BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The instant invention relates generally to highway markers and more specifically it relates to an improved road barrier.

Description of the Prior Art

Numerous highway markers have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to warn and alert drivers of hazards created by construction or maintenance activities in or near the traveled way and to guide and direct drivers safely past hazards. For example, U.S. Patents numbers 3,496,904 to Ri kus; 3,916,816 to Fitch; 3,952,690 to Rizzo, et al.; 4,083,033 to Kulp, et al. ; 4,157,210 to Mesman; 4,289,302 to Montgomery; and 4,674,431 to Cory; and United Kingdom Patent number 2,084,635 to Lindsay, are all illustrative of such prior art. While these devices may be suitable for the particular purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first embodiment, the invention provides an improved road barrier for channelizing traffic comprising: at least one hollow pyramidal structure having a frustum top; a base formed on the bottom of said pyramidal structure for stabilizing said pyramidal structure on a flat surface; and a plurality of spaced apart bands formed on said pyramidal structure for dividing said pyramidal structure into a plurality of tiers, with each said tier having a plurality of panel faces so as to add strength to said pyramidal structure, said panel faces sloping inward from bottom to top.

In a second embodiment, the invention provides an improved road barrier for use with barrier boards

comprising: pairs of first and second hollow pyramidal structures, each having a frustum top; at least one band formed on each of said first pyramidal structures dividing them into a plurality of tiers, each tier of each of said first pyramidal structures having a plurality of panel faces, each of said panel faces in at least one tier having a vertical slot defined therethrough for receiving one end of a barrier board; and at least one band formed on each of said second pyramidal structures dividing them into a plurality of tiers, each tier having a plurality of panel faces, each of said panel faces in at least one tier of each of said second pyramidal structures having a vertical slot defined therethrough for receiving one end of a barrier board, said first pyramidal structures being sized to be placed atop said second pyramidal structures, such that when said first pyramidal structure is placed atop said second pyramidal structure, at least some of said vertical slots in said panel faces in said at least one tier of said first pyramidal structures align with at least some of said vertical slots in said panel faces in said at least one tier of said second pyramidal structures.

In another embodiment, the invention provides an improved road barrier for use with barrier boards comprising: first and second hollow pyramidal structures, each having a frustum top; panel faces formed on said first and second hollow pyramidal structures, said panel faces sloping inward from bottom to top of said first and second hollow pyramidal structures; and vertical slots formed through a plurality of said panel faces, each vertical slot being capable of receiving one end of a barrier board, wherein said first pyramidal structure is sized to be placed atop said second pyramidal structure such that when said first pyramidal structure is placed atop said second pyramidal structure, at least some of said vertical slots in said panel faces in said first pyramidal structure align with at least some of said vertical slots in said panel faces of said second pyramidal structure.

In a further embodiment, the invention provides an improved road barrier for use with barrier boards comprising: first and second hollow conical structures, each having a frustum top and a base; and a plurality of apertures defined in said first and second hollow conical structures, each aperture being capable of receiving one end of a barrier board, wherein said first structure is sized to be placed with its base at least partially overlapping said frustum top of said second structure. In still a further embodiment, the invention provides an improved road barrier as recited in Claim 24, wherein at least one pair of said first and second conical structures have at least one reflector affixed to at least one of said tiers. In a final embodiment, the invention provides an improved road barrier for use with barrier boards comprising: pairs of first and second hollow conical structures, each having a frustum top; at least one band formed on each of said first conical structures dividing them into a plurality of tiers, at least one tier having a plurality of vertical slots defined therethrough for receiving one end of a barrier board; and at least one band formed on each of said second conical structures dividing them into a plurality of tiers, at least one tier of each of said second pyramidal structures having a plurality of vertical slots defined therethrough for receiving one end of a barrier board, said first conical structures being sized to be placed atop said second conical structures, such that when said first conical structure is placed atop said second conical structure, at least some of said vertical slots in said first conical structures align with at least some of said vertical slots in said panel faces in said second conical structures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of two pyramidal structures comprising a pyramidal embodiment of

the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the two pyramidal structures shown in Figure 1 in an assembled configuration.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Figure 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the pyramidal embodiment of the invention in combination with barrier board, being used in a type I barricade.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the pyramidal embodiment of the invention in combination with barrier boards, being used in a type II barricade.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the pyramidal embodiment of the invention in combination with barrier boards, being used in a type III barricade. FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of two conical structures comprising a conical embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view two conical structures shown in Figure 7 in an assembled configuration.

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the conical embodiment of the invention in combination with barrier boards, being used as a type I barricade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views. Figures 1 through 3 illustrate a pyramidal embodiment of an improved road barrier 10 for channelizing traffic which comprises hollow pyramidal structures 12 having a frustum top 14. A base 16 is formed on the bottom of the pyramidal structures 12 for stabilizing the pyramidal structures on a flat surface, such as a roadway. A plurality of spaced apart bands 18 are formed on the pyramidal structures 12 for dividing the pyramidal structures into a plurality of tiers 20, with each tier having a plurality of panel faces 22 so as to add strength to the pyramidal structures 12. The panel faces slope inward from bottom to top. At least one rib 24 is formed on

the frustum top 14 of the pyramidal structures 12 for mounting a warning light 26 thereto.

The pyramidal structures 12, the base 16 and the bands 18 can have a multiple number of sides ranging from three and more. The pyramidal embodiments of Figures 1 through 6 are shown as being octagonal, but the pyramidal embodiments of the invention can have as few as three sides and can have more than eight sides. In Figures 1 through 6 the base and bands are shown as being octagonal shaped so that the panel faces 22 are eight in number in each of the tiers 20.

