HAZARD BARRIER

This invention relates to a hazard barrier.

Conventional rigid hazard barriers consist of a bar member supported at its ends by upstanding support posts. The bar members of such hazard barriers are typically two metres or more in length, and cannot easily be transported in small vehicles. An object of

... ^" the present invention is therefore to provide an easily portable, fold-away hazard barrier.

The invention thus ^* provides a hazard barrier comprising a plurality of bar members hingedly interconnected end-to-end and with two opposing free ends, whereby the bar members can be folded so as to lie side-by-side as a compact package, and unfolded to form a straight or angled barrier, and at least some of the bar members being provided with means for attaching them to upstanding support posts.

Each bar member may typically be one metre long, although these could of course be provided in different

lengths. Thus, when the hazard barrier is completely folded, it is still only about one metre long, and could therefore be accommodated, for example, in the boot of a small car. In fact, a number of hazard barriers could be accommodated fully folded in this way.

Preferably each bar member is shaped as a rectangular, profiled plank and can be made from any suitable material, e.g. wood, plastics, steel or fibre board. Plastics materials are generally preferred for ease of manufacture and handling, together with low weight of the finished article. The hinges between adjacent bar members can permit folding in any way, but it is preferred that they fold inwards so that when two adjoining bar members are fully unfolded, i.e. opened to an angle of 180°, the ends abut against each other so as to provide a firm joint which does not tend to collapse when pressure is applied to the barrier.

The hinge connections between adjacent bar members can be provided by various methods, e.g. conventional steel or brass hinges, pins and clevis arrangements, or cloth hinges. Preferably the barrier is manufactured by

joining a board or plank part of each bar member to end parts of slightly greater width and depth. All parts are preferably of plastics, and the joining is effected by any suitable means, e.g. sonic welding, gluing, rivetting etc. Preferably, the end parts of adjoining bar members with the intermediate hinge are made as integral mouldings by a plastic injection moulding method to provide plastic "live" hinges linking and integral with adjacent end parts of bar members.

The angle of opening between adjacent bar members is preferably from 0 to 180*, but in some embodiments can be more than 180", e.g. to provide a zig-zag barrier.

Preferably means are provided for locking adjacent bar members in the fully open position, for example a snap lock clasp which can be closed when adjacent bar members are fully open. If the bar members can open to more than 180', a radial locking device may be provided. It is also, of course, possible to provide means for locking adjacent bar members in any partly open position.

The barrier is primarily intended for use with custom made support posts which have a stop or fork arranged near their upper ends. The upper ends of the posts are accommodated in holes at each end of the bar members. So that they are fully compatible with existing types of support posts, including other kinds of stands and traffic cones, the barrier can also be provided with other means for attachment, such as clips, brackets, hooks, strings or wires.

The ends of the barriers can be provided with means for intercoupling with each other, so that barriers of longer lengths can be formed. The ends and the joints can be provided with holes and clips or hooks, so that the various existing posts or stands can be used.

The barrier can be of any suitable colour or colours, which may be prescribed by traffic rules, but will generally be red with white strips. These colours can be painted or stained onto the bar members or may be impregnated, but will generally be provided in the form of a reflective adhesive material.

The barrier can be formed into many shapes by bending it at the hinged joints and can be used to shield two or more sides of a working zone, such as a hole.

The support posts can be of very simple design. They can simply be straight lengths of rod with a two- pronged fork at the top, or alternatively some form of stop near the top, such as a washer welded onto the rod. The top of the post is placed through the hole at the end of a bar member, which is then supported by the base of the fork or by the stop. Several support posts are generally needed to support a barrier, but it is not essential for every hole in all the bar members to be occupied by a post. When the barrier is set into certain shapes that are allowed by the hinge joints, it can become free standing without the need to knock the support posts into the ground (see Figure 3) .

All components of the barrier, i.e. the bar member assembly, the posts and various clips and mountings, can all be easily packed and transported in a light-weight carrying case or bag.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagramatic plan view of a hazard barrier according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the completely folded state;

Figures 2A and 2B are respectively a plan view and a side view of the unfolded barrier; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of hazard barrier with support posts.

In the preferred embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the hazard barrier comprises four bar members l, 2, 3, 4 which are connected end-to-end by hinges, in such a way that one end of bar member 1 and one end of bar member 4 are free. Each bar member is of substantially the same dimensions, and is shaped as a profiled plank of rectangular cross-section, with slightly enlarged end portions. A spacer member 5 is connected by hinges between bar members 2 and 3. The spacer member 5 has a similar cross-section to the bar members and similar

enlarged ends, and is constructed in a similar way, but is considerably shorter, its length being approximately twice the thickness of the bar members, as shown in Figure 1. Each adjoining pair of end portions with hinge in between is made as a single plastics injection moulding, with an integral live hinge. The end portions are then joined, e.g. by sonic welding, 'to the plank portions which are also of plastics material, so that the assembly is constructed as follows: hinge 6 between bar members 1 and 2, hinge 7 between bar member 2 and the spacer member 5, hinge _* 8 between the spacer member 5 and bar member 3, and hinge 9 between bar members 3 and 4. Each hinge permits an angle of opening between ajoining members of from 0 to 180'. The angle of opening cannot be more than 180° because of abutment between the ends of adjoining members, such as the end surfaces 10 and 11 of bar members 1 and 2.

In the completely folded state shown in Figure 1, the four bar members lie side-by-side as a compact package. The arrangement of the spacer member and the opening angles of the hinges permit the end bar members 1 and 4 to be sandwiched between the middle two bar

members 2 and 3. The barrier is unfolded by pulling the bar members 2 and 3 outwardly as shown by the arrows 12 and 13 (Figure 1) , and then the bar members 1 and 4 are in turn pulled outwardly as shown by the arrows 14 and 15 (Figure 2A) .

When the barrier is completely unfolded, it is straight as shown in Figure 2B. As can be deduced from Figure 1, the hinges will all be on one side face of the barrier, and if pressure is applied to the barrier on the opposite side face, the abutment between adjoining ends of the bar members or spacer member (such as 10 and 11) will tend to prevent collapse of the barrier. The barrier can also be used as an angled barrier in the partly unfolded state, for example as shown by the broken lines in Figure 2A.

The end portion of each bar member has a transverse hole 16 from top to bottom. Although it is not essential for there to be such a hole at each end of every bar member, such holes are generally provided for ease of manufacture and to provide maximum flexibility in mounting the barrier on support posts. The spacer

member 5 will also be provided with similar holes in its enlarged ends, so that the end portion/hinge assemblies are manufactured as identical mouldings.

The holes cooperate with support posts 17 as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a different embodiment of barrier including three bar members. However, the principle of mounting the barrier on the support posts is the same in this embodiment as in the embodiment of Figures l and 2. The top of each support post 17 is shaped as a two-pronged fork. One prong of the fork is inserted through the hole 16, so that the barrier is supported on the base of the fork. The support posts 17 may be pushed into the ground, or provided with enlarged bases for resting on the ground. However, when the barrier is used as an angled barrier, as in Figure 3, it may be possible for the barrier to be balanced with the support posts simply standing on the ground.

The barrier may be provided with hooks 18 or similar fittings, so that it can be supported from alternative kinds of support posts. The barrier is also preferably provided with clasps 19 or the like, which

can temporarily lock the barrier in the fully extended state, so as to provide additional rigidity. Such clasps can be on the side faces, as shown in Figure 2B, or on the top or bottom surfaces.