AU2003244624A1 - Mounting of raised pavement markers - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention title: Details of Associated ANTHONY OSMOND BARNETT ANTHONY OSMOND BARNETT JOHN R.G. GARDNER SUITE 398 ALBERT AVENUE BROADBEACH QLD 4218 MOUNTING OF RAISED PAVEMENT MARKERS Provisional Applications No: 2002951649 filed 12 September 2003 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me:- 2 MOUNTING OF RAISED PAVEMENT MARKERS Technical Field This invention relates to pavement markers such as raised pavement markers (RPM) and in particular to an improved method and means for securing pavement markers to a road surface or any other surface.

Background Art Raised pavement markers are used widely on roads to delineate different lanes of the road or for other purposes for example for indicating the location of fire hydrants.

The markers usually include reflective lenses which reflect light from the headlights of vehicles so that when used for road markers, the lanes of the road can be clearly determined by drivers of the vehicles. The markers commonly include an outer hollow shell moulded of plastics material and in the configuration of a truncated pyramid with opposite end surfaces being provided with the reflective lenses and with the hollow space within the shell filled with a filling material such as a resin to provide the markers with sufficient strength to resist impact of vehicle tyres or wheels. The markers are usually secured to a road surface by being bedded into an adhesive such as epoxy or bituminous hot melt adhesive. Whilst epoxy adhesive usually provides improved adherence to the road, epoxies are relative expensive and thus the bituminous materials are preferred.

It is common however for pavement markers to fail under vehicle loadings and this is usually due to incorrect installation including failure to ensure that the markers are sitting on a level foundation. In many cases insufficient adhesive is used particularly in the corners of the marker resulting in breakages in those areas when subject to load.

Breakage of the markers is obviously expensive both because of the cost of replacement markers and the time involved in replacing markers. Damaged markers can also result in hazardous road conditions if markers which have been damaged cannot be seen.

A further disadvantage arises when replacement of markers is necessary as it is difficult to detach the markers from the road surface without damaging the surface.

Often large portions of the road surface are removed with the markers when detachment is attempted then necessitating repair of the road.

Yet a further disadvantage is that the road marker can "sink" into the bedding material during installation particularly in hot weather conditions which can hide part of the reflective surfaces and thereby render the pavement marker less effective.

Summary of the Invention The present invention aims to provide an improved method and means for 3 mounting pavement markers on a road surface or other surface which will prevent or reduce the risks of damage to, or failure of pavement markers. The present invention further aims to provide a foundation member for pavement markers. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides in a first preferred aspect, a method of mounting a pavement marker on a road or other surface, said method including the steps of providing a foundation member, said foundation member comprising a generally thin planar body having an upper side and having a plurality of openings or recesses therein, said method including the steps of locating said pavement marker on said upper side of said member, and securing said foundation member and said pavement marker to said road surface with an adhesive, said adhesive being received in at least some of said openings or recesses.

The term "pavement marker" as used throughout the specification includes road markers for delineating or designating traffic lanes or any other reflective or nonreflective marker used for delineation or marking purposes.

A bed of the adhesive may be initially applied to the road surface with the foundation member then embedded in the adhesive and the pavement marker positioned on the foundation member and secured by the bed of adhesive to the surface.

Alternatively, the foundation member may be initially positioned on the road surface and the adhesive is applied to the road surface through the openings or recesses in the foundation member after which the pavement marker is positioned on the foundation member.

The adhesive may be applied to extend or be located beyond the periphery of the foundation member. The adhesive may be a bituminous adhesive and when received in the openings or recesses in the foundation member, firmly secures the foundation member to the surface. The adhesive which passes through the foundation member openings also secures the pavement marker to the road or other surface, the foundation member which is interposed between the marker and road surface providing a stable flat foundation for support of the pavement marker.

The present invention in a further preferred aspect provides a foundation member for providing a foundation for supporting a pavement marker to be secured to a road or other surface, said foundation member comprising a generally thin planar body having a plurality of openings or recesses therein for receipt of an adhesive for securing said foundation member to said surface, and said foundation member having an upper side 4 defining a support area on which a said pavement marker may be seated.

The planar body suitably is of an open grid or mesh-like structure defining the openings or recesses in said planar body. The body has an outer periphery and preferably the support area is stepped downwardly relative to the outer periphery.

Most suitably the planar body is of a skeletal form and comprised of a plurality of ribs. The plurality of ribs may comprise a peripheral rib and further ribs located within the periphery of said peripheral rib. The further ribs may comprise ribs extending outwardly from the centre of the planar body, the ribs defining channels for directing the adhesive outwardly of the centre of the planar body when a pavement marker is pushed into position on the foundation member. The further ribs may further comprise a plurality of ribs arranged concentrically relative to the center of the body.

