GB2211529A

GB2211529A - Improvements in or relating to traffic cones

Info

Publication number: GB2211529A
Application number: GB8725095A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Morgan
Original assignee: Peter Cook
Current assignee: Peter Cook
Priority date: 1987-10-27
Filing date: 1987-10-27
Publication date: 1989-07-05
Also published as: GB8725095D0

Abstract

A traffic cone or like item of movable street furniture is described and comprises a base portion 1, a cone part (2, Fig 1) and an intermediate portion linking the base portion and the cone part. The intermediate portion is formed with a circumferential recess 3 in which is held a complementary hollow member 5 which has been filled with a weighting material 7, such as sand, and sealed. The traffic cone may be circular, triangular or other shape in plan and, in section, the hollow member may be rectangular, circular or other shape complementary to that of the recess. Since the weighting material is sealed in the hollow member which is held in place in the recess, the problems experienced with the usual sausage-like sack of weighting material are overcome. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: INPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TRAFFIC CONES This invention relates to traffic cones and like movable street furniture.

Traffic cones generally have a base portion which may be circular, or polygonal in plan view, preferred shapes being hexagonal, triangular or octagonal, and have an upwardly tapering cone part which may be circular or polygonal in cross-section, there being generally a reinforcing portion at the junction of the cone part with the base portion. Traffic cones can be made by various moulding techniques, but are generally made by process of rotational moulding in which a powdered plastics material is placed inside a hollow mould which is heated and rotated in three dimensions so that the interior of the mould is covered with the plastics powder which fuses to form the finished structure. The base portion of the cone has an inwardly extending flange which is turned up into the interior of the cone to form a pocket.

Since they are made of plastics materials, traffic cones are light in weight and in order to prevent them from blowing away or from being blown over by the airstream from passing traffic, a weight in the form of a sausage-like sack of sand or other weighting material is placed in the pocket in the inside of the base portion of the cone. Due to the rough usage which traffic cones receive, the sack of sand is frequently punctured or damaged and the sand leaks out. Apart from the fact that the cone then becomes lighter and therefore subject to displacement, the sand may be dangerous on motorways and leaking sand is inconvenient in the vehicles that are used to carry the cones to and from their sites of use.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce or eliminate this inconvenience.

According to the present invention there is provided a traffic cone or like item of movable street furniture, wherein the cone comprises a base portion, a cone part and an intermediate portion linking the base portion and the cone part, and wherein the intermediate portion is formed with a circumferential recess into which is placed a complementary hollow member which has been filled with weighting material and sealed.

The complementary hollow member is formed of plastics material separately from the cone by moulding and a hole is left in the inside of the member where it will abut against the hollow recess. The member is then filled with sand or other weighting material and the hole is sealed as by a plug. When the road cone, made by rotational moulding, is taken out of the mould the plastics material of the cone is warm and pliable and it is possible to place the sand-filled member in the circumferential recess in the intermediate portion readily. Once the cone cools, the plastics material increases in rigidity and the sand-filled member is retained firmly in position.

The present road cone may, in conventional manner, have a base portion which is circular, octagonal, hexagonal, triangular or other shape in plan view and the cone part may, again in conventional manner, be circular or triangular in cross-section. The circumferential recess in the base portion and thus the hollow member both in plan view may be circular or triangular or other shape depending upon the geometry of the cone, and the hollow member may be substantially rectangular or circular or other convenient shape in cross-section.

In order to enable the invention to be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically and by way of example an embodiment thereof, and in which:- Figure 1 is a side view of a traffic cone, Figure 2 is a plan view of the cone, Figure 3 is a part section in the line III-III in Figure 1, and, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a hollow member.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown on a "police" traffic cone which has a substantially triangular base 1 and a triangular section cone part 2.

Above the base 1 is a circumferential recess 3 of rectangular section topped by a flange 4 similar to the base 1, the flange and recess constituting an intermediate portion. A substantially triangular hollow member 5 is held in the recess 3, the member having a hole sealed by a plug 6 and being filled with sand 7.

The cones are rotation moulded using a thermoplastics material such as polyethylene powder or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, but other materials can be employed. The member 5 is made separately, filled with sand and sealed with the plug 6. When the cone is removed from the mould it is warm and pliable and the hollow member 5 can be introduced into the recess 3 by manipulation of the base.

The road cones in accordance with the present invention can be made using any of the conventional moulding techniques, such as rotational moulding and blow-moulding, by which road cones are made and the cones may be made of a plastics material appropriate to the use and to the moulding technique employed. It will also be appreciated that the present road cones may be of various shapes and sizes as required for particular situations.

Claims

Claims:

1. A traffic cone or like item of movable street furniture, wherein the cone comprises a base portion, a cone part and an intermediate portion linking the base portion and the cone part, and wherein the intermediate portion is formed with a circumferential recess into which is placed a complementary hollow member which has been filled with weighting material and sealed.

2. A traffic cone as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the cone and the hollow member are made of plastics material.

3. A traffic cone as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the hollow member is formed of plastics material and has a hole in the inside of the member, the hole being sealed by a plug after the member has been filled with weighting material.

4. A traffic cone as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the base portion, cone part and intermediate portion are triangular or substantially triangular in plan, and the hollow member is substantially triangular in plan.

5. A traffic cone as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the base portion, cone part and intermediate portion are substantially circular in plan, and the hollow member is substantially circular in plan.

6. A traffic cone as claimed in Claim 4 or 5, wherein the hollow member is substantially rectangular or circular in cross-section.

7. A traffic cone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plastics-is polyethylene or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

8. A traffic cone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the weighting material is sand.

9. A traffic cone or like item of movable street furniture substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.