AU2013101133A4 - Stackable and Flat-Packable Safety Bollard - Google Patents

Abstract

Description and details of a high visibility, stackable, flat-packable safety bollard useful for a variety of applications including, but not limited to; roadwork, road delineation, cordoning and hazard marking. Comprising of two parts, this invention features a solid base and a thin top which can be assembled, dis-assembled and re assembled. The 'top part' of the this invention is made from a flat material such as UV stabilised, polypropylene, fluted sheet and can be either fully or partially laminated with reflective material. The base part is made of a heavy material such as moulded, recycled PVC rubber. The shape of this invention allows for stacking and/or nesting of multiple units, each one on top of, or behind the last. This invention can be flat-packed for shipping and/or storage and features a special interlocking design that does not require any additional fixings for assembly. F i.1

Description

1 STACKABLE AND FLAT-PACKABLE SAFETY BOLLARD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] Typical safety bollards fulfil their primary purpose adequately but do not stack or nest with each other for transportation without first being dis-assembled. This invention has been designed to facilitate easy stacking or nesting to reduce the space required during transportation. Typical 'T-top' safety bollard tops are hollow and take up a lot of space even when dis-assembled from their base. This invention is also designed to be constructed of materials that are flat-packable to reduce overall size during shipping or bulk transport. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention is a high visibility, stackable safety bollard useful for a variety of applications including, but not limited to; roadwork, road delineation, cordoning and hazard marking (Refer to Fig. 1A & 1B). [0003] The 'hollow half-pyramid' or 'tapering chevron' shape of this safety bollard allows up to three units to be stacked on top of each other for storage or transportation (Refer to Fig. 2A). The shape also allows for a continuous chain of units to be nested together horizontally (Refer to Fig. 2B). [0004] Comprising of two parts, this invention features a thin, flat, light-weight 'top part' (Refer to Fig. 4A & 4B) and a solid, heavy 'base part' (Refer to Fig. 5A, 5B & 5C), which can be assembled, dis-assembled and re-assembled. [0005] This invention features a design that allows the 'top part' to interlock with itself after being inserted through 2 slots in the 'base part' (Refer to Fig. 3A, 3B, & 3C). The interlocked portions of the 'top part' are then able to be tucked under a lip on the underside of the 'base part' to be held secure without any additional fixings (Refer to Fig. 3D & 1C).

2 [0006] Due to its flat surfaces, this safety bollard can be partially or fully laminated with high-visibility reflective material, providing a larger visible surface area than typical 'T-top' bollards (Refer to Fig. 1A). [0007] The 'top part' is made from die-cut, folded, UV-stabilised, polypropylene, fluted sheet (or similar) (Refer to Fig. 4A & 4B). This sheet can be made in a variety of colours, primarily high-visibility colours such as fluorescent orange. The 'top part' can also be either fully or partially laminated with a high-visibility reflective material. The 'top part' is folded into a hollow tapering chevron shape (Refer to Fig. 4B) and assembled with the 'base part' to allow for stacking or nesting of multiple units. [0008] The 'base part' is made of recycled PVC rubber or similar and is heavily weighted to help prevent the safety bollard from tipping over (Refer to Fig. 5B). The 'base part' is moulded using a special shut-off technique (Refer to Fig. 5C) to allow the top part to attach, using the unique method described in paragraph [0005] (Refer to Fig. 1C, 3A, 3B, 3C, & 3D). The 'base part' features a pointed front and a flat back to allow the pointed front to nest into the back of another unit with the back edge sitting flat on the ground so as to be sturdy and stable when nested together with multiple units (Refer to Fig. 2B). DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS (Table 1A) Fig. 1A FRONT AND REAR 3-D VIEWS OF ASSEMBLED BOLLARD Fig. 1 B ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION OF ASSEMBLED BOLLARD Fig. 1 C SECTION A-A OF ASSEMBLED BOLLARD Fig. 2A STACKING OF SAFETY BOLLARD Fig. 2B NESTI NG OF SAFETY BOLLARD Fig. 3A ASSEMBLY OF TOP PART AND BASE PART - STEP 1 Fig. 3B ASSEMBLY OF TOP PART AND BASE PART - STEP 2 Fig. 3C ASSEMBLY OF TOP PART AND BASE PART - STEP 3 Fig. 3D ASSEMBLY OF TOP PART AND BASE PART - STEP 4 Fig. 4A FLAT 'TOP PART' Fig. 4B FOLDED 'TOP PART' Fig. 5A ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION OF 'BASE PART' Fig. 5B 3-D VIEW OF 'BASE PART' Fig. 5C SECTION B-B OF 'BASE PART'

Claims (5)

1. A safety bollard that is hollow from one side, such as a hollow half-pyramid or tapering chevron in shape, so as to allow nesting or stacking of multiple units, each one behind, or on top of the last. (Refer to Fig. 1A, 2A & 2B)

2. A safety bollard that can be dis-assembled and re-assembled, and is flat packable for shipping or transportation. (Refer to Fig. 1A, 4A & 5B)

3. A safety bollard that can be assembled with no additional fixings, featuring a design that allows two flaps on the flat 'top part' to be inserted through corresponding slots in the 'base part' before interlocking with each other and then tucking under a lip on the underside of the 'base part' to be held secure. (Refer to Fig. 1C, 3A, 3B, 3C & 3D)

4. A safety bollard, consisting of a 'top part' and 'base part', said parts constructed of a flat material such as UV stabilised, polypropylene, fluted sheet (or similar), and a heavy material such as moulded, recycled PVC rubber (or similar) respectively. (Refer to Fig. 1A, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B & 5C)

5. A safety bollard that has a flat 'top part' that allows for easy lamination of reflective material and can be folded into a shape with a large visible surface area. (Refer to Fig. 1A, 4A & 4B)