BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Speed bumps are designed to slow down vehicular traffic in areas, such as parking lots, residential neighborhoods, industrial parks, factory sites, and the like, where speeding vehicles may cause harm to pedestrians or damage buildings or other vehicles. Speeding vehicles which pass over a speed bump receive a jolt that jars the vehicle occupants and may cause damage to the vehicle. Therefore, the presence of a speed bump in a vehicle path urges the vehicle operator to reduce the vehicle speed, thus making the area surrounding the speed bump safer for pedestrians.

Typical speed bumps create a jolt in a passing vehicle by deflecting the vehicle upwards on an angle. The faster the vehicle is traveling, the greater the jolt and likelihood of damage to the vehicle suspension and axle.

Certain speed bumps are permanent and formed from asphalt in the shape of an elongated mound in a vehicle path. Once installed, these speed bumps cannot be moved to accommodate changing traffic patterns or certain maintenance vehicles. In particular, these bumps cause undue wear on maintenance vehicles, such as snow plows, in areas that have cold climats.

Removable speed bumps formed from rubber or plastic sections have been developed to overcome this problem. Adjacent individual sections are typically anchored to the ground using anchor bolts forming an elongated speed bump. Continuous vehicle impacts, however, cause the individual anchor bolts to shear and dislodge the individual sections rendering the speed bump ineffective.

One method to prevent anchor bolts from shearing due to vehicle impacts is to provide a structural stiffener, such as a steel bar, which ties the sections together and stiffens the entire assembly of speed bump sections.

When a vehicle strikes the elongated speed bump, the steel bar distributes the force of the vehicle impact along the entire length of the speed bump reducing the shear force on any individual anchor bolt. However, tying the sections together with a structural stiffener requires an additional component which increases the speed bump cost and makes the assembly more complex.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a modular speed bump having interlocking intermediate and end sections. Each intermediate section has a chevron shaped mate end and an opposing chevron shaped female end. The male end of one intermediate section interlocks with the female end of the adjacent section. The chevron shape distributes a force exerted on a section by a passing vehicle to adjacent sections without the use of a structural stiffener, thus accomplishing a general objective of providing a speed bump without a structural stiffener.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a modular speed bump with easily interchanging sections. By providing a speed bump that has sections individually anchored to the ground and not to adjacent sections, individual sections can be easily replace without disturbing adjacent sections.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a speed bump that is aesthetically pleasing. This is accomplished by providing tapered end sections having a male end or a female end which interlocks with an adjacent intermediate section providing a finished and aesthetically pleasing look to the speed bump ends.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a top view of a speed bump incorporating the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of an intermediate section of the speed bump of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top view of a first end section of the speed bump of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top view of a second end section of the speed bump of Fig.

1; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view along line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an exploded view along line 7-7 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view along line 8-8 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 9 is a speed bump island incorporating the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Looking at Fig. 1, an elongated modular speed bump 10 has two or more interlocking intermediate sections 12 which are placed in the path of oncoming vehicles (not shown) along a longitudinal axis 11 substantially perpendicular to the vehicle direction of travel. Interlocking end sections, 14 and 16, at each free end of the assembled intermediate sections provide a finished look to the assembled speed bump 10. The exact number of intermediate sections 12 is determined by the desired length along the axis 11 of the speed bump 10.

Each section, 12,14 and 16, is formed from an elastomeric material, such as compression molded polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is capable of withstanding multiple vehicle impacts with minimal deterioration. Although compression molded PVC is described herein, any material having similar properties or formed using other processes, such as injection molding, rotational molding, or the like, may be used without departing from the present invention.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the intermediate section 12 has a bottom 17 for engaging a surface, such as a road, a generally dome shaped top 19, a male end 18, and an opposing female end 20. The male and female ends, 18 and 20, are shaped to mate with each other so that the intermediate sections 12 can be interlocked.

Preferably the male end 18 is chevron shaped having angled surfaces 21,23 which abut corresponding angled surfaces 25,27 of a female end 20 of an adjacent section 12. Although a chevron shape is preferred, any interlocking shape which transmits at least a portion of an impact force to an adjacent section may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 8, recesses 35 formed in the section bottom 17 are formed a distance inward from the angled surfaces 21,23,25, and 27 and prevents the surfaces 21,23,25, and 27 from distorting during the molding process. Other methods known in the art which maintain the desired interlocking shape may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Chevrons 22, or other decorative designs, formed in each section 12 provide an appealing look to viewers and assist a vehicle tire to grip the speed bump. Reflective cat eyes 30 and reflective strips (not shown) mounted to each intermediate section 12 increases the visibility of the speed bump 10 in the dark.

Semi-circular end sections 14,16 having a top 29, a bottom 31 for engaging a surface, and an interlocking end 24,26 provides a finished look to the elongated speed bump 10. The end section top 29 has a tapered dome cross section, as illustrated by a cross section of the second end section 16 shown in Fig. 6, beginning with the dome cross section of the adjacent intermediate section 12 which then tapers down in the longitudinal direction providing an aesthetically appealing appearance.

As shown in Fig. 6, recesses 33 formed in the end section bottom 31 are formed a distance inward from the interlocking end 26 and prevents the end 26 from distorting during the molding process. Other methods known in the art which maintain the desired interlocking shape may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 4, one end section 14 has a male end 24 for interlocking with a female end 20 of an adjacent intermediate section 12. As shown in Fig. 5, a second end section 16, has a female end 26 for receiving a male end 18 of an adjacent intermediate section 12 at the opposing speed bump 10 end.

Preferably, each section, 12,14, and 16, is anchored to a surface on which vehicles travel, such as the ground, using a pair of conventional anchors (not shown) which are inserted through countersunk holes 28 formed in each section, 12,14, and 16. The anchors individually secure each section, 12,14, and 16, to the ground independent of adjacent sections 12, 14 or 16. Although anchors are disclosed, other means to anchor each section, 12,14, and 16, to the ground may be used such as adhesives, if a more permanent method of anchoring is desired.

As shown in Fig. 3, each intermediate section 12 has a generally dome shaped cross section which provides a jolt to a speeding vehicle which passes over the speed bump 10. Increasing the height A of the dome shape provides an increasingly greater jolt in proportion to the vehicle speed.

Therefore, the dome height A can be sized to provide a speed bump targeted

at vehicles in excess of certain speeds. For example, a short dome height A is easily traversed by a vehicle traveling at 10 MPH, but provides a startling jolt at 40 MPH.

Looking particularly at the intermediate sections in Fig. 7, an impact force F corresponding to the jolt received by the passing vehicle is exerted on the speed bump section 12 struck by the passing vehicle. It is desirable to distribute at least a portion of the impact force F to an adjacent section 12 to reduce the strain on any individual section 12 and reduce the shear force on the anchor bolts, thus prolonging the useful life of the speed bump. In prior art modular speed bumps, this force is distributed along the length of the speed bump by a stiffening rod or tie elements.

The interlocking ends 18,20 of the present invention distributes a portion of the impact force F into adjacent sections 12 without the use of stiffening rods or tie elements. The impact force F exerted on a section is partially absorbed by the elastomeric properties of the section material. A part of the unabsorbed portion of the force F is transmitted to the ground surface through the section anchor bolts, or other anchoring method. The remaining unabsorbed impact force Fl is transmitted into adjacent sections 12 through the section interlocking ends 18,20.

Preferably, as shown in Fig. 7, the interlocking section ends 18,20 provide angular abutting surfaces, such as surfaces 21 and 25, through which both a longitudinal force component FL and a transverse force component FT of the unabsorbed impact force FI are transmitted to the adjacent sections 12.

Transmitting both a longitudinal and transverse component of the unabsorbed impact force Fi into the adjacent section reduces the total force which must be absorbed by the impacted section 12 and its anchoring method.

Advantageously, by not tying the sections, 12,14, and 16, together, they are easily replaceable without disturbing adjacent sections 12.

Advantageously, as shown in Fig. 9, the semi-circular end sections 14, 16 as described above may be interlocked forming a speed bump island 34

when an elongated speed bump is not required, such as in a factory setting with fork lift truck and maintenance vehicle traffic. The end section interlocking ends 24,26 distribute impact forces as described above, thus prolonging the islands useful life.

While there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.