The invention consists of single structures or groups of stacked structures. In the stackable embodiment, there may be provided two stackable hollow pyramidal structures which comprise a first improved road barrier 10 used in the invention. The first one 30a (Fig. 1) has two spaced apart bands 18 formed on the pyramidal structure 12 for dividing the pyramidal structure into three tiers 20, where each of the panel faces 22 on the first and third tiers 20 have a vertical slot 28 defined therethrough for receiving one end of a barrier board rail 32 (see Figures 4 and 6) .

The second one of the stackable hollow pyramidal structures of the improved road barrier 10 used in the invention 30b (Fig. 1) has three spaced apart bands 18 formed on the pyramidal structure 12 for dividing the pyramidal structure into four tiers 20 in which each of the panel faces 22 on the second and fourth tiers 20 have a vertical slot defined 28 therethrough for receiving one end of a barrier board rail 32 (see Figures 5 and 6) . At least one reflector 34 can be affixed to at least one of the panel faces 22 on at least one tier 20 of at least one of the first and second pyramidal structures 12.

The three tiered pyramidal structure 30a (Fig. 1) is sized to stack upon the four tiered pyramidal structure 30b (Fig. 1) as shown in Figures 1 and 2. At least some of the vertical slots 29 in the panel faces 22 of the first tier 20 of the three tiered pyramidal structure 30a overlap and align with the vertical slots 28 in the panel faces 22 of

the fourth tier 20 of the four tiered pyramidal structure 30b. The three tiered and four tiered pyramidal structures can be held together by at least one barrier board rail 30 (see Figure 6) , or by other means (not shown in the Figures) including clip means, a short board inserted in the aligning slots, plug means, connecting indents and detents, VELCRO- type reusable interlocking nylon tape, or other known attachment means.

The three tiered hollow pyramidal structure 30a and the four tiered hollow pyramidal structure 30b of the improved road barrier 10 can be used separately and in an unstacked configuration as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, or together in a stacked configuration as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 6. Figure 4 shows a plurality of the three tiered pyramidal structures 30a of the improved road barriers used together with at least one barrier board rail 32 in forming a type I barricade 36. Figure 5 shows a plurality of the four tiered pyramidal structures 30b of the improved road barriers 10 used together with at least one barrier board rail 32 in forming a type II barricade 38. Figure 6 shows a plurality of the three tiered 30a and an equal number of the four tiered pyramidal structures of the improved road barriers 10 with one each of the three tiered pyramidal structures stacked on top of one each of the four tiered pyramidal structures 30b of the improved road barriers and used together with at least one barrier board rail 32 in forming a type III barricade 40.

Figures 7 through 9 illustrate conical embodiments of the invention. The description of the conical embodiment is similar to that of the pyramidal embodiments, and similar features are indicated with corresponding reference numeral, an obvious difference being that there are no discrete individual panel faces on the tiers of the conical embodiments. A base 16 is formed on the bottom of the conical structures 12 for stabilizing the conical structures on a flat surface, such as a roadway. A plurality of spaced

apart bands 18 are formed on the conical structures 12 for dividing the conical structures into a plurality of tiers 20. At least one rib 24 is formed on the frustum top 14 of the conical structures 12 for mounting a warning light 26 thereto.

The invention consists of single structures or groups of stacked structures. In the stackable embodiment, there may be provided two stackable hollow conical structures which comprise a first improved road barrier 10 used in the invention. The first one 30a (Fig. 7) has two spaced apart bands 18 formed on the conical structure 12 for dividing the conical structure into three tiers 20. A plurality of vertical slots 28 are defined on the first and third tiers 20 of the first conical structure for receiving one end of a barrier board rail 32 (see Figures 7 through 9) .

The second one of the stackable hollow conical structures of the improved road barrier 10 used in the invention 30b (Fig. 7) has three spaced apart bands 18 formed on the conical structure 12 for dividing the conical structure into four tiers 20. A plurality of vertical slots 28 are defined on the second and fourth tiers 20 for receiving one end of a barrier board rail 32 (see Figures 7 and 8) . At least one reflector 34 can be affixed to at least one of the tiers 20 of at least one of the first and second conical structures 12.

The three tiered conical structure 30a (Fig. 1) is sized to stack upon the four tiered conical structure 30b as shown in Figures 7 and 8. At least some of the vertical slots 28 of the first tier 20 of the three tiered conical structure 30a overlap and align with the vertical slots 28 in the fourth tier 20 of the four tiered conical structure 30b. The three tiered and four tiered conical structures can be held together by at least one barrier board rail 30 (see Figure 9) , or by other means (not shown in the Figures) including clip means, a short board inserted in the aligning slots, plug means, connecting indents and detents, VELCRO- type reusable interlocking nylon tape, or other known

attachment means.

The three tiered hollow conical structure 30a and the four tiered hollow conical structure 30b of the improved road barrier 10 can be used separately and in an unstacked configuration as shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, or together in a stacked configuration (not shown) . Figure 9 shows a plurality of the three tiered conical structures 30a of the improved road barriers used together with at least one barrier board rail 32 in forming a type I barricade 36. Although not shown in the figures, a plurality of the four tiered conical structures 30b of the improved road barriers 10 can used together with at least one barrier board rail 32 in forming a type II barricade 38, and likewise, a plurality of the three tiered 30a and an equal number of the four tiered conical structures of the improved road barriers 10 can be used with one each of the three tiered conical structures stacked on top of one each of the four tiered conical structures 30b of the improved road barriers and used together with at least one barrier board rail 32 in forming a type III barricade 40.

In the pyramidal or conical embodiments of the invention, the improved road barriers 10 can be fabricated out of plastic, wood, metal or other durable materials. It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by

applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.