Patent Publication Number: US-7217061-B2

Title: Barrier system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is based on, and claims priority to provisional application having Ser. No. 60/595,608, having a filing date of Jul. 19, 2005, and entitled ARN Fence—Anti-Rubber Necking Fence. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to barrier systems, and more particular to deployable vision barrier systems. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   There is a long standing need for the provision of a vision barrier that can separate vehicular or pedestrian traffic from an event or condition, especially a distracting event or condition, such as a vehicular accident on a highly trafficked roadway, a distressed vehicle on the roadway, or the separation of pedestrian traffic. There is a need for such a system to shield viewers on one side of the vision barrier from being distracted by the event or condition occurring on the other side such that vehicular and/or pedestrian speed is maintained and traffic jams or accidents (caused by the distraction) do not occur. 
   There is also a need for such a system to be readily deployable at the site and readily returnable to a storage position. There is also a need for the barrier to be easily storable in an emergency vehicle and easily deployed and returnable at the site in an expeditious manner. The barrier is intended for repeated use of a temporary or more permanent nature. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A barrier system comprises a first and second upright support legs and a laterally extending vision barrier. The support legs may include a pair of telescoping leg support portions. The laterally extending vision barrier comprises a vision barrier screen having slits spaced therein and has at least one fastener for facilitiating attachment to one of the support legs. 
   The vision barrier may further comprise indicia and a reflective material. And, a reflector or light may be located on a top of at least one of the support legs. 
   The support legs may comprise a support base for supporting the support legs in an upright position. The support base may also include at least one caster for increasing the mobility of the barrier device. 
   The device may also include any number of intermediate support leg for providing further support for the laterally extending vision barrier. 
   In another preferred embodiment, the first support leg may comprise an outer housing and an internal reel. The vision barrier is deployed on the reel. In one form of this embodiment the second support leg has a first connector the vision barrier fastener cooperates with the second support leg connector to attach the vision barrier to the second support leg. The first support leg may include a crank for rotating the reel for deploying the vision barrier. The crank can be a hand crank or motorized. In one form of this embodiment the support legs are telescoping comprising upper and lower leg portions that telescope with respect to an intermediate leg portion. 
   In another form of the invention, the vision barrier may comprise a first connector and the housing may comprise a second connector which cooperates with the first connector whereby the vision barrier is kept in a deployed position. The vision barrier may comprise a vision barrier screen having spaced slits located therein and a reflective material. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form of the invention that is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment of a barrier system in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a rear view of the barrier system of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the barrier system of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the barrier system taken along lines  4 — 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of second preferred embodiment of the barrier system in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a diagramatic view of the barrier system of the present invention deployed in a use as a traffic screen; 
       FIG. 7  is front view of a third preferred embodiment of a barrier system in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a partial front view of the barrier system of  FIG. 7  in a deployed position; and 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the barrier system taken along lines  9 — 9  of  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In  FIGS. 1–9 , there is shown a form of the invention that is presently preferred. In  FIGS. 1–6 , there is illustrated a first preferred embodiment of a barrier system  10 . The barrier system  10  can be used as an accident shield a distressed vehicle shield, a pedestrian traffic shield, an egress/entrance shield, or any other type of suitable barrier system. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the barrier system  10  includes a first upright end support leg  12 , a second upright end support leg  16 , and an intermediate upright support leg  14 . Spanning the upright support legs  12 ,  14 ,  16  is a lateral vision barrier  18 , which is attached to the support legs in either a fixed or non-fixed manner. 
   The first support leg  12  in the preferred embodiment takes the shape of an elongated tabular pole; however, it should be understood that many shapes and sizes of supports are suitable for supporting the lateral vision barrier  18  in a manner that serves the intended purpose of the barrier system  10 . In the preferred embodiment, the upright support legs are telescoping as shown in  FIG. 1 . This permits each leg to be extended by some predefined distance in order to adjust the height of the vision barrier  18 . In one form of the invention the support legs extend between 5 to 6 feet and the vision barrier has a height of 4 feet and a length of 20 to 40 feet. 
