WO1990011408A1

WO1990011408A1 - Collapsible warning stand

Info

Publication number: WO1990011408A1
Application number: PCT/SE1990/000202
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rolf STRÖMBERG
Original assignee: Ab Blinkfyrar
Priority date: 1989-03-28
Filing date: 1990-03-28
Publication date: 1990-10-04
Also published as: SE8901059D0; SE461670B

Abstract

Collapsible warning sign, comprising three legs (14) each of which at one end being pivotally connected to a rod (10) and connected intermediately between the ends of said rod through a link (20) to a means (24) which is slideably mounted on said rod so as to pivot between a flat condition, in which said legs are arranged along said rod, and an erect condition, in which said legs are pyramidally spread out with said rod positioned centrally between said legs. Said means is arranged as a weight and functions thus as a load to keep said legs in said spread out condition. A wire (25) is in one end connected to said weight and in the other end connected to said rod so as to slide said weight along said rod and thereby pivoting said legs to the flat condition when the warning sign is lifted in said wire.

Description

COLLAPSABLE WARNING STAND

The invention relates to a collapsible warning sign, comprising three legs, each of them in one end being pivotally connected to a rod and intermediate between the ends thereof being connected through a link means slideably arranged on said rod so as to pivot between a folded condition, in which said legs are arranged along said rod, and an erect condition, in which said legs are pyramidally spread out, said rod positioned centrally within said legs, said means thereby being yieldably loaded for maintaining said legs in said erected condition.

A collapsible warning sign of the above type is disclosed in GB961401. The means slideably mounted on said rod is constituted by a thin sleeve that is yieldibly loaded by means of a helical spring, which is thread on said rod and fixed between said sleeve and a head member mounted on said rod, said three legs beeing pivotally connected to said member. When the warning sign is to be folded it is thus necessary to slide manually said sleeve along said rod while depressing said spring and simultaneously pivoting said legs towards said rod. Thus, the force required for the folding is equal to the force required to depress said spring. This force can be rather large making the folding of the warning sign troublesam. Further, after folding the warning sign some kind of means must be attached thereto to keep said legs together against the force of said spring. Otherwise the sign will swing back to the erect condition. The center of gravity of this previously known sign has a relatively high position because the rod and the spring are positioned in the upper part of the warning sign erected to a pyramid. This makes the warning sign easily fall in the wind when positioned on a street or a road. On the warning sign there is thread a pyramid shaped cover of flexible material having an inscription of warning or sign of warning formed on the outside of the cover. If any part of said cover is damaged or if the inscription of warning or marker of warning on any side of the pyramid shaped cover would became blurred it is necessary to exchange the cover as a hole. This is also a drawback of the previously known warning sign.

The object of the invention is primarily to provide a warning sign of the type mentioned above which is much easier to fold and which is also standing more firm on the ground in the erect condition but according to the invention the warning sign is also formed in such a way that any of the three sides of a pyramid shaped cover supported on the sign is individually exchangeable if required. To this object the collapsible warning sign according to the invention has obtained the characteristics appearing in claim 1, a preferred embodiment thereof having triangular side sections with inscription or markers of warning releasably connected along two edges to said legs.

The invention will be described in more detail by means of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to the accompany in drawings, in which

Fig.l is a perspective view of the collapsible warning sign, the legs thereof beeing pyramidally spread out.

Fig.2 is a view corresponding to fig.l, the sign comprising side sections connected the legs,

Fig.3 is a perspective view of a head member arranged on the rod, and

Fig.4 is a cross-sectional view of a leg having a side section shown fragmentary attached thereto.

The collapsible warning sign shown on the drawings comprises according to fig 1 a center rod 10 preferably formed as a tube of aluminum. In an upper part of said rod 10 there is arranged a head member 11 which is threaded on, braced to, pressed together with, or in any other way attached to said rod. Said head member 11 is shown in fig 3 and with reference to fig 3 said member comprises three pairs of radially extending flanges 12 with circular through holes 13 opposite each other. Each pair of flanges 12 serves as a mounting of a leg 14 of aluminum having a special cross sectional profile shown in fig 4. The profile is U-shaped with a web 15 and two flanges 16 and has on the outside of said flanges at the changeover to said web an undercut circular groove 17. The leg in one end pivotally connected to said flanges 12 on the head member 11 by means of a through screw or bolt 18 with a nut 19, said flanges 16 being provided on the outside of said flanges 12, said bolt or screw 18 extending through said four flanges, said leg 14 pivoting around the axis of said screw or bolt. To each of said legs 14 there is connected a link 20 in a fulcrum on a distance from a second lower end of the leg, said link at 22 also being pivotally connected to a flange 23 extending radially from a lower end portion of a tube 24, which is axially slideable on said rod 10. Said tube is made of a steel blank having a weight of approximately 5 kg, and on a lower end of said rod 10 there is provided an abutment formed in an appropriate way to prevent said tube 24 from being removed from the lower end of said rod 10. The tube 24 constitutes a weight, the purpose thereof being to keep said legs 14 in the position shown in fig 1 and 2, said position being the operation position of the collapsible warning sign. Accordingly, said three legs 14 are pyramidally spread out with said rod 10 being positioned centrally within the leg. In the operational position of the warning sign said tube 24 is in the lower area of the pyramid resulting in a low center of gravity of the warning sign and also in a good stability when being erected on the three legs as shown in fig 1 and 2.

