US2831728A

US2831728A - Apparatus for providing roads and the like with guide stripes

Info

Publication number: US2831728A
Application number: US561548A
Authority: US
Inventors: Notz Gottlleb
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-01-27
Filing date: 1956-01-26
Publication date: 1958-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 1975-04-22
Also published as: GB792746A; NL203301A; LU34098A1; NL94559C; DE1060426B; BE544358A

Description

April 22, 1958 G. NOTZ 2,831,728

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ROADS AND THE LIKE WITH GUIDE STRIPES Filed Jan. 26,- 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l 9 Fig.2

Msm-w Apr1l22, 1958 GINOTZ 2,831,728

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ROADS AND THE LIKE WITH GUIDE STRIPES Filed Jan. 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T 37 2 3 a6 7 zzzz 3 I IKUQM+OT United States Patent APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING RQADS AND THE LIKE WITH GUIDE STRIPES Gottlieb Notz, Stuttgart, Germany Application January 26, 1956, Serial No. 561,548

Claims priority, application Germany January 27, 1955 11 Claims. (iii. 299-485) The present invention relates to apparatus for providing a surface with stripes of a desired color.

More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus of the type which is capable of providing roads with stripes for guiding traffic and pedestrians. Thus, this type of apparatus is used for providing a center line on a road for separating trafiic moving in diiferent directions, as well as for indicating crosswalks for pedestrians, and the like. Moreover, apparatus of this type may be used for marking athletic fields in accordance with the particular games to be played.

The known apparatus of the above type has several drawbacks. Thus, it is diflicult to provide with the known apparatus stripes of a precise width and uniform color. The edges of the stripes formed by the known devices cannot be sharply maintained for a long period of time, and furthermore the structure of the known devices rapidly wears requiring frequent replacement of parts.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of forming stripes of a desired width on a given surface while guaranteeing that the stripes will have a uniform color and will be sharply defined.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which may be easily adjusted to provide stripes of a desired width.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which may be preset to simultaneously provide one or more than one stripe on a given surface.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of being controlled by the operator of a vehicle which moves the apparatus from a position remote from the apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of cleaning the surface before the stripes are applied thereto:

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement where the apparatus for providing the stripes is adjustable in elevation from the surface on which the stripes are provided.

it is also an object of the present invention to provide a structure capable of accomplishing all of the above obiects and at the same time being composed of simple, ruggedly constructed elements which are inexpensive to manufacture, which can be easily assembled and disassembled, and which will operate reliably over a long period of time.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists of an apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a desired color, this apparatus including a carriage adapted to move in a given direction along the given surface. A container is carried by the carriage for movement therewith, and this container is adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed. A plurality of nozzles are carried by a bottom wall of the container, communicate with the interior thereof, are arranged in a row extending transversely to the direction of movement of the carriage, and have downwardly directed outlet ends for directing the material in the container onto the surface to be provided with the stripes. A control means which is common to all of the nozzles is provided for opening and closing the nozzles.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectional front elevational view of a structure according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevational view of the structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partly sectional plan view of the structure of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the structure of the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the entire assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the structure of the present invention consists, essentially, of a container 1 adapted to contain the material to be formed into the stripes, a plurality of nozzles 2 carried by the container 1, a cleaning nozzle 3 (Figs. 4 and 5) for clean ing the surface to be provided with the stripes, and a carriage 4, which maybe provided with two or four wheels and which is connected by means of a connecting means 5 (Fig. 5) to a vehiclewhich moves the carriage.

The container 1, as may be seen from Figs. 13 in particular, is composed of a pair of walls or

plates

6 and 7 and a third wall or plate 8 which has an angular cross section, the plates 6-8 being interconnected with each other by the screw members as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This arrangement provides a particularly easy disassembly of the container which is formed bymembers 6-8 in a manner'described below, so that it is convenient to clean the container or otherwise work on the same.

The wall 7, which is intermediate the walls 6 and 8, is formed with a cutout 10 communicating with a cutout formed in the left face of the wall 6, as viewed in Fig. 2, so that this cutout 10 together with that of the wall 6 forms the interior of the container which is adapted to hold the material such as paintor the like which is used to form the stripes. The wall 7 is formed on one side with an inlet 9 (Figs. 1 and 3) for supplying the colored material to the interior 10 of the container, this inlet 9 leading into the interior of the container from a side of the intermediate wall 7, and the outermost portion of the inlet 9 is provided with threads 11 adapted to be connected to a conduit for leading the coloring material into the interior of the container, this conduit communicating, for example, with a tank carried by the vehicle which moves the structure of the invention.

