Patent Application
20190340961
The present disclosure relates to prospective passenger visibility at bus and other transit stops. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a spinnable indicator for use by a prospective passenger awaiting a bus or other transit vehicle.
Public transportation is utilized around the world, with buses remaining an ever-present method of transportation. Due to the flexibility of travel, innumerable bus stops are located around the world. Bus stops are typically identified with a marker, such as a pole indicating the stop and perhaps the bus and/or route that stops there. While this pole and the awaiting prospective passengers are easily seen during the day, low light and nighttime conditions make it difficult for a bus driver to 1) identify the stop location; and 2) determine whether prospective passengers are awaiting the bus. While some stops may have streetlights nearby, many do not. Further, even if the streetlight is nearby, it may still be difficult to see whether or not a prospective passenger is waiting. Further, a new driver, or a driver that is new to a route, may have difficulty identifying bus stops even during daylight conditions.
Additionally, it can be challenging for some prospective passengers to identify where the bus stop is located. For example, individuals with impaired vision or that are blind may not be able to distinguish the bus stop pole from other poles on the street, such as speed limit signs, no parking signs, light poles, etc. As a result, a blind individual must often ask for assistance in locating the stop. Even for those individuals without vision impairments, it can be difficult to identify the stop in darkness or other low-light conditions (e.g., fog).
Therefore, there remains a need for a system and method of identifying transit stops for use by both prospective passengers and drivers, and that particularly allows a bus driver to quickly and easily determine when a prospective passenger is waiting. The present disclosure seeks to solve these and other problems.
In one embodiment, a spinnable indicator for transit stops comprises a disc having a front side and a rear side, and a mounting bracket, wherein the disc is spinnably coupled to the mounting bracket, the mounting bracket mountable to a pole or beam. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the front side of the disc comprises reflective material.
In one embodiment, a spinnable indicator for transit stops comprises a spinning member having a front side, a rear side, and a reflective surface on at least a portion of the front side, one or more bearings, and a mounting bracket.
In one embodiment, a spinnable indicator may further comprise light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or other lights.
In one method of use, a prospective passenger approaches a spinnable indicator, and, when a bus or other transit unit is approaching, spins the spinnable indicator. The reflective surface on the front side of the spinnable indicator alerts the driver that a prospective passenger is waiting transit.
The following descriptions depict only example embodiments and are not to be considered limiting in scope. Any reference herein to “the invention” is not intended to restrict or limit the invention to exact features or steps of any one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present specification. References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “various embodiments,” and the like, may indicate that the embodiment(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an embodiment,” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.
Reference to the drawings is done throughout the disclosure using various numbers. The numbers used are for the convenience of the drafter only and the absence of numbers in an apparent sequence should not be considered limiting and does not imply that additional parts of that particular embodiment exist. Numbering patterns from one embodiment to the other need not imply that each embodiment has similar parts, although it may.
Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Unless otherwise expressly defined herein, such terms are intended to be given their broad, ordinary, and customary meaning not inconsistent with that applicable in the relevant industry and without restriction to any specific embodiment hereinafter described. As used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. When used herein to join a list of items, the term “or” denotes at least one of the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. For exemplary methods or processes, the sequence and/or arrangement of steps described herein are illustrative and not restrictive.
It should be understood that the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence, arrangement, or with any particular graphics or interface. Indeed, the steps of the disclosed processes or methods generally may be carried out in various sequences and arrangements while still falling within the scope of the present invention.
The term “coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.
The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous, and are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including, but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes, but is not limited to,” etc.).
As previously discussed, there is a need for a system and method of identifying transit stops for use by both prospective passengers and drivers, and that particularly allows a bus driver to quickly and easily determine when a prospective passenger is waiting. As will be appreciated from the below disclosure, the spinnable indicator shown and described herein solves these needs and others.
In one embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, referring to
As discussed earlier, it will be appreciated that numerous materials may be used to manufacture the spinnable indicator 100, 200. In one embodiment, non-corrosive and weather-resistant materials are preferred, such as plastics, fiberglass, carbon fiber, aluminum, etc. Notwithstanding the foregoing, other materials may be used, including metals, steel, wood, etc.
While described and shown as disc 102, 202, it will be appreciated that a disc shape is not required. A disc shape may be preferred so as to lessen potential injury (e.g., by eliminating corners), but other shapes and formfactors may be used. Accordingly, in one embodiment, a spinnable indicator for transit stops comprises a spinning member (which may be disc 202, but may also be square, hexagonal, octagonal, etc.) having a front side, a rear side, and a reflective surface on at least a portion of the front side, but not the entire surface, a rotational mechanism, and a mounting bracket. In one embodiment, at least half of the front side comprises reflective material. In another embodiment, less than one hundred percent of the front side comprises reflective material. In other words, the spinning member 202 comprises a reflective portion 210 and a non-reflective portion 211. This allows a transit driver to determine whether the spinnable indicator 200 is spinning (due to the flashing or strobe effect created by having both a reflective and non-reflective portion 210, 211 respectively), which indicates the presence of a prospective passenger.
In one embodiment, referring to
In one embodiment, a spinnable indicator may further comprise light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or other lights. The spinnable indicator may comprise LEDs alone, or may further comprise reflective surfaces in addition to the LEDs. One or more batteries may be located in a battery enclosure on the back side of the spinnable indicator, which may have keyed access to prevent theft and tampering. In one embodiment, the spinnable indicator comprises one or more solar panels for charging one or more batteries for supplying power to one or more LEDs.
In one method of use, a prospective passenger approaches a spinnable indicator 100, and, when a bus or other transit unit is approaching, spins the spinnable indicator 100. The reflective surface 110 on the front side 104 of the spinnable indicator 100 alerts the driver that a prospective passenger is awaiting transit.
In testing, the reflective material was highly visible at one block from the transit stop. Further, because the front side 104 of the disc 102 is not fully reflective (i.e., comprises a reflective portion 110 and non-reflective portion 111), a strobing effect is created when spinning, which allows a driver at night to easily identify when the spinnable indicator 100 is, in fact, spinning.
As appreciated from the foregoing, the spinning indicator described herein solves the need for a system and method of identifying transit stops for use by both prospective passengers and drivers, and that particularly allows a bus driver to quickly and easily determine when a prospective passenger is waiting.
Exemplary embodiments are described above. No element, act, or instruction used in this description should be construed as important, necessary, critical, or essential unless explicitly described as such. Although only a few of the exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in these exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages herein. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/666,664, filed on May 3, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62666664 | May 2018 | US |
