Patent Abstract:
An articulated guard rail reflector assembly includes a standardized base adapted for mounting the corrugations of a metal guardrail or on top of a guard rail and a pair of interchangeable top reflector holding members, one being circular in outline and one being trapezoidal in outline to fit in the corrugation of a metal highway barrier. The base member and the reflective member are joined by a spring steel L-shape clip that snaps into place. The base and reflector holding members may be made of sheet or galvanized metal, aluminum, polycarbonate plastic, ABS plastic or the like. The L-shape member is made of spring steel and allows the reflector to be moved backwardly of its direction facing traffic by either brushing forces rubbing against the guardrail, or by the pressure of packed snow being pushed against the guardrail by a motor vehicle carrying a snowplow or the like. Preferred reflector material includes plastic lenses and/or reflective tape.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to highway and roadway reflectors and, more particularly, to reflectors mounted on corrugated metal barriers, roadway dividers and the like. 
   Roadway reflectors show motor vehicle drivers outlines of the highways or lanes in which they are driving during nighttime hours. They may be mounted in the concrete or macadam road surfaces between lanes or on the periphery thereof. They may also be mounted on metal posts on the side of the highways, on overhead signs, or on roadway barriers. 
   Metal or concrete roadway barriers or guardrails are vertically oriented and typically mounted immediately outwardly adjacent the highway shoulder to prevent vehicles from unintentionally leaving the highway or crossing medians in divided highways. As these barriers run generally parallel to the highway lanes, reflectors positioned on those barriers need to be positioned at right angles to the barriers to be seen by oncoming traffic. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,142 discloses reflector elements that may be mounted in the corrugations of metal highway barriers. 
   Larger reflectors that are set at 90 degree angles to concrete lane dividers are shown at U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,249,832 and 5,678,950. A more modern guard rail reflector that sits at 90 degrees to the guard rail to which it is mounted is shown at U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,992. This patent discloses two embodiments, one that sits on the top of I-beam guard rail supports and a second that fits in the corrugation of the metal guardrail. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,882, discloses a foam type reflector that is mounted in the corrugations of a steel roadway or Armco barrier. However, except for the small end of the panel, the reflective panel on these foam rubber inserts faces the roadway rather than oncoming drivers. 
   These reflective panels in most cases face an oncoming motor vehicle. In the case of reflectors positioned within the corrugation of steel roadway barriers, the existing reflective members are exposed to damage or breakage by the pressure of snow being forced against the barriers by snowplows during winter. Some of the patents disclose in writing supposedly resilient or elastic members, but do not show how that feature would act in the drawing. Even though a snowplow itself may not contact the roadway barrier or the reflector mounted in a corrugation or on top of the barrier (or on the side of a concrete barrier), the pressure of snow being forced to the side of the roadway by snowplows is enough to severely bend a metal based reflector or break a plastic based reflector of current construction. Resilience in the impact, as a vehicle rubs against a barrier, is also desirable. 
   A need has developed for a roadway reflector that is mountable on the top or side of a road barrier that will withstand the pressures and forces of snow being packed against it by a passing motor vehicle equipped with a snow plow. 
   It is therefore an object of the invention, generally stated, to provide a new and improved reflector for use in connection with highway road barriers. 
