WO1996032542A2

WO1996032542A2 - Barrier assemblies

Info

Publication number: WO1996032542A2
Application number: PCT/GB1996/000890
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Myers
Original assignee: Frank Myers
Priority date: 1995-04-12
Filing date: 1996-04-11
Publication date: 1996-10-17
Also published as: WO1996032542A3; AU5338396A

Abstract

A barrier assembly comprises a plurality of hollow poles (6) mounted at the upper end of some of which are lighting assemblies each comprising a battery pack (30) capable of insertion into the post (6), a housing (16) for a light transmitting device (18) mountable on the post, and which is engageable with the battery pack, and concealed or key operated retaining means (8, 22) for securing the housing to the post. The barrier assembly comprises a plurality of mounting members (54) each comprising a head (56) in the form of a housing (58) from one end of which a shank (70) extends, said shank being capable of being inserted longitudinally into the hollow interior of a plastics plank, whilst the head (56) is operative releasably to engage with a formation (84) provided on the post. Specifically the head (56) comprises a jaw assembly (60) which is capable of snap-fitting engagement with fingers (84) provided on collars (10) mounted on the barrier posts, conveniently said collars affording in part at least the means by which the lighting assembly is retained on the post.

Description

Title: Barrier Assemblies

Description of Invention

This invention is concerned with improvements relating to barrier assemblies, particularly of the kind comprising hazard warning posts which are erected in position around hazards which may be road or street workings, and may form part of a barrier system to prevent inadvertent access to the working. For example such posts may be freestanding, such as mounted on base members, and may be connected together by poles, planks, ropes or the like.

It is frequently desired to mount a lamp on such a post: problems are however encountered by theft of the lamp or batteries, and it is one of the various objects of this invention to reduce the ease with which such theft may occur.

According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided a lighting assembly for a hazard warning post, comprising a battery pack capable of insertion into the post, a housing for a light-transmitting device mountable on the post and engageable with the battery pack, and retaining means for securing the housing to the post.

Preferably the housing is secured in the post over the battery pack, whereby securement of the housing to the post simultaneously prevents access to the battery pack.

Preferably the retaining means is concealed by a concealing member mounted on the post. Conveniently the concealing member is in the form of a collar which extends over the retaining means, whilst allowing access to the retaining means for release purposes.

In this way the housing may be fixed to the post, and whilst in this position will prevent access to the battery pack.

If desired the retaining means may also be operative to retain the concealing means in position.

Preferably the retaining means comprises a retaining member mounted on the housing, conveniently being in the form of a button or piston which protrudes from the housing, conveniently radially. Preferably the retaining means also comprises means with which the retaimng member may be engaged, to retain the housing in position, and preferably for this purpose the post is provided, preferably near an upper end thereof, which an aperture with which the retaining member may engage.

Preferably the lighting assembly comprising a retaining collar engageable with part of the housing, conveniently a cover thereof, the collar preferably being engageable with the housing to hold the housing in position.

Preferably the retaining collar retains the housing in position by virtue of its position on the lighting assembly.

A conventional barrier assembly also frequently comprises rope, tape or horizontal posts secured to the posts and extending therebetween. Also used in such circumstances are elongate members of rectangular cross section, having rectangular side faces covered with reflective material, and which are conventionally termed "planks" because genuine planks were originally used for this purpose. A conventional plank however is of lighter weight, being hollow, and moulded of plastics material.

Originally planks were secured to the upright posts by the use of rope, or toggle arrangements. More conventionally posts are utilised which comprise radially-extending protrusions which may be fitted into the hollow interior of the plank either directly or indirectly. For example an upright post may comprise a mounting assembly comprising four extensions extending radially outwardly at 90° to one another, on to each of which a plank may be fitted, in the erection of a barrier system around a road working.

Difficulty is encountered in erecting such a barrier system using conventional equipment, and it is another of the various objects of this invention to provide a mounting means which will enable a plank to be mounted in a barrier system conveniently and economically.

According to this invention there is also provided a mounting member for securing to a plank in the erection of a barrier system, comprising a shank for insertion longitudinally into the hollow interior of the plank, and a head operative releasably to engage with a formation on the barrier system.

Preferably the head comprises a jaw which is snap-fitting with the formation, and is desirably key or tool released, reducing unauthorised removal.

Preferably the jaw comprises an operative member urged into an operative position and having a forwardly-presented face so inclined that, on presentation of the jaw to the formation with which it will be secured, the operative member will be moved temporarily to an inoperative position.

