GB2174131A - Improvements in or relating to marker posts - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a road marker post in the form of a hollow plastics moulding having a circular base (10) and an upstanding tubular member (11) having a shallow taper towards its upper end so that similar posts can be nested together one within the other. A cordon pin (16) is driven through an aperture (15) in the top wall (14) of the post through the post and into the ground below the post to hold the post in place. The side wall of the post is formed with a plurality of deep recesses (18) disposed on either side thereof adjacent the upper end of the post in which there are integral vertically extending webs (19) centrally split at (22) to receive brilliantly coloured reflective warning tapes strung from post to post around the site of a road works to form a cordon around the road works. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to marker posts This invention relates to marker posts for deiineating temporary hazards and is particularly although not exclusively applicable to marker posts for road, verge, pavement or footpath works, or off-road work sites or other hazards.

Temporary works sites and in particular temporary road work sites are frequently delineated and cordoned off from the remainder of the highway or footpath by means of steel cordon pins of the order of about 30 inches long which are driven into the ground at spaced locations around the perimeter of the road works. Each pin has an eye at its upper end and orange or other brightly coloured reflective tapes strung through the eyes of the pins to form a cordon around the road works. It has been proposed to fit brightly coloured plastics tubes over the cordon pins to enhance their visibility and although such an arrangement is satisfactory, it would be desirable to simplify the construction of the cordon pin and, possibly dispense with the need for the long cordon pins altogether.

The invention provides a marker post for delineating a temporary hazard comprising a base for positioning on the ground and an integral hollow tubular member extending upwardly from the base and being tapered towards its upper end to facilitate stacking of such posts, one with another, the wall of the tubular member spaced from the base being formed with at least one web extending in the lengthwise direction of the tubular member and formed with a slot through which a length of warning tape may be passed to extend from post to post.

The post may be circular in cross-section.

The web may extend outwardly from the wall of the post at the location of the web and the slot is formed in the web between the wall of the post and the free outer edge of the web.

A break may be formed in the part of the web between the slit and the free edge of the web, the thickness and material of the web being such that the parts of the web on either side of the break can be separated by flexing to enable a length of tape to be inserted in or removed from the slot in the web.

At the location of the or each web, the wall of the tubular member is formed with a shallow recess and the web extends down the recess with the free edge of the web not projecting beyond the surface of the tubular member above and below the recess. Webs may be formed on opposite sides of the tubular member.

The or each web may be formed adjacent the upper end of the tubular member and a web or webs are formed on the tubular member partway between the base and the top of the member.

The tubular member at its upper end may have a top wall formed with a central aperture to receive a cordon pin to be passed through the post and driven into the ground to support the post in position.

The base at the lower end of the post may be formed with a plurality of indentations spaced apart around the periphery of the base to receive headed pins for anchoring the base to the ground.

The base may have an undersurface to be secured by adhesive to the ground.

The base may also be formed with a downwardly projecting externally threaded sleeve to be engaged in a socket (e.g. a reflecting road stud socket) in the ground The tubular member may be formed on its inner side with stop means partway up the tubular member to limit insertion of the upper end of a further tubular member when one post is nested with another.

The following is a description of some specific embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure I is an elevation view of a road marker post according to the invention; Figure 2 is a detailed view of the upper end of the post; Figure 3 is a plan view of the post; Figure 4 is a sectional view of the upper parts of two posts nested together; Figure 5 is a sectional view through the lower parts of the two posts nested together; Figure 6 is a section on the lines 6-6 on Figure 4; Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 on Figure 4; and Figures 8, 9 and 10 show modified versions of the posts.

Referring firstly to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings; a road marker post in accordance with the invention comprises a hollow moulded generally circular form base 10 having an integral upstanding tubular member 11 having a shallow taper towards its upper end. The base 10 has an inwardly extending bottom flange 12 to bear on the ground with a large central opening 13 and the upper end of the tubular member 11 is closed by a top wall 14 having a central aperture 15. The post is formed from plastics material by blow moulding and is self-covered with an orange or red pigment to enhance the visibility of the post. A central part of the tubular member indicated at 11a may be encircled by a white reflective band to render the post even more distinctive.

A number of the posts are located at spaced positions around the site of a road works and are fixed in position by means of a long central cordon pin 16 which is passed through the aperture 15 in the upper end wall of the post and driven into the ground below the base. An alternative method of securing the posts in position is provided by four indents 17 formed equally spaced around the periphery of the base 10 of the post to receive short headed pins (e.g. of steel) driven into the ground.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, the upper part of the tubular member 11 is shown in greater detail and it will be seen that immediately below the top of the tubular member the side wall of the post is formed with deep recesses 18 on either side of the post extending a short distance down the post. Each recess 18 has web 19 extend ing centrally down the recess and formed integrally with the wall of the tubular member. The webs thus lie in a common plane containing the axis of the tubular member. The outermost edge 20 of each web lies just within the envelope of the tubular member as a whole.