By sliding said tube 24 upwards on said rod 10 said legs 14 are pulled in towards said rod 10 as indicated in fig 1 with dash and dot lines, and when the upper end of said tube is adjacent to the head member 11 said three legs are positioned along said rod 10 and the warning sign is in a folded condition. To accomplish the sliding of said tube 24 one end of a wire 25 is attached to the upper end of said tube 24 in such a way that said wire is inserted through a bore 26 extending through the end surface of said tube inclined through the wall of said tube and opening at the envelope surface of said tube, said wire in one end being provided with a knob or a knot 27, while the other end of said wire 25 is inserted through a hole 28 formed in a plate 29 provided on the upper side of said head member 11 and further thread down through another opening 30 in said plate, said end being provided with a knob or knot 31. Said wire formes a loop or an eye 32 above said plate 29 when the warning sign is in the spread out condition, the folding of the warning sign then easily being accomplished by lifting in the eye or loop 32 and having said wire slide in the hand, said tube 24 thereby being pulled to the upper end position thereof while said legs 14 are pivoted towards said tube 10 and the warning sign simultaneously being lifted. The warning sign is suitably stored by suspending it in said pulled up wire 32, the warning sign thereby beeing kept in the folded condition without any special means provided to keep said legs 14 together against said rod 10.

As is clear from FIG. 2 each side of the warning sign is provided with triangular side sections 33, which are made of flexible material, e.g. a suitable fabric or a coated fabric. These triangular side sections, the outside thereof and suitably also the inside thereof being provided with an appropriate inscription or marker of warning, can also completely or to some extent be coated with a reflective material, or connected to said legs at the edges converging at the top by the edge portions being wrapped and attached around stiffening tines 34 having circular cross section. These stiffening tines can be made of fiber reinforced plastics and are dimensioned so as to permit edge bulges of said side sections 33 stiffened by said tines to be inserted in said undercut grooves 17 in two adjacent legs 14 for the attachment of said side sections between said legs. In this way the side sections are easily exchangeable independently in case the are damaged and in addition thereto they can be turned around with either side directed outwardly. Thus, the two sides can have different inscriptions or markers of warning so as to expose either one of them when the warning sign is the operation condition. Even though an abutment is provided to said tube 24 in the lower end position thereof the lower horizontal edge of the side sections can be exposed to a violent jerk when the warning sign is erected by sliding said tube 24 down along said rof 10 especially if said side section is not fitted so exactly between the legs that the length of the lower edge of said side section corresponds exactly to the distance between said legs in the erect condition. To prevent the side section from being torn apart said lower edge can be reinforced by a wire or a strip of strong material, e.g. polyester plastics.

The warning sign described is easy to operate because the weight thereof is low in spite of the weight from said tube 24 as other elements of the sign are made of aluminum and because it is moved by a simple operation from a folded condition to an erect condition. The low center of gravity makes the sign stand firmly on the ground due to the weight of said tube 24. It is also noted that the warning sign can be further stabilized by vibrations possibly occuring because said tube due to such vibrations is shaked downwardly and exert more pressure on the legs already spread out through said links 20. The possibility to exchange individually said triangular side section makes the warning sign according to the invention cheaper in the long run than warning signs according to which the sections are formed as a pyramidally shaped cover, which is thread over the warning sign.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Collapsible warning sign, comprising three legs (14), one end of each leg being pivotally connected to a rod (10), each leg between the ends thereof also being connected through a link (20) to a means (24) being slidably arranged on said rod, to move between a folded condition in which said legs are positioned along said rod and an erect position in which said legs are pyramidally spread out with said rod positioned centrally within said legs, said means being yieldably loaded to maintain said legs in the erect position, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said means (24), which is slidably arranged on said rod (10), is formed as a weight so as to constitute itself said yieldably load, and that a wire (25) at one end is connected to said weight and at another end is connected to said rod for sliding said weight along said rod and thereby pivoting said legs (14) to said folded position when the warning sign is lifted in said wire.

2. Collapsible warning sign according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said weight (24) is formed as a sleeve having thick walls.

3. Collapsible warning sign according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a head member (11) is arranged at one end of said rod (10) and that said legs (14) are pivotally mounted on said head member.

4. Collapsible warning sign according to any one of claim 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said lifting wire (25) in one end is attached to an upper end of said weight (24) and in a second end is attached to said head member (11) so as to form an eye or loop (32) functioning as a grip.

5. Collapsible warning sign according to any of claim 1- 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said triangular side sections (33) are attached by means of edge bulges which are inserted in undercut grooves (17) in said legs (14).

6. Collapsible warning sign according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said bulges are reinforced by fiber reinforced tines (34).

7. Collapsible warning sign according to claim 5 or 6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a reinforcing wire or a reinforcing strip is provided along that edge on each of said side sections (33). extending along said legs.