WO2005056925A1

WO2005056925A1 - Road boundary marking post

Info

Publication number: WO2005056925A1
Application number: PCT/SI2004/000042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Florjancic
Original assignee: Peter Florjancic
Priority date: 2003-12-10
Filing date: 2004-12-09
Publication date: 2005-06-23
Also published as: SI21665A

Abstract

A road boundary marking post (1) according to the invention enables surmounting an additional relatively long marking pole (2), which is intended for marking roadway for the purposes of ploughing service during the winter time. Since each marking pole (2) is attached to a cap (3), placing or removing of the poles (2) or also replacement of damaged poles (2) is then essentially simplified. In addition, storage of such poles (2), wich may e.g. be integral or may also consist of segments (21, 22, 23, 24), is enabled on the spot, namely within the post (1) itself.

Description

FLORJANCIC Peter

ROAD BOUNDARY MARKING POST

The invention relates to a road boundary marking post and belongs to the field of construction of roads, namely arrangement of road signs or traffic signs, or also to the field of carriers for road signs and traffic signs or also the signs as such.

When taking into acount a road boundary marking post, which is intended for fixation, in particular by means of digging, into the road boundary zone outside of the road in the area of the so-called verge, and which is equipped with at least one reflecting means, the invention is based on a problem, how to modify such post in order to enable attachment of an additional marking pole of adequate lenght, which should be sufficient for marking the road also in the winter time for the purposes of ploughing the snow, by which however placing or removing of the said additional marking poles should be feasible in a simple manner, and the marking poles should be preferably stored in situ i.e. on the spot.

The road marking posts are commonly known and widely used along any normally marked and maintained roadway. Generally speaking, such posts are e.g. flattened tubular segments, which are in aproximately equidistant manner arranged along the road boundary. Each post is digged into the ground, but the major portion thereof protrudes vertically from the ground away, so that at least approximately 0,5 m to 1 m in lenght of the post is arranged above the roadway surface. The colour of the post, which is normaly white, herewith enables a sufficient visual contrast in respect to the colour of the background and herewith an excellent visibility of the post, however, the post is in addition equipped with appropriate reflective means like e.g. with appropriate reflective foil or even a reflective glass or plastics. Accordingly, such posts enable excellent marking of the roadway even in the situation of decreased visibility like e.g. during the night, by fog or the like. Despite to that especially in the winter time the snow may overlay the posts, which then at least for certain time period become more or less invisible, so that even the ploughing service may have serious problems in respect to orientation in the actually direction of the roadway. In order to avoid such problems, additional marking poles are normally applied during the winter time in addition to the said marking posts in the geographic areas, where such quantity of snow is expected, namely approximately 2 m long poles, which are simply pushed into the soil in the road boundary area. However, placing such additional marking poles, which then enable a required orientation, is in each time a time-consuming work, since the poles need to be transported and distributed along the road boundary, and thereafter successively pushed into the soil. Configuration of the ground may also vary, which regularly leeds to still additional problems. On the other hand, removing, collecting and transporting the poles at the end of the winter time is also a time-consuming work. The said placing and removing od these additional marking poles is always connected with hindering the normal traffic on the roadway, which normally requires introduction of special security measurements and use of additional signalling means, despite to which however the risk of danger or even accidents is no doubt essentially increased.

In order to avoid these problems, in DE 36 31 553 C2 or CH 677377 A5 respectivelly there is a suggestion, that the said additional marking pole may be attached directly to the existing marking post, e.g. a flattened tubular plastic post equipped with reflector, by which such post need to be equipped with appropriate sleeves, which are adapted for receipt of the said marking pole and holding it in approximately vertical position at least essentially parallel with the post.

Pushing the poles into the soil is herewith avoided, which no doubt results in essential rationalization in respect to placing or removing the said additional marking poles. . However, at the same time it is also obvious, that the logistic problems remain completely the same like before. The additional marking poles still need to be transported, unloaded and distributed along the road boundary, and then successively inserted into appropriate seats on the sleeves, which are attached to the posts. Although the poles may be inserted quickly, placing of huge quantity of poles, especially when taking into account also unloading and distribution, may also take relatively long time. Quite similar problems occur upon conclusion of the winter time, when the marking poles have to be removed, collected and loaded onto a truck and transported thereafter to appropriate storage place.

Furthermore, a metallic post is described in AT 215460, where one of several embodiments is also equipped with a sleeve, by means of which an additional marking pole may then be attached onto the post by means of screwing. However, such screwing may even take more time than simply pushing the poles into the soil, and in addition, all the said problems about transporting, loading or unloading as well as distribution of the poles remain completely the same like before. However, an embodiment is foreseen therein, in which the marking pole may be inserted into the post from the top side thereof in order to extend towards the ground. The post is tubular i.e. hollow and comprises a cap, in which there is a passage, through which the vertically extending pole is then inserted into the post, by which the bottom end of the pole, which is arranged within the post, is connected to appropriate guide, which is available within the post. The said guide is available in form of a disc or ring or similar cylindrical element. The inner surface of the post is conical and diverges towards the ground. Thanks to the said passage as well as to the said guide, the said marking pole is then slideable in the longitudinal direction of the post and may be either almost completely pulled outwards from the post or also almost completely pushed inwards to the interior of the post. In such a way during the summer time the pole is stored within the post, which means in situ i.e. on the spot, while the guide is placced in the bottom portion of the post, e.g. practically on the soil. Unfortunately the pole is exposed to the moisture and any other meteorologic conditions, in particular the outside lying portion thereof, and is especially due to the presence of water, which protrudes inwards through the said passage or due to condensed moisture, exposed to the corruption and other kinds of destruction. The said guide, which is placed adjacent to the soil, is herewith exposed to the corrosion and pollution due to the wet soil. If then the marking pole is pulled out from the post e.g. prior to the winter time, the . circumferential portion of the guide is brought into contact with the conical inner surface of the post in the area of the top end of the post. When bearing in mind, that the inner surface is exposed to the corrosion, and that the guide may also be polluted, then the engagement of the said guide within the said conical surface for the purposes of holding the marking pole outside of the post at certain distance above the soil is questionable, so that the pole often falls back into the interior of the post, whereupon it is naturally unable to mark the roadway. In addition, when after certain time period of use the marking pole is destroyed, the complete post needs to be digged-out in order to enable replacement of the destroyed marking pole. Practitioners normally take into account, that every year certain number of marking poles needs to be replaced due to various reasons, e.g. due to vandalism or accidents, for which in this case complete posts heve to be removed, which ie extremely time-consuming and expensive operation, which is in addition connected with serious disturbance of the normal traffic and the belonging consequences.

The present invention relates to a road boundary marking post, which is adapted for being digged into the soil and setting herewith into at least approximately vertical position in the area of the road boundary adjacent to the belonging roadway edge and outside of the said roadway. Such post is equipped with at least one reflector as well as with the cap, which is placed on the adequate seat on those end portion of the post, which protrudes away from the soil.

According to the invention, the said cap is placed onto the post in a removable manner and is moreover adapted for attachment of an additional marking pole, which extends at least approximately co-axial in respect to the said post. The said cap preferrably comprises two opposite protrusions, each of them is adapted for inserting into corresponding end portion of the pole, which protrudes away from the ground, while an additional marking pole is attached to one of the said protrusions.

The said marking pole may be an integral pole, which is firmly connected with the cap, or may also consist of a desired number of co-axially alligned segments, which are connectable each to another e.g. by means of co-axially positioined cavities and protrusions arranged thereon. The marking post is conceived as at least approximately linear tubular segment, e.g. at least approximately linear tubular segment with a continuous non-circular transversal cross-section or at least approximately linear flattened or also at least approximately linear tubular segment a discontinuous transversal cross-section. When the said marking pole consists of segments, the said post is adapted for receipt and storage of at least such number of segments within the interior thereof, that the lenght of the marking pole, which may be assembled of these segments, at least exceeds, even for two or more times, the lenght of the post itself. When required, the cap is protected against undesired removing thereof from the post, e.g. by means of cavities, which are available on the post, and appropriate locking protrusions, which are arranged on the cap, or vice versa.

In an alternative embodiment the cap is adapted for receipt of an additional marking pole, which extends either upwards from the ground away or downwards, throughout the cap in the longitudinal direction of the post, especially along the interior of the post, towards the ground. By this the marking pole, which is inserted into the cap, is preferrably integral and secured against replacement in position, when protruding from the ground away.

