Self-contained warning sign carrier for vehicles

A warning sign that is attached to a spring-loaded roller contained in a housing, which is then secured to the truck or trailer. When the sign must be displayed, the driver simply pulls the sign from the housing and extends it across the vehicle's bumper. When it is fully extended, the free end is secured to mounting fasteners located on the vehicle. In this way, the sign is ready for use, clean and in good condition. After the load has been hauled and the sign is no longer needed, it can be released and rolled back inside the housing, ready for the next use. The housing can be installed on trucks, pilot vehicles, heavy equipment, and trailers and can be deployed whenever needed simply be pulling the sign out and securing it to the vehicle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to warning signs for vehicles and particularly to self-contained warning sign carrier for vehicles, including trailers.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Today, freight hauling involves many consolidated loads that travel as piggyback trailers, where two semi-trailers are attached to one tractor. These oversized vehicles frequently take to the road and present a hazard to other motorists who are unaware of the total vehicle length that may be in front or behind them. To alert motorists to this danger, the government requires such vehicles to be marked with large signs indicating that the vehicle (including trailers) is “oversize” or has a “long load”, “wide load”, or “oversize load”.

In addition to the piggyback trailers, many other vehicles, such as large pieces of construction equipment and even houses are being transported on the roads. All of these vehicles must have these warning signs. In cases of unusual loads, pilot vehicles may be required to be position before and after the actual load. These vehicles too, must have the appropriate warning signs attached. Typically, these signs are about 5 feet long and one foot wide. Although Regulations vary from state to state, the signs can be up to 18 inches high and up to 84 inches long. They are fitted with grommets that allow cords to attached so that the sign can be tied to the vehicle.

Often, a truck driver may not be aware that he or she will be pulling an oversized load until the driver arrives at the pick-up point. Then, they often have to dig through equipment; tools and other things stored in the truck t locate the signs. Typically, these signs have been folded and may be torn or dirty. They have to be tied onto the truck and the load, typically using bungee cords or other thin ropes. All this takes time and produces a less than optimum result.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention over comes all of these problems. It is a warning sign that is attached to a spring-loaded roller. The roller and sign are contained in a housing, which is then secured to the truck or trailer bumper. The sign is thus carried at al times. When the sign must be displayed, the driver simply pulls the sign from the housing and extends it across the vehicle's bumper. When it is fully extended, the free end is secured to mounting fasteners located on the bumper. In this way, the sign is ready for use, clean and in good condition. After the load has been hauled and the sign is no longer needed, it can be loosened from the bumper and rolled back inside the housing, ready for the next use.

The housing can be installed on trucks, pilot vehicles, heavy equipment, and trailers and can be deployed whenever needed simply be pulling the sign out and securing it to the bumper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now toFIG. 1, a front view of a tractor-trailer showing the invention stored. In this view, the truck100has a bumper101. The invention1is shown attached to the bumper as shown. The invention is a cylinder2that has a sign3secured to a spring winding mechanism similar to that of a window shade or self-winding movie screen. The distal end4of the sign3is shown protruding from the cylinder2. This allows the operator to pull the sign from the cylinder when needed. Fasteners5(discussed below) are secured to the opposite side of the bumper101as shown, at a suitable location to hold the distal end of the sign when it is extended.

Note that this device is intended for use on any vehicle, including pick-up trucks, trucks and trailers that have frames with an external covering (such as doors, side panels, grills, bumpers etc.) as well as trailers such as lowboy designs, cars and heavy construction equipment. It is not intended to be limited to one type of vehicle or to one position on a vehicle.

FIG. 1ais, a front view of a tractor-trailer showing the sign extended for use. The sign3has grommeted slots or holes6formed in the distal end to secure the sign to the bumper on the fasteners5(as discussed below) when it is extended. As shown in this figure, the sign has the message “OVERSIZE”. However, any other message that is acceptable for use on highways, such as “LONG LOAD”, “OVERSIZE LOAD” or “WIDE LOAD” may be used as well.

FIG. 2is a detail view of the truck bumper with the invention deployed for use. Here, the cylinder2, sign3and grommets6are shown on a bumper101. Here, three grommets are shown, although, the number can vary from one to more, as needed.

FIG. 3is a front view of the device showing portions of the winding mechanism. In this figure, the cylinder2is shown. Inside the cylinder is the winding mechanism10, which, as noted above, is a common spring-type winding mechanism used, for example, in window shades. Note that this view also shows the cap9of the cylinder2.

FIG. 4is a detail of the bottom of the device showing one system for mounting the cylinder. Here, the bumper101is shown. The cylinder2is shown attached to the bumper. There are many ways to attach the device to the bumper, including directly bolting the cylinder to the bumper, or by attaching it to the bumper with powerful magnets, for example. The preferred method is one that enables the cylinder to be removed, if needed. This method uses 2 bolts or screws11that are mounted in a vertical line in the bumper using nuts or other fastening means. The bolts are spaced apart at the proper interval. They protrude from the bumper face as shown. Two slots12are formed in the back of the cylinder2in a spaced apart configuration that matches the interval of the bolts. The cylinder is mounted by aligning the slots with the bolts and sliding the cylinder down over the bolts until the bolts reach the tops of the slots. At this point, the cylinder is securely attached to the bumper, but can easily be removed by pulling upward on the cylinder until it clears the bolt heads. Note that this figure also shows a number of holes13to allow water to drain from the cylinder.

