Speed bump forming apparatus and method

Abstract

A speed bump forming apparatus and method. The speed forming apparatus includes a tractor having a blade with a substantially semi-circular edge that matches the outer contour of a speed bump. An amount of formable material is dispensed on a paved surface at the desired location of the speed bump to be formed. The blade is positioned to contact the paved surface on laterally opposite sides of the speed bump. The tractor translates the blade along a direction corresponding to an elongate axis of the speed bump, which spreads the material out along this direction and removes material that is elevationally higher than the edge of the blade to define the outer surface of the speed bump.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a speed bump forming apparatus and method for forming asphalt or other material into a road speed bump.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Speed bumps are used in residential areas and areas where there is a high level of pedestrian and vehicle traffic to ensure that a vehicle will not be driven too fast. Speed bumps are often used near apartment complexes, schools and in parking lots, and are particularly useful in densely populated areas and areas where there are children.

[0003] As illustrated in U.S. Design Patent Nos. 387,181 and 425,627, speed bumps are typically formed manually using a shovel and rake. Particularly, a worker shovels a formable material such as asphalt or concrete into a pile and then rakes it to form a speed bump. This manual method is labor intensive and time consuming, leading to high costs and low construction efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for forming speed bumps that reduces the labor and time required to form a speed bump, and therefore to reduce the cost thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] A speed bump forming apparatus and method of the present invention solve the aforementioned problems and meet the aforementioned needs by providing a tractor having a blade with a curvilinear edge that matches the desired outer contour of the speed bump. An amount of formable material is dispensed on a paved surface at the desired location of the speed bump to be formed. The blade is positioned to contact the paved surface on laterally opposite sides of the speed bump. The tractor translates the blade along a direction corresponding to an elongate axis of the speed bump, which spreads the material out along this direction and removes material that is elevationally higher than the edge of the blade to define the outer surface of the speed bump.

[0006] Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved speed bump forming apparatus.

[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a speed bump forming apparatus that reduces the amount of labor required to form a speed bump.

[0008] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a speed bump forming apparatus that decreases the time required to form a speed bump.

[0009] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a speed bump forming apparatus that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0010] It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a speed bump forming apparatus that decreases the costs associated with forming speed bumps.

[0011] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a speed bump forming apparatus according to the present invention, in use.

[0013] FIG. 2A is a pictorial view of a blade of the speed bump forming apparatus of FIG. 1 being used to form a speed bump.

[0014] FIG. 2B is a side view of the speed bump of FIG. 2A.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the blade of the speed bump forming apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a front view of the blade of FIG. 3.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the speed bump forming apparatus of FIG. 1, with the blade of FIG. 3 elevated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] A speed bump forming apparatus 10 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The speed bump forming apparatus includes a blade 12 for forming a speed bump that is attached to a tractor 14 or similar device that moves the blade 12.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 2A, the apparatus 10 is employed to form a speed bump 60 on a paved surface 62 which is typically a road or parking lot. The speed bump 60 is elongate and centered on an elongate axis “L,” and has an outer surface 64 that is shown in FIG. 2B as a contour line 66 in a cross-section of the speed bump taken perpendicular to the axis “L.” As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the blade 12 has a speed bump forming edge 20 that is shaped to match the desired cross-sectional contour 66. The contour 66 may be any desired size and shape; however, it is typically dictated by municipal code.

[0020] To form the speed bump 60, and therefore to define the outer surface 64 thereof, a formable material, such as asphalt or concrete, is dispensed at the location of the speed bump. The blade 12 is positioned over the dispensed material preferably so as to contact the paved surface 62 on laterally opposite sides “S1” and “S2” of the speed bump. The blade is translated by the tractor 14 along the direction of the axis “L.” The edge 20 is shown as being roughly semi-circular which matches the contour 66, and which traces out a semi-cylindrical surface that matches the outer surface 64 of the speed bump. However, the shape of the edge 20 can be varied depending upon the desired shape of the speed bump.

[0021] As the blade is translated along the axis “L,” material that is elevationally higher than the edge 20 of the blade 12 is pushed along the axis by a surface 16 of the blade, which is above the edge 20. The surface 16 spreads the material out along the axis and the edge traces out a speed bump form having the desired outer surface 64. An average speed bump is approximately two feet wide and three inches high at the center and is shaped parabolically or triangularly from the center. However, the size and shape can vary. Some municipalities have speed bumps that are as great as twelve feet wide and three and a half to four inches high at the center.

