US3442187A

US3442187A - Shiftable road path limiting stake

Info

Publication number: US3442187A
Application number: US569444A
Authority: US
Inventors: Josef Hausegger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-08-12
Filing date: 1966-08-01
Publication date: 1969-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 1986-05-06
Also published as: NL6610115A; AT252297B; BE685068A; GB1123737A; DK113446B; DE1277292B; CH451228A; ES329488A1

Description

y 1969 J. HAUSEGGER 3,442,187

SHIFTABLE ROAD PATH LIMITING STAKE Filed Aug. 1, 1966 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofice 3,442,187 Patented May 6, 1969 3,442,187 SHIFTABLE ROAD PATH LIMITING STAKE Josef Hausegger, 8563 Ligist Nr. 63, Styria, Austria Filed Aug. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 569,444 Claims priority, application Austria, Aug. 12, 1965, A 7,435/65 Int. Cl. E011? 9/00 US. CI. 94-15 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a shiftable road path limiting stake, which erects itself again automatically upon being pushed down and which comprises a base part anchored in the ground and an upper part mounted on the latter, which both parts consist of tubular members closed at least at one end and which parts are connected by means of a bendable pulling member penetrating bores provided on adjacent bearing faces between the two members by means of an intermediate spring serving the purpose of providing the return into the original position.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a shiftable road path limiting stake, which comprises very few simple parts, and which erects itself in contrast to known similar stakes, upon being bent over by means of a vehicle such, that it assumes always again its original position.

This is important because in conventional manner such stakes are equipped at one side with white flasher eyes or similar reflectors and with red flasher eyes or the like reflectors, which radiate at about an angle of 150, which reflectors, in order to perform their function, must be aligned exactly in accordance with the two roadways. If the upper part does not assume any more the correct position, after pushing over and erecting again the upper part, the reflectors are also no more aligned in the required manner.

With this and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which the only figure discloses an axial section of the shiftable road path limiting stake.

Referring now to the drawing, a road path limiting stake is disclosed, which has preferably triangular crosssection and which comprises a tubular upper part 1, made preferably out of synthetic material, and a similar base part 2. The latter, which projects only slightly above the level of the ground surface, is slid with its lower end over a projection of a concrete base 10, and is secured on the latter by means of a bolt 11. Furthermore, the base part 2 is closed up at its upper end and the upper part 1 at its lower end by means of caps 3 and 4, the plane faces of which disposed on the outer side engage each other and are rounded off at the edges for the purpose of forming rolling faces. The caps 3 and 4 are preferably identically formed, each equipped with two bores each 13 and 14, respectively, spaced apart from each other, and on the sides remote from the bearing face with rounded projections 5 disposed between the

bores

13 and 14, respectively, which projection 5 have guide channels 5 extending between the bores.

A helical pressure spring 6 is mounted about the projection 5 within the upper part 1, which carries at its upper end a peripherally flanged dish-shaped plate 8. The leg portions 7 of a steel cable 7 are inserted into the aligned two bores and secured to the plate 8. A closed end 7 of the steel cable 7 extends continuously between the leg portions 7 holding the lower closing cap 3 to the upper closing cap 4. This U-shaped formed cable 7 projects through the two

bores

13 and 14 of the closing caps 3 and 4 and the closed end 7" is inserted guidingly into the channel 5' of the projection 5 of the lower closing cap 3. The upper end of the upper part 1 is closed up by means of a closure cap 12. The spring 6 is positioned around the parallel leg portions 7' of the steel cable 7, pressing at its lower end against the interior of the closing cap 4 and at its other end against the plate 8, being positioned within the peripherally flanged portion thereof.

The steel cable 7 is preferably galvanized or covered by synthetic material, in order to bring about a consistency against corrosion. Furthermore, the concrete base 10 is equipped with a central bore. A rod 11, projecting cross-wise, connects releasably the base part 2 with the concrete base 10.

If the road path limiting stake is removed from the concrete base 10, a snow rod can be inserted into the bore of the concrete base 10.

