Patent Publication Number: US-2010107964-A1

Title: Weighted Traffic Cone Assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a traffic cone for being used in occasion of road/site construction, and more particularly, to a weighted traffic cone assembly having a base which is integrated in a central portion thereof with a conical body having a lower end formed with upper and lower peripheries and a plurality of connecting portions distributed therebetween for securely retaining the base. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Traffic cones are usually placed in occasion of road/site construction to warn passing drivers not to hit construction vehicles and workers. Generally, a traffic cone is integrally formed and includes a base and a conical body. A typical traffic cone is injection molded with plastic material so that the base and the conical body are both lightweight. To prevent the traffic cone from being blown away by strong wind, it has been common practice to put a waste tire around the traffic cone, thereby forming an assembly having a lower center of gravity. Hence, in view of the inconvenience of such a makeshift solution, traffic cone manufacturers have endeavored to improve the existing traffic cones, and one example of such improvement is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 7,056,055 B1, which is issued on Jun. 6, 2006 and titled “Traffic Cone (2)”. The traffic cone in the aforesaid patent comprises a cone-shaped body and a base, wherein the cone-shaped body has a lower end provided with an outwardly extending, connecting circumference. The connecting circumference is provided with a plurality of upright bars spaced apart equidistantly and a through hole formed between every two neighboring bars. The base is injection molded independently and then integrated with the cone-shaped body by wrapping the connecting circumference thereof so as to form the complete traffic cone. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention aims to provide an improved structure for the existing traffic cones. It is hoped that a weighted traffic cone assembly comprising a base and a conical body is provided, wherein the conical body is integrated in a central portion of the base and has a lower end formed with upper and lower peripheries and a plurality of connecting portions distributed therebetween for securely retaining the base. 
     Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a traffic cone assembly for being used in occasion of road/site construction, wherein the traffic cone assembly comprises a base and a conical body. The base has an inner periphery formed with a supporting section having slanted, upper and lower surfaces. The supporting section further has a side that is adjacent to an outer periphery of the base and formed with a plurality of spaced holes, wherein the outer periphery of the base has a lower surface concavely formed with an annular groove. After the base is placed in a mold for forming the conical body, a pliable material is introduced into the mold to wrap the supporting section of the base that has the slanted, upper and lower surfaces, fill up each of the holes of the supporting section, and thus form the pliable yet tough conical body having a predetermined shape. The conical body thus formed has a lower end provided with upper and lower peripheries and a plurality of connecting portions distributed therebetween for securely retaining the base. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a traffic cone assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view and a partial, sectional view of a base of the traffic cone assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view and a partial, sectional view of a conical body of the traffic cone assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a frontal, sectional view of the traffic cone assembly according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a traffic cone assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a weighted traffic cone assembly  3  according to the present invention for being used in occasion of road/site construction includes a base  1  and a conical body  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the base  1  constitutes a lower part of the traffic cone assembly  3  and is integrally formed of a material (such as recycled material) having a relatively large specific gravity so as to have a desired width and shape. The base  1  has an inner periphery formed with a supporting section  11  having slanted, upper and lower surfaces. The supporting section  11  has a side which is adjacent to an outer periphery  13  of the base  1  and formed with a plurality of spaced holes  12 . In addition, the outer periphery  13  of the base  1  has a lower surface concavely formed with an annular groove  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , wherein a width of the annular groove  14  depends on a desired weight of the traffic cone assembly  3  as required by the sites where the traffic cone assembly  3  is to be placed. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the conical body  2  is formed of a pliable material in a second injection molding process so as to wrap part of the base  1  and border on the inner periphery of the base  1 , as shown more clearly in  FIG. 4 . To form the conical body  2 , the base  1  which is made in a first injection molding process is placed in a mold for forming the conical body  2 , and then a pliable material is introduced into the mold to wrap the supporting section  11  of the base  1  that has the slanted, upper and lower surfaces, fill up each of the holes  12  of the supporting section  11 , and thus form the pliable yet tough conical body  2  having a predetermined shape and integrated with the base  1 . The conical body  2  has a lower end formed with upper and lower peripheries  21 ,  22  and a plurality of connecting portions  23  distributed therebetween (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) for securely retaining the base  1  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a traffic cone assembly  3 ′ according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes a base  1 ′ which is made in a first injection molding process and then placed in a mold for forming a conical body  2  of the traffic cone assembly  3 ′, so that the conical body  2  is formed in a second injection molding process and wraps part of the base  1 ′, wherein the base  1 ′ is generally rectangular to facilitate placement of the traffic cone assembly  3 ′ on a construction road or construction site as a warning device. The rectangular base  1 ′ in this embodiment has the same structure as the base  1  in  FIG. 2  for enabling formation of the conical body  2  that wraps part of the base. 
     The traffic cone assembly according to the present invention as described above has the following advantages in manufacture and use: 
     1. The base of the traffic cone assembly is integrally formed of a material having a relatively large specific gravity so as to have the desired width and shape. In addition, the annular groove formed on the lower surface of the base provides enhanced grip on the ground, so that the traffic cone assembly can stand stably on a road or at a site under construction without being blown away by strong wind. 
     2. The base is securely retained in the traffic cone assembly by the upper and lower peripheries at the lower end of the conical body as well as the plurality of connecting portions distributed between the upper and lower peripheries. 
     3. The lower surface of the base of the traffic cone assembly is concavely formed with the annular groove whose width is determined by the desired weight of the traffic cone assembly as required by the sites where the traffic cone assembly is to be placed. Hence, the weight of the traffic cone assembly can be easily controlled in the forming process.