GB2133065A

GB2133065A - Traffic hazard indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2133065A
Application number: GB08233156A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Dawson
Original assignee: SWINTEX
Current assignee: SWINTEX
Priority date: 1982-11-20
Filing date: 1982-11-20
Publication date: 1984-07-18

Abstract

A traffic hazard warning device is moulded from plastics material and has an upper conical or other body (12) and an annular hollow supporting base (10) having outer walling (16) and inner walling (20). From an upper free end of inner walling (20) a skirt (24) depends after initial moulding (shown to the right in Fig. 1) being connected to walling (20) by annular corrugations 26, and is thereafter folded, in accordance with one step of a method of the invention (as shown to the left in Fig. 1), to lie adjacent a lower portion of walling constituting the body (12) and is secured thereto as by adhesive to render the base (10) hollow and fluid tight, enabling such hollow base (10) to be filled (via a plugged aperture, not shown) with a fluid such as water or sand to impart stability to the device in use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Traffic hazard indicator This invention relates to a traffic hazard indicator and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a road cone.

Road cones are well known. They usually comprise a base which is often hexagonal from which a conical body projects. The cones are moulded from plastics material and are relatively light. To maintain the cones in an upright disposition it has become the practice to provide a weight in the base. One form of cone comprises a hollow, fluid tight, base which can be filled with a fluid such as water. Moulding of such a cone has previously required an interrupted moulding cycle; the practice has been to produce a hollow base of toroidal form into which a separately moulded conical body is fixed. This method of construction is expensive in that it requires two separate moulds. The present invention has been made from a consideration of this problem.

According to the invention there is provided a traffic hazard indicator device comprising a hollow fluid tight, base and a projecting body integral with said base.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the traffic hazard indicator device is provided with a flap integrally attached to the free end of the inner wall of the base, said flap being adapted to be folded so as to be adhered to the inner wall of the projecting body thereby creating the hollow fluid tight base.

The invention also provides a method of making a traffic hazard indicator device comprising moulding a hollow base and integral hollow projecting body on the base, there being a flap on the free end of the inner wall of the base, folding the flap and securing said flap to the inner surface of the projecting body thereby creating a fluid tight base.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a road cone; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the road cone of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows a detail of the base of the road cone of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing the embodiment of a traffic hazard indicator device illustrated is a road cone which comprises a base 10 and a hollow conical body 12. The base in integral with a conical body and consists of a top 14, an outer wall 16, a bottom 18 and an inner wall 20. As can be seen in Fig. 1 the upper edge 22 of the inner wall is spaced from the adjacent surface of the top 14. This is of course an inevitable consequence of producing the cone by moulding of plastics material, for example by rotational moulding.

An integral flap 24 is attached to the edge 22 of inner wall 20 by a corrugated connecting piece 26. The corrugation or corrugations in piece 26 extend around piece 26 in a circular array as can be seen in the drawing. The corrugated piece 26 permits the flap 24 to be folded from the position illustrated in Fig. 4 in which it is formed to the position shown on the left hand side of Fig. 1 where the flap contacts the inner surface of the conical body 12. Preferably the flap is frustoconical in shape with a cone angle equal to that of the conical body so that there will be contact between the flap and the internal surface of the conical body over a substantial area. The flap is secured to the conical body in any suitable way, for example by means of adhesive.

When the flap has been secured to the conical body as aforesaid a hollow fluid tight space 30 is created in the base. Fluid such as water or sand can be poured into the base through an aperture 32 provided in the top of the base (Fig. 3). The aperture can be closed by a stopper (not shown).

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment just described. Many modifications can be made. For example the body 1 2 need not be conical; it can be cylindrical or any other desired shape, the configuration of flap 24 being correspondingly adapted so that it will contact the inner surface of the body over a significant area thereby to facilitate the making of a fluid tight seal.

The corrugated configuration of piece 26 may also be modified. However, it is important that the piece 26 should be so designed as to permit the folding movement of flap 24 from the disposition in which it is formed to the final position in contact with the inner surface of the body without the piece 26 cracking or breaking.

1. A traffic hazard indicator device comprising a hollow, fluid-tight, base and a projecting body integral with the base.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the hollow, fluid tight base is annular.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the base has been formed as a single-piece moulding having a depending skirt and folding said depending skirt and securing it to an adjacent part of the moulding to create the hollow, fluidtight, base.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the skirt has been moulded to lie adjacent an inner wall of the base and connected thereto by a transition whose structure facilitates said folding.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the transition incorporates one or more corrugations.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the skirt is frusto-conical after moulding and complementary, after folding, with an adjacent frusto-conical part of the moulding.

