Road structure – process – or apparatus – Apparatus – With surface marking
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-27
2001-04-03
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Apparatus
With surface marking
C404S075000, C404S090000, C299S039400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210071
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the cutting of rumble strips into the surface of a roadway, most commonly a highway or a highway shoulder, primarily for the purpose of alerting a driver to a potential danger or change in conditions ahead.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Rumble strips or sound noise alert patterns (SNAP) may be cut into the surface of a roadway in order to awaken or alert a driver of a vehicle that has strayed out of the lane of travel and is in danger of running off the road. As a vehicle's tires travel across the rumble strips in the surface of the roadway, a significant vibration is created which may be both felt and heard by the driver. Rumble strips are most commonly found along the edge or shoulder of roadways; however, they may also be found in the lane of travel itself where their intended function is to alert the driver of an impending change in conditions such as a construction area or a toll plaza just ahead.
Due to the advantage that rumble strips provide in awakening or alerting drivers and preventing potential accidents, it is desirable that roadways designed for high-speed travel include rumble strips in their shoulders. However, many roads and highways do not have rumble strips, and among the reasons for their limited use may be the time and expense required to cut them by conventional means. Many of the devices that are designed for the cutting of rumble strips include cutting assemblies, either cutting drums or one or more cutting disks, that must be raised after cutting of one rumble strip, to permit the device to move or be moved into position for cutting of the next rumble strip. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,071 of Mertes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,495 of Johnson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,547 of Thomas et al. describe pavement cutting devices that include a cutting assembly that is raised and lowered by a hydraulic lift mechanism. Other devices, such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,894 of Yenick and U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,228 of Thomas et al. include a rotating cam-shaped member that, by virtue of its shape, raises and lowers the cutting assembly as it rotates. When the assembly is raised, it clears the pavement, and when it is lowered by rotation of the cam, it cuts a rumble strip. In a similar arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,017 of Thomas et al., the cutting assembly is raised and lowered by rotation of an eccentrically mounted roller.
While some of these devices, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,894 of Yenick, U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,017 of Thomas et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,495 of Johnson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,228 of Thomas et al. may be operated to cut rumble strips while the machine is moving along the roadway, such devices can typically operate only at extremely limited speeds. In addition, some of the rumble strip machines that utilize rotating multi-faceted cams or eccentrically-mounted rollers to raise and lower the cutting head also utilize the cams or rollers as the wheels upon which the machine rolls along the surface of the roadway. In such an arrangement, the entire machine will be raised and lowered as the cams or eccentrically-mounted rollers rotate to raise and lower the cutting head with respect to the roadway. This significantly limits the speed at which the device may travel along the roadway, and it creates vertical motion that is uncomfortable for the operator and imposes significant stresses on the machine.
The present invention provides an alternative which allows for a self-propelled rumble strip cutter which may be operated while moving smoothly along the roadway at a steady pace and which is considerably quicker and more efficient than other known machines or those currently available.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for cutting rumble strips in the surface of a roadway. It is another object of the present invention to provide a rumble strip cutting machine which is capable of operating while moving smoothly along the roadway at speeds which are significantly faster than may be obtained using known alternatives or devices currently available. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a rumble strip cutting machine which may be operated to cut a series of rumble strips without requiring that the cutting assembly be raised after the cutting of one rumble strip, to permit the device to move or be moved into position for cutting of the next rumble strip. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for cutting rumble strips which minimizes vibration so as to improve the efficiency and operator comfort over that obtainable with rumble strip machines which have multi-faceted cams or eccentrically mounted driving or follower wheels.
Additional objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from an examination of the drawings and the ensuing description.
EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS
As used herein, the term rumble strip refers to one of a series of spaced, generally parallel grooves or depressions in the surface of a roadway, which are created by cutting, grinding or impressing the surface of the roadway in a pattern designed to alert a driver of a vehicle to a potential danger or change in conditions ahead.
As used herein, the term roadway refers to the hard surface of a road, street, boulevard, avenue or highway (including an interstate highway) that is intended for vehicular traffic. The term includes the traffic lanes, medians and paved edges or shoulders that may be accessible to a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A self-propelled machine for cutting rumble strips in the surface of a roadway and which comprises an improvement over known and currently available machines is provided. The invention will allow the operator to cut rumble strips into the surface of a roadway while moving along the roadway at a pace comparable to that of a standard milling or planing machine. The present invention has a generally cylindrical cutting drum mounted on a frame for rotation about an axis that is disposed generally parallel to the surface of a roadway. The apparatus also includes means for rotating the drum and means for maintaining the cutting drum at a predetermined position with respect to the roadway. A drive means is also mounted on the frame for advancing the machine across the surface of the roadway. The cutting drum has cutting teeth arranged in a predetermined pattern around the drum so that when the machine is advanced across the surface of the roadway while the drum is rotated about its axis, the cutting teeth will cut a series of spaced parallel rumble strips into the surface of the roadway. In the preferred embodiment, the cutting teeth are arranged in an interrupted helical pattern on the cylindrical drum. The invention also contemplates a change in the pattern of arrangement of the cutting teeth and/or in the orientation of the axis of the rotation of the drum with respect to the direction of the travel of the machine along the roadway so that the orientation of the rumble strips with respect to the direction of travel along the roadway may be changed.
In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, and a detailed description thereof follows. It is not intended, however, that the invention be limited to the particular embodiments described or to use in connection with the apparatus illustrated herein. Various modifications and alternative embodiments such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates are also contemplated and included within the scope of the invention described and claimed herein.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4175886 (1979-11-01), Moench et al.
patent: 4325580 (1982-04-01), Swisher, Jr. et al.
patent: 4342485 (1982-08-01), Tuneblom
patent: 4697850 (1987-10-01), Tuneblom
patent: 4755001 (1988-07-01), Gilbert
patent: 4764051 (1988-08-01), Whitney
patent: 5078540 (1992-01-01), Jakob et al.
patent: 5215071 (1993-0
Astec Industries Inc.
Chambliss Bahner & Stophel P.C.
Markovich Kristine M.
Will Thomas B.
LandOfFree
Method and apparatus for cutting rumble strips in a roadway does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for cutting rumble strips in a roadway, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for cutting rumble strips in a roadway will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2446418