Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Transmitter in one vehicle only
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-13
2001-04-24
Crosland, Donnie L. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Transmitter in one vehicle only
C340S908000, C340S905000, C340S994000, C340S433000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222462
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for warning drivers as to the presence of concealed hazards and, in particular, a school bus in the process of loading or unloading a passenger at a concealed stopping location.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
School buses stop at pick-up/drop-off locations to allow child(ren) to be picked up and dropped off. Drivers of motor vehicles and other road users must be prepared to stop in good time to ensure the safety of the child(ren) in the vicinity of the stopped bus and other road users. Every school bus has warning lights that are visible at a distance to warn drivers of the presence of the bus and allow the drivers a reasonable opportunity to slow down. It is vital that drivers receive the warning in a timely fashion, as it takes a considerable distance for a motor vehicle to come to a complete stop when it is travelling at highway speeds such as 100 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, some pick-up and drop-off locations on school bus routes are unavoidably positioned such that the school bus is concealed from view due to an obstruction such as tall vegetation, walls, buildings, billboards, a hill or a bend in the highway. At such locations there is a risk of a tragic accident occurring, for by the time the school bus is visible to the driver of an oncoming motor vehicle there is insufficient time for the driver to bring his motor vehicle to a stop.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is required at such locations is an apparatus for warning drivers of approaching motor vehicles as to the presence of a concealed hazard.
According one aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for warning drivers of approaching motor vehicles as to the presence of a concealed hazard, including a sign adapted for installation along a highway. The sign has a switch to turn the sign from an inactive mode to a warning mode. The sign is normally in the inactive mode. Signal receiving means are provided on the sign which activate the switch to change the sign from the inactive mode to the warning mode upon receiving a signal. Means is provided for sending a signal to the signal receiving means to remotely change the sign from the inactive mode to the warning mode.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for warning drivers as to the presence of a concealed hazard. A first step involves providing a sign adapted for installation along a highway. The sign has a switch to turn the sign from an inactive mode to a warning mode. The sign is normally in the inactive mode, the sign having signal receiving means which activate the switch to change the sign from the inactive mode to the warning mode upon receiving a signal. A second step involves providing means for sending a signal to the signal receiving means to remotely change the sign from the inactive mode to the warning mode. A third step involves positioning the sign at a location along a highway that is visible a sufficient distance from a concealed hazard to provide drivers of approaching motor vehicles warning as to the presence of the concealed hazard in sufficient time to enable such drivers to stop their motor vehicles in safety.
The teachings of the present method has application to a number of applications. The particular application that the present method and apparatus was developed for was the unloading of a school bus. Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the method, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when a fourth step is taken of positioning the means for sending a signal to remotely change the sign in a school bus so as to enable a driver of the school bus to remotely change the sign from the inactive mode to the warning mode prior to the school bus stopping and while the school bus is stopped at the concealed location. This enables a transmitter having only a limited range to be used for activating the sign to move from the inactive mode to the warning mode, because the school bus must drive past the sign. However, when changing the sign back from the warning mode to the inactive mode, the school bus is at a considerable distance from the sign. This requires a considerably more powerful and, consequently, a considerably more expensive transmitter. Even more beneficial results may, therefore, be obtained when a timer is provided to change the sign from the warning mode back to the inactive mode after passage of a predetermined time interval. It is desirable for the operator of the school bus to be certain that the sign has received the signal to change the sign from inactive mode to warning mode. Therefore, optionally the signal receiver on the sign and the transmitter on the bus each can be replaced with a transmitter/receiver so that, when the sign has changed from inactive mode to warning mode, the sign emits a signal which is received by the transmitter/receiver in the school bus to so inform the operator of the school bus.
Optionally two copies of the apparatus may be used for signs placed along the highway on each side of the stopping location, and these two signs may be connected electronically or by means of a radio signal so that they may be operated together to warn drivers of motor vehicles approaching the stopping location from both directions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3257641 (1966-06-01), Campana et al.
patent: 4325057 (1982-04-01), Bishop
patent: 4736186 (1988-04-01), Pichey
patent: 5345232 (1994-09-01), Robertson
patent: 5986576 (1999-11-01), Armstrong
Christensen O'Connor Johnson & Kindness PLLC
Crosland Donnie L.
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