   Another object of the present invention is the provision of a highway road barrier mountable reflector that has the ability to resiliently withstand the forces of snow packed thereon by highway vehicles with snowplows attached thereto. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An articulated guard rail reflector assembly includes an elongate base suitable for mounting within at least one of the corrugation of a metal roadside barrier and the top and side of a roadside barrier, a reflector retaining member having reflective material mounted thereon and an L-shape spring steel member selectably releaseably retained at one end on said base and at an opposing end on said reflective retaining member. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention may best be understood from the following detailed description of currently preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a highway barrier post having a corrugated steel barrier mounted thereon and including circular and trapezoidal reflectors constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 1   a  is a fragmentary side view of the circular reflector shown at the top of  FIG. 1  as it appears mounted on top of a barrier post (shown in cross-section); 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the reflectors of the present invention showing the construction of the circular and trapezoidal reflectors in metal; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the trapezoidal and circular versions of the reflectors of the present invention shown as constructed in plastic; 
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary sectional view of the base and spring steel member of the plastic reflector shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary sectional view of the base member and L-shape spring member of the metal embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the L-shape spring steel member of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 1   a , two embodiments of the articulated reflector of the present invention are shown at  10  and  11 , respectively. Both reflectors  10  and  11  are metal framed and reflector  10  is circular in outline and adapted to be positioned on the top of a road barrier, generally indicated at  12 , or a concrete lane divider (not shown). The trapezoidal shaped reflector, generally indicated at  11 , is ideally suited for mounting on the flat portion  13   a  between the corrugations  13   b ,  13   c  of the metal road barrier, generally indicated at  13 . In  FIGS. 1 and 1   a , the circular reflector, generally indicated at  10 , is mounted to the top of the wood road barrier  12  by a wood screw  14  that has a washer  15  positioned on top of the wood road barrier  12 . In  FIG. 1 , the trapezoidal shaped reflector  11  is mounted on flat portion  13   a  of the corrugated road barrier  13  by means of a through bolt  16  with washers  17 — 17  positioned at each end thereof and secured by a nut  18 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 1   a , the circular reflector, generally indicated at  10 , includes a sheet or galvanized metal base  20  that is secured to the top of the wood road barrier  12  by wood screw  14 . In an important aspect of the present invention, an L-shape spring steel member  21  is slidably mounted and retained at one end to the metal base member  20  and at its opposing end to the circular reflector mounting plate  22 ′. The circular reflective plate  23  mounted on mounting plate  22  may be made of reflective tape, plastic or the like. As shown most clearly in  FIG. 1   a , by the dotted line representation, spring steel L-shaped member  21  may be elastically bent to a substantial degree, most likely by forces asserted on the top plate  22  and reflector  23 , and still spring back into a vertical position when the force is removed therefrom. 
   The trapezoidal metal reflector, generally indicated at  10 , includes the identical base  20  of the circular reflector  10 . Likewise, the identical L-shape spring steel member  21  is mounted at one end to the base  20  and at its other end to the trapezoidal reflector  24 . The trapezoidal shape reflectors  25 — 25   a  may be made of reflective tape, plastic, or the like. Part of reflector  25  may be cut out, if necessary, to clear the L-shape members  57 – 60 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 6 , both the round metal reflector, generally shown at  10 , the trapezoidal shape reflector, generally shown at  11  share the same metal base, generally shown at  20  and the same L-shape spring steel member, generally shown at  21  that on one end thereof is mounted to the base  20  and on its opposing end is mounted to either the trapezoidal shape reflector  11  or the circular shape reflector  10 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the metal reflector base  20  starts out as a generally flat, generally rectangular metal stamping sheet measuring 3-¼×1-½×⅛ inch including a large slot  28  11/16×1-¾ inch extending inward and defining a pair of distal ends  29  and  30 , sized to fit under and be retained by the head of a typical guardrail bolt, and an opposing rectangular mounting end  31  including a plurality, in this embodiment, four L-shape tabs  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35  approximately 3/16× 5/16 that are displaced downwardly from the outward sides of the U-shape apertures  32   a ,  33   a ,  34   a ,  35   a  formed by the displacement of the respective tabs. Centrally of each of the four L-shape tabs  32 – 35 , is a central circular aperture  36  5/16 inch in diameter that will be discussed in more detail below. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , the round metal reflector, generally indicated at  10 , includes in this preferred embodiment, a rectangular bottom portion  40  1-½ inch across and a large circular top portion  41  3-¼ inches in diameter preferably made out of stamped sheet metal the same thickness as generally rectangular base member  20  with the rectangular bottom portion  40  being sized substantially similar to the rectangular mounting portion  31  of base member  20 . 
   In a manner identical to that on the rectangular mounting end  31  of the slotted base member  20 , the rectangular base end  40  of the circular metal reflector  22  includes a plurality, in this preferred embodiment four L-shape offsets  42 – 45  stamped into the rectangular mounting end  40  from the outsides thereof with the offset portions being attached to the circular metal reflector at the outsides of the apertures  42   a – 45   a  formed by the displacement of metal during the stamping of the L-shape tabs  41 – 45 . The L-shape tabs  42 – 45  are identical to the tabs  34 ,  35  shown in  FIG. 5 . In the center of the four L-shape tabs  42 – 45 , is a circular aperture  46  to be discussed in more detail below. Additionally, centrally of the circular portion  41  of base  22  is a second aperture  47  preferably threaded through which a threaded screw  48 , or a rivet if desired, fixedly retains the circular reflective material  23  which, in this embodiment, includes a circular plastic lens  49 , preferably of white or yellow color, retained in a circular metal frame  50 . 