   The first end support leg  12  includes a lower leg portion  20 , and an upper leg portion  22 . The lower leg portion  20  fits into a suitable stand  24 , which is designed to provide a suitable ballast for the leg and is adaptable to a wide range of surfaces that the barrier system is intended to be used on. In  FIG. 1 , the telescoping support legs are shown with the upper leg  22  telescoping inside the lower support leg  20 ; however, it should be understood that these parts may be reversed depending on the application such that the upper leg  22  is the outer tube portion and the lower section  20  is the inner tube portion. A reflector or other warning light  26  may be provided on the top of the support leg to aid in the visual noticeability of the device. Similarly, support leg can be wrapped in a reflective tape  36  or other suitable visual warning device to also aid in the attractiveness of the device. Other types of warning devices, such as available and tactile devices, are also contemplated. 
   Similar to support leg  12  are support legs  14  and  16 . Support leg  14  has a lower support  30  and an upper support  32 , while support leg  16  has a lower support  40  and an upper support  42 . In addition, the support leg  16  includes a base  28  while the support leg  16  includes a base  44 . It should be understood that base  24 , base  28 , and base  44  are also functionally similar. As indicated above, the weight of the support legs are determined such that they can maintain the barrier system in an upright condition when deployed in the field, such as a highway. 
   The lateral vision barrier  18  is constructed from a plastic or fabric material  48 . The preferred material for the vision barrier screen  48  is nylon. However, it should be understood that many strong, weather resistant material are suitable for use. A series of slits or openings  50  may be provided in a repeated pattern in the vision barrier screen  48  to defuse the air pressure acting on the screen due to the forces of wind and traffic. In addition, suitable indicia or reflective material  52  may be provided on the vision barrier screen  48  to serve as a warning indicator. The indicia can be a warning or message sign or some other type of logo or trademark used in connection with the barrier system. Similarly, the reflective material can also aid in the visual characteristics of the device. The primary purpose of the lateral vision barrier  18  is to prevent people from seeing on the other side of the barrier screen. So, any material that can perform this function would be suitable for use in this device. In one form, the vision barrier  18  when deployed should serve as a vision barrier to a vehicular roadway problem from passing vehicular traffic. 
   The support legs  12 ,  14 ,  16  can be manufactured out of any suitably strong yet light weight yet durable material such as PVC or the like. Other suitable materials may include polyethylene, aluminum, carbon fiber or the like. As indicated above in this specification, the support stands  24 ,  28 ,  44  are preferably constructed from a material that is sufficiently heavy to support the support legs in an upright position while holding the lateral vision barrier  18  in use in a field condition while still maintaining an upright position when exposed to environmental conditions such as wind, rain, snow, or heavy vehicular traffic. In one form of the invention the support legs may have a ballast added, such as in the base. 
   The vision barrier screen  48  is attached to the upright support legs  12 ,  14 ,  16  by any suitable fastening device. In the preferred embodiment, the vision barrier screen  48  is attached to the support legs by use of hook and loop fastener straps  54  and  56 . 
   Turning now to  FIG. 2 , the rear view of the barrier system  10 , the attachment of the lateral vision barrier  18  to the support legs is more clearly shown. In the embodiment shown, the lateral vision barrier  18  is fixedly attached to the first support leg  12 . However, non-fixed means of attachment are also within the scope of the invention. An upper hook and loop fastener  54  and a lower hook and loop fastener  56  are provided on the opposite end of the vision barrier  18  for connecting to the second support leg  16 . Intermediate support leg  14  can be attached to one of the intermediate hook and loop fasteners  54 / 56  spaced along the vision barrier  18 . Cooperating hook and loop fasterners are also provided on the support poles to interact with fasteners  54 ,  56 . Depending upon the length and material of the vision barrier  18 , any number of intermediate support leg  14  can be provided to provide suitable support to the lateral vision barrier  18  in use in the field. The number of intermediate support legs required depends on many variable such as length of the visions, weather conditions, field conditions, and the like. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , a single intermediate support leg  14  is depicted, however, any number of intermediate supports could be used. An additional hook and loop fastener  54  and  56  may be provided along the length of the vision barrier  18 . For example, a pair of hook and loop fasteners  54 ,  56  are provided in between the support leg  14  and the support leg  16  on the vision barrier to accommodate an additional support leg. It is contemplated that any number of these intermediate hook and loop fasteners can be provided along the length of the vision barrier depending on the various needs of the device. Although the preferred form of the fastener is a hook and loop fastener, any suitable fastener may be used with the device such as, tie wraps, releasable adhesive connections, and the like. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the telescoping mechanism of the current invention is depicted. As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the barrier system  10  includes a detent stop mechanism  60  attached to one of the tubular supports of the support legs. In the embodiment shown, the detent  60  includes a pair of springs or biasing means, such as the leaf springs shown,  68  with one end of the leaf spring attached to the inner wall of the tubular support and the other end of the leaf spring attached to a rounded protrusion  66 . The round protrusion  66  is sized and shaped such that it can extend through a pair of holes,  61  and  62  formed in the lower and upper tubular supports  40 ,  42  respectively. The leaf springs  68  bias the rounded protrusions  66  outwardly through the opening  61 ,  62  such that the telescoping tubular supports  40 ,  42  are locked into position. In use, a user presses inwardly upon the rounded protrusion  66  against the force of the biasing spring  68 . When the protrusions are pressed inwardly such that its outer most end of the protrusion is within the inner wall of the outer support leg  40 , the support legs  40  and  42  can be moved relative to each other until the additional hole  64  formed in the outer support leg  40  is aligned with the hole  61  in the support leg  42 . At this point, the rounded protrusions are forced outwardly by the force of the biasing spring  68  thereby locking the telescoping support legs into a second extended position. Of course, any suitable stop mechanism can be used to lock the support legs into various extended positions as it well known to those skilled in the art. The spacing of the holes  61  and  61  correspond to a compact storage portion and an extended use position of the support leg. It should also be understood that the support leg can be used in the field in the compact position depending upon filed conditions and user needs. The invention also contemplates the inclusion of additional position openings or less position openings if desired. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 6 , the barrier system  10  of the present invention is shown in use in a highway road condition.  FIG. 6  depicts an accident  70  having occurred on the side of the road between a car  72  and a second car  74 . The support barrier system  10  can be extended so as to cover the entire portion of the accident  70  such as shown in  FIG. 6 . This would visually block the accident from vehicles  82 ,  84 , and  86  traveling along the roadway  80  and would serve to prevent unnecessary delays and traffic jams caused by the traffic accident  70 . In use, the support legs could be stored in the trunk of an emergency vehicle such as a police vehicle, fire truck, or other emergency vehicle. The vision barrier  18  can then be wound around one of the supports or otherwise placed inside the trunk of the vehicle. When it is time to use the barrier system  10 , the support legs are spaced along the ground in such a manner to adequately support the lateral vision barrier  18 , depending upon field conditions, when the barrier is unfurled or deployed along the side of the road to visually block whatever needs to be blocked. Once the support legs are placed in approximately their desired position, the lateral vision barrier  18  can then be attached to each of the support legs in turn to form the assembled barrier system  10 . Optionally, the telescoping support legs can be extended to increase the height of the barrier system in its operative condition to adjust the visual screen function as needed. 
   In  FIG. 5  there is depicted a second preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein like reference numerical indicate like elements. The barrier system  110  is similar to the barrier system  10  depicted in  FIGS. 1–4  with the exception that the barrier system  110  includes a mobile base  124  that facilitates positioning of the support legs  12 ,  14 ,  16 . The mobile base  124  includes a collar  126  for connecting to the lower portion of the support leg. A plurality of extension arms  128  extend in a spaced condition from the collar connection  126 . Attached to the end of each extension arm  128  are lockable casters or wheels  130  to facilitate movement of the support leg. It should be understood that many variations of the mobile base are contemplated and fall within the scope of the invention. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 7–9 , there is shown a third preferred embodiment of the barrier system  210  in which like reference numerals indicate like structural components. The barrier system  210  is similar to barrier systems  10  and  110  with the exceptions noted below. As best seen in  FIG. 7 , the barrier system  210  includes a first end support leg  212  and a second end support leg  214 . The first end support leg  212  houses a lateral vision barrier  218  which can be retracted from the support leg  212  through an opening  270  and connected to the second end support leg  214  as will be described in greater detail below. 
   The first end support leg  212  includes a base  224  which can be either stationary or mobile as depicted in the previous two embodiments. The base  224  is attached to a lower support leg portion  220  which is telescopingly attached to an intermediate support leg portion  222  which is telescopingly attached to an upper support leg portion  229  (shown in  FIG. 8 ). An upper end plate  226  is attached to the upper support leg portion  229 . A handle of  228  may be provided on the barrier system to facilitate carrying of the support leg by a user. A crank handle  296  may also be provided in connection with a hub rod  294  for retracting and deploying the lateral vision barrier to  218  as will be described in detail below. It should be understood that the support leg and have more or less telescoping portion depending upon the user&#39;s needs. In addition the invention also contemplates a support leg that is not telescoping and having no telescoping sections for simplified deployment. 