Preferably the mounting member provides an entry slot for guidance of the engagement between the mounting member and the formation, to ensure that the formation engages with the jaw correctly.

Preferably the shank comprises one or more members to resist withdrawal of the shank from the interior of the plank, such as one or more members of spring steel which will resiliently grip on the interior wall of the plank to so resist withdrawal.

Advantageously the head is mounted on the shank for relative rotation about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shank. In this manner when the head is secured to such a formation, the plank may rock backwardly and forwardly between the shanks of two mounting members extending from opposite ends of the plank, to increase the warning effect of the reflective surface of the plank. Additionally the capability of the plank to move in this way will reduce the wind resistance.

Preferably the jaw is adapted to be snap fitted over a supporting member projecting from the post, such as a finger, preferably projecting horizontally parallel to a tangent to the post.

According to this invention there is also provided a mounting assembly comprising a collar for mounting on the post of a barrier system, and a mounting member of the kind set out in the last preceding paragraph but five, the collar providing said formation with which the head may be engaged. Preferably said mounting formation is in the form of a finger, and preferably the collar comprises at least two, preferably four such fingers enabling a plurality of mounting members to be secured to a post. Alternatively the supporting member may be afforded by a ring supported by webs and extending circumferentially around the post to enable a plank to be secured thereto in a selected radial position.

Difficulty is also encountered in providing a means for identifying ownership of a hollow extruded plank, in such a way as to prevent (e.g.) overwriting, and whilst the theft of planks may not be considered to be financially damaging on a large scale, theft of planks from a position in situ, in which the plank defines the boundaries of a road working, can have dangerous consequences. It is believed that the provision of a convenient means for permanently identifying ownership of a plank of this kind may have a significant effect in reducing the theft of such planks, and in consequence it is another of the various objects of this invention to provide a hollow extruded plank comprising outer walls and longitudinally extending interior supporting walls, portions of the outer walls having been removed to provide identifying symbols, unremoved portions within the periphery of the symbol being supported by one or more of said supporting walls.

In this way ownership of a plank may be identified, such as by cutting (including burning) lettering or numbering into the outer wall of the plank, portions within the letters or numbers, such as the centres of the letters A, B, D, O, P, etc. or the centre of the numbers 0, 6, 8 or 9, being retained in position by the supporting walls.

There will now be given a detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a barrier assembly which is a preferred embodiment of this invention, having been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting assembly of the preferred embodiment;

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the components of the lighting assembly in assembled condition;

Figures 4 and 5 are views of an alternative form of lighting assembly;

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of part of the preferred embodiment showing mounting means therefore; and

Figure 7 is a part sectional view based on Figure 6.

The barrier assembly which is the preferred embodiment of this invention is for mounting on a hollow pole 6 of the kind utilised in the protection of a hazardous area, such a pole conventionally being mounted on and extending upwardly from a free standing base. Provided in an upper end portion of the pole 6 is a circular aperture 8, affording part of retaining means of the assembly. Mounted over the upper end of the pole 6 is a collar 10 affording a concealing member, which is cylindrical in form having an upper part 10a. which is a tight fit on the pole, and a lower part 10b_ of slightly larger diameter, such as to provide an annular gap 12 between the portion 10b_ and the pole 6.

The lighting assembly comprises a housing 16, having a light transmitting member afforded by a bulb 18 and contacts 20a, 20b_ therefor, the bulb housing being formed in two parts 16a, 16b_ and being held together by the negative contact 20a, which is in the form of a copper ring, and an end cap 20c_.

Extending radially from the bulb housing is a plunger 22, which is urged by a spring into an outermost position.

The lighting assembly also comprises a battery pack 30, comprising a tubular housing 32 within which a plurality of dry cell batteries may be located, and a hollow stem 34 projecting upwardly therefrom, carrying an electrical contact 36 for the lower (negative) terminal of the batteries.

In use, a lower portion 17 of the housing 16 may be inserted into the stem 34 with the contact 20b_ engaging directly with the upper (positive) terminal of the batteries, whilst the contact 36 engages the contact 20a, Conveniently the lower portion 17 of the housing is provided with one or more helical formations, such as indicated by the numeral 18 on Figure 2, to enable the lower portion 17 to be inserted into the hollow stem 34 by a screwing action, albeit there is no complementary thread formation provided on the interior of the stem 34. By providing the stem 34 of a resilient plastics material, such that the helical formation or formations grip with the interior wall of the stem 34, the lower portion 17 may be "screwed" into its fully inserted position, retaining a firm pressure against the batteries 32, with significantly reduced tendency for the housing 16 to be moved from its fully inserted position.