The container 68 has a bottom wall communicating with the interior It) and carrying a plurality of nozzles 2 which are arranged in a row extending transversely to the direction of movement of the carriage which carries the container, these nozzles-2. communicating with the interior 10 of the container, having downwardly directed outlet ends for directing the material in the container onto the surface to be provided with the stripes, and being threadedly carried in suitable openings formed in the lower portion which forms the bottom wall of the intermediate container member 7. The nozzles further include elongated needle valve members 13, respectively, for opening and closing the nozzles, and these elongated needle valve members 13 extend completely through the interior portion of the container and through suitable openings formed in the upper wall portion of the intermediate plate 7. These latter openings carry, respectively, sleeves 12 which slidably guide the needle valve members 13, these sleeves 12 hearing on packings 26 which provide a sealed sliding movement for the needle valve members 13.

Within the interior 10 of the container the needle valve members 13 have a plurality of collars respectively fixed thereto, and a plurality of coil springs 14 are respectively coiled about the needle valve members 13 and respectively engage collars 15 and the top wall portion of intermediate member 7, so that the springs 14 together with collars 15 and the upper wall portion of member 7 form a spring means for urging the needle valve members 13 downwardly to their closed position.

A control means common to all of the nozzles is provided for opening the same, and this control means includes an elongated bar 17 respectively formed with a pair of openings through which a pair of guide pins 47 slidably extend for guiding the control bar 17 for movement towards and away from the bottom wall portion of the intermediate member 7. Springs 48 are respectively coiled about the guide pins 47, respectively engage nuts at the upper ends of the guide pins 47, and also engage the control bar 17 for urging the same downwardly. The control bar 17 is furthermore formed with a plurality of bores 20 through which the needle valve members 13 extend. A plurality of engaging members in the form of collars 21 are respectively fixed adjustably to the needle valve members 13 by means of the set screws 21a, so that the position of the engaging members 21 on the needle valve members 13 may be adjusted, these collars 21 engaging the upper surface of the control bar 17. Thus, when the control bar 17 is raised, the needle valve members 13 also will be raised to open the nozzles. The raising of the control bar 17 is provided by a pair of levers 18 which are fixed to a'common shaft 19 which is supported for turning movement about its axis by bearings 49 which form part of the member 8.

One of the levers 18 forms an arm of a bell crank whose other arm 22 is connected at its upper free end portion, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, to a movable core 23 of a Bowden cable 24 or the like, the outersleeve of the Bowden cable 24 engaging the extension 25 which is rigid with the angle member 8. Thus, the operator of the vehicle which moves the structure of the invention may actuate from the cab of the vehicle, for example, the Bowden cable in order to turn the arm 22 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, so as to raise the levers 18 and thus raise the control bar 17 in order to open the nozzles, the nozzles being automatically closed by the springs 14.

The nozzles further include annular chambers 27 respectively surrounding the nozzle member 22 afiixed to the intermediate wall 7 and providing air streams which surround the liquid streams issuing from the nozzle members 2. These chambers 27 are formed in the bottom wall of the angle member 8, in the bottom wall portion 8a thereof, and the nozzle members 2 extend downwardly beyond the bottom of member 7 through the chambers 27 slightly beyond the latter, as is evident from Figs. 1 and 2. The member 8 is provided with a tubular connection 28 adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air and leading to a pair of passages 29 which respectively communicate with a distributing chamber 30 formed by a cutout in the member 8 and defined by the rear face of the member 7 together with the cutout of the member 8, as is most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The member 8 is furthermore formed with a plurality of passages 31 leading from the chamber 30 respectively to the annular chambers 27. Also, the bottom wallportion 8a of member 8 is formed with a pair of air nozzle openings 32 respectively located beyond the ends of the row of nozzles 2 and having downwardly directed open ends for directing a pair of air streams onto the surface to be provided with stripes. A pair of passages 31 also provide communication between the air nozzles 32 and the distributing chamber 30. These nozzles 32 serve to provide streams of air which limit the width of the stripe formed by the nozzles 2 and guarantee a sharp definition of the edges of the stripe. The nozzles 32 act in this way when all of the nozzles 2 operate to provide the widest possible stripe with the apparatus. However it is possible to provide narrower stripes, if desired, and in order to accomplish this one or more of the nozzles 2 are disconnected from the control bar 17 in order to. remain closed. In order to accomplish this result it is only necessary to loosen the set screw 21a of the nozzle to be placed out of operation, so that when the control bar 17 is raised the engaging member 21 will slide along the needle valve member 13 and thus any one or more of the nozzles may be placed out of operation. However, it will be noted that the chamber 27 of the particular nozzle or nozzles which is placed out of operation still has compressed air which is directed downwardly onto the surface to be provided with a stripe, so that when any nozzle is disconnected in the above described manner the air stream which still issues from it automatically acts to limit the width of the remaining stripe or stripes in the same way as the nozzles 32. v

