has a plurality of light emitters being strategically arranged such that the plurality of light emitters can spell a variety of words for directing traffic. The prior art also discloses a variety of illuminated traffic signs to facilitate a person to direct traffic.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a traffic sign that is manipulated by a person directing traffic. A plurality of lenses is each coupled to the traffic sign and each of the lenses has indicia printed thereon. A plurality of light emitters is each coupled to the traffic sign to emit light outwardly therefrom. Each of the light emitters is positioned behind a respective one of the lenses to enhance visibility of the respective lenses when the light emitters are turned on. A pole is coupled to the traffic sign and a plurality of control buttons is each movably coupled to the pole. Each of the control buttons turns a respective light emitter on and off. In this way the light emitters can be individually turned on for directing traffic.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The plurality of lenses 22 includes a stop lens 26, a slow lens 28 and a go lens 30. The indicia 24 on the stop lens 26 comprise the word “stop”, the indicia 24 on the slow lens 28 comprise the word “slow”, and the indicia 24 on the go lens 30 comprise the word “go”. Each of the lenses 22 is comprised of a translucent material to pass light therethrough and each of the lenses 22 has a distinct color with respect to each other. The stop lens 26 may have a red color, the slow lens 28 may have an amber color and the go lens 30 may have a green color. A plurality of light emitters 32 is each of coupled to the traffic sign 12 to emit light outwardly therefrom. Each of the light emitters 32 is positioned behind a respective one of the lenses 22 to enhance visibility of the respective lenses 22 when the light emitters 32 are turned on. Each of the light emitters 32 may comprise an LED or other type of electronic light emitter.
A pole 34 is coupled to the traffic sign 12 and the pole 34 can be gripped by the person directing traffic. The pole 34 extends away from the bottom side 18 of the peripheral face of the traffic sign 12. The pole 34 has a distal end 36 with respect to the bottom side 18 and an outer surface 38 of the pole 34 is threaded adjacent to the distal end 36. A plurality of control buttons 40 is each movably coupled to the pole 34. Each of the control buttons 40 is in electrical communication with a respective one of the light emitters 32 for turning the respective light emitter on and off. The plurality of control buttons 40 includes a go button 42, a slow button 44 and a stop button 46. The go button 42 is associated with the light emitter 32 behind the go lens 30, the slow button 44 is associated with the light emitter 32 behind the slow lens 28 and the stop button 46 is associated with the light emitter 32 behind the stop lens 26.
A power supply 48 is integrated into the traffic sign 12 and the power supply 48 is electrically coupled to each of the plurality of light emitters 32. The power supply 48 comprises at least one battery 50 that is positioned in the traffic sign 12 and the at least one battery 50 is electrically coupled to each of the control buttons 40. The power supply 48 includes a charge port 52 that is recessed into the traffic sign 12 to engage a power cord from a charger. The charge port 52 is electrically coupled to the at least one battery 50 for charging the at least one battery 50 and the charge port 52 may be positioned on the first lateral side 20 of the perimeter face 16 of the traffic sign 12
The power supply 48 includes a power indicator 54 that is coupled to the traffic sign 12. The power indicator 54 is electrically coupled to the at least one battery 50 and the power indicator 54 indicates a charge level of the at least one battery 50. The power indicator 54 may be positioned on the first lateral side 20 of the perimeter face 16 of the traffic sign 12. Additionally, the power supply 48 includes a power button 56 that is movably coupled to the pole 34 and the power button 56 is electrically coupled to the at least one battery 50. The power button 56 disables each of the light emitters 32 when the power button 56 is turned off and the power button 56 enables each of the light emitters 32 when the power button 56 is turned on.
A rod 58 is provided and the rod 58 is removably attachable to the pole 34 for standing the traffic sign 12 in an upright orientation thereby enhancing visibility of the traffic sign 12 with respect to traffic. The rod 58 has an upper end 60 and a lower end 62, and the upper end 60 has a well 64 extending toward the lower end 62. The well 64 has a bounding surface 66 and the well 64 insertably receives the distal end 36 of the pole 34 having the outer surface 38 of the pole 34 threadably engaging the bounding surface 66 of the well 64. A base 68 is provided and the base 68 is coupled to the rod 58 to support the rod 58 in a vertical orientation on a support surface 69. The base 68 has a top side 70 and a bottom side 72, and the top side 70 is coupled to the lower end 62 of the rod 58. In this way the bottom side 72 of the base 68 abuts the support surface 69.
In use, the rod 58 is threaded onto the pole 34 and the power button 56 is depressed to enable the light emitters 32. The stop button 46 is depressed to illuminate the stop lens 26 thereby directing traffic to stop. The slow button 44 is depressed to illuminate the slow lens 28 thereby directing traffic to slow down. The go button 42 is depressed to illuminate the go lens 30 thereby directing traffic to go. In this way the person directing traffic can direct traffic without using hand signals that might be misinterpreted by traffic. Additionally, the traffic sign 12 can be stood upright on the rod 58 to enhance comfort for the person directing traffic.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