As will be seen in Figure 3, with the bulb housing engaged with the stem, the upper part thereof, including the bulb 18, projects from the pole 6.

Mountable within the pole 6 so as to extend around the stem 34 is a cylindrical retaining member 40 comprising a flared collar 42 having a concave channel 44 on its inner surface. The retaining member is split into four segments along split lines extending part way the length thereof, to enable the collar 42 to be "sprung open", for purposes as will be described hereinafter. Providing in a lower part of the retaining member 40 is an aperture 46, of a size similar to the aperture 8 in the pole.

In the assembly, the retaining member 40 may be mounted on the housing in such a position that the plunger 22 passes through the aperture 46.

A lens 24 may then be placed over the bulb 18 with the rim 25 thereof being snap-fitted within the interior channel 44 of the collar 42.

The sub-assembly of bulb housing, retaining member 40 and lens 24 may then be lowered into engagement with the battery pack, with the lower portion of the housing passing into the stem 34, with the electrical contacts moving into engagement as hereinbefore described. When fully inserted, the plunger 22 will be in the axial direction level with the aperture 8 in the pole 6, enabling on rotation of the sub-assembly the plunger 22 to be brought into alignment with the aperture 8, to protrude therethrough and thus restrain the sub- assembly against axial withdrawal from the pole. In this position as will be seen from Figure 3, the housing 40 is located within the pole 6, restraining separation of the segments of the collar 42, preventing the lens 24 rom being removed from its engagement with the retaining member 40.

To remove the assembly from the pole 6, a release member is inserted upwardly into the narrow gap 12 between the pole and the lower part 10b_ of the concealing sleeve 10, to depress the plunger 22 permitting the sub-assembly of housing/retaining member/lens to be drawn upwardly from the pole 6, exposing the battery pack for possible replacement. If necessary the sub-assembly may itself be separated, by depression of the plunger 22, allowing the retaining member 40 to be separated from the housing 16. However if it is simply necessary to change the bulb 18, with the sub-assembly separated from the pole, the lens 22 may be snapped out of the collar 42.

Whilst in the preferred embodiment the retaining means 22 is concealed by the collar 10, if desired the retaining means may alternatively or additionally be key-operated.

It is to be appreciated that the term "bulb" is used herein generically, to include any light emitting electrical member, and includes such devices as LED devices, ODD devices, and fluorescent light producing mechanisms.

Thus as shown in Figures 4 and 5 in which similar numerals increased by 100 have been utilised to indicate similar parts, a light transmitting member is utilised which is afforded by an LED device 118 which is secured within the parts of a split lens housing, 124a, 124b_. When secured together the housing provides a circumferential rib 125 which may be located in the circumferential groove 44 provided in the collar 42.

The barrier assembly which is the preferred embodiment of this invention comprises a plurality of mounting assemblies to enable plastic "planks" to be mounted on, to extend between, adjacent posts, each mounting assembly comprising a mounting member 54 comprising a head 56 in the form of a housing 58 having an integral circular face-plate 59, the housing extending from the face plate in the form of a nose. Mounted within the housing 58 is a spindle 62 to which is securely attached a jaw 60, the jaw being provided with a recess 61, and being urged in an anti-clockwise direction (Figure 7) by a spring 64 which acts against a shoulder 66. The jaw is urged by the spring 64 against a lower face of an entry slot 67 provided in the housing 58, such that a forward face 68 of the jaw 60 is inclined across the entry slot (see Figure 7).

The mounting assembly also comprises a shank 70 which is in two parts, comprising elongate fingers 72a and 72b_, and a split ring 74a, 74b_, the shank being assembleable with the head 56 such that the split ring extends around the mounting plate 59, holding the head in position relative to the shank 70, whilst permitting the housing to rotate relative to the shank about a longitudinal axis of the shank.

The shank is also provided with re-entrant spring steel tabs 76 on opposite sides thereof, only one tab 76 being shown in Figure 6, such that when the shank is inserted into the hollow interior of a plank 78, the tabs 76 restrain withdrawal of the shank, the size of the shank being such that the two parts thereof are held together such that the head is securely gripped by the split ring 74.

The ςollar 10 comprising a finger 84 secured by spaced webs 82. In use the collar is positioned over a post, such that the finger 84 extends horizontally, and generally parallel to a tangent of the post, the webs 82 providing a space between a finger and the collar, the finger 84 providing formations on the post with which the jaw 60 may be engaged.