The further ribs suitably have upper portions terminating in a common plane to define the support area for the pavement marker which is substantially planar.

Preferably, the support area is stepped downwardly from the peripheral rib such that the base of a pavement marker positioned on the support area is below the peripheral rib.

This will ensure that the initial impact of tyres of road vehicles will not be initially against the edge of the foundation member rather that the pavement marker.

Preferably, the foundation member is of a substantially square external peripheral configuration but may be of any other configuration.

In a further preferred form, at least the leading edge of the foundation member is stepped or tapered downwardly or outwardly to define a relatively smooth transition from the road surface to the upper surface of the foundation member and a pavement marker supported thereon. Where the leading edge of the foundation member is of a stepped configuration, the adhesive material may fill the stepped configuration to define a tapered surface from the roadway.

Preferably, the foundation member is formed of plastics material and may for example be injection moulded. The foundation member however may be formed of other materials.

The present invention in a further aspect provides a pavement marker assembly comprising a foundation member as described above and a pavement marker supported on said upper support area of said foundation member.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein: Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective and schematic view of a foundation member according to an embodiment of the invention and an associated raised pavement marker; Fig 2 is a side elevation of the pavement marker mounted on the foundation member; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the region A of Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5 illustrates in plan and perspective views a particular embodiment of foundation member according to the invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates the assembly of raised pavement marker and foundation member of Figs. 4 and 5 on a roadway; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing one end of the assembly of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 illustrates a further embodiment of foundation member according to the invention; and Fig. 9 is a sectional view along line B-B of Fig. 8.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings and firstly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated a foundation member 10 for supporting a raised pavement marker (RPM) 11 on a road surface. The pavement marker 11 shown is of conventional form being of truncated pyramid configuration and having an outer hollow shell 12 which incorporates light reflective lenses or light reflectors 13 at opposite ends with the shell 12 being filled with a resin material or other material. The pavement marker 11 also has base 14 having a planar undersurface 15 which may be provided with a grip enhancing finish to improve adherence of the marker 11 to the roadway by an adhesive. The grip enhancing finish may be defined by sand partially embedded in the filling material.

The foundation member 10 comprises a relatively thin planar body 16 which is of a mesh- or grid-like construction (shown schematically) defining a plurality of openings 17 in the body 16. In this embodiment, the body 16 includes on its upper side a recessed or downwardly stepped portion 18 which has a perimeter shape and size which is substantially the same as or greater than that of the base 14 of the pavement marker 11 such that the base 14 of the pavement marker 11 can locate therein to be recessed into the foundation member 10. The recessed portion 18 defines a substantially flat stepped down area or surface 19 upon which the pavement marker 11 may seat. The base 14 of the pavement marker 11 may also be a snap fit within the recessed portion 18 or held positively therein by any suitable fastening arrangement. For example, the edges of the 6 recessed portion 18 may be provided with resilient fingers 20 for engagement with the pavement marker 11 which may be recessed or slotted to receive the fingers Alternatively, the engagement between the fingers 20 and marker 11 may be a friction engagement.

The foundation member 10 in this embodiment is of a substantially square peripheral form although rounded at each corner and defined by an outer perimeter member 21 which in cross section has a downwardly stepped configuration to define a peripheral groove 22 around the member 10 as shown in Fig. 3. This facilitates cooperation with adhesive used to secure the foundation member 10 in position and provide a smooth transition between the road surface and pavement marker 11.

Alternatively, the perimeter member 21 may be tapered downwardly and outwardly in cross section.

In use, the foundation member 10 is located in the desired position at which the pavement marker 11 is to be located and placed with its lower side in contact with the road surface. Adhesive is then applied to the foundation member 10 from the top, the adhesive passing through the openings 17 in the body 16 to the underlying road surface.

