Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic steering device or barrier
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-30
2001-05-01
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3673)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic steering device or barrier
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224291
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a spiked road barrier for deflating the tires of a vehicle passing over the barrier for the purposes of immobilising the vehicle.
BACKGROUND
Barriers for use on roadways are commonly used for security and law enforcement. An example of a situation where a barrier is desired is a high speed pursuit where law enforcement officers desire to immobilise a fleeing vehicle. An effective method that is used to accomplish this task is the use of upstanding spikes or blades on a roadway for piercing the fleeing vehicle's tires in order to deflate the tires and immobilise the vehicle. These devices are generally portable and not meant for long term use, requiring an individual to place and remove the device every time it is to be used.
Known devices which are permanently installed are found in low speed access lanes for parking lots and the like. These devices generally make use of some form of grill having numerous openings for inserting the spikes therethrough. These known devices do not adequately protect the spikes in an unarmed position and may allow tampering with the spikes by unauthorised persons. The devices are also easily tampered with by jamming anything into the openings of the grill. In some known devices a bent spike can easily jam within one of the openings, also resulting in damage to the device. Inadequate covering also results in weather penetration and icing in colder climates.
SUMMARY
According to the present invention there is provided a spiked road barrier for deflating tires of a vehicle wherein the barrier comprises:
a housing mounted within a trench in a roadway such that a top side of the housing does not extend upward beyond a top side of the roadway;
an elongate bar mounted within the housing to extend transversely to the roadway;
a plurality of spikes mounted on the bar;
a cover member mounted on the top side of the housing for enclosing the housing in an unarmed position wherein the spikes remain below the cover member;
an actuator for displacing the bar between the unarmed position and an armed position wherein the spikes extend upward past the cover member for engaging the vehicle's tires when the vehicle moves along the roadway such that the vehicle's tires are deflated.
The cover member preferably comprise an elongate plate mounted on the top side of the housing having a plurality of apertures therein, each aperture being arranged to receive one of the spikes therethrough, the apertures being sealed closed in the unarmed position.
There may be provided a membrane extending across a top side of the elongate plate sealing the apertures closed when the spikes are in the unarmed position, the spikes being arranged to extend through the membrane when moved into the armed position.
Preferably there is provided a cap mounted within each aperture, the cap being selectively separable from the cover member such that the spikes remove the respective caps as the spikes are displaced into the armed position, the caps being mounted within the respective apertures in the unarmed position of the spikes as desired.
Each cap may include a resilient flange arranged to extend around a peripheral edge of a respective aperture in the membrane for receiving the cap therein such that the cap forms a seal with the membrane.
There may be provided a flange extending downward from each side of the elongate plate for engaging a corresponding side of the housing to secure the plate onto the housing.
A plurality of reinforcement bars are preferably arranged extend laterally outward from respective sides of the housing for engaging into respective concrete slabs adjacent to the housing which form the roadway.
The plurality of bars associated with one side of the housing are coated to allow minimal displacement between the housing and the corresponding concrete slab so as to form an expansion joint in the roadway.
There may be provided a guide member mounted within the housing for supporting the bar of spikes as it is displaced between the armed and unarmed positions.
The guide member preferably comprises a pair of flanges extending downward into the housing from the top side of the housing, the flanges being arranged to engage respective sides of the bar of spikes.
The actuator preferably comprises a plurality of compressed air activated lifters connected to the bar for moving the bar upward into the armed position.
The lifters are preferably mounted below the bar at respective locations in alignment with a path travelled by the vehicle's tires such that extension of the lifters will push the bar upward and retraction of the lifters will pull the bar down.
There may be provided a remote control means mounted within the housing and connected to the actuator such that the spikes can be displaced into the armed position from a remote location.
A portion of the spikes are preferably tubular having a piercing portion at a top end which is pointed.
Preferably the spikes are selectively separable from the bar such that the spikes remain engaged within the tires of the vehicle as the vehicle passes, the spikes being hollow tube members for deflating the tires therethrough.
There may be provided at least one notch in the side of each spike spaced upward from a bottom end of the spike, the notch being arranged to engage the tire for further gripping the tire.
There may be provided a centre spike mounted within each hollow tube member, the centre spike being fixed to the bar such that the tube member is plugged as spike pierces the tire and the tube member freely permits air to pass therethrough when the member is detached from the bar and remains engaged with the tire of the vehicle.
There may be provided a frangible portion near a base of each spike such that the vehicle's tires will break off an upper portion of the spike and the spike will remain engaged in the tire.
The frangible portion preferably comprises at least one notch in a side of each spike adjacent a bottom end of the spike such that the spike will break off when the spike pierces a tire.
The spikes may include a plurality of selectively separable hollow tube members and a plurality of fixed solid members, the hollow tube members and the solid members being mounted along the bar in an alternating arrangement.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3785741 (1974-01-01), Lodige
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patent: 4158514 (1979-06-01), Dickinson
patent: 5253950 (1993-10-01), Kilgrow et al.
patent: 5288164 (1994-02-01), Nasatka
patent: 5322385 (1994-06-01), Reisman
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patent: 5482397 (1996-01-01), Soleau
patent: 5829912 (1998-11-01), Marcotullio et al.
patent: 5904443 (1999-05-01), Soleau
patent: 5921703 (1999-07-01), Becker et al.
patent: 2116869 (1992-09-01), None
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Brochure—Model BG Barrier Gate for Control of Vehicle Traffic—Eastco Manufacturing Corp.
Brochure—Surface Mount Traffic Controller TC8—Eastco Manufacturing Corp.
Brochure—Motorized Traffic Controller—Eastco Manufacturing Corp.
Brochure—Heavy Industrial Duty Swing Gate Operator—Eastco Manufacturing Corp.
Brochure—Gear-Reduced Heavy Industrial Duty Slide Gate Operator—Eastco Manufacturing Corp.
Brochure—Vehicle Arresting and Entrapment Systems—Lt. Cmdr. R.B.W. Lowndes, Londesborough Security Equipment Ltd.
Battison Adrian D.
Hartmann Gary S.
Lillis Eileen D.
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