The invention will now be described in more detail on the basis of embodiments, which are shown in the attached drawings, where

Fig. 1 represents a marking post with attached additional marking pole;

Fig 2 represents the post with displaced marking pole; Fig 3 is a cross-section of the post along the plane III - III according to Fig. 1 ; Fig 4 is a Detail A accoding to Fig. 1 ; Fig 5 is a Detail B accoding to Fig. 1 ; Fig 6 is a presentation of another embodiment of the invention, which is in Fig 7 presented also in another state, when the additional pole is not in the use.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the first embodiment of the road boundary marking post 1, which is as usual equipped with reflectors 10', 10" and to which an additional marking pole 2 may be attached. According to the invention, the said marking post 1 is equipped with a seat 11 , which is adapted for placing a cap 3 thereon; the said cap 3 comprises two opposite protrusions 31, 32, both of them are adapted for alternatively inserting them into the said post 1, but only one of them is adapted for attaching an additional pole 2 thereto. The said post 1 is laid into the soil either by means of simply digging as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or by means of concrete or also by means of screwing it onto a pre-fabricated foundation or the like; in this particular embodiment the post 1 is conceived as a flattened tubular section, which preferrably consists of plastics and is shown in Fig. 3 in its transversal cros-ssction. In common, the post 1 may also be conceived as a tube having any other shape of the transversal cross-section, e.g. square, rectangular, triangular, polygonal, oval, elliptic or the like, or even the shape of at least essentially circular or oval or non-circular discontinuous profile, for example C-profile or the like, by which in accordance to the present invention the corresponding shape of the cap 3, especially of its protrusions 31, 32, is then adapted to the shape of each belonging seat 11 available on the post 1. Those skilled in the art should no doubt understand, that neither the mode of anchoring the post to the ground nor the shape of the post cross-section as such has no essential impact to the subject or the scope of the invention.

In the discussed embodiment according to Figs. 1 to 3 the cap 3 is therefore equipped with two opposite protrusions 31, 32, the circumference of which is adpted to the circumference of the inner surface of the post 1 (Fig. 3). Accordingly, each of the said protrusions 31, 32 may be alternatively inserted into the interior of the said post 1 in the area of the said seat 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this particular embodiment there is a bulked rest 33 provided between the said protrusions 31, 32, which is brought in contact with the post 1 upon placing the cap 3 onto the post 1 , so that any further movement of the cap 3 towards the ground is then disabled. In this particular embodiment the said protrusions 31 and 32 are allowed to be inserted alternatively, namely one or another, into the interior of the post 1, and an additional marking pole 2 is in this particular case foreseen on the protrusion 32.

As shown in Fig. 1, a protrusion 31 of the cap 3 may be inserted into the interior of the post 1, while the other protrusion 32 of the cap 3 together with the additional marking pole 2 is placed outside of the post 1 , more exactly onto the post 1 , which is exactly the same like during the use e.g. in the winter time. Another possibility is shown in Fig. 2, by which the protrusion 32 of the cap 3 with the attached marking pole 2 is inserted into the interior of the post 1. In this particular case the marking pole 2 is stored within the post 1 . and secured against meteorologic or any other influences. Furthermore, a preferrable attachment of the cap 3 onto the post 1 as well as the embodiment of the additional marking pole 2 will be now described in respect of possible relationship thereof with the post 1 and the cap 3.

When taking into account possible meteorologic conditions in various geographic zones it may also be desired, that adjusting the lenght of the marking pole 2 shuld be enabled on the spot, depending on the empirically estimated snow level, which may e.g. in the case of an alpine road be quite different like e.g. in the case of a road in a low-lying area, and in particular when taking into account the fact, that the lenght of the post should be predetermined and uniform, preferrably even standardized. In this respect, the additional marking pole 2 according to the invention may consist of a desired number of segments 21, 22, 23, 24 of a pre-determined lenght, like e.g. by the said post 1. The marking pole 2 as shown in Figs 1 and 2 consists of four co-axially aligned segments 21, 22, 23, 24, which are inserted each into another either by means of cavities 20' and protrusions 20" or by means of screwing (not shown) or the like, by which one of them is connected to the belonging protrusion 32 of the cap 3 and attached thereto in an appropriate manner.

On the other hand, an embodiment is schematically shown in Fig. 6, where the marking pole 2 is integral, but may also be extended with an additional segment 21. However, the preferrable embodiment of the post 1 should be able to receive and also to enable insertion of a desired number of segments 21, 22, 23, 24 therein, which would then enable formation of a pole 2, the lenght of which could exceed the lenght of the post 1 itself, so that in certain circumstances the obtained pole 2 could even be at least two or three times longer than the post 1. Such a possibility is shown in Fig. 3.