A moulded plastics plank 78, having interior supporting walls 79 and having a mounting member secured thereto, is moved towards the finger 84, such that the finger 84 moves into the entry slot 67, the inclined surface 68 engaging with the finger and causing the jaw 60 to be rotated against the action of the spring 64 into an inoperative position, enabling the finger to move into the position shown in Figure 7, in which it is retained within the slot 61. Conveniently the spindle 62 is provided with a slot 68, so that the spindle 62 may be rotated to move the jaw 60 to its inoperative position only by the use of an appropriate tool such as a screwdriver. However different constructions may be used, for example the spindle 62 may be provided in an end face thereof with a recess which is triangular in cross-section.

Whilst in the preferred embodiment the collar 10 is shown having only a single finger 84, in practice a collar will be used which comprises a plurality, such as four such fingers, disposed uniformly around the collar, such that a plank may be secured to the collar 80 and hence to the post in any one of the four radial dispositions, or a continuous ring extending around the post.

As will be seen from Figures 1 and 6, ownership of the planks is identified by cutting into the side wall letters or numbers indicating ownership of the plank, with central portions of the letters or numbers, such as indicated at 80 in Figure 1, are supported by the walls 79a, 79b_ of the plank. In this way identifying symbols may be provided in the plank which cannot be removed, and which thereby deter theft, and reduce the likelihood of planks being stolen from an in situ location.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A lighting assembly for a hazard warning post (6), comprising a battery pack (30) capable of insertion into the post, a housing (16) for a light transmitting device (18) mountable on the post and engageable with the battery pack, and retaining means (8, 22) for securing the housing to the post.

2. A lighting assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the housing (16) is secured in the post over the battery pack (30), whereby securement of the housing (16) to the post (6) simultaneously prevents access to the battery pack.

3. A lighting assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the retaining means (8, 22) is concealed by a concealing member (10) mounted on the post (6).

4. A lighting assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the concealing member is in the form of a collar which extends over the retaining means (8, 22) whilst allowing access to the retaining means for release purposes.

5. A lighting assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the retaining means comprises a retaining member (22) mounted on the housing (16), the retaining means also comprising means (8) with which the retaining member may be engaged, to retain the housing (16) in position.

6. A lighting assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the post is provided with an aperture (8) within which the retaining member (22) may be engaged.

7. A lighting assembly according to Claim 1 comprising a retaining collar (40) engageable with a part (25) of the housing, the collar (40) being engageable with the housing the hold the housing in position.

8. A lighting assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the retaining means is key-operated.

9. A mounting member for securing a plank (78) in the erection of a barrier system, comprising a shank (70) for insertion longitudinally into the hollow interior of the plank, and a head (56) operative releasably to engage with a formation (84) on the barrier system.

10. A mounting member according to Claim 9 wherein the head comprises a jaw which is snap-fitting with the formation.

11. A mounting member according to Claim 10 wherein the jaw (60) comprises an operative member urged into an operative position and having a forwardly-present face (68) so inclined that, on presentation of the jaw (60) to the formation (84) with which it will be secured, the operative member will be moved temporarily to an inoperative position.

12. A mounting member according to Claim 9 provided with an entry slot (61) for guidance of the engagement between the mounting member and the formation (84), to ensure that the formation engages with the head correctly.

13. A mounting member according to Claim 10 wherein the shank comprises one or more members (26) to resist withdrawal of the shank (70) from the interior of the plank.

14. A mounting member according to Claim 10 wherein the head is mounted on the shank (70) for relative rotation about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shank.

15. A mounting member according to Claim 10 wherein the jaw is adapted to be snap-fitted over a supporting member projecting from the post, such as a finger projecting horizontally parallel to a tangent to the post.

16. A mounting assembly comprising a collar (10) for mounting on the post (6) of a barrier assembly, and a mounting member according to Claim 9, the collar (10) providing said formation (84) with which the head (56) may be engaged.

17. A hazard warning assembly comprising a plurality of hazard warning posts, at least one of the posts comprising a lighting assembly according to Claim 1, and a mounting formation (10, 84) for engagement by a mounting member according to Claim 9.

18. The invention according to any one of Claims 9 to 17 wherein the plank is a hollow extruded plank comprising outer walls and longitudinally extending exterior supporting walls, portions of the outer walls having been removed to provide identifying symbols, unremoved portions of the periphery of the symbols being supported by one or more of said supporting walls.