Patent Publication Number: US-10323370-B2

Title: Traffic cone

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a nonprovisional utility application which is a continuation-in-part of the design patent application, Ser. No. 29/590,428 filed in the United States Patent Office on Jan. 10, 2017 and claims the priority thereof and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a traffic cone. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a modular lighted traffic cone, a traffic directing kit and a method of assembly thereof. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Traffic cones direct people and traffic to follow a specific path or to avoid certain areas. Law enforcement and highway construction personnel use traffic cones to block off areas as well as forcing people to detour around. 
     Traffic cones are useful to retailers and realtors by either drawing attention to certain locations such as property for sale or special bargains. Tree surgeons block off area under trees as they go about pruning or felling trees, keeping the public safe from falling debris. Cleaning crews block off areas that are undergoing cleaning and may be wet and dangerous. 
     Traffic cones intended for outdoor use are weighted on the bottom and are generally unitary in structure. They stack one on top the other when they are stored or transported, taking up a lot of space. In short, they are bulky and unwieldy, taking up large volumes in car trunks, truck beds and storage facilities. Indoor cones are generally folding triangles that are lightweight. They are flimsy and useless outdoors where the elements can easily flatten them. 
     While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter. 
     In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned. 
     While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     An aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a modular traffic cone that stores in a minimum of space. Accordingly, an aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure provides a traffic cone assembled from a flat sheet and a dish. 
     A further aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a traffic cone with enhanced visibility. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a translucent traffic cone having a platform inside for supporting a light that enhances the traffic cone visibility. 
     Another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a kit for directing traffic. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a kit comprising a translucent flat sheet, a dish, a platform, the sheet, the dish and the platform forming a traffic cone, as well as ballast and a light configured for placing inside the traffic cone. 
     Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a modular traffic cone assembled from a flat sheet and a dish that stores in a minimum of space. The dish is stackable with additional dishes. The translucent traffic cone has enhanced visibility through a light seated on a platform inside the translucent cone. In one embodiment, the modular traffic cone is part of a traffic directing kit comprising a translucent flat sheet, a dish and a base platform, the sheet, the dish and the platform forming a traffic cone, ballast and the light for seating inside the traffic cone. A method of assembly the traffic cone and the kit is disclosed. 
     The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoing deficiencies in the prior art. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above, this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of an assembled traffic cone. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a traffic cone kit. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of an assembled traffic cone kit. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of an example embodiment of a flat sheet for forming a frustoconical member of the traffic cone. 
     
    
    