In certain circumstances, especially by using longer marking poles 2 or also when bearing in mind various meteorological conditions or any other reasons, it may also be desired, that the cap 3 would be protected against undesired removing upon placing thereof onto the post 1. As shown in Fig. 4, appropriate cavities 16 may be foreseen on the inner surface 15 of the post 1, while the cap 3 may comprise adequatelly arranged and shaped locking protrusions 35, which are in this particular case placed on the protrusions 31, 32, so that upon inserting each corresponding protrusion 31, 32 of the cap 3 into the post 1 the. said locking protrusions 35 are engaged by means- of the said cavities 16. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, which is not shown in the attached drawing, the cap 3 may be attached to the post 1 in a removable manner like e.g. by the embodiment according to Fig. 6, however it can be adapted for receipt of an additional marking pole 2, which may either extend upwards i.e. from the ground away, when it is in use, or may also extend downwards i.e. throughout the cap 3 along the post 1 and especially inside of the post towards the soil, as long as it is stored within the post 1. In this, the preferred marking pole 2, which is inserted in the cap 3, is integral or may eventually upon removing thereof from the post 1 be assembled by means of a smaller number of segments 21, 22, 23, 24 and protected against displacement in its upper position, when protruding from the ground away.

The marking post 1 according to the invention is therefore adapted for surmounting of an additional marking pole 2, which enables appropriate marking the roadway for the purposes of ploughing the roadway during the winter period. Thanks to the fact, that each marking pole 2 is attached to the removable cap 3, placing and displacing of such additional marking poles 2 including with eventually replacement of damaged poles 2 is really simple, and at the same time each pole 2 may be stored on the spot, namely within the post 1 itself, i.e. in the interior thereof.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Road boundary marking post, adapted for being digged into the ground and setting herewith into at least approximately vertical position in the area of the road boundary adjacent to the belonging roadway edge and outside of the said roadway, which post (1) is equipped with at least one reflector (10', 10") as well as with a cap (3), which is placed on an adequate seat (11) on those end portion of the post (1), which protrudes away from the ground, characterized in that the cap (3) is placed onto the post (1) in a removable manner and is moreover adapted for attachment of an additional marking pole (2), which extends at least approximately co-axial in respect to the said post (1).

2. Road boundary marking post according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said cap (3) comprises two opposite protrusions (31, 32), each of them is adapted for insertion into a corresponding end portion of the pole (1) protruding away from the soil, while an additional marking pole (2) is attached to one of the said protrusions (31, 32).

3. Road boundary marking post according to Claim 2, characterized in that the marking pole (2) is an integral pole, which is firmly connected to the cap (3).

4. Road boundary marking post according to Claim 2, characterized in that the additional marking pole (2) consists of a desired number of co-axially alligned segments (21, 22, 23, 24).

5. Road boundary marking post according to Claim 4, characterized in that the segments (21, 22, 23, 24) are mutually connected by means of co-axially positioined cavities (20') and protrusions (20") arranged thereon.

6. Road boundary marking post according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is conceived as at least approximately linear tubular segment.

7. Road boundary marking post according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is conceived as at least approximately linear tubular segment having continuous non-circular transversal cross-section.

8. Road boundary marking post according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is conceived as at least approximately linear flattened tubular segment.

9. Road boundary marking post according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is conceived as at least approximately linear tubular segment of a profile having a discontinous non-circular transversal cross-section.

10. Road boundary marking post according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is adapted for receipt and storage of at least such number of segments (21, 22, 23, 24) within its interior, that the lenght of the marking pole (2), which may be assembled of these segments (21, 22, 23, 24) exceeds the lenght of the post (1) itself.

11. Road boundary marking post according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the cap (3) is protected against undesired removing thereof from the post (1).

12. Road boundary marking post according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the cap (3) is protected against undesired removing thereof from the post (1) by means of cavities (16), which are available on the post (1), and the locking protrusions (35), which are arranged on the cap (3), or vice versa.

13. Road boundary marking post according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cap (3) is adapted for receipt of an additional marking pole (2), which extends either upwards away from the ground, or downwards, throughout the cap (3) in the longitudinal direction of the post (1), especially along the interior of the post (1), and towards the ground.

14. Road boundary marking post according to Claim 13, characterized in that the integral marking pole (2) is inserted into the cap (3) and is moreover, when protruding from the ground away, protected against displacement.