US1777585A - Disappearing safety traffic button - Google Patents

Description

9 L. A. SPRINGER 1,777,585

DISAPPEARING SAFETY TRAFFIC BUTTON Filed June 1928 Patented a. 7,1930

,7 Application filed June 6, 1928. Serial No. 2 83g412.

My invention pertains to disappearing safety traflic button.

Considerabl'e objections are had tomthe traffic buttons used by various municipalis ties in their roadways as anindicationor direction for the movement of vehicle traflic. These permanently raised buttons above the roadlevel have been the cause of many se-. riousaccidents due to the vehicles striking o the buttons and being thrown off their course.

In additiontoz this there have been'many complaints and a great dealof damage done to pneumatic tires due to the vehicles striking the solidbutton extending above the roadway and causing tire bruises.

An object of my invention is the construc-- tion of a disappearing and a safety traflicbutton which will have all the efiectiveness ofa.

button raised above the road level to indicate the line of travel and turning of vehicles and yet when struck a vehicle will disappear that is, be pressed downwardly below the road level allowing the vehicle to pass without throwing it off its course and without injury to the tires. I

A more detailed object of my invention is the construction of a traffic button whichis resiliently. supported so that in. a normal position itprojects above the road level and mounted so that when a vehicle wheel strikes thebutton -the button will be depressed and give'a support for the vehicle in rolling over the button without a suflicienti jolt to aflect the "steering of the vehicle for to injurethe as tiresr" A still further object of my invention is a construction by which thebutton maybe adjustedto. project different distances. above the road level and to provide a mounting so tl1at'when fully pressed down the button will have a rigid support allowing it-to carry a heavy vehicle without inj ury. v

e In constructing my invention I utilize an outer casing or housingformed with side walls and a base and open at the top, this being adaptedtobe positioned inaroadway in" a hole made therein and firmly securedin position. A domeshap'ed button'is fitted in; the housingso as to telescope therein and is. 0- pported by a pr norma l -m int in the button elevated. The" button is maintained at the desired elevation through the medium of astud ,securedtothe base andhaving adjusting nuts, which engage in a socket in the button, thus allowing the but ton to project. different distances abovethe roadway. I also provideslots leading from the socket into the hollowhousing to'allow i free 'flowof air in the .up and down movement of the button and f or thefreepassage of water when the ho using becomes filled with water during the rain storms.

My invention is. illustrated in the 'accompanyingdrawings, inwhich: p r

Fig. 1 "s a planview of the: button and housing taken .in the direction of the arrow.- 1 0fFig.2, s I

Fig. 2 is. a cross section on themes-20f Fig. l in. the directionof the arrows, with. the button elevated,

housing on the line 33 of Fig. 2in thedirection of the arrows,

Fig. 4 is a section similar to showing the button depressed by avehicl wh passingthereover,

Fig. 5 is ahorizontalsection on the line 55 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

. In the construction illustrated the housing is designated generally by the. numeral 11 preferably having a fiat base 12 and cylin drica-l sidewalls 13, the sidewalls having a; slight rimild adjacent the top.' The hous ng is buried in the roadway designated '15 with f the 'uppersurface 16in alignment with the roadsurface l7. Internally the button has an upper bore 18 preferably cylindrical and a larger here or cored outsection-1 9 adjacent the bottom, with aseries of bosses 2O spaced peripherally on the base.

The button designated generally bythe numeral 21 has a 'head' portion 22 preferably domed and with side walls 23 having an outer cylindricalsurface. A socket 24 is formed in the button, this being open at the top and having a perforation- 25 at the bottom.

There is an annular cored out portion 26 be tween thesidje walls and the hub structure 27;

formingthe socket. e The bottom edge 28 of he sid Walls xtends d nW dlyb W t e i a t 79 Fig. .3 isfa horizontal section throughthe bottom of the base 29 of the socket. There are a pair of slots 80 extending through the hub structure forming the socket intothe an Y nular cored out portion 26.

A stud 31 has its head 32 fitted in a recess 33 in the-base, the stud extending through an aperture 34in a boss 85 extending upwardly from the base. The upper end of thestudis screw threaded as indicated at 36 and has a nut and a lock nut 37 threaded thereon.

The stud extends through the perforation in the base of the socket, this having. loose fit, and the nut is adapted to engagethe upper surface of the base portion. 29.01 the hub structure forming a socket.

Ac'oil spring 38' fits onthe base 1 2 and engages the under surface 3910f the-head portion 22 ofthe button, thisspring extending up into the cored outportion 26. i The spring is maintained centered by a series of' lugs 40" on the base 12.

The manner of operation and functioning of my invention is as follows: It will be apparent that thespring normally tends to elevate the-button structure and thrust it upwardly in the housingy The upward" movement, however,' is limited and adjust-' able through the medium of the stud 31 and the adjustable nut "and lock nut thereon."

