Patent Publication Number: US-2009231155-A1

Title: Emergency/hazard warning system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Although several devices have been designed for use as roadside hazard warning systems, most of such devices are limited to providing a warning to approaching traffic that a dangerous condition exists ahead. The present invention also provides a warning to oncoming traffic by means of a flare, reflector, emergency light, or the like. However, the present invention also meets an essential safety need not otherwise addressed by the prior art by utilizing a position-responsive switch or other means for energizing a battery powered audible alarm to provide a system for warning those individuals involved in a side of the road dangerous condition that an oncoming vehicle has breached a predetermined perimeter and may pose an immediate threat to those on the side of the road. This allows those on the side of the road to take evasive action to prevent personal injury or property damage as a result of the condition which caused the breach of the perimeter, i.e. an oncoming vehicle, etc. Either a single unit can be deployed to establish the required perimeter or multiple units may be daisy chained together with a retractable cord to provide a more comprehensive barrier. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an emergency/hazard warning system for roadside use that is portable, collapsible for easy storage in the trunk of an automobile, and which can be set up quickly to indicate the safety boundary of a restricted area, for example a roadside area where a stalled car is off the road, or next to the scene of an accident, or alongside a work area where a highway section or bridge is being repaired, or where debris has spilled onto the right-of-way. 
     The system provides early warning to operators of approaching vehicles to be on the watch for hazardous road conditions, slow moving traffic, as well as the presence of emergency response medical personnel, police, tow trucks, service trucks and construction workers. The system also provides early warning to persons working within a restricted or barricaded area that the safety boundary has been encroached, possibly by a motor vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a general drawing of one preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed drawing of the stand  2 . 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed drawing of the hub  8 . 
         FIG. 4  is a general drawing of one preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  depicts the deployment of one embodiment of the invention in a typical road side scenario. 
         FIG. 6  depicts the deployment of another embodiment of the invention in a typical road side scenario. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The emergency/hazard warning system is illustrated generally in  FIG. 1  and is identified by the number  1 . As is depicted in  FIG. 1 , the emergency/hazard warning system  1  has a collapsible stand  2 , a battery powered audible alarm  3 , and a battery powered flashing light  4 . In a preferred embodiment, the emergency/hazard warning system  1  also has a retractable cord  5 . Additionally, the emergency/hazard warning system  1  utilizes a means for energizing the battery powered audible alarm  3  in the event that the emergency/hazard warning system is tilted or tipped over. The means for energizing the battery powered audible alarm  3  can be any one or more of a number of devices such as a position-responsive switch, an inertia switch or any other similar device which would be well known to one skilled in the art. 
     The collapsible stand  2  is further illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The collapsible stand  2  has three legs  6 , one or more vertical members  7 , and a hub  8  which connects the legs  6  to each other and to the vertical members  7 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the legs  6  and the vertical members  7  are affixed to each other by internal elastic cords  9  which pass through a vertical connection  11  ( FIG. 3 ) and leg connections  12  ( FIG. 3 ) in the hub  8  and such elastic cords  9  are affixed to the legs  6  and a vertical member  7  by internal pins  10 . 
     The hub  8  is further illustrated in  FIG. 3 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hub  8  has a vertical connection  11  for a the vertical members  7  and three leg connections  12  for the legs  6  wherein the adjacent leg connections  12  are at an angle of approximately 120 degrees from each other and each leg connection  12  is at an angle of between 90 degrees and 135 degrees from the vertical connection  11 . It is understood that the angle of the leg connections  12  to the vertical connection  11  and the relationship between the length of the legs  6  and the length of the vertical members  7  can be altered to achieve varying degrees of stability for the emergency/hazard  1  warning system. In a preferred embodiment, the length of the vertical members  7  is approximately three times the length of each of the legs  6  and the angle between the leg connections  12  and the vertical connection  11  is approximately 120 degrees. However, it should be understood that, if a particular application requires greater stability, the length of the vertical members  6  can be reduced relative to the length of each of the legs  6  and/or the angle of the leg connections  12  to the vertical connection  11  can be reduced. Likewise, if a particular application requires less stability, the length of the vertical members  7  can be increased relative to the length of each of the legs  6  and/or the angle of the leg connections  12  to the vertical connection  11  can be increased. 
     Another preferred embodiment of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  is illustrated generally in  FIG. 4 . In this embodiment of the invention, a means for alerting traffic  13  is affixed to the top of the vertical members  7 . The means for alerting traffic  13  can be any type of device capable of alerting the operators of vehicular traffic to the presence of an emergency situation such as pyrotechnic flares, reflectors, emergency lights, and so forth, all of which would be familiar to one skilled in the art. 
       FIG. 5  depicts the deployment of a single unit of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  in a typical roadside scenario. In this embodiment of the invention, the emergency/hazard warning system  1  is positioned on the side of a roadway  14  behind an emergency situation  15  relative to the flow of traffic on the side of the roadway  14  where the emergency situation  15  exists. The emergency situation  15  could be any one or more of a number of situations including, without limitation, a disabled vehicle, a work crew, a roadside obstacle or debris. The emergency/hazard warning system  1  is placed so as to provide an early warning to operators of approaching vehicles to be on the watch for the emergency situation  15 . The emergency/hazard warning system  1  also provides early warning to persons working within the emergency situation  15  that the safety boundary has been encroached, possibly by a motor vehicle, in the event the emergency/hazard warning system  1  is tilted or tipped over. 
       FIG. 6  depicts the deployment of multiple units of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  in a typical roadside scenario. In the depicted embodiment of the invention, three units of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  are linked together by their respective retractable cords  5 , so as to form a barrier  16  between the roadway  14  and an emergency situation  15 . The emergency situation  15  could be any one or more of a number of situations including, without limitation, an accident, a disabled vehicle, a work crew, a roadside obstacle or debris. 
     The emergency/hazard warning system  1  is designed so that it can be disassembled into a small package which will easily fit inside the trunk or other storage area of a motor vehicle. The emergency/hazard warning system  1  is deployed by affixing the legs  6  to the leg connections  12  of the hub  8 , by affixing the vertical members  7  to each other and to the vertical connection  11  of the hub  8 , by affixing the battery powered audible alarm  3  to one of the vertical members  7 , and by affixing the battery powered flashing light  3  or the means for alerting traffic  13  to the top of the topmost vertical member  7 . One or more units of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  are then deployed around an emergency situation  15  and, if more than one unit is deployed, the separate units are connected to each other in a daisy chain fashion with the retractable cords  5  so as to create a barrier  16  around the emergency situation  15 . 
     The emergency/hazard warning system  1 , once deployed, alerts oncoming traffic to the existence of an emergency situation. Additionally, in the event the barrier  16  is crossed the retractable cords  5  will cause one or more of the units of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  to tilt or tip over so that the position-responsive switch or other means for energizing the battery powered audible alarm will cause the battery powered audible alarm to become energized and sound an audible warning to those within the barrier  16 . Likewise, if only a single unit of the emergency/hazard warning system  1  is deployed, in the event the unit is tilted or tipped over, the position-responsive switch or other means for energizing the battery powered audible alarm will cause the battery powered audible alarm to become energized and sound an audible warning to those within the emergency situation  15 .