Patent Application
20200248417
Elongated, flexible, resilient markers have long been installed into the ground adjacent to curbs, driveways, roadways, and like areas in order to designate the locations of these areas. Markers, thusly placed, assist vehicle drivers as they attempt to direct and properly maneuver their vehicles around and to avoid hitting these areas. The markers are especially useful to individuals operating snow removal equipment, as they are most helpful in designating the areas where snow should be cleaned and where removed snow can be deposited. Such markers are also utilized to designate property boundaries and other bounded locations.
However, installing these markers such that they are securely planted in the ground is often difficult. Manually forcing a marker into the ground will usually not be sufficient to ensure that the marker is adequately secured. And manual application of the marker may be harmful to the installer's hands, e.g. causing muscular distress, splinters from the marker body itself, etc. The use of hammer type tools is often ineffective, given the flexibility of the markers. Burrowing holes into the ground is cumbersome and time consuming. These problems are exacerbated when the ground is frozen or otherwise quite hard. There are currently no efficient, effective, and safe means of installing location markers.
It is thus the object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages and limitations of installing location markers securely into the ground.
This and other objects are accomplished by the present invention, a system and method for marking the locations of curbs, driveways, roads, boundaries, and similar bounded areas comprising providing a plurality of elongated, flexible, resilient location markers installed within the ground by a rigid, elongated tubular member having a diameter greater than the diameter of the markers to be installed. The tubular member has a closed capped top and an open bottom. A given location marker is positioned perpendicular to the ground, adjacent to the location of a curb or driveway. The open bottom end of the tubular member is then positioned over the top end of the location marker and the tubular member is slid down over the marker. The impact of the closed top of the tubular member on the top end of the location marker drives the marker into the ground.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention, itself, however, both as to its design, construction and use, together with additional features and advantages thereof, are best understood upon review of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The system of the present invention comprises a plurality of elongated, flexible, resilient, circular location markers, e.g. markers 2 and 5. Each marker has a given diameter, top ends 3 and 6, and pointed bottom ends 4 and 7, respectively.
Member 10 is an elongated, rigid, hollow tubular member made of steel or other rigid material such as is utilized in PVC piping. Tubular member 10 is hollow and has top end 11 enclosed by cap 12 and bottom end 13 open at 14. The diameter of tubular member 10 is greater than the diameter of markers 2 and 5.
The manner of installation of the location markers is illustrated in
Certain novel features and components of this invention are disclosed in detail in order to make the invention clear in at least one form thereof. However, it is to be clearly understood that the invention as disclosed is not necessarily limited to the exact form and details as disclosed, since it is apparent that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
