Abstract:
A decorative bench barrier serves the function of providing security for buildings, memorials, and people, while at the same time providing aesthetically pleasing seating suitable for long term use on city streets, in parks, and in other areas. The decorative bench barrier is constructed from one or more reinforced precast concrete elements which include a wide base, a central seating region, and a top back rest. The reinforced precast concrete elements are made in straight sections and radius sections. The radius sections are preferably either 45° or 90°. The sections are interconnectable so that a circular, square, serpentine or other suitable configuration for the bench barrier can be assembled on site.

Description:
DESCRIPTION  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention generally relates to a barriers used for security applications such as, for example, in streets and in front of buildings.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    A wide variety of barrier systems have been used in roadway applications for the purposes of delineating driving lines, blocking off areas, and in other ways focused on the control of traffic. A common barrier system is a curved precast concrete device sometimes referred to as a “Jersey wall”. To satisfy current security demands, these same traffic oriented devices are now being used in the front of government buildings, along the edges of sidewalks, and in parks. While these devices are functional for security, they have significant aesthetic drawbacks. In addition, they tend to use a considerable amount of space without providing additional functionality.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of this invention to provide a decorative bench barrier that can serve the dual purposes of providing seating for people as well as security to people, buildings, parks, etc.  
           [0006]    According to the invention, the bench barrier is manufactured using best practices for precast concrete. The bench barrier will be created from one or more elements, each of which are integrally formed from concrete, and each of which has a base, a back section, and seating portions on either side of the back section. The elements may take a variety of shapes. One preferred shape will have a straight longitudinal axis. Another preferred shape will be in the form of an arc. The arc shaped elements (or “radial” elements) may have a radius of curvature of 5° to 180°, but is most preferably approximately 45° or 90°. A number of arc shaped elements may be joined end-to-end to make a circle which could, for example, accommodate a planter, tree, light post or street sign in a central region. In addition, arc shaped elements may be configured end-to-end in an alternating pattern to create serpentine seating/barrier configuration which may be more aesthetically pleasing in park like settings. Straight sections could provide protected seating along roadways, and may be interconnected with arc shaped sections to create U-shaped and or box shaped designs. The bench barrier elements can be colored or treated with a decorative surface coating to enhance their aesthetic utility. Lifting pockets and/or lifting devices can be integrally formed in the base section of the bench barrier to facilitate transporting and placement of the bench barrier. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a bench barrier element according to the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1B is an isometric view of a straight bench section having the cross-section shown in FIG. 1A;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2A is an isometric view of one embodiment of a circular bench barrier constructed from curved bench barrier elements having a 45° radius of curvature of the present invention where the bench barrier is configured in a circular pattern;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2B is a side view of the curved bench barrier elements depicted in FIG. 2A where the curved bench barrier elements are arranged in a semi-circular pattern;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3A is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the circular bench barrier depicted in FIG. 2A where the bench barrier elements have a 90° radius of curvature;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3B is a side view of the curved bench barrier elements depicted in FIG. 3A where the curved bench barrier elements are arranged in a semi-circular pattern;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a straight bench barrier element of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a top view of a serpentine bench barrier according to the present invention which is configured from curved bench barrier elements as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and/or  3 A,  3 B; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a top view of a U shaped bench barrier according to the present invention which is configured from both curved bench barrier elements as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and/or  3 A,  3 B and straight bench barrier elements as shown in FIG. 4.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there is shown cross-sectional and isometric views, respectively, of a decorative bench barrier  10  according to the invention. The decorative bench barrier  10  includes a base  12 , seating sections  14  and  16 , and a back section  18 . The back section  18  is preferably two sided and is less than 50% of the width of the base  10 . Most preferably, the base is approximately four times with width of the back section.  