     The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 3  illustrate an example embodiment of an assembled traffic cone  10 . The assembled traffic cone  10  has a frustoconical member  20  disposed within a dish  40 . The frustoconical member  20  is frustoconical in shape with a flat circular apex  32  and is selectively formed from a flat sheet  18 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the flat sheet  18 . The flat sheet has a pair of sides edge  28 , a first side edge  28  having a plurality of tabs  22  and a second side edge  28  having a plurality of adjacent slots  24  aligning with the tabs  22 , the slots configured for inserting the tabs to form the frustoconical member  20  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . The sheet  18  forming the frustoconical member has a bottom edge  26  and a plurality of slots  24  adjacent to the bottom edge. 
     In one example embodiment, the flat sheet  18  is translucent so that the frustoconical member  20  is translucent when it is formed. The term “translucent” means allowing light to pass through, not opaque, not necessarily transparent but includes transparent material. Translucent includes tinted materials. As a non-limiting example, the frustoconical member  20 , may have a color such as bright orange or yellow to increase visibility of the traffic cone  10 , but still be translucent. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the dish  40  has an external perimeter wall  42  and a floor  48 . The dish  40  has a center circular opening  46  surrounded by an internal wall  50  extending upwardly from the floor  48 . The external perimeter wall  42  and the internal wall  50  form a trough  52 . 
     In the drawings, the dish  40  is shown to have an external perimeter wall  42  that is square. The shape illustrated should not be construed as a limitation and the dish may be any shape such as a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, an oval and a hexagon as not limiting examples. 
     The frustoconical member  20  is formed when the tabs  22  on the first side edge  28  insert into the slots  24  on the second side edge  28  forming an overlap margin  30 . In one example embodiment, the overlap margin  30  is inside the frustoconical member  20 . The traffic cone  10  is formed by selectively disposing the frustoconical member  20  inside the center circular opening  46  of the dish  40 . 
     The internal wall  50  of the dish  40  has a plurality of dimples  38 . When the frustoconical member  20  inserts within the center circular opening  46 , the dimples  38  of the internal wall  50  insert into the slots  24  adjacent to the bottom edge  26  of the frustoconical member  20 . 
     The external perimeter wall  42  of the dish  40  has a ridge  54  forming an upper portion  56  and lower portion  58  of the external perimeter wall. 
     The external perimeter wall  42  has a plurality of ribs  44  allocated in the upper portion  56  and the lower portion  58  of the external perimeter wall, the ribs allocated such that ribs on the upper portion are offset from the ribs on the lower portion. The ribs  44  and the ridge  54  provide strength and stability to the dish so that ballast  14  can be added to the trough  52 . In the drawings, ballast is shown as a sandbag, but this is not a limitation. The ballast can be a unitary piece such as a sandbag or a weight or even a rock or it can be loose such as pebbles, water, sand, dirt, small rocks or any handy material to weigh down the traffic cone in windy conditions. 
     In one example embodiment, the traffic cone  10  has the frustoconical member  20 , the dish  40  as described hereinabove and a base  60 . The base  50  has a topmost circular platform  62  atop a circular wall  64 , the wall having have a plurality of dimples  38 , substantially the same as the dimples  38  on the internal wall  50  of the dish  40 . 
     The frustoconical member  20  is selectively disposed inside the center circular opening  46  of the dish  40  and over the circular wall  64  of the base  60 , with the base  60  inserting inside the frustoconical member  20 . 
     When the traffic cone is formed with the frustoconical member  20 , the dish  40  and the base  60 , a light  12  can selectively be placed on the platform  62  of the base  60  inside the frustoconical member  20 . When the frustoconical member  20  is translucent, the light  12  acts an additional safety feature, providing a beacon. The light shown 
     When the frustoconical member  20  inserts within the center circular opening  46 , the dimples  38  of the internal wall  50  of the dish  40  insert through the slots  24  adjacent to the bottom edge  26  and further insert into the dimples  38  of the base  60 . 
     In yet another example embodiment, the frustoconical member  20  can selectively be placed over the base  60  without the dish  40 . The light can selectively be placed on the platform  62  and use the modified traffic cone can be used where and when ballast is not required. 
       FIG. 2  shows another example embodiment of the traffic cone as part of a traffic directing kit. The traffic directing kit comprises the frustoconical member  20 , the dish  40 , the base  60  and the light  12 . Optionally, the kit may include ballast  14  such as a sandbag  14 , but other readily available ballast may be used as explained hereinabove. 
     A method for forming the traffic cone  10  for directing traffic comprises assembling the frustoconical member  20  from the flat sheet  18  configured for forming a frustoconical shape, the flat sheet  18  having side edges  28 , the first side edge having tabs  22  and the second side edge having adjacent slots  24  aligning with the tabs  22  by gathering the edges  28  towards each other and inserting said tabs  22  inside said slots  24  with the overlap margin  30  inside the frustoconical member  20 , and placing the frustoconical member  20  into the center circular opening  46  of the dish  40  inserting the bottom edge  26  of frustoconical member  20  inside said internal wall  50  of the opening  46 . The dimples  38  of the internal wall  50  insert inside the slots  34  adjacent to the bottom edge  26  of the frustoconical member  20 . 
     In another example embodiment of the method described hereinabove, the method includes the step of inserting the base  60  inside the frustoconical member  20  and inserting the dimples  38  of the internal wall  50  of the dish  40  through the slots  24  adjacent to the bottom edge  26  of the frustoconical member  20 , aligning and inserting the dimples  38  of the internal wall  50  of the dish  40  into the dimples  38  of the circular wall  64  of the platform  62 , disposing the frustoconical member  20  between the base  60  and the dish  40 . 
     Another example embodiment of the method described hereinabove includes placing ballast  14  inside the trough  52  of the dish  40  after the traffic cone  10  is assembled. 
     The method includes the step of placing the light  12  atop the platform  62  of the base  60  inside the frustoconical member. 
     It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. 
     Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected. 
     It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein. 
     Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
     Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims. 
     In conclusion, herein is presented a traffic cone, a traffic directing kit and method of assembly thereof. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.