7. A device as claimed in Claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the skirt has been secured to the adjacent moulding part by adhesive or welding.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim and having a closable aperture whereby the hollow base can be filled with fluid such as water or sand.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Traffic hazard indicator This invention relates to a traffic hazard indicator and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a road cone. Road cones are well known. They usually comprise a base which is often hexagonal from which a conical body projects. The cones are moulded from plastics material and are relatively light. To maintain the cones in an upright disposition it has become the practice to provide a weight in the base. One form of cone comprises a hollow, fluid tight, base which can be filled with a fluid such as water. Moulding of such a cone has previously required an interrupted moulding cycle; the practice has been to produce a hollow base of toroidal form into which a separately moulded conical body is fixed. This method of construction is expensive in that it requires two separate moulds. The present invention has been made from a consideration of this problem. According to the invention there is provided a traffic hazard indicator device comprising a hollow fluid tight, base and a projecting body integral with said base. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the traffic hazard indicator device is provided with a flap integrally attached to the free end of the inner wall of the base, said flap being adapted to be folded so as to be adhered to the inner wall of the projecting body thereby creating the hollow fluid tight base. The invention also provides a method of making a traffic hazard indicator device comprising moulding a hollow base and integral hollow projecting body on the base, there being a flap on the free end of the inner wall of the base, folding the flap and securing said flap to the inner surface of the projecting body thereby creating a fluid tight base. A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a road cone; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the road cone of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows a detail of the base of the road cone of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawing the embodiment of a traffic hazard indicator device illustrated is a road cone which comprises a base 10 and a hollow conical body 12. The base in integral with a conical body and consists of a top 14, an outer wall 16, a bottom 18 and an inner wall 20. As can be seen in Fig. 1 the upper edge 22 of the inner wall is spaced from the adjacent surface of the top 14. This is of course an inevitable consequence of producing the cone by moulding of plastics material, for example by rotational moulding. An integral flap 24 is attached to the edge 22 of inner wall 20 by a corrugated connecting piece 26. The corrugation or corrugations in piece 26 extend around piece 26 in a circular array as can be seen in the drawing. The corrugated piece 26 permits the flap 24 to be folded from the position illustrated in Fig. 4 in which it is formed to the position shown on the left hand side of Fig. 1 where the flap contacts the inner surface of the conical body 12. Preferably the flap is frustoconical in shape with a cone angle equal to that of the conical body so that there will be contact between the flap and the internal surface of the conical body over a substantial area. The flap is secured to the conical body in any suitable way, for example by means of adhesive. When the flap has been secured to the conical body as aforesaid a hollow fluid tight space 30 is created in the base. Fluid such as water or sand can be poured into the base through an aperture 32 provided in the top of the base (Fig. 3). The aperture can be closed by a stopper (not shown). The invention is not restricted to the embodiment just described. Many modifications can be made. For example the body 1 2 need not be conical; it can be cylindrical or any other desired shape, the configuration of flap 24 being correspondingly adapted so that it will contact the inner surface of the body over a significant area thereby to facilitate the making of a fluid tight seal. The corrugated configuration of piece 26 may also be modified. However, it is important that the piece 26 should be so designed as to permit the folding movement of flap 24 from the disposition in which it is formed to the final position in contact with the inner surface of the body without the piece 26 cracking or breaking. CLAIMS

9. A traffice hazard warning device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. A device as claimed in any preceding claim and having its base filled with a dense fluid such as water or sand.

11. A method of making a traffic hazard indicator device comprising moulding a hollow base and integral hollow projecting body on the base, there being a flap on a free end of an inner wall of the base, folding the flap and securing the flap to an inner wall of the projecting body thereby to create a fluid-tight base.

12. A method as claimed in Claim 11 wherein said base is annular and said flap is in the form of a depending skirt.

13. A method as claimed in Claim 11 or 12, wherein the flap is connected to the inner wall by a transition formed or constructed to facilitate said folding.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transition has one or more corrugations.

1 5. A method as claimed in any of Claims 11 to 14, wherein the flap is secured by adhesive.

1 6. A method as claimed in any of Claims 11 to 15, wherein the moulding step is effected by rotational moulding.

1 7. A method of making a traffic hazard warning device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

18. A traffic hazard warning device made by the method of any of Claims 11 to 17.