The top of the stud is positioned below the road surface. Thereby, by this construction,

- and using a suitable socket wrench, the posiextent. v I U r If a vehicle wheelstrikesthe button as in tion of the button relativeto the road surface. may be'readily adjusted so that this may be only slightly above the road surface ifdesired or may be elevatedtoi a considerable (heated in Fig. 4 it isldepressed, compressing the spring 38 so that the lower edge 28' of' the side walls 23 of the button' strike the top of the bosses 20, thus giving, the button a. rigid support when fully depressed. Thereis sufiicient space between the side wall of the button and the upper bor'e18 of the hous ing tofallow free flow of airninjthe up. and

down mo vementjof the button, and also air inay'ipassthrough the perforation 25 in the. base of the socket. 50

To accommodate the flow ofwater, however, when the housing becomes filled with water during rain storms, I provide theslots 30 communicating between the, socket 24 andthe' cored out portion-26 H of the button, thus allowing free inand out flow of the water trapped, in the button.

line of traific movement and of traflic turns for vehicles and, yet, when the button is struck or run over by a vehicle wheel it is depressed-below the road surface so that the this latter cleaned out. If the housing is not badly filled. with dirt this may be cleaned out by the use of a hose injecting the water in theopen .socket 2e. and working the button v up and down allows the water to fiow through the lateral slots 30'and flush out the housing.

An important feature of my invention is that the telescoping button 21 maybe inserted from the top of the roadway into, the upper bore 18 of the housing 15 and that after insertionof the button it may be secured in place by threading the nuts 37 on the stud 31. Therefore toinstal'l and to remove the button it is not necessary to dig the housing out of the roadway. K

The button and the upper bore 18 be given a surlici'ent sliding fit so that but little dirtwill enter between the button and this surface. The free passage of airon the telescoping of the button, is however, accommodated by the slots 30in the socket portion 24 of the button. These slots also allow the free discharge of water which may enter the housing in a rain storm or in flushing the roads andthat the moving trafiic moving 2.1

over the button automatically keeps vthe housing clean.

Various changes'may be made in the principles of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof,.as set forth in the description, drawings and claims.

I claim: j

1 1. In combination an open-toppedhousing adapted to be installed in a'roadway, a traffic' button slidably mounted therein, a compression spring supp'orting the button, and a stud connected to the housing and to the buttori to adjust the height of the button.

"2. In combination an open-topped housing adapted to be .installedin a roadway, a hut fic button slidably mounted therein,.a spring bearing on thebase of the housing and. sup. porting the button, a stud secured to the housing and'having an adjustable connection with the button to vary the height of the but ton above the roadway, and interengag'ing means between the button and the housing to take thepressu're of the button when depressed by avehicle.

3.111 combination an open-topped housing adapted to be installed in a roadway, a trafiic button slidably mounted therein, means to resiliently support the button in an upper position,the button having a' socket, and a stud secured to the base of the housing and extending into said socket with an ad- I .justable connection therein.

1 having a basewith a stud extending upward ly therefrom, a trafiic button having a domeshape-d top and side walls, the side walls being slidably mounted in the upper part of the housing, there being a central socket, the stud extending into the said socket and having adjusting nuts thereon to engage the base of the socket, and a compression spring be tween the button and the base of the housing.

6. In combination an open-topped housing I asiclaimed in claim 5, the base having a supporting structure adapted to contact with the lower edge of the side walls of'thebutton to rigidly support the button when depressed by a vehicle. r r

7. In combination an open-topped housing as claimed in claim 5, thebuttonhaving an annular cored-out portion with a spring fitted therein, and passages between thesocket and the cored-out portion- I 8. A traflic button having an open-topped housing adapted to be installed in a roadway and having a series of bosses adjacent the bottom, a stud secured to the base and eX- tending upwardly and having adjusting nuts on the top, a traffic button having a domeshapecl top, side walls to conform to the upper inside surface of the housing and having a sliding fit, the button having a socket in the center from'thetop and an annular cored-out portion extending upwardly from the bottom, there being an opening into the socket for the said stud, and a spring bearing on the base of the housing and engaging the button, the said bosses forming a supporting structure engaging the lower edge of the side wall of the button when depressed by a vehicle. V

9. A traflic button as claimed inxclaim 8,

i there being passages from the interior of the (ill housing to the outer portion of the button to allow free flow of air and water contained in the housing. p

10. In a device as described, an open top housing adaptedto be installed in a roadway, a traflic button slidably mounted therein, a resilient support for the button, and means operable from the surface of the roadway without removing the housing, to secure the button in the housing.

11. In a device as described, an open top housing adapted to be installed in a roadway,

a traflicbutton slidably mounted therein, a;

resilient support for the button and means operable from the surface of the roadway without removing the housing and intercone necting the housing and the button to retain the button in the housing upward lift of the button.

12.. In a device as described, the combination of an open tophousing adaptedto be and to adjust the installed in a roadway, a traffic button slide ably mounted therein and having a resilient support, means to retain the button in the housing and said button having passages to allow free flow of air and water from and Y support, means interconnecting the button and the housing to retain the button in the housing, said means being engageable to the button from the surface ofthe roadway without removing the housing, and means operable through the body structure of the buttonto allow free flow of air and water from and to the interior of the housingon the depression and elevation of the button.

14. In combination an open top housing adapted to be installed in a roadway, a traffie button 'slidably mounted therein, said button having a passage to allow free flow of air and water to and from the interior of the housing on elevation and depression of the button.

15. In combination an open top housing adapted to be installed in a roadway, a traffic button slidably mounted therein and having a. resilient support, means to adjust the height of the button above the level of the roadway, said button having a passage to allow free flow of air and water from and to the-interior of the housing on the depression and elevation of the button.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

, L, A. SPRINGER.

Images