         [0018]    In the preferred embodiment, and for exemplary purposes only, the width of the base will be 48″ and will be slightly angled inward towards the vertical height dimension to 46″. The back section  18  will be centrally located on top of the base  12 , and will have a 12″ cross-section at the bottom and incline inward to a 6″ cross-section at the top. The height of the decorative bench barrier is 48″, and the seat sections  14  and  16  will be located 20″ above the ground and will incline downward to 18″ as they approach the back section  18 . It should be understood that the heights and widths of the bench barrier  10  can vary considerably within the practice of this invention to suit the needs of the manufacturer, the needs or aesthetic desires of the purchaser, and to accommodate the space and features of the environment where the bench barrier  10  will be used.  
         [0019]    The bench barrier  10  is designed to be constructed with reinforced concrete, such as, for example, 5000 psi air entrained concrete. Many different mix designs are available. The ultimate goal is to have a bench barrier of a strength suitable to meet the security or other requirements where it will be used. Preferably, the bench barrier  10  is manufactured using best practices in precast concrete. The form (not shown) is positioned upside down for pouring. The form is cleaned and prepped with a form release agent. The reinforcing materials are placed in the form, and secured. Then, the concrete mix is poured into the form, vibrated to achieve more uniform distribution of the concrete throughout the form (e.g., to avoid air pockets), and finished. The casting is allowed to cure before stripping. Preferably the form is constructed so that to enable stripping, the casting is rotated such that it becomes right side up. Care should be taken so that the casting is not damaged during stripping. In addition, the casting should be placed in a protected area until design strength is achieved.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 2A, 2B and  3 A,  3 B show examples of a bench barrier constructed from multiple arc shaped or radial elements  20  or  22 . These elements  20  or  22  can be placed end-to-end to make a circular bench which can also serve as a planter for flowers, shrubs or trees in the central region. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the elements  20  are curved between opposing end faces  21  on a radius of curvature of approximately 45°, while in FIGS. 3A and 3B the radius of curvature between the end faces  23  of each element  22  is approximately 90°. Clearly, any radius of curvature, for example, between 5° and 180° may be employed within the practice of this invention. The 45° elements  20  may provide more flexibility in terms of positioning and configuring the bench barrier, while the 90° elements  22  may provide for a more sturdy construction.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 shows a straight element  24 . The element  24  is straight along its longitudinal axis and may be, for example, eight feet in length (however, almost any length (e.g., 2-16 feet) could be practiced according to this invention. A plurality of the straight elements  24  could be linked end-to-end to line a sidewalk at the edge of a street, for example, so as to protect the pedestrians on the side walk, while also providing seating for the pedestrians.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 2A, 2B and  3 A,  3 B illustrate a circular and a semicircular configuration of the decorative bench barrier. FIG. 5 illustrates a serpentine configuration  26  which is constructed from a plurality of arc shaped elements  20  and/or  22  placed end-to-end in alternating semicircular configurations. FIG. 6 illustrates a U-shaped configuration  28  constructed from a plurality of arc shaped elements  20  and/or  22  and straight elements  24  as shown in FIG. 4. It will be readily apparent that almost any desired configuration decorative bench barrier of this invention could be laid out using the elements of this invention, and will utilize from as few as one element such as one length of straight element  24 , to a plurality of elements such as in the serpentine  26 , U-shaped configuration  28 , circular, and semicircular configurations discussed in detail above.  
         [0023]    The elements  20 ,  22 , or  24  can simply be positioned end-to-end adjacent one another, or they can be interlocked end-to-end using, for example, the hook devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,224, which is herein incorporated by reference. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, it can be seen that the bench barrier elements  20  or  22  (but also straight element  24 ) can include lifting devices  30  cast in a face of the base  12 . Typical examples of lifting devices  30  may include the KEY•LOK lifting system available from A•LOK Products, Inc., which includes a polypropylene lift pin insert installed during casting, or other suitable devices. These devices can be used to affix cables for lifting and transporting the bench barrier elements  20 ,  22 , and  24  without damaging there surface finishes (e.g., paint, sprayed gravel, etc.); thereby preserving the aesthetic qualities of the bench barrier. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1A, one or more lifting pockets  32  may be positioned in the base of the bench barrier elements  20 ,  22  or  24  for lifting and transporting the devices by fork lift.  
         [0024]    While the invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.