[0022] The tractor may be adapted to translate the blade without translating itself, or the tractor may straddle the speed bump and translate with the blade. Typically, the tractor will need to translate the blade both backwardly and forwardly a plurality of times to finish the outer surface 64 over the length of the speed bump; however, the blade may be translated in only one direction and only once without departing from the principles of the invention.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the blade 12 is preferably adapted for removable attachment to the tractor 14; however, it may be permanently mounted thereto, such as by being welded, without departing from the principles of the invention. The blade is preferably removably attached to the tractor by gripping members 46 and 48 attached to the hydraulically driven arms 42 and 44 of the tractor. The gripping members 46 and 48 have claws 50 and 52 that are hydraulically or pneumatically actuated to grasp the blade 12 at an upper portion 18 thereof. Other means for removably attaching the blade 12 to the tractor 14, such as bolts, may also be used as desired.

[0024] To save weight as well as material costs, the blade 12 is preferably formed of hollow tubing as shown in FIG. 3. The blade also includes edge-guards 22 and 24 extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of the edge 18. The edge-guards may have I-beam construction and be joined to the remaining body of the blade 12 by welding. The edge guards corral the material of which the speed bump is being formed so that it does not spill out to the sides S1 and S2, and are also useful to maintain the blade 12 in an upright position when it is not attached to the tractor 14.

[0025] In the Figures, two edge guards 22 and 24 extending aft of the blade 12 as mounted to the tractor 14 are provided and will function to corral material that is displaced while translating the blade in the aft direction; however, it will be readily appreciated that similar guards may be provided to extend forwardly of the blade 12 as well, which will corral the material when the blade is moved forwardly by the tractor.

[0026] The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming an elongate speed bump of formable material on a surface, the speed bump having an elongate axis and an outer surface contour line established in a cross-section that is not parallel to the elongate axis that rises, on one lateral side of the speed bump, from substantially the level of the surface to a maximum elevation, and that falls, on the other lateral side of the speed bump, from the maximum elevation to substantially the level of the surface, the apparatus comprising: a blade having a speed bump forming lower edge and a surface thereabove for pushing the formable material; and a powered machine for translating said blade along the elongate axis of the speed bump, said blade being attached to said powered machine and said speed bump forming edge being shaped to match said outer surface contour line.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said outer surface contour line is established in a cross-section that is substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis, and wherein said blade is elongate and has an elongate axis substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis of the speed bump.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said powered machine is a tractor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said blade is elongate and has two ends, the apparatus including corresponding edge-guards extending outwardly from said blade.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said edge-guards extend substantially perpendicular to said blade.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said outer contour line rises and falls in a substantially semi-circular curve.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said blade is elongate and has two ends, the apparatus including corresponding edge-guards extending outwardly from said blade.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said edge-guards extend substantially perpendicular to said blade.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said outer contour line rises and falls in a substantially semi-circular curve.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said blade is elongate and has two ends, the apparatus including corresponding edge-guards extending outwardly from said blade.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said edge-guards extend substantially perpendicular to said blade.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

18. An apparatus for forming an elongate speed bump of formable material on a surface, the speed bump having an elongate axis and an outer surface contour line established in a cross-section that is not parallel to the elongate axis that rises, on one lateral side of the speed bump, from substantially the level of the surface to a maximum elevation, and that falls, on the other lateral side of the speed bump, from the maximum elevation to substantially the level of the surface, the apparatus comprising a blade having a speed bump forming lower edge and a surface thereabove for pushing the formable material, wherein said blade is elongate and has two ends, the apparatus further including corresponding edge-guards extending outwardly from said blade.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said edge-guards extend substantially perpendicular to said blade.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said outer contour line rises and falls in a substantially semi-circular curve.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said edge-guards extend substantially perpendicular to said blade.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said edge-guards are rigidly attached to said blade.

26. A method for forming an elongate speed bump of formable material on a surface, the speed bump having an elongate axis and an outer surface contour line established in a cross-section that is not parallel to the elongate axis that rises, on one lateral side of the speed bump, from substantially the level of the surface to a maximum elevation, and that falls, on the other lateral side of the speed bump, from the maximum elevation to substantially the level of the surface, the method comprising the steps of: providing a blade having a speed bump forming lower edge and a surface thereabove that is substantially solid; providing a tractor to which said blade is attached; providing that said speed bump forming edge is shaped to match said outer surface contour line; and driving said tractor in the direction of the elongate axis of the speed bump, thereby translating said blade along said axis, resulting in pushing the formable material with said surface so as to spread the formable material along the elongate axis and leaving behind an outer surface of the speed bump that incorporates said contour line in parallel said cross-sections.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said outer surface contour line is established in a cross-section that is substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis, and wherein said blade is elongate and has an elongate axis substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis of the speed bump.