Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-01
2001-07-03
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
Combined
C116S02800A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254151
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to safety equipment for school busses and more particularly to a mounting arrangement for a crossing arm assembly configured to mount on the front end of a school bus.
INVENTION BACKGROUND
School bus crossing arms are designed to extend to a perpendicular position relative to a front bus bumper when a school bus stops to pick up or discharge passengers. In this perpendicular position, such a crossing arm will block arriving and departing passengers from crossing immediately in front of a school bus and below the bus driver's field of vision. U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,239, granted to me Oct. 18, 1994, shows such a crossing arm assembly, or “safety gate,” pivotally mounted to a housing or mounting bracket. The mounting bracket includes a single flat back plate that fixedly mounts to the front bumper of a vehicle. The back plate includes holes or slots for receiving mounting bolts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,398, granted Oct. 20, 1964 to George LaVeme Runkle and Gilbert S. Sheets, discloses a crossing arm assembly having a crossing arm shaped to fit in an elongated recess in the front bumper of a bus. The assembly also includes a rubber guard structure that has a hollow rectangular center portion that is cemented to the channel section and flange portions that seal off the bumper recess. A disadvantage of this crossing arm assembly is that the bumper must be modified to include an elongated recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,701 issued May 27, 1980 to Oltrogge (the Oltrogge patent) discloses a universal vehicle accessory attachment. The attachment includes an elongated, vertically-oriented mounting bracket or frame having a profile contoured to conform to the profile of the front surface of a bumper. However, the Oltrogge bracket is not configured to pivotally support a crossing arm beam or to significantly dampen vibrations transmitted between the vehicle bumper and the bracket.
U.S Pat. No. 5,564,359 issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Harder (the Harder patent) discloses a bumper-mounted guide that helps support the free end of a cantilevered, pivotally mounted crossing arm in a stowed position against a bus bumper. The guide includes a ramped guide surface positioned to receive and guide a slightly sagging crossing arm upward into the stowed position as the arm swings inward against the bumper.
A disadvantage of the Harder bumper-mounted guide design is that, when the crossing arm is in the stowed position, the ramped guide surface tends to urge the arm to slide outward and away from the bumper. In addition, the Harder guide and bumper bracket could not fit flush against the front surface of a bus bumper that has anything other than a flat profile. In addition, the Harder bumper bracket could not significantly dampen vibrations transmitted between the bus and the crossing arm assembly.
What is needed is a mounting arrangement for a crossing arm assembly that includes a mounting bracket that pivotally supports a cantilevered crossing arm and has a profile contoured to conform to the profile of a bumper.
INVENTION SUMMARY
In accordance with this invention a crossing arm assembly mounting bracket is provided that includes a back surface having a non-planar profile contoured to complement the profile of the front surface of the bumper the bracket is to be mounted on. The mounting bracket is part of a crossing arm assembly that pivotally attaches to a bumper at the front end of a vehicle such as a bus. The crossing arm assembly also includes an elongated beam having an inner end pivotally supported on the mounting bracket. The crossing arm beam swings out to block pedestrian traffic from crossing immediately in front of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped. When bolted together, the complementary contours of the mounting bracket and bumper provide a strong mechanical interlock that resists the downward movement that the cantilevered beam applies to the mounting bracket.
According to another aspect of the invention, the mounting bracket includes a bracket adapter. The contoured back surface of the bracket is part of the bracket adapter.
According to another aspect of the invention, the bracket adapter is configured to be interchangeable with other bracket adapters that have different back surface profiles. The back surface profiles of the different adapters are contoured to conform to correspondingly different front surface bumper profiles of various vehicle makes and models.
According to another aspect of the invention, the bracket adapter comprises a vibration dampening material such as structural foam. The vibration dampening material dampens vibrations transmitted between the bus and the crossing arm assembly. The material also helps distribute compressive loads applied by fasteners such as bolts that hold the bracket to a bumper. Still further, the material helps distribute shear loads applied by the cantilevered beam to the mounting bracket.
According to another aspect of the invention, the bracket adapter includes a bracket main body and a gasket configured to mount between the bracket main body and the bumper, e.g., between the bracket main body and the bracket adapter. The gasket is made of a vibration dampening material such as neoprene. The gasket serves to further dampen vibrations transmitted between the crossing arm assembly and the vehicle and distribute fastener loads.
According to another aspect of the invention, the bracket adapter has a thickness, the thickness being tapered from a laterally outer edge of the bracket adapter to a laterally inner edge of the bracket adapter. The taper compensates for the “sweep” of the bumper, i.e., the bumper's curvature and angle relative to a central longitudinal vehicle axis. In so doing, the bracket adapter allows the crossing arm beam to lie perpendicular to a central longitudinal vehicle axis when the beam is in the stowed position.
According to another aspect of the invention, the guide comprises a back surface and a front surface disposed opposite the back surface. The back surface is configured to attach to the bumper at a location spaced laterally from the bracket. In addition, a generally upward-facing ramped surface extends outward and downward from the front surface. The ramped surface is positioned to receive and guide the crossing arm beam upward into the stowed position as the beam swings inward against the bumper.
According to another aspect of the invention, the guide includes a generally horizontal upward-facing surface extending between the front surface and an inner upper end of the ramped surface. The horizontal upward-facing surface helps support the free end of the crossing arm beam in the stowed position.
According to another aspect of the invention, the guide back surface has a non-planar profile contoured to conform to the profile of the non-planar front surface of the bumper. As with the mounting bracket, when the guide is bolted to the bumper, the complementary contours of the guide and bumper provide a strong mechanical interlock.
According to another aspect of the invention, the guide includes a guide adapter. The contoured back surface of the guide is disposed on the guide adapter. As with the mounting bracket, this allows a single adapter design to be adapted to various bumper configurations by attaching a guide adapter that has a profile corresponding to the bumper profile of whatever vehicle the guide is to be mounted to. In other words, the guide adapter is configured to be interchangeable with other guide adapters having different back surface profiles contoured to conform to correspondingly different front surface profiles.
According to another aspect of the invention, the guide adapter comprises a vibration dampening material. As with the bracket adapter, this is to dampen vibrations transmitted between the bus and the crossing arm assembly.
According to another aspect of the invention, the beam includes a longitudinal protrusion that extends laterally inward toward the bumper from a bumper-side of the beam. The guide includes a downward-facing generally horizo
Pedder Dennis H.
Reising, Ethington, Barnes, Kissellle, Learman & McCulloch
Transpec Inc.
LandOfFree
Mounting arrangement for crossing arm does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Mounting arrangement for crossing arm, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Mounting arrangement for crossing arm will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2536416