GB2480051A

GB2480051A - Traffic cone storage safety device

Info

Publication number: GB2480051A
Application number: GB1002681A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Andrew Morrison
Original assignee: MORRISONS FABRICATIONS Ltd
Current assignee: MORRISONS FABRICATIONS Ltd
Priority date: 2010-02-17
Filing date: 2010-02-17
Publication date: 2011-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 2030-02-17
Also published as: GB2480051B; GB201002681D0

Abstract

The safety device, primarily for use when stacks of traffic cones are being transported on a pallet, comprises three or more holding elements, preferably in the form of holding rings 21, for engaging on the conical sections 13 of respective traffic cones. Each holding element is connected by an elongate flexible element 24 to a central point 25. The holding elements are preferably chains, which may be provided with carbine hooks so that the length from the holding elements to the central point can be varied. The holding rings may have a variable diameter and may have a non-circular aperture. There are preferably four holding elements and the central point may comprise a central ring to which the ends of the flexible elements are connected.

Description

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TRAFFIC CONES

The present invention relates to a safety device for use with traffic cones.

Traffic cones are well known on roads and highways and they have a number of uses including marking out traffic lanes at roadworks.

The traffic cones generally have a flat base and a hollow circular conical section such that they can be stacked together to form tower-like arrangements. Traffic cones are often transported in these stacks, often 25 cones high and sometimes on a pallet in a 2 x 2 formation, with the bases abutting each other. Each stack is heavy, perhaps /4 ton, and is prone to toppling over. This can result in damage to property and potential injuries to workers who are stacking/unstacking the cones.

According to the present invention there is provided a safety device for traffic cones comprising three or more holding elements for engaging on respective adjacent traffic cones, each holding element being connected by an elongate flexible element to a central point.

Preferably each flexible element is adjustable such that the distance between its associated holding element and the central point can be varied.

Usually each flexible element is in the form of a chain and ideally each flexible element is provided with a carbine hook in order to vary the distance between its associated holding element and the central point.

Conveniently each holding element is in the form of a holding ring for placing over a cone. In some arrangements each holding ring has a fixing bar on its external periphery, to which fixing bar its associated flexible element is attached and the central point is in the form of a central ring to which ends of the flexible elements are attached.

In one preferred arrangement four holding elements are provided such that the four flexible elements can be arranged in a cross formation.

With some embodiments the diameter of the holding rings can be varied and in others the holding rings have a non-circular aperture.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail. The description makes reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the safety device of the present invention in use, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the figure 1 arrangement with one stack of cones removed, Figure 3 is a side view of the figure 1 arrangement, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a part of the safety device shown in figure 1.

In the figures is shown an arrangement 10 of conventional traffic cones 11. The arrangement comprises a 2 x 2 array of stacked traffic cones 11. Each cone 11 has a generally square base 12 and a central hollow conical section 13 which is circular in section. The cones 11 stack in such a way that the conical sections 13 nest with each other to form a tower. The arrangement 10 comprises four such towers in a square arrangement with the adjacent sides of the bases abutting.

Traffic cones are transported to and from their location of use in these tower arrangements and often the towers are arranged on standard pallets so as to be in the illustrated 2 x 2 square array. However, the stacks are prone to toppling over and this can cause damage to property and injury to workers or even the general public.

In the figures the adjacent stacks of the 2 x 2 arrangement are linked together using a safety device 20. The device 20 comprises four metal holding elements which in this embodiment are in the form of rings 21, each of which provides a generally circular aperture 22 and a fixing bar 23 on its outside periphery, the fixing bar 23 forming a closed loop with the ring 21. Attached to each holding ring 21 via the fixing bar 23 is an elongate flexible element 24, the other end of which is attached to a central ring 25 such that all four holding rings 21 are attached to the central ring 25 by way of the respective flexible elements 24. In the illustrated embodiment the elongate flexible elements 24 are in the form of metal chains but other alternatives would be possible and it would be possible to make the holding rings from a material other than metal, such as plastic or rubber.

The length of the flexible element 24, or more precisely the distance from the central ring 25 to the holding ring, can be varied by making the chain attachment to either the fixing bar 23 or to the central ring 25 by way of a releasable connector such as a carbine hook 26 or carabiner or other metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate.

When the safety device 20 is opened out, the flexible elements 24 can take the form of a cross with the central ring 25 at its middle.

In use, the four holding rings 21 are each placed over the respective conical section 13 of the topmost cones 11 of the stacks as shown clearly in figures 1 and 2. The weight of the metal holding rings retain them on the cones with no other attachment means being required.

With the bases 12 of the cones abutting each other, the safety device holds and retains the top cones and hence the four stacks in a stable arrangement. The tendency for one of the stacks to topple is therefore removed.

When a worker wishes to use the cones 11 in a stack, the holding ring 21 is simply lifted off the topmost cone of that stack and the cones can then be removed in a controlled way and put to their intended use.

When two adjacent stacks have been used, the two free holding rings 21 can if required be placed over the adjacent cones of an adjacent 2 x 2 arrangement of stacked cones. This effectively links the remaining two stacks to a further 2 x 2 array of stacks again to minimise the chances of the remaining two linked stacks from toppling.

It will be appreciated that the use of the carbine hook enables the size of the device 20 to be varied so that it can be used with cones having different sized bases. This is done simply by shortening the chain length between the holding ring and the central ring such that when placed over the top cones the chains are sufficiently tight to prevent significant relative movement between the tops of the stacks.

It will be readily understood by the skilled reader that the safety device 20 could be adapted to accommodate cone sections having a non-circular cross-section. For example, triangular section cones would be retained best using holding rings with a triangular aperture. In addition, other methods of providing the flexible elements 24 are envisaged instead of chains, for example flexible wires. However, metal chains have been found to be particularly simple and effective.

Although the above embodiment has been described with four rings, other arrangements could provide more or less holding rings and this may depend on the geometry/size of the cones and on the particular ways in which they are transported. For example, smaller cones could be transported on pallets in a 3 x 3 array of stacks and so a safety device could comprise a central holding ring with eight other holding rings radiating from the central holding ring and attached thereto by flexible elements. Other holding elements are also envisaged, perhaps in clip form, in place of the rings described above but the rings have been found to be simple and effective.

Claims

Claims 1. A safety device for traffic cones comprising three or more holding elements for engaging on respective adjacent traffic cones, each holding element being connected by an elongate flexible element to a central point.
2. A safety device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each flexible element is adjustable such that the distance between its associated holding element and the central point can be varied.
3. A safety device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each flexible element is in the form of a chain.
4. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein each flexible element is provided with a carbine hook in order to vary the distance between its associated holding element and the central point.
5. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein each holding element is in the form of a holding ring for placing over a cone.
6. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the diameter of the holding rings can be varied.
7. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the holding rings have a non-circular aperture.
8. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein each holding ring has a fixing bar on its external periphery, to which fixing bar its associated flexible element is attached.
9. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein four holding elements are provided such that the four flexible elements can be arranged in a cross formation.
10. A safety device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the central point is in the form of a central ring to which ends of the flexible elements are attached.