The required compressed air can be obtained from a special low pressure blower or, if desired, from the compressed air installation of the vehicle which moves the apparatus of the invention, or also from a special compressed air container.

The carriage for carrying the container and for moving it in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 5, which is transverse to the row of nozzles 2, is shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. This carriage includes a pair of

links

34 and 35 pivotally connected to each side of the container, and more particularly to each side surface of the angle member 8, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 5. The pairs of

links

34 and 35 which are respectively located at opposite sides of the container have their free end portions respectively connected to a pair of third links 36 both of which respectively extend upwardly beyond the upper links 35. The distance between the pair of upwardly extending links 36 is determined by a bar 47 having approximately the same length as the width of the container, this bar 47 having reduced end portions extending respectively through openings of the bar 36 and through elongated slots 44 respectively formed in the links 35, as is evident from Figs. 4 and 5. p The outer end portions of the bar 47 are threaded and carry nuts for fixing links 35 respectively to links 36. However it will be noted that because of the slots 44 the links 35 may be shifted with respect to the links 36 before being fixedly connected thereto. The lower links 34 are connected respectively to the links 36 by the free end portions of the axle 37 which turnably carries the wheels 33 of the vehicle. Although only two wheels 33 are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that a four-wheel carriage may also be used. 3

The upper free end portion of the links 36 are provided with tubular extensions 38 (Fig. 4), respectively, and an elongated bar 39 extends through the extension 38, this bar 39 forming part of the connecting means 5 for connecting the carriage 4 to the vehicle which moves the carriage. Thus, the links 36 are pivotally joined to the bar 39 so that the structure can operate independently of the vertical movements of the moving vehicle and can follow all irregularities on the surface being provided with the stripes. The connecting means 5 is composed of a pair of clamping

members

40 and 41 which are drawn together by screw members 42 in order to be clamped to a bar or pipe 43 fixed to and extending from the vehicle for moving the structure of the invention.

The above described structure is capable of adjusting the elevation of the container with respect to the surface being provided with stripes, in order to provide the best possible operation, and in order to do this, it will be noted that the

links

34 and 35 are pivotally connected to the container while the links 34 are respectively connected pivotally to the links 36. The only fixed connection in the linkages is at the connection between the

links

35 and 36, and by adjusting the position of the links 35 with respect to the links 36, in the manner described above, it is evident that the elevation of the container may be adjusted. As is apparent from Fig. 5, the container together with the links 3436 forms a four sided linkage.

A means is provided for cleaning the surface from dust or other foreign matter before the stripes are deposited thereon, and this means is in the form of a broad nozzle extending across the container and fixed to the front surface thereof, the nozzle 3 being shown in section in Fig. 5 and in front elevation in Fig. 4. The widest part of the nozzle 3 is located at its outlet 45 which extends substantially across the entire width of the container and which provides a broad, fan-like air stream which is directed toward the surface to be provided with the stripes and which cleans this surface. A tubular member 46 is fixed to the nozzle 3, in the manner shown in Fig. 5, and is adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air, which may be the same source of compressed air described above and leading to the chamber 30, so that in this way the compressed air reaches the nozzle 3 to be directed onto the surface.

It is to be understood that the structure of the inven tion may be carried by any suitable carriage, and furthermore the container may be formed by cast metal parts or other suitably formed parts, such as suitably shaped parts which are welded together.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of stripe forming apparatus differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in apparatus for providing stripes on given surfaces it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications Without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for applying stripes of a desired color to a given surface, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a given direction on the given surface; a container carried by said carriage for movement therewith and adapted to contain the material for forming the stripes, said container having a bottom wall formed with a plurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction and having downwardly directed open ends; passage means communicating with said openings for directing compressed air into the latter; a plurality of nozzles arranged with clearance in said openings, respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from said open ends of said openings, said nozzles being fixedly carried by said bottom wall, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed outlet ends, so that when said nozzles are open the material in the container will move through the nozzles downwardly onto the surface to provide the latter with at least one stripe; spring d me'ans operatively connected to said nozzles and tending to close the latter; control means common to said nozzles and operatively connected thereto for opening said nozzles against the force of said spring means; and a plurality of disconnecting means respectively connected operatively to said nozzles for disconnecting the same from said control means, so that one or more of said nozzles may be disconnected from said control means, whereby said disconnected nozzles will be closed and the air issuing through the openings about said closed nozzles will limit the width of the stripes produced by the material flowing through the open nozzles.

2. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a desired color, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move along the given surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage and adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, said container having a-bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction, carried by said bottom wall, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed outlet ends for directing the material in the container onto the given surface, said nozzles respectively including a plurality of elongated needle valve members extending from said bottom wall of said container upwardly toward the top of said container; an elongated control bar respectively formed with openings through which said elongated needle valve members respectively pass; spring means operatively connected to said needle valve members for urging the same downwardly to a closed position, said spring means being located between said bottom wall of said container and said control bar; and a plurality of engaging means respectively carried by said needle valve members at the side of said control bar opposite from said spring means for engaging said control bar so that when the latter is moved away from said bottom wall said needle valve members will be moved to an open position against the force of said spring means, said plurality of engaging means respectively being adjustable along said plurality of needle valve members.

3. Apparatus for providing a given surface with. stripes of a desired color, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move along the given surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage and adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, said container having a bottom wall; a plurality of-nozzles arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction, carried by said bottom wall, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed outlet ends for directing. the material in the container onto the given surface, said nozzle respectively including a plurality of elongated needle valve members extending from said bottom wall of said container upwardly toward the. top of said container; an elongated control bar respectively formed with openings through which said elongated needle valve members respectively pass; spring means operatively connected to said needle valve members for urging the same downwardly to a closed position, said spring means. being located between said bottom wall of said container and said control bar; a plurality of engaging means respectively carried bysaid needle valve members at the side of said control bar opposite from said spring means for engaging said control bar so that when the latter is moved away from said bottom wall said needle valve members will. he moved to an open position against the f rce of said spring means, said plurality of engaging means respectively being adjustable along said plurality of needle valve members; a pair of guide pins fixed to and extending from said container, said control bar being formed with a pair of openings through which the guide pins respectively extend so that said control bar is guided for movement by said guide pins; lever means turnably carried by said container and engaging said control bar for moving the same together with said needle valve members in a direction away from said bottom wall of said container against the force of said spring means; and actuating means engaging said lever means for actuating the same to move said control bar against the force of said spring means, said actuating means being operable from a place remote from said container.

4. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a given direction on said given surface; a container carried by said carriage for movement therewith and adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, said container having a bottom wall formed with a plurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction and having downwardly directed open ends, said container being formed in its interior with a chamber separate from the portion of the container which contains the material to be formed into the stripes, and said container being formed with a plurality of passages respectively leading from said chamber to said openings, said container further including an inlet leading into said chamber for directing compressed air into the latter for movement from said chamber along said passages to said openings, respectively; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottom wall of said container, communicating with the interior portion of the container which includes the material to be formed into the stripes, and being arranged with clearance in said openings, respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from said openings, respectively; and control means common to said nozzles and operatively connected thereto for controlling the flow of the material for forming the stripes through the latter.

5. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a given direction on said given surface; a container carried by said carriage for movement therewith and adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, said container having a bottom wall formed with a plurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction and having downwardly directed open ends, said container being formed in its interior with a chamber separate from the portion of the container which contains the material to be formed into the stripes, and said container being formed with a plurality of passages respectively leading from said chamber to said openings, said container further including an inlet leading into said chamber for directing compressed air into the latter for movement from said chamber along said passages tosaid openings, re spectively; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottom wall of said container, communicating with the interior portion of the container which includes the material to be formed into the stripes, and being arranged with clearance in said openings, respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from said openings, respectively; and control means common to said nozzles for controlling the latter, said container being formed with a pair of ad ditional openings respectively located beyond the ends of the row of first-mentioned openings and having downwardly directed open ends, said container also being formed with a pair of additional passages communicating with said chamber and with the pair of additional openmgs.

6. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a pair of wall members connected together and formed with cutouts, respectively, which communicate with each other and form an inner space surrounded by the pair. of Wall members, so that the latter form a container, one of said wall members having a bottom wall defining paritof said inner space and formed with a plurality of openings extending along said bottom wall of said oneawall member; a plurality of nozzles connected to said one wall member at said openings thereof, communicating with the interior of the container formed by said pair of wall members, and extending downwardly beyond said one wall member; a third wall member extending along an outer side face of the container formed by said pair of wall members, formed with a cutout which together with said outer side face provides aninner chamber, and having a bottom wall extending beneath said bottom wall of said one wall member and formed with a plurality of openings into which said nozzles respectively extend with clearance. said latter openings communicating with said chamber through a plurality of passages formed in said third wall member, so that when compressed air is applied to said chamber the compressed air flows along said passages to said openings to discharge from the latter around said nozzles; a carriage carrying said wail members for moving the latter in a direction transverse to said row of openings and nozzles; and control means common to said nozzle for controlling the latter.

7. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a given surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage, adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, and having a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottom wall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed open ends for directing material from the interior of the container onto the given surface; control means common to said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting said container with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of said container with respect to the surface on which the carriage moves, said elevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectively located in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected to opposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage.

8. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a given surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage, adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, and having a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottom wall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed open ends for directing material from the interior of the container onto the iven surface; control means common to said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting said container with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of said container with respect to the surface on which the carriage moves, said elevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectively located in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected to opposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage, each of said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to a side of said container and extending from the latter, and a third link pivotally connected to the free end of one of said pair of links, adjustably connected to the other of said pair of links, and extending upwardly from said pair of links to a device for connecting the carriage to a vehicle for moving the carriage.

9. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a given surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage, adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, and having a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottom wall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed open ends for directing material from the interior of the container onto the given surface; control means common to said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting said container with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of said container with respec to the surface on which the carriage moves, said elevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectively located in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected to opposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage, each of said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to a side of said container and extending from the latter, and a third link pivotally connected to the free end of one of said pair of links, adjustably connected to the other of said a-- of links, and extending upwardly from said pair of links to a device for connecting the carriage to a vehicle for moving the carriage, the pivotal connection of said third link to said one of said pair of links being formed by the axle of a pair of wheels of said carriage.

10. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a given color, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a given surface ina given direction; a container carried by said carriage, adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, and having a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottom wall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed open ends for directing material from the interior of the container onto the given surface; control means common to said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting said container with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of said container with respect to the surface on which the carriage moves, said elevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectively located in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected to opposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage, each of said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to and extending from a side of said container and a third link pivotally connected to the free end of one of said pair of links, adjustably connected to the other of said pair of links, and extending upwardly beyond said pair of links, said third links respectively having at their upper free ends tubular extensions extending transverse to the direction of movement of the carriage; an elongated bar extending into said tubular extensions; and a pair of clamp members adapted to be clamped to a part of the vehicle for moving the carriage, one of said clamp members carrying said latter bar.

11. Apparatus for providing stripes of a desired color to a given surface, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a given direction on the given surface; a container carried by said carriage for movement therewith and adapted to contain the material forming the stripes, said container having a bottom wall formed with a plurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction and having downwardly directed open ends; passage means communicating with said openings for directing compressed air into the latter; a plurality of nozzles arranged with clearance in said openings, respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from said open ends of said openings, said nozzles being fixedly carried by said bottom wall, communicating with the interior of said container, and respectively having downwardly directed outlet ends, so that when the nozzles are open the material in the container will move through said nozzles downwardly onto the surface to provide the latter with at least one stripe; spring means operatively connected to said nozzles and tending to close the latter; control means common to said nozzles and operatively connected thereto for opening said nozzles against the force of said spring means; a plurality of disconnecting means respectively connected operatively to said nozzles for disconnecting the same from said control means, so that one or more of said nozzles may be disconnected from said control means, whereby said disconnected nozzles will be closed by said spring means and the air issuing through the openings about said closed nozzles will limit the widths of the stripes produced by the material flowing through the open nozzles; and a pair of air nozzles respectively located adjacent but beyond the ends of said of said row of openings for directing a pair of air streams downwardly onto the given surface for sharply defining the outermost edges of the stripes.

References Gited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,176,464 King et al Mar. 21, 1916 1,799,570 Serapin Apr. 7, 1931 2,134,799 Pass Nov. 1, 1938 2,220,316 Creswell et al. Nov. 5, 1940 2,301,848 Beaman Nov. 10, 1942 2,377,789 Hann June 5, 1945