   Similarly to the mounting portion  31  of the base metal stamping and the mounting portion  40  of the round metal reflector  10 , the trapezoidal reflector  11  includes a generally flat base side  53  1-½ inches long, and an elongate top side  54  5 inches long with opposed converging sides  55 ,  56 , defining a 2-¾ inch high reflector preferably made of ⅛ inch stamped sheet metal. As with the reflector base  31  and the round reflector base  40 , adjacent the base side  53  of trapezoidal reflector  11  is a plurality, in the preferred embodiment, four tabs stamped out of the sheet metal tabs  57 ,  58 ,  59  and  60 , stamped out of the sheet metal to extend rearwardly of the reflector  11 , also defining U-shape apertures  57   a ,  58   a ,  59   a  and  60   a . These tabs are shaped and positioned identically to the metal tabs  42 ,  45  in the circular reflector  10  and tabs  32 – 35  in the reflector base, and are of a depth to retain the L-shape spring steel member therein. Also, a central aperture  61  is in the same position as the central apertures  46  and  36  of the reflector base and round reflector and performs the same function. 
   In this embodiment, a variation of the reflector is shown as having two adhesive panels  25  and  25   a  that are adhered to the front and back sides of the trapezoidal metal reflector. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , one important aspect of the present invention is the spring steel L-shape member, generally indicated at  21  in  FIG. 6 . Generally L-shape member  21  is made of spring steel, starts out as a flat piece of sheet metal, approximately 1×2-½× 1/32 inch, is bent into an L-shape defining base rectangular portion  58  about 1×1- 3/16 inch, and vertical rectangular portion  59  about 1× 3/16 inch joined by a semi-cylindrical rolled portion  60  ⅛ inch in inside diameter therebetween. 
   The inch width of L-shape spring steel member across the flat portions parallel to the axis of the rolled portion  60  is sized to fit snugly between the vertical portions of the various opposed L-shape members such as  32  and  34  in metal base member  20 ,  42  and  44  in upright round metal reflective member  22  and  58 – 60  in trapezoidal reflective member  24  i.e., the members define an opening about 1/32 inch in height. This allows the base member  58  to slide between the L-shape members  32 – 34  and  33 – 35  until such time as the tab  61 , about 9/32×⅜ inch slips into and is retained by aperture  36  in the metal base member  20 . 
   Likewise, the vertical tab  62  will be retained either in aperture  46  of the round metal reflector or aperture  60  of the trapezoid metal reflector when either of those reflectors is slidably mounted by its respective L-shape tabs on the vertical portion  59  of spring steel member  21 . The central rolled portion  60  provides a structure to allow the vertical portion  59  to bend arcuately from its vertical portion to an obtuse angle when sufficient force is applied to the reflective member, such as by packed snow being moved by a highway snowplow, road grader or the like. The elasticity of the spring steel member allows the movement of the reflective member as shown in  FIG. 1   a  in dotted line and allows that member to return to its original vertical position after the applied force has been removed therefrom. 
   Tabs  61  and  62  are not L-shaped similarly to the prior mentioned tabs, but are simply bent or creased at their bottom at an acute angle with the adjacent flat portion of the spring steel member. 
   Sliding the spring steel member along the L-shape tabs of the respective reflector mounting portion until the tab  61  or  62  enters and retains itself in the adjacent aperture  26 ,  46  or  60  will selectively lock the spring steel member to the respective reflective metal member. That locking engagement may be released by depressing the tab through the aperture until it elastically is positioned generally parallel to the remainder of the adjacent portion of the L-shape member from which it is springingly deformed, as shown most clearly in  FIG. 5 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , third and fourth embodiments of the articulated reflector of the present invention are shown with the reflector base  65 , circular reflective material  66  and trapezoidal reflective material, generally indicated at  67  all made out of a tough plastic material such as polycarbonate, ABS, or the like. The outside dimensions of plastic reflector base  65  are sized substantially identical to those of metal reflective base  20  including an elongate slot  66  defining two distal end members  67 ,  68  and a rectangular mounting portion  69 . 
