Patent Application
20230154363
The present disclosure relates to a safety flag, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, more particularly to a safety flag device that is reversibly extendable, motorized, reversibly attachable to any vehicle and controlled remotely.
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Safety whips are often used to increase the visibility of vehicles. They usually comprise an eye catching flag mounted atop a pole or mast that is attached to a vehicle to increase the visibility thereof. However, currently most safety flags disclosed in the prior art have to be assembled and dissembled for use and storage, respectively. In addition, height restrictions in some areas prevent the use of safety whips permanently affixed to the vehicle. Similarly, it is often not possible to drive on public roads with an extended safety whip. Finally, some vehicle types cannot or are not configured to have a safety whip attached thereto.
It has previously been recognized that there exists a need for a safety flag apparatus or device that is reversibly extendable, motorized, and configured to be controlled remotely.
AU Pub. No. 2020/227031 A1 (Vegh) discloses a safety flag deployment apparatus for a vehicle. Shortcomings include a lack of a LED light.
CA Pub. No. 2771680 A1 (McMeekin et al.) discloses a vehicle emergency safety light. Shortcomings include an inability to be controlled remotely.
CN Pub. No. 108109557 A (Li et al.) discloses a vehicle-mounted flag folding device. Shortcomings include an inability to telescopically retract or extend the safety flag and an inability to be controlled remotely.
U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0283875 A1 (Durkin) discloses an emergency signaling system. Shortcomings include a lack of LED lights, and of an inability to be controlled remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,706 A (Vargas) discloses an antenna mast and method using same. Shortcomings include a lack of removable flag and an inability to be controlled remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,787 A (Kell et al.) discloses an automatic safety flag for boats and water recreational vehicles. Shortcomings include a lack of an inability to be controlled remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,700 B2 (Chasmar) discloses a safety whip mast. Shortcomings include a lack of motorization and an inability to be controlled remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,302,552 B2 (Dover) discloses a retractable caution flag for mounting on a vehicle. Shortcomings include an inability to be controlled remotely.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,928,764 B2 (Heath et al.) discloses an illuminated support mount for a vehicle flag. Shortcomings include an inability to retract or extend the flag and a lack of motorization.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,995,916 B1 (Murphy) discloses a rigid and lighted flag for a vehicle. Shortcomings include an inability to retract/extend the flag and a lack of motorization.
All documents cited herein are incorporated by reference.
It is clear that there exists a need for a safety whip device or apparatus that is reversibly extendable, motorized, reversibly attachable to any vehicle and that can be controlled remotely.
It is an object of the invention to provide a safety flag device that is reversibly extendable, motorized, reversibly attachable to any vehicle and that can be controlled remotely.
In accordance with one aspect, there is presented a safety flag device comprising: a housing, the housing comprising: one or more reversible attachment means for reversibly attaching said housing to an exterior surface of a vehicle; a first switch; and a reversibly extendable pole, the pole having a base coupled to said housing and a tip; a rod secured to the tip of the reversibly extendable pole, along a same axis thereof; a flag reversibly attached to the rod; and the housing further comprising therein: a container for storing a portion of a long flexible cable, the long flexible cable passing through an interior volume of the reversibly extendable pole and being attached to the tip thereof; an electrical motor mechanically coupled to the long flexible cable, and electrically coupled to the first switch and an electrical power source, and operable to, via said first switch, move the long flexible cable up or down inside the reversibly extendable pole so as to extend or retract the reversibly extendable pole.
In one embodiment, the reversibly extendable pole is a telescopic pole comprising a plurality of concentric cylindrical tube elements that are slidingly coupled.
In one embodiment, the electrical motor is operable to partially extend or partially retract the reversibly extendable pole.
In one embodiment, the housing further comprises one or more handles thereon.
In one embodiment, the rod is screwingly secured to the tip of the reversibly extendable pole.
In one embodiment, the safety flag device further comprises: a second switch electrically coupled to said power source; at least one lighting element affixed at an upper tip of the rod electrically coupled to said second switch; wherein the at least one lighting element is configured to be turned on or off via said second switch.
In one embodiment, the at least one lighting element is a light-emitting diode (LED).
In one embodiment, the electrical power source is an external electrical power source located outside of said housing and wherein the housing further comprises: a set of power studs electrically coupled to said first switch and said electrical motor for electrically coupling said first switch and said electrical motor to the external electrical power source.
In one embodiment, the external electrical power source is a battery of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the electrical power source is an internal electrical power source located inside of said housing.
In one embodiment, the internal electrical power source is a lithium-ion battery.
In one embodiment, the one or more reversible attachment means comprise one or more magnets to magnetically couple the housing to the exterior surface of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the reversible attachment means comprise one or more brackets configured to slidingly engage one or more mounting rails affixed to the exterior surface of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the safety flag further comprises in said housing: a wireless control module electrically coupled to said first switch and said second switch and configured to allow the remotely control the at least one lighting element and the electric motor.
