Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic director – Attenuated lane marker type
Patent
1996-08-29
1999-01-12
Lisehora, James
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic director
Attenuated lane marker type
404 16, E01F 906
Patent
active
058578021
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
THIS invention relates to markers for roads or pavements or so-called cat's eyes.
The road markers known to the applicant suffer from at least one of the following disadvantages. These markers are primarily made by an injection moulding process of a suitable metal or synthetic resinous material which makes them and their moulds relatively expensive. Due to their structure and to ensure stable anchorage in the pavement or road surface, their reflector elements are located too close to the road surface, so that soiling of these elements occur. Furthermore, due to their structure, rocking of the marker occurs upon impact with a vehicle wheel, which causes the marker to become loose in the road structure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,348 to Roberts there is disclosed a road marker with a complex shape including skirts to protect the reflector elements. The marker body is formed of aluminium as a die casting. This marker suffers from the disadvantage that due to its process of manufacture, it is relatively expensive and time-consuming to produce. Furthermore, the reflector elements are located too close to the road surface and soiling of the rather obscured reflectors can easily take place. Still furthermore, the skirts, in use, entrap dirt which is not readily removed by rain and/or traffic action.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,521,129 and 4,534,763 to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company there are disclosed road markers produced by an extrusion process from a resiliently flexible material. The reflector of the marker comprises a reflective film adhered to a surface of the marker body which, in use, faces oncoming traffic. It is believed that as a result of the deformation of the marker every time it is struck by a wheel of a vehicle, the marker body and/or film will be damaged. The marker is also highly susceptible to damage by vandals. Furthermore, the marker is clearly not suitable for use on roads carrying traffic in opposite directions.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a road marker, a body for such a marker and a method of producing same with which the applicant believes the aforementioned disadvantages will at least be alleviated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a road marker comprising a body extruded from a rigid material and reflector means mounted on the body, the body comprising a base and interconnection means connecting the base to at least one overhang above the base, the reflector means being mounted between the overhang and the base, in use, to be exposed at an obtuse angle to approaching traffic.
In a first embodiment of the invention the marker may comprise a head formation and the interconnection means may comprise a neck formation extending away from the base to the head formation on another side of the base as a bottom surface of the base, at least part of the neck formation having a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to said bottom surface less than a cross-sectional area of the head formation in a region thereof adjacent to the neck formation in a plane parallel to said bottom surface and also less than the cross-sectional area of said bottom surface, so that the body is substantially uniformly I-shaped in cross section and so that the head formation provides said at least one overhang above said base.
The base may be rectangular and the neck formation may be elongated and may extend intermediate two opposed sides of the base from one end region of the base to an opposite end region of the base.
Sides of the neck formation facing said opposed sides of the base may slant from a relatively wider region of the neck formation towards one another in a direction towards the head formation to a relatively narrower region of the neck formation and a cross-sectional area of the neck formation in said wider region thereof is preferably less than 30% of that of the bottom surface of the base.
Opposed ends of the elongate neck formation may slant towards one another in a direc
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