Each web 19 has a slot 21 extending for the greater part of the length thereof formed between the bottom of the recess 18 and the free edge 20 to receive a length of brilliantly coloured reflective warning tape which is strung from post to post around the road works and thereby forming a cordon around the road works. In order to facilitate location of the tape in the slot 21, the outer part of the web 19 between the slot 21 and free edge 20 is formed midway down the web with a break 22 and the thickness of the web and the form of plastics material from which the web is formed are such that the parts of the web above and below the break can be separated by horizontal displacement to allow the tape to be inserted in or removed from the slot 21.The integral web thus provides a very simple arrangement for receiving and holding the tape to be strung around the road works and dispenses with the need for a preformed eye on the cordon pin 16. Slotted webs are provided on both sides of the tubular member only one of which is normally required to be used where a single length of tape is strung around the road works but where separate lengths of tape are strung around the road works, these may be located in the separate slotted webs on either side of the tubular member.

When not in use, the tubular members may be nested together by inserting the tapered upper end of one member through the base and into the lower part of the tubular member of another post.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the nesting of two members and it will be seen that the aperture 13 in the lower wall of the base 10 of the member is sufficiently wide to allow the entry of the upper part of a tubular member of another post through the base. In order to limit the extent to which one tubular member is inserted into another to prevent jamming of the tubular members together, each tubular member is formed towards the upper end thereof on the inner side of the tubular member with inward projections 23 at diametrically spaced locations across the tubular member through which the upper ends of the post of a further member engages as shown in Figure 4.

A modified construction of the tubular member is illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings in which further recesses 18 are formed generaliy midway down the tubular member and provided with slotted webs 19 identicai in form to the recesses and slotted webs adjacent the upper end of the tubular member to receive a further length or length of tape for encircling the road works site.

Figure 9 of the drawings shows a further modification in which the base 10 of the tubular member is formed with a downwardly extending hollow externally threaded spigot 26 to be screwed into a socket of a reflecting road stud in the road after the rubber body of the stud has been removed.

The socket has two pairs of inwardly projecting prongs on opposed sides thereof which engage normally, the rubber body of the stud and the diameter and thread on the spigot 26 are such that the spigot is engaged by the ends of the prongs to enable the spigot to be secured into and held in the socket. Figure 10 of the drawings shows a further modification in which a somewhat larger diameter base 10 is formed on the tubular member with a correspondingly large inner flange 12 to be attached by adhesive to the ground. The arrangement is otherwise similar to that described above.

Claims (14)

1. A marker post comprising a base for positioning on the ground and an integral hollow tubular member extending upwardly from the base and being tape red towards its upper end to facilitate stacking of such posts, one with another, the wall of the tubular member spaced from the base being formed with at least one web extending in the lengthwise direction of the tubular member and formed with a slot through which a length of warning tape may be passed to extend from post to post.

2. A post as claimed in claim 1 wherein the post is circular in cross-section.

3. A post as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the web extends outwardly from the wall of the post at the location of the web and the slot is formed in the web between the wail of the post and the free outer edge of the web.

4. A post as claimed in claim 3 wherein a break is formed in the part of the web between the slit and the free edge of the web, the thickness and material of the web being such that the parts of the web on either side of the break can be separated by flexing to enable a length of tape to be inserted in or removed from the slot in the web.

5. A road marker post as claimed in claim 4 wherein at the location of the or each web, the wall of the tubular member is formed with a shallow recess and the web extends down the recess with the free edge of the web not projecting beyond the surface of the tubular member above and below the recess.

6. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein webs are formed on opposite sides of the tubular member.

7. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the or each web is formed adjacent the upper end of the tubular member.

8. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a web or webs are formed on the tubular member partway between the base and the top of the member.

9. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the tubular member at its upper end has a top wall formed with a central aperture to receive a cordon pin to be passed through the post and driven into the ground to support the post in position.

10. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the base at the lower end of the post is formed with a plurality of indentations spaced apart around the periphery of the base to receive headed pins for anchoring the base to the ground.

11. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the base has an undersurface to be secured by adhesive to the ground.

12. A post as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 wherein the base is formed with a downwardly projecting externally threaded sleeve to be engaged in a socket in the ground.

13. A post as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the tubular member is formed on its inner side with stop means partway up the tubular member to limit insertion of the upper end of a further tubular member when one post is nested with another.

14. A marker post substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings or Figures 1 to 7 as modified by Figure 8, Figure 9 or Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.