AU2005100792A4 - A sign post - Google Patents

Description

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Our Ref: 12528431 P/00/011 Regulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION

STANDARD

PATENT

Applicant(s): John Laut 21 Maneela Street Blacksmiths New South Wales 2281 Australia Address for Service: Invention Title: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2000 A sign post The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 5951

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p:\WPDOCS\REQpei\1227771&v spi.dmo-21103/05 -1- A SIGN POST Technical Field The present invention relates to a sign post, and in particular, a sign post used for regulating traffic.

Background of the Invention Sign posts have been used in a variety of situations. For instance, they are commonly used by construction workers to warn drivers to either slow down or stop when approaching dangerous road works. In other situations, sign-posts are used to slow or stop traffic and allow school children to safely cross busy roadways.

A typical "lollipop" type sign post includes a support post and a plate fastened to the top of the post wherein the words "Stop" and "Slow" are indicated on reverse sides of the plate.

The post may be selectively rotated around 180 degrees by the user wherein the words "Stop" or "Slow" may be made visible to the on-coming traffic, depending upon the signal that the user intends to provide to the on-coming traffic. One disadvantage with these types of signs is that they offer little or no protection from the sun or rain for the user.

Certain prior art inventions have attempted to overcome the above-mentioned problem.

However, they tend to be problematic in their implementation. For instance, the prior art invention disclosed in US2002/0104242A1 provides a sign post including an umbrella portion which concurrently serves as a display sign. However, the umbrella is cumbersome and ill-designed to accommodate and/or protect a variety of users that may be either extremely tall, or extremely short. Moreover, this invention is cumbersome to transport about, and, any attempt to dismantle the umbrella may obscure or damage the sign displayed upon it. A further problem that is evident in the prior art invention is that, because the display sign is disposed on the surface of the umbrella itself, it is necessary for the umbrella to be constantly deployed in order for the sign to be visible to on-coming traffic.

p:\WpDOCS\REQ\Spd\122707?ldV spid.doc.-21/305 -2- Summary of the Invention In one broad form, the present invention provides a sign post including: a post having a top end and a bottom end; a means for displaying a sign mounted to the top end of the post; a shading means mounted to the post beneath the means for displaying a sign.

Preferably, the shading means is mounted to the post beneath the means for displaying a sign. Advantageously, the positioning of the shading means beneath the means for displaying a sign allows greater flexibility in the use of the sign post. For instance, at certain times it may not be necessary for the sign post to have an erected shading means, and by collapsing the shading means, the visibility of the sign is not diminished as the sign is located above the shading means at the top end of the post.

Preferably, the shading means is movably mounted to the post. More preferably, the shading means is movable along an elongate portion of the post. Advantageously, the movability of the shading means is able to flexibly accommodate users of varying heights.

Also preferably, the present invention includes a fastening means for releasably fastening the shading means to the post. Preferably, the fastening means includes a screw collar.

Preferably, the shading means is an umbrella, said umbrella being selectively positionable between at least an erect position and a collapsed position. Advantageously, the umbrella is able to be conveniently arranged from an erected position into a collapsed position in order to facilitate, amongst other things, ease of transportation and or storage of the present invention. Another advantage of the collapsibility of the umbrella is that in windy conditions, the reduced surface area of the sign reduces the chances of it being blown away, or, susceptible to damage.

Preferably the present invention includes a means for adjusting the height of the post. This also advantageously allows the present invention to accommodate users of varying heights.

Also preferably, the means for adjusting the height of the post includes a base portion, said base portion being telescopically extendable relative to a bottom end of the post. Also PAWPDOCS\REQ\ P.N12270771&vspwi.doc-21/0305 -3preferably, the base portion is releasably fastenable to the bottom end of the post.

Typically, the means of releasably fastening the base portion to the bottom end of the post includes a screw collar.

Preferably, the present invention includes a means for indicating the orientation of the sign to the user where the user has no direct line of sight to the sign. More preferably, the means for indicating the orientation of the sign to the user includes an indicator panel, said indicator panel being mounted to the post between the shading means and the bottom end of the post. Advantageously, the means for indicating the orientation of the sign allows the user to discern the orientation of the sign when the sign is obscured by the shading means.

In a second broad form, the present invention provides a shading means for releasable attachment to a sign post including: an umbrella; and a means for releasably fastening the umbrella coaxially with the sign post along an elongate axis of the sign post.

Preferably the present invention further includes a means for releasably fastening the umbrella to the portion of the post. Preferably, the umbrella is also movable between a collapsed and an erect position.

Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description of a preferred but non-limiting embodiment thereof, described in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention wherein the shading means is arranged in a collapsed position, and, the base portion is fully retracted relative to a bottom end of the post.

Figure 2 shows the first embodiment as in Figure 1, wherein the shading means is p-\WPDOCS\REQ~sped\1227771&v spoi.doc21103 0 -4arranged in an erected position.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

Modes for Carrying out the Invention Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention including a post for supporting a display plate a shading means which in the present embodiment includes an umbrella first and second screw collars releasably fix the shading means to the post a base portion which is extendable and retractable relative to a bottom end (17) of the post Figure 1 also shows a third screw collar which is used to releasably fasten the base portion (13) relative to the bottom end (17) of the post In the present embodiment, the post has a cylindrical cross-section approximately 3 cm in diameter and is manufactured from a metallic alloy. Also, in the present embodiment, the post has a length of approximately 1.5 metres. The choice of dimensions for the post will vary depending upon the specific user requirements. It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the height of different users may vary substantially. However, by selecting a post of 1.5 metres it is envisaged that this would be suitable for a person of average height.

The shading means includes a collapsible umbrella made from nylon, fibre glass, PVC or any suitable material known to a person skilled in the art. The umbrella (3) includes a first screw collar disposed at the apex of the umbrella and a second screw collar for releasably securing the peripheral edge (13) of the umbrella to the post Support wires (14) connect the second screw collar to the peripheral edge (13) at regular intervals. The support wires (14) include hinge points (15) disposed substantially midway along their lengths such that they will fold at theirhinges when the umbrella is moved between the erected and collapsed positions.

In order to adjust the position of the umbrella along the elongate axis of the post the first and second screw collars are loosened such that the umbrella may be freely slid along the elongate axis of the post and into the desired position. Once the P\WPDOCS\REQIPWd\t2270771& spai.do-21/03/05 umbrella is arranged in the desired position, the first and second screw collars (4,8) may be re-tightened so as to lock the umbrella into position.

The umbrella may also be moved between a collapsed position as shown in Fig. 1, and an erected position as shown in Fig. 2.

In the collapsed position, the peripheral edge (13) of the umbrella is drawn tightly around the post The umbrella itself is compacted in a concertina-fashion around the post When the umbrella is arranged in the collapsed position, the second screw collar is positioned relatively nearer to the apex of the umbrella than when the umbrella is in the erected position. In this way, the support wires (14) fold inwardly and upwardly towards the apex of the umbrella and in doing so, draw the peripheral edge (13) of the umbrella inwardly toward the post Conversely, the umbrella may be moved into the erected position by loosening the second screw collar and sliding it away from the apex of the umbrella In this way, the support wires (14) are extended outwardly and force the peripheral edge (13) of the umbrella outwardly of the post A metal plate is attached to the top end (16) of the post above the umbrella as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The plate includes the words "Stop" and "Slow" on opposite sides of the plate The plate may be welded or screwed into the post These plates are known to persons skilled in the art.

The present embodiment also includes an indicator panel disposed on the post (2) between the umbrella and the bottom end (17) of the post at approximately 1.4 metres from the bottom end (17) of the post The indicator panel is circular and substantially the same diameter as the post The words "Stop" and "Slow" are disposed on either sides of the plate whereby they correspond to the same orientation as the words on the metal plate In this way, the user of the stop sign is able to determine the orientation of the sign on the metal plate without having a direct line-of-sight view of the sign from beneath an erected umbrella :\WpDOCs\Req~ai\227077jdvspm.dm-21/3/05 -6- The present embodiment further includes a means of extending the height of the post (2) above the ground. A base portion (13) is provided which is a cylindrical container of slightly wider diameter than the post The base portion (13) includes an open end and a closed end whereby the bottom end (17) of the post is received by the base portion (13) in a piston fashion. The bottom end (17) of the post may be extended and retracted from the base portion (13) as required when a third screw collar disposed at the open end of the base portion is loosened. By tightening the third screw collar the base portion (13) may be releasably fastened into a desired position relative to the bottom end (17) of the post Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention including an umbrella which is coaxially attached to an existing "lollipop"-type sign post. The umbrella includes top and bottom screw collars (11,12) respectively. The umbrella (10) is selectively positionable relative to a sign post in a manner similar to that described in relation to the first embodiment above.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described without departing from the scope of the invention. All such variations and modification which become apparent to persons skilled in the art, should be considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as broadly hereinbefore described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications. The invention also includes all of the steps and features, referred or indicated in the specification, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any two or more of said steps or features.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (4)

1. A sign post including: a post having a top end and a bottom end; a means for displaying a sign mounted to the top end of the post; a shading means mounted to the post beneath the means for displaying a sign.

2. A sign post as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shading means is movably mounted to the post.

3. A sign post as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2 wherein the shading means includes an umbrella, said umbrella being selectively positionable between at least an erect position and a collapsed position.

4. A sign post as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including an indicating means for indicating the orientation of the sign to the user, said indicating means being mounted to the post between the shading means and the bottom end of the post. A sign post as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including a means for adjusting the height of the post. Dated this 21st day of March 2005 JOHN LAUT By his patent attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE