Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic director – Vibration inducing member
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-27
2004-08-17
Hartmann, Gary S. (Department: 3671)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic director
Vibration inducing member
C404S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06776555
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a retro-reflective pavement marker, especially to one having retro-reflective members hardly separating from a body kept positioned on a road stably for indicating branching of a road,
A first conventional retro-reflective pavement marker shown in
FIGS. 1-5
includes a body
1
, and a post
10
made integral of zinc-aluminum alloy by means of casting, and a retro-reflective member
11
fitted from outside in a recess
12
respectively provided in two opposite sides of the body. A glue
13
is filled around the retro-reflective member
11
for adhere the retro-reflective members in the recesses
12
after the retro-reflective members are fitted in the recesses
12
, combining the retro-reflective members
11
with the body
1
.
However, the first conventional retro-reflective pavement marker has the body
1
and the post
10
-formed integral to weigh heavy, resulting in a high cost. Further, the retro-reflective members
11
are liable to be compressed by vehicles running on a road to easily separate from and fall off the body
1
as they are glued only with the body
1
, after the retro-reflective pavement marker is fixed on a branching line of a road.
Next, the body
1
has a bottom surface
15
formed with a plurality of holes
16
closely spaced apart, so when the retro-reflective pavement marker is fixed on a soft asphalt or tar road surface, it receives the heavy weight of many vehicles so that the road surface may be pressed down in the holes
16
to get a little destroyed or to force the retro-reflective pavement marker decline.
Further, the inner surfaces
110
of the retro-reflective members
11
are smooth and glossy, and stuffing material
14
such as epoxy filled around and under the retro-reflective members
11
to adhere them with the body
1
. But the retro-reflective members
11
are only kept combined with the body
1
with their bottom surfaces by the stuffing material
14
, so they are quite liable to separate from and fall off the body
1
or get broken because of compression of the wheels of heavy-duty vehicles running on a road,
Another disadvantage of the conventional retro-reflective member is that it can endure only a comparatively light weight as it has only one region of its inner surface glued with the stuffing material
14
, impossible to endure the compressing weight of heavy-duty vehicles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been devised to offer a retro-reflective pavement marker provided with retro-reflexive members hardly separating from a body, possible to endure heavy weight of heavy-duty vehicles for indicating branching of a road.
One feature of the invention is that this retro-reflective pavement marker includes a body, a base and retro-reflective members. The body has a base cavity for receiving a base and recesses for receiving from inside retro-reflective members therein. Then stuffing material such as epoxy is filled around and under the retro-reflective members fitted in the recesses for combining the body, the bases and the retro-reflective members together integrally.
Another feature of the invention is the recesses receiving the retro-reflective members therein from the inside instead of from the outside of the recesses so as to prevent the retro-reflective members from separating from or falling off the body.
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patent: 3427933 (1969-02-01), Taylor-Myers
patent: 3971623 (1976-07-01), Hedgewick et al.
patent: 4227772 (1980-10-01), Heenan
patent: 4232979 (1980-11-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4595312 (1986-06-01), Corless
patent: 5002424 (1991-03-01), Hedgewick
patent: 5667335 (1997-09-01), Khieu et al.
patent: 6126360 (2000-10-01), May et al.
patent: 6168276 (2001-01-01), Weid
patent: 6267530 (2001-07-01), Attar
patent: D470787 (2003-02-01), Kim
patent: 6579036 (2003-06-01), Attar
patent: 6602021 (2003-08-01), Kim
patent: 2 120 711 (1983-05-01), None
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