FIG. 5is a top detail view of the device showing the mounting system, the winding system, and the means for securing the open end of the sign. Here, the cylinder2is shown secured to the bumper101as before. The bolt11, securing nut11aand slot12are shown. The sign3is shown extended. The winding mechanism10is shown as well as the top cap9. Note that the top cap9has a slot15in it to allow a tool, such as a screwdriver, to manually wind the sign3if necessary. At the other end of the bumper is one of the fasteners5. Note how the fastener aligns with the grommet6. Again, there are many possible ways to secure the distal end of the sign to a bumper. For example, magnets can be placed on the sign. When the sign is extended, the magnets automatically stick to the bumper. However, this is not preferred because the sign may be used in many cases where a ferrous metal is not present. The preferred method uses some type of mechanical fastener, such as a common sense fastener. Thus, the fastener5shown in the figure may be a hook and the grommet on the sign is round. The grommet is then simple placed over the hook. On the other hand, the fastener may be a rotating disk. In this case, the grommet is a rectangular slot. The disk is aligned with the slot and then the sign is slid over the disk. Once the disk is fully protruding through the slot, the disk is rotated 90 degrees to lock the sign in place. Of course, any other fastener system that achieves the same results can be used.

The sign can be attached to many different types of vehicles. It is intended to be a permanent fixture. Some of the common uses for the invention are shown in the following figures:

FIG. 6is a rear view of a trailer box showing the invention in place. Here, a common semi trailer or container102has the device1installed on the doors103. When needed, the sign can be quickly extended and secured for use.

FIG. 7is a perspective view of the device shown on a pick-up truck. Oftentimes, it is required that oversized loads have pilot cars both in front of the load and behind the load. Thus, the invention b1can be installed on the bumpers104(front and back) of pick-up trucks105or other small vehicles for display when these vehicles are used in such hauling operations.

FIG. 8is a rear perspective view of the device shown on a tanker106. Here, the sign is shown installed on the bumper107of the trailer108. Similarly, the sign can be installed on the bumper of a flatbed trailer as well.

FIG. 9is a partial view of the device1secured to the rear of a piece of construction equipment110. Occasionally, such equipment is considered too large for the normal highway use. Here, the device is installed as shown. This is an improvement over attaching a permanent sign because the permanent sign can be damaged due to prolonged exposure, can get in the way of controls or warning lights, etc. The device, on the other had can be used to quickly deploy the sign for transport and then retract it when the equipment is being used and the sign is no longer needed.

FIG. 10is a front detail of a vehicle having a narrow bumper and the device stored in a horizontal position. In cases where a vehicle does not have sufficient bumper height to store the device in an upright position, an alternative embodiment allows the cylinder to be stored in a horizontal position until it is needed. Then, the cylinder can be rotated into the vertical position and the sign can be extended for use. InFIG. 10, the cylinder2is shown installed on a narrow bumper120. As shown, the cylinder2is in a horizontal position for storage. Note the fasteners5on the opposite side of the bumper.FIG. 11is a front detail of a vehicle having a narrow bumper and the device stored in a vertical position with the sign deployed. Here, the cylinder has been rotated into a vertical position and the sign3has been extended and secured to the fasteners5as discussed above.

To install the cylinder on the bumper so that it can be rotated, in one embodiment, a mounting plate30is used.FIG. 12is a detail of the bumper mounting plate used with the rotating design. The plate30has two mounting screws31that secure it to the bumper. A spring-loaded bolt32is positioned in the center of the plate.FIG. 13is a side partial cutaway view of a bumper with the device installed and rotated in the vertical position. In this view, the spring-loaded bolt32extends out of the plate. The cylinder2has a center slot into which, the head of bolt32fits. Once the cylinder is secured to the bolt, the spring33pulls the bolt and cylinder tight against the plate. For storage, the cylinder is horizontal, as noted before. To rotate it into a vertical position, the cylinder is pulled forward, compressing the spring33, thereby extending the bolt head past the plate. Once clear, the cylinder is turned 90 degrees to a vertical position. Once it is in a vertical position, the cylinder is released. The spring then pulls the bolt and the cylinder tight against the plate again. Once secured, the sign can be extended and secured to the fasteners for use as described above. Of course, the above description is only one example as many other swivel type mounts, well known in the art, could be used as well.

The present disclosure should not be construed in any limited sense other than that limited by the scope of the claims having regard to the teachings herein and the prior art being apparent with the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein and which reveals details of structure of a preferred form necessary for a better understanding of the invention and may be subject to change by skilled persons within the scope of the invention without departing from the concept thereof.