The installer is thus provided with a template for application of adhesive. As an alternative, the adhesive may be firstly applied to the road surface and the foundation member 10 pressed into the adhesive which thus flows upwardly through the openings 17 in the body 16. The pavement marker 11 may then be positioned over the foundation member 10 and pressed downwardly into the recessed portion 18 and seat on the flat supporting are 19 of the recessed portion 18 to be located relative to the foundation member 10 and also press against the adhesive which has been forced through the openings or applied so as to be on top of the body 16. Pushing the pavement marker into position will also push the adhesive outwardly to the side to flow into the outer openings 17 in the member 11 and flow over to the road surface beyond the perimeter member 21 of the body 16. Where the recessed portion 18 is of greater dimensions than the base 14 of the marker 11, the marker 11 may be manipulated or twisted back and forth to spread the adhesive to ensure that the marker 11 is firmly embedded in or held by the adhesive. The foundation member 10 thus provides a consistent flat surface or area for receipt and support of the pavement marker 11 whilst at the same time the foundation member 10 is securely attached to the road surface upon curing of the adhesive, the adhesive also maintaining the pavement marker 11 attached to the road surface through the foundation member 7 Figs. 4 and 5 illustrates one particular embodiment of foundation member 23 according to the invention which is of open skeletal planar grid-like form and which has a substantially square external configuration defined by an outer peripheral rib 24. Inner ribs 25 and 26 intersect each other at right angles and extend between opposite side portions of the peripheral rib 24 along the X and Y- axes of the member 23. Further sets of spaced ribs 27 and 28 extend diagonally outwardly from the ribs 25 and 26 to the outer peripheral rib 24 at each side of each corner to define outwardly directed channels 29 extending outwardly from the centre of the foundation member 23 to the periphery thereof at each corner of the member 23.

The ribs 25, 26, 27 and 28 are of substantially the same height but less than the height of the peripheral rib 24 such that the upper portions of the ribs 25, 26, 27 and 28 terminate in a plane 30 which is recessed relative to the plane containing the upper surface of the rib 24. The lower portions of all ribs 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 however lie in a common plane. In one typical form, the foundation member is 11.3cm square with the outer peripheral rib 24 approximately 5mm in height and the ribs 25, 26, 27, and 28 approximately 3mm in height. These dimensions however can of course be varied.

The internal dimensions of the peripheral rib 24 which define the boundaries of the plane 30 are greater than the base 14 of the marker 11 to enable a marker 11 placed on the ribs 24, 25, 26 and 27 to be manipulated back and forth or twisted during installation. When seated on the upper surfaces of the ribs 25, 26, 27 and 28, the base 14 of the marker 11 is lower than the upper surface of the peripheral rib 24 such that the pavement marker 11 when installed with the foundation member 23 is protected from direct impact on its edges from a vehicle wheel.

As with the embodiment of Fig. 1 and as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, adhesive 32 is applied to a road or other surface 31 where a pavement marker 11 is to be installed and the foundation member 23 is then pushed down onto the adhesive 32 with the adhesive filling and being pushed upwardly through the spaces or openings between the respective ribs 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 such that the member 23 becomes embedded in the adhesive 32. Alternatively the member 23 may be positioned on the road or other surface and adhesive may be applied from above into the spaces between the ribs 25, 26, 27 or 28.

The pavement marker 11 may be then pressed down onto the foundation member 23 to locate within the peripheral rib 24 and seat on the upper surfaces of the ribs 25, 26, 27 and 28. During this procedure, adhesive beneath the marker 11 will be pushed laterally from the marker 11 and directed by the channels 29 outwardly to the corners of the member 23 as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5. The adhesive 32 may spill over the peripheral rib 24 of the member 23 as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 to ensure full adhesion of the member 23 to the road surface 31 and provide a relatively smooth transition from the road surface 31 onto the member 23 and then to the marker 11. Tools may be used to smooth or screed the adhesive 32 off at the perimeter of the member 23.

The adhesive 32 when cured or set will bond both the foundation member 23 to the road surface 31 and the pavement marker 11 to the road surface 31 through the foundation member 23. Further as the member 23 through the ribs 25, 26, 27 or 28 define a planar support area on which the marker 11 sits, the risks of detachment or damage to the marker 11 will be minimised. In addition, the member 23 maintains the marker 11 above the road surface 31 during installation to preventing its reflective surfaces from being covered and thereby maintaining its effectiveness.

Fig. 8 illustrates a further embodiment of thin planar foundation member 33 of skeletal grid-like form according to the invention which comprises a series of intersecting ribs comprising sets of concentric ribs 34 intersected by radially extending ribs 35 and located within a substantially rectangular perimeter rib 36. The perimeter dimensions of the rib 36 are greater than the perimeter dimensions of the base 14 of a pavement marker 11. In one typical form, the foundation member is 12cm square with the ribs 5 mm in height and 2mm in width. These dimensions however can of course be varied.

The member 33 includes a central recess 37 which may be of a size to match the base 14 of a pavement marker 11 or may be of greater dimensions than the base 14 of the marker 11 to enable the marker 11 to be manipulated back and forth in the recess 37 during installation. When located in the recess 37, the base 14 of the marker 11 is lower than the remainder of the upper surface of the foundation member 33 such that the pavement member 11 may be protected from direct impact on its edges from a vehicle.