   Similarly, circular reflective mounting plate  66  is sized on its outward dimensions identically to circular metal mounting plate  22  with respect to the size of the rectangular mounting portion  71  and circular reflector mounting portion  72 , central threaded aperture  73  that allows the mounting of a reflector base  74  that includes a reflective lens element  75  mounted to a backing member  76  and includes a central aperture  77  through which a threaded screw  78 , or rivet if desired retains the reflector lens  74  on the circular reflector mounting plate  66 . 
   Likewise, the plastic trapezoidal reflector mounting plate  67  is sized identically on its outward dimensions to metal trapezoidal reflector plate  11  and includes a flat base mounting side  80 . Trapezoidal reflector  67  includes, in this embodiment, reflective members  84 ,  85  that are substantially identical to reflective members  25 ,  25   a  and adhere to the front and back of trapezoidal plastic reflective member  67 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the structure by which either of the opposing flat ends  58  or  59  of the L-shaped spring steel member  21  is mounted on and retained by the reflector base  65 , and correspondingly in an identical manner to the plastic reflector mounting plate  66  and the trapezoidal reflector mounting plate  67 , includes a cutout slot  80  that extends upwardly from the bottom surface of base member  65  in a generally rectangular shape defined by a top wall  81 , side walls  82  and an opposing side wall (not shown) and an end wall  84 . Slot  80  is approximately 1×1-¼× 1/16 inch in size, with tolerances to allow the L-shape spring steel member to snugly slide therein. 
   While the plastic reflector base and circular and trapezoidal reflector mounting plates do not include L-shape tabs punched out of a metal plate like the metal reflector  10 , the slot  80  does include four semicircular tabs 5/16×5- 3/32× 1/32, two of which are shown at  85  and  86  in  FIG. 4  that extend inwardly of each of the opposing walls of the slot to slidingly engage and embrace the lower surface of either the rectangular base portion  58  or rectangular vertical portion  59  of the L-shape spring steel member  21 . The bottom of base  20  is to fit flush against its mounting without the washers used on the metal embodiments. The flush fit aids the toughness of the tabs. 
   A central aperture  87  5/16 inch in diameter extend from the top wall  81  through the remainder of the plastic reflector base  65  provides an identical function as apertures  36 ,  46  and  60  of the metal reflector base and reflector mounting portions, respectively, in that it receives and restrainingly retains the spring steel mounting plate tab ( 61  as shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
   In a manner identical to that shown in  FIG. 5 , the tab  61  may be bent downwardly until it is parallel to the remainder of the spring steel portion  58  when the reflector needs to be disassembled. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , apertures  88  and  89  are formed above the respective tabs  85  and  86  and are sized similarly thereto to provide for ease of molding the tabs  85  and  86 . In a manner similar to apertures  88  and  89  on one side of the plastic reflector base  65 , apertures  91  and  92  are formed on the opposing side to allow for molding their complementary tabs (not shown) to extend inwardly adjacent the bottom of the slot  80  in base portion  65 . In the preferred embodiment, tabs  85  and  86 , and the remainder of the tabs in the base mounting plate  65  circular reflector mounting plate  66  and trapezoidal reflector mounting plate  67  are semicircular in shape, although it should be noted that other shapes such as rectangular, triangular or the like may be utilized in forming tabs to retain the spring steel, L-shape member on the respective reflector base and reflector mounting members. 
   The circular reflective mounting member  66  includes a central aperture  95  and apertures  96   a ,  96   b ,  96   c  and  96   d  positioned spatially adjacent corresponding semicircular tabs (not shown) because the vertical portion of the L-shape spring steel mounting member  59  covers same. 
   In a trapezoidal plastic reflector mounting member  67 , tabs  100  and  101  are shown through apertures  10   a  and  101   a  respectively while the inward facing face of tabs  102  and  103  are shown through apertures  102   a  and  103   a , respectively. Central aperture  104  again forms the same purpose in trapezoidal reflector mounting member as the central aperture  95  in the circular reflector mounting member. 
   Thus, two embodiments of a metal reflector are shown and described, and two embodiments of a plastic reflector are shown and described, disclosing features that provide the inventive aspects of the present disclosure. 
   All of these embodiments disclose articulated highway reflectors that will survive and continue to function after being deformed by pressure from snow, impact, or the like and will spring back to working position when that pressure or force has been released to provide for continued reflectivity, increased life of the reflector, and increased safety for travelers traveling on the roads adjacent which these reflectors are mounted. 
   While four embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. It is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4