Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic director – Attenuated lane marker type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-25
2004-12-21
Hartmann, Gary S. (Department: 3671)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic director
Attenuated lane marker type
C404S072000, C404S073000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06832871
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs) which are adapted to be fixedly secured to roadway surfaces in order to, for example, temporarily define traffic lanes or the like within construction zones, work sites, or maintenance or repair areas, and more particularly to a new and improved collated assembly of such temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs), and a new and improved system and method for automatically serially applying such collated temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs) to roadway surfaces in order to in fact temporarily define the traffic lanes or the like within the construction zones, work sites, or maintenance or repair areas.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of roadway markers have been utilized in connection with a variety of traffic control applications. Many roadway markers are adapted to be permanently attached or secured to the road surface so as to permanently delineate traffic lanes upon the roadway, while other roadway markers are adapted to be temporarily attached or secured to particular road surfaces in order to temporarily delineate traffic lanes within construction zones or other work areas. Accordingly, the latter type of roadway markers are known as temporary roadway markers and are usually attached or secured to the road surface by means of a suitable adhesive that can retain the roadway marker in its place upon the road surface during the temporary life of the roadway marker. More particularly, temporary roadway markers can serve, for example, as a means for identifying edge portions of the roadway, or alternatively, to delineate traffic lane lines and thereby demarcate separate lanes of traffic from each other in and around construction sites and other work zones. After the construction or other road work is completed, the temporary roadway markers are removed.
To be effective, the temporary roadway markers must clearly be capable of alerting motorists to the fact that they are nearing or entering a construction zone or work area, and therefore, the temporary roadway markers must in fact be effective both during daytime hours, nighttime hours, sunny conditions, cloudy conditions, inclement weather conditions, and the like. More particularly, one type of temporary roadway marker that has been extremely successful or effective in providing short-term temporary markings upon roadways both during daytime and nighttime hours, and which has also been able to adequately withstand the various impact forces that are normally impressed thereon by daily roadway vehicular traffic so as to in fact provide the desired service life required in connection with the installation of such temporary roadway markers, has been that type of temporary roadway marker which is known in the industry as a temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM). Examples of such temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs) are disclosed, for example, within U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,820 which issued to Hughes, Sr. on Aug. 29, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,405 which issued to Beard on Aug. 4, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,115 which issued to Speer et al. on Oct. 24, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,994 which issued to Edouart on Feb. 12, 1991, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,803 which issued to Dixon on May 1, 1984.
As can readily be appreciated from
FIG. 1
, which corresponds-substantially to
FIG. 1
of the Speer et al. patent, it is briefly noted that an exemplary temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
10
is seen to have a substantially L-shaped configuration wherein the horizontally disposed leg portion
12
thereof is adapted to be fixedly secured or attached to the road surface by means of a suitable adhesive which is allowed to set, while the vertically upstanding leg portion
14
is adapted to be visually seen by the oncoming motorist. A transition region
26
flexibly interconnects the vertically upstanding leg portion
14
to the fixed horizontally disposed leg portion or base member
12
. A pair of rib members or ledges
28
,
28
extend substantially perpendicular to the upstanding leg member
14
and serve to define a space or channel
22
therebetween. A suitable reflective strip
23
is adapted to be fixedly disposed within the space or channel
22
so as to reflect sunlight or a vehicle's lights in order to provide the oncoming motorist, as indicated by the arrow
25
, with a visual indication of a traffic lane, or alternatively, that the motorist is entering or approaching a construction zone or work area. Alternatively, in lieu of the reflective strip
23
, the entire marker
10
may simply be brightly colored so as to similarly provide the oncoming motorist with the necessary visual warning.
With reference being further made to
FIG. 2
, a typical, conventional, PRIOR ART temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM), which is similar to the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
10
disclosed in
FIG. 1
of the present drawings as well as within FIG. 1 of the Speer et al. patent, is disclosed at
110
and is seen to likewise have a substantially L-shaped configuration. In particular, the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
comprises a horizontally disposed leg or base member
112
, and a vertically upstanding leg member
114
integrally connected to the horizontally disposed leg or base member
112
by means of a transitional region
116
. A block or slab of adhesive
118
is fixedly secured to an undersurface or lower face portion of the horizontally disposed leg or base member
112
, and in turn, a release sheet
120
is secured to an undersurface or lower face portion of the adhesive slab
118
so as to prevent the adhesive slab
118
from being inadvertently adhesively bonded to any surface, other than that particular location or portion of the roadway to which the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
is to be fixedly secured, prior to the actual fixation of the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
upon a selected location or portion of the roadway. As was the case with the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
10
of
FIG. 1
of the present drawings as well as those of Speer et al., the upper end portion of the vertically upstanding leg member
114
of the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
also comprises a pair of horizontally disposed rib members
122
,
122
which define a space or channel
124
therebetween for housing or accommodating a suitable reflector strip, not shown. Alternatively, the entire extrusion comprising the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
may be fabricated from a suitable plastic material which is brightly colored, that is, it may be fabricated from a suitable resin material which is white or yellow.
The temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs)
110
are normally placed upon the roadway surface during an extended period of time that construction or other road work is being performed upon the roadway surface, and therefore, the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs)
110
are normally placed upon the roadway surface prior to the completion of the entire construction or other road work as well as the application of the permanent traffic lane lines to the roadway surface. Accordingly, in order to protect the reflector strip, not shown, which is adapted to be disposed, housed, or accommodated within the space or channel
124
defined between the pair of horizontally disposed rib members
122
,
122
, or alternatively, in order to protect the upper portion of the vertically upstanding leg member
114
, when such portion of the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
is to be used as the visual warning to oncoming motorists, from road paving materials, debris, and the like, a protective cover
126
, fabricated from a suitable clear plastic material and having a substantially inverted U-shaped configuration, is disposed over the upper free edge portion of the temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM)
110
. When the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs)
110
are to be subsequently used in conjunction with, for example, their traffic l
Courneya Calice G.
Orthaus Chad M.
Hartmann Gary S.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Schwartz & Weinrieb
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