   The second end support leg  214  includes a base  224  connected to an upright support leg  236 . The second support leg  214  can be telescoping like the first support leg  212 . A channel  238  is provided to the length of the support leg  236  for attachment to a cooperating connection  240  at the end of the lateral vision barrier of  218 . It should be understood, the support base may be stationary or mobile as described previously and it is contemplated that the support leg  214  can have a suitable weight and dimension to maintain itself in an upright position when in use in the field. The invention also contemplates that the support legs  212  and  214  can have any suitable shape, not just cylindrical. 
   The lateral vision barrier  218  is construction from a barrier screen  248  is similar to the vision barriers  48  described in connection with the first embodiment. Openings or slits  250  may be provided along the barrier screen  248  to diffuse wind and the light as described in connection with the first embodiment. Also various reflective material  236  may also be provided along the barrier screen  248  to facilitate the visual attractiveness of the device. Indicia may also be provided on the screen  248  as described in the first embodiment. 
   The first support leg  212  can be provided with a elongated connection  290  having a connection channel  292  similar to that provided in the second support leg  214 . This optional channel  290  allows multiple support legs  212  to be used together to create a barrier system of whatever thickness, whatever length is desired. For example these legs  212  can be connected together using the connection  290  and one leg  214  at the end of the run. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 8 , the barrier system  210  is shown with the first end support leg in an extended position. In  FIG. 7 , the first end support leg  212  is shown in the more compact or storage position. The extension mechanism for extending the support leg  212  is similar to the extension mechanism described in connection with the first embodiment. The lower support leg portion  220  and the upper support leg portion  229  telescope within the outer intermediate support leg portion  222 . It should be understood that the support leg  212  can be formed such that the intermediate support leg portion  222  telescopes within the upper and lower support leg portions  220 ,  229 . Naturally, in such a configuration the diameters of the upper and lower support leg portions would have to be larger than the intermediate support leg portion. 
   The intermediate support leg portion  222  is provided with a pair of lower openings  230  and  231  and a pair of upper openings  233  and  232 . The location of these openings represent an extended and a compact position respectively for the upper and lower support leg portions. 
   It should be understood that the upper and lower leg portions can be extended independently depending upon the user&#39;s needs. As described in greater detail below, extending the upper leg portion increases the height of the screen, while extending the lower leg portion extends the screen off the ground thereby raising the screen. As best seen in  FIG. 9 , a bias detent mechanism  260  is provided similar to that described in connection with the first embodiment. Since there are two telescoping leg portions, a pair of these biased detent mechanisms are provided for each leg portion. Cooperating openings  235  are provided in the upper  229  and lower  220  support leg portions for the detent to pass through. 
   When the barrier system  210  is deployed in the field, the crank handle  296  may be replaced with a reflector or light  227  to provide a more noticeable appearance for the farrier system  10 . An opening  270  is provided along the length of the first end support leg  212  and is formed in the upper, lower and intermediate support legs. This channel opening  270  permits the lateral vision barrier  218  to be dispensed from the housing form by the first support leg  212  for deployment or retracting. 
   A reel  271  is provided inside the first end support leg housing  212 . The reel  270  comprises an elongated rod  294  that extends through the top of the end cap  226  and provides an attachment means for cooperating with the crank handle  296  and also a means for attaching the reflector  226 . A collar  268  is formed around the central portion of the rod  294 . The collar  268  attaches the rod  294  to a tubular reel support  264  that extends the length of the first end support leg  212 . An annular bearing  266  extends from the end cap  226  and another annular bearing  262  extends from the bottom end cap  224 . The bearings  262  and  266  permit the support reel  264  to rotate on the bearings to form the reel mechanism. The lateral vision barrier  218  is wrapped around the support reel  264  such that when the reel  271  is rotated by means of the crank handle  296  through the rod  294 , the vision barrier screen can be retracted and deployed through the opening  270 . 
   In  FIG. 9 , the vision barrier screen  248  is shown in a compressed condition since the first end support leg  212  is shown in the compacted or storage position. However, it should be understood that when the support leg is extended, the vision barrier screen material  248  will also be extended to a more taut condition and increasing the height of the screen  248 . It should also be understood that either of the telescoping extension support legs  229  and  220  can be extended and retracted independently, depending upon the field use conditions of the vision barrier system  210 . 
   The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.