In one embodiment, the wireless control module is a Wi-fi control module remotely controlled via a mobile device or remote control.
In one embodiment, the wireless control module is a Bluetooth® control module electrically coupled to said first switch via a 2-relay module.
In accordance with another embodiment, there is presented a kit for installing a safety flag device to a vehicle, the kit comprising: one or more mounting rails; one or more fastening means; the safety flag device comprising: a housing, the housing comprising: one or more brackets; a first switch; and a reversibly extendable pole, the pole having a base coupled to said housing and a tip; a rod secured to the tip of the reversibly extendable pole, along a same axis thereof; a flag reversibly attached to the rod; and the housing further comprising therein: a container for storing a portion of a long flexible cable, the long flexible cable passing through an interior volume of the reversibly extendable pole and being attached to the tip thereof; an electrical motor mechanically coupled to the long flexible cable, and electrically coupled to the first switch and an electrical power source, and operable to, via said first switch, move the long flexible cable up or down inside the reversibly extendable pole so as to extend or retract the reversibly extendable pole.
In one embodiment, the kit further comprises instructions for installing the safety flag device, the instructions comprising the steps of: fastening the one or more mounting rails to an exterior surface of the vehicle via the one or more fastening means; and slidingly engaging via the one or more brackets of the safety flag device the one or more mounting rails, thereby installing the safety flag device on the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the fastening means comprise: a plurality of bolts and nuts; a plurality of spacers; and a plurality of washers.
To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.
In the figures, embodiments are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and figures are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding.
Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein the figures:
The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter of this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
The disclosure proposes a safety flag device that is reversibly extendable, motorized, reversibly attachable to any vehicle and that can be controlled remotely that overcomes disadvantages inherent in the existing safety flag devices, such as, but not limited to, an inability to retract or extend the flag, a lack of motorization, an inability to reversibly attach the device to any vehicle, and an inability to be controlled remotely. The present invention provides a safety flag device that may be used with many different forms. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved safety flag device, which provides the advantages and overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages.
A reversibly extendable pole 112 is coupled at the proximal end to the top of the housing 102. In some embodiments, the pole 112 is a telescopic pole comprising a plurality of concentric cylindrical tube elements that are slidingly coupled and configured to be slidingly moved between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration. In some embodiments, the pole 112 may be extended or retracted via the switch 110. In some embodiments, the switch 110 may be a spring loaded switch, such as a 3 way 6 prong spring loaded switch or similar.
In some embodiments, removably attached to the distal end or tip of pole 112 along a same axis thereof is a rod 120 which is used to removably attach a warning flag 116 thereto, as seen in
In some embodiments, flag 116 may be any kind of flag used in the art. This may include flexible flags and/or rigid flags. The skilled person in the art will appreciate that different materials may be used, including, but not limited to: plastic, fabric, and/or metal materials. In some embodiments, the flag 116 may be removably attached to the rod 120 via one or more fastening means, including, for example, Velcro straps or the like. This allows the flag 116 to be interchanged as needed, for example if another type of flag is required and/or if the current flag is damaged and needs to be replaced. In other embodiments, the flag may be permanently affixed to the rod 120 and attached/removed from the safety flag device 100 by attaching/detaching the rod 120 from the distal end of the pole 112.
In some embodiments, a lighting element 114 may be coupled or attached to the distal end of the rod 120. Different types of lighting elements may be used, for example light emitting device (LED) lights or the like. In some embodiments, one or more additional lighting elements may also be coupled or attached to the housing 102 and/or rod 120. Flexible wiring cables (not shown) are installed inside both the pole 112 and the rod 120 so as to electrically couple the lighting element 114 to a power source (either inside the housing 102 or outside of it) and the toggle switch 118. For example, in some embodiments, a 2-wire 22-gauge AWG coated wire may be used. In some embodiments, a single switch may be used for both switch 110 and toggle switch 118, so to both extend the pole 112 and turn on the lighting element 114 simultaneously.
In some embodiments, the housing 102 further comprises, for ease of transportation purposes, one or more handles 106 thereon. The skilled person in the art will appreciate that a different number of handles may be used than the two handles 106 of
In some embodiments, as shown in
In the example of
In some embodiments, the wireless control module may be, for example, a Bluetooth® control module or a Wi-fi control module. It can be connected to the switch 110 or toggle switch 118 via one or more relay modules or the like. The skilled person in the art will appreciate that other wireless technologies for remotely controlling a device via a mobile device or remote control may also be used, without restriction.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. As can be understood, the examples described above are intended to be exemplary only.
The embodiments described were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.
The term “connected”, “attached”, “affixed” or “coupled to” may include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements).
As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