The recess 37 is defined by stepped down portions of the ribs 34 and 35 with the upper surface of the ribs 34 and 35 within the downwardly stepped portion 37 being substantially coplanar to form a flat support area for the base 14 of the marker 11.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 9, the ribs 34 and 35 adjacent the corners of the member 33 may be constructed to define radially outwardly extending channels 38. The channels 38 assist in guiding adhesive outwardly from the centre of the foundation member 33 so as to completely embed or secure the foundation member 33 in adhesive when a pavement marker 11 is pressed into position as described further below.

The foundation members as well as providing a flat supporting are for installation of pavement markers 11 also makes it easier to detach markers 11 which may have become damaged or worn. Further when markers 11 are detached, the foundation members will remain in position on the road or other supporting surface so that the underlying road surface is not damages. Further adhesive may then be applied to the foundation member to enable a new pavement marker to be secured in position.

Where there is positive engagement between a marker 11 and foundation member such as where the foundation member has lugs or fingers 20 which engage with the marker 11 as in Fig. 1, the marker 11 and foundation member may initially be assembled and then installed as one in position on a bed of adhesive applied to the road or other surface. Pushing of the assembly down onto the road surface will cause the adhesive to be forced upwardly through the openings in the foundation member to contact the undersurface of the pavement marker 11 so that the foundation member and pavement marker 11 will become adhered to the road surface.

The foundation members 10, 23 and 33 of the embodiments have recessed portions for the markers 11 which serve to centralise and locate the markers 11 and further protect the edges of the markers 11 from damage. Positive location of the markers 11 may be provided by locating devices provided on the upper sides of the foundation members. The locating devices may be in the form of upstanding pins or other members on the top surface of the foundation members with which the foundation members may cooperate.

It is not essential however that the foundation members have a recessed portion.

For example, in a simplified form, the foundation members may be of the skeletal gridlike construction as shown in Figs. 4 to 8 or of mesh-like construction in Figs. 1 to 3 but without a recessed or stepped down portion. In this case the upper sides of the foundation member form a substantially planar support area on which a marker 11 in used will simply sit. Foundation members of this form still however have the openings through which the adhesive may pass to adhere the foundation member and marker 11 to the road or other surface.

It will be appreciated that the foundation member as described may be in many different shapes and the recessed or stepped down portions of the foundation members where used may be of shapes and sizes so as to be capable of receiving a range of pavement markers or to match particular markers.

The term "comprising" or "comprises" or variations thereof as used throughout the specification and claims are taken to specify the presence of the stated features, integers and components referred to but not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature/s, integer/s, component/s or group thereof.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such variations and modifications thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims (16)

1. A method of mounting a pavement marker on a road or other surface, said method including the steps of providing a foundation member, said foundation member comprising a generally thin planar body having an upper surface and having a plurality of openings or recesses therein, said method including the steps of locating said pavement marker on said upper side of said member, and securing said foundation member and said pavement marker to said road surface with an adhesive, said adhesive being received in at least some of said openings or recesses.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a bed of said adhesive is initially applied to said surface and wherein said foundation member is embedded in said adhesive and said pavement marker positioned on said foundation member and secured by said bed of adhesive to said surface.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said foundation member is initially positioned on said surface and wherein said adhesive is applied to said surface through said openings or recesses in said foundation member.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said adhesive is applied to extend or be located beyond the periphery of said foundation member.

A foundation member for providing a foundation for supporting a pavement marker to be secured to a road or other surface, said foundation member comprising a generally thin planar body having a plurality of openings or recesses therein for receipt of an adhesive for securing said foundation member to said surface, and said foundation member having an upper side defining a support area on which a said pavement marker may be seated.

6. A foundation member as claimed in claim 5 wherein said planar body is of an open grid or mesh-like form defining said openings in said planar body.

7. A foundation member as claimed in claim 6 wherein said planar body is of a skeletal form and comprised of a plurality of ribs. 12

8. A foundation member as claimed in claim 7 wherein said plurality of ribs comprise a peripheral rib and further ribs located within the periphery of said peripheral rib.

9. A foundation member as claimed in claim 8 wherein said further ribs comprise ribs extending outwardly from the centre of said body, said ribs defining channels for directing said adhesive outwardly of said centre of said planar body.

A foundation member as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein said further ribs comprise a plurality of ribs arranged concentrically relative to the center of said body.

11. A foundation member as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein said further ribs have upper portions terminating in a common plane to define said support area for said pavement marker.

12. A foundation member as claimed in claim 11 wherein said support area is stepped downwardly from said peripheral rib.

13. A foundation member as claimed in claim 6 wherein said planar body has an outer periphery and wherein said support area is stepped downwardly from said outer periphery of said body.

14. A pavement marker assembly comprising a foundation member as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 13 and a pavement marker supported on said upper support area of said foundation member.

A foundation member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A pavement marker assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this tenth day of September 2003 ANTHONY OSMOND BARNETT