If the road path limiting stake is bent over in a direction perpendicular to the plane, in which the steel cable 7 is disposed, the spring 6 will be compressed, without causing thereby a displacement of the steel cable 7. If, on the other hand, the road path limiting stake is bent over in a direction, disposed in the mentioned plane, the steel cable 7 slides along the channel 5', whereby also in this case the same force is exerted on both sides of the securing of the steel cable 7 upon the spring 6. The latter is thus charged equally, whereby it is also fully effective during the erecting of the upper part 1. If furthermore the upper part 1 is rotated during bending over about its longitudinal axis and if, thereby, the two parts of the steel cable are wound, the spring 6 has the tendency to assume its greatest possible elongation during the erection of the upper part 1, whereby it turns back the upper part 1 again into its original correct position. It should be emphasized that due to the identical formation of the upper closing caps 3 and 4 of the base part 2 and the upper part 1, respectively, a simple manufacture of the road path limiting stakes can be obtained. Furthermore it should be stated that the

bores

13 and 14 are widened towards the bearing faces, in order to prevent a buckling and damage of the steel cable 7.

The two bores in each of the closing caps and the cable 7 and spring 6 connected thereto cause the perfect realignment of the stake. The cable 7 and a spring-like means, e.g., spring 6 herein are defined together as a unit to be a resilient means. The spring-like means is any means acting to exert a restoring force upon compression or expansion.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A shiftable road path limiting stake, comprising a base part adapted to :be anchored in the ground,

an upper part tiltably disposed on top of said base part,

both said base part and said upper part comprising tubes,

a first closing cap disposed at the upper end of said base part,

a second closing cap disposed at the lower end of said upper part,

both said closing caps having a substantially plane bearing face and rounded edges leading into the wall faces of said tubes,

each of said substantially plane bearing faces of said closing caps having two bores extending through said bearing faces and aligned with said two bores, respectively, of the other of said bearing faces,

a resilent means for connection of said base part with said upper part,

said resilient means in part including a flexible pulling member comprising two leg portions extending through both pairs of said aligned bores, respectively, of both of said closing caps,

means for operatively connecting said two leg portions in each of said parts, and

said resilient means further including a spring-like means between one of said connecting means and the corresponding closing cap for acting on said flexible pulling member, thereby exerting a force bringing said parts back into exact original alignment when released from an external tilting and/or turning force.

2. The stake, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a projection sitting on the inner side of said closing cap of at least one of said parts and adapted to guide said other of said means for operatively connecting said two leg portions between said two bores of one of said closing caps.

3. The stake, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said other of said means for operatively connecting said two leg portions comprises a rounded closed end portion of a flexible cable constituting a continuation of said two leg portions and forming a substantially U-shaped flexible pulling member.

4. The stake, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the other of said connecting means comprises a rounded closed end portion between said two leg portions constituting a continuation of said two leg portions of said flexible pulling member and disposed inside one of said parts thereby operatively connecting said two leg portions and forming a substantially U-shaped flexible pulling member,

said spring-like means comprises a pressure spring disposed inside of the other of said parts,

one end of said pressure spring engaging the inside of said corresponding closing cap associated with said other of said parts,

said one of said connecting means of said two leg portions of said flexible pulling member operatively engaged by the other end of said pressure spring, and a projection sitting on the other side of said closing cap of said one of said parts and formed with a rounded channel means constituting a return guide to guide said rounded closed end portion of said flexible pulling member.

5. The stake, as set forth in claim 4, which includes a second projection sitting on the inner side of said closing cap of said other of said parts, and

said pressure spring is helical and guided around said second projection of said other of said parts.

6. The stake, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said one of said connecting means comprises a plate secured to said other of said correspondnig ends of said two leg portions of said flexible member, 7

said other of said corresponding ends of said two leg portions secured to said plate spaced from each and aligned vertically above said two bores of said corresponding closing cap, whereby said two leg portions of said flexible pulling member are parallel to each other, and

said pressure spring is helical and guided around said two leg portions and presses against said plate at said other end of said pressure spring, said plate being adapted to retain said other end of said pressure spring thereagainst.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,284,376 11/1918 Lehman 94--1.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 236,435 10/1964 Austria.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner.