Abstract:
An assembly for providing the secure mount of warning lights on the top and/or back side of the blade of a snow plow or road grader. The assembly is designed to protect the assembly from a harsh environment and help a mounted light withstand the shocks and impacts regularly experienced by a plow when in use.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/727,589, filed Oct. 17, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Background of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates generally to an apparatus for mounting electrical features on a plow assembly, and more particularly to a structure for effectively mounting electrical warning lights on a plow blade such that the lights and components are adequately protected.  
         [0004]     2. Discussion of the Prior Art  
         [0005]     Snow removal is an important task in colder climates where it is necessary to ensure that the public has safe access to roads and areas affected by storms and inclement weather. Also important is the ability to safely conduct road work, landscaping, and related jobs in warmer areas. A variety of work vehicles mounted with snow plows or road graders are typically used to accomplish these tasks. However, when road graders and snow plows are used to clear snow and other material or to groom gravel roads, their presence can potentially pose a safety risk to others on the road.  
         [0006]     One common safety problem is that when these vehicles are operated to plow snow or the like, the left end of the plow blade often will extend laterally beyond the vehicle&#39;s body. This configuration, combined with conditions often providing limited visibility, poses a risk that other on-coming vehicles or those passing on the left of the road grader/plow may hit the blade.  
         [0007]     One way in which to address this problem, that has been suggested in the past, is by mounting lights on or around the plow to help improve visibility during night operation as well as to provide additional warning illumination. Examples of these configurations include light bar arrangements on the upper edges and ends of the plow and configurations which fix a plurality of lamps to the top portion of a snow plow. While these devices might provide some enhanced visibility of plows, they are not well designed to provide adequate warning lights while protecting and securing the lighting assembly in an effective manner.  
         [0008]     The harsh conditions and frequent and sustained impacts on a plow blade require that a much more sturdy and reinforced design be made than the previously contemplated devices. A plow having mounted lights must overcome the problem of relatively fragile lights and electrical connections being subjected to undesirable weather conditions and destructive shaking and jolting of a plow blade.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The light mounting assembly for plow blades and grader blades in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an elongated housing member extending parallel with and fixed to the top of the plow or grader blade, a pair of mounting brackets joined to the ends of the plow blade, electrical light members attached to the mounting brackets at the ends of the plow blade, and steel pipe connecting the housing member to the electrical light members.  
         [0010]     Alternatively, the assembly may include outer frames joined to the sides of the back of a plow, a strobe light surrounded by each frame, and a plurality of flexible dampening members supporting the strobe light within the outer frames. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals in the several views refer to corresponding parts.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a front view of the mounting assembly of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a left side perspective view of a portion of the mounting assembly of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a left side perspective view of the mounting assembly of the present invention showing the light assembly and protective shield for associated electrical wiring;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the lamp assembly mounted in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the mounting assembly of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the light mounting assembly  10  of the present invention is seen in schematic form. It is generally made up of a central housing tube  12 , conduit tubes  14 , mounting brackets  16 , and light boxes  18 .  
         [0018]     These components generally make up an assembly where flashing lights are mounted on the upper corners of a plow/ road grader blade  20  ( FIG. 2 ). Light boxes  18 , comprising forward and rearward directed LED strobe lights, are bolted to a mounting bracket  16  which bolts to the plow blade  20  proximate its opposed ends, preferably using the same bolt holes that are normally used for attaching the blade&#39;s wear plates  22 . See  FIG. 3 . The wiring  24  for the lights comes from the road grader&#39;s lighting system. To protect this insulated wire  24  leading to the lamp assembly  18 , it is encased in steel conduit or pipe  14  and a larger diameter steel tubular housing member  12 . The insulated wire  24  then proceeds into the light boxes  18  welded to brackets  16 . These brackets  16  are then bolted to the upper edge of the plow or road grader&#39;s blade  20 . The invention is well-suited for use on straight plow blades as well as on wing blades.  
         [0019]     The schematic drawing of  FIG. 1  demonstrates how wiring  24  from the plow/grader&#39;s lighting system is supplied to the center of the central housing tube  12  through a grommet located in a drilled opening  26  and eventually leads to light boxes  18 , via conduit pipes  14 . Once inside the housing tube  12  the wiring  24  extends in opposite axial directions away from central housing tube  12  by passing from both ends of the housing  12  into steel pipes  14 . Theses pipes  14  are adapted to be attached to an upper edge of the plow blade and extend toward each respective side of the plow blade  20 . They eventually join to junction boxes on which lamp assembles  18  are mounted by means of brackets  16  that are affixed to the opposed ends of the plow blade  20 . In this way, the electrical power supply is effectively protected from damage and moisture as its path spans the distance between the plow/road grader&#39;s lighting system and light assemblies  18 .  
         [0020]     Without limitation, housing member  12  may comprise a four inch diameter steel pipe having end caps  30 . The end caps  30  are provided with bores and extending a predetermined distance through the bores are one-half inch diameter steel pipes  14 . The assembly of  FIG. 1  is adaptable for attachment to truck mounted plows, tractor mounted plows and road graders.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  discloses a partial side view of the assembly in place on a plow blade. Central housing tube  12  can be seen located just above the plow blade  20 . This housing tube  12  generally runs axially parallel to the length dimension of the plow blade  20 . A flat bar mounting bracket  28  joins the housing tube  12  to the top edge portion of the back face of the plow blade  20 . The flat bar mounting bracket  28  is preferably welded to the outer surface of housing tube  12  on one end and is bolted to the plow blade  20  on the opposite end. Housing tube  12  is shown to have a tubular, cylindrical shape with end caps  30  and a drilled opening  26  in the side of the cylinder through which wiring  24  passes. The end caps  30  of the housing tube  12  each have a small circular opening  32  through which conduit  14  exits on either side of the housing  12  These circular openings  32  may include a double lipped grommet seal  34  to ensure that the wiring  24  within the housing tube  12  is not subjected to dirt and moisture.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows another perspective side view of the assembly  10 . From this view the light assemblies  18  and a side of the plow blade is more fully illustrated. The pipe or conduit  14  extends generally parallel to the top of the plow blade  20  as it leaves the housing tube  12  and is secured by a bracket  36  for support. Shortly beyond the bracket  36 , the pipe  14  makes, roughly, a 90° bend such that it extends upward to the light assembly  18 . Light assembly  18  in one embodiment is made up of two box shaped housings comprising forward and rearward LED strobe lights. These commercially-available components allow for light to be directed to both the front and the rear of the plow blade  20 . Such LED strobe lights come in various colors including amber as authorized by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation and are commercially available from NOVA Electronics, Inc. of Colchester, Conn.  
         [0023]     Supporting these light assemblies  18  are mounting brackets  16 . The mounting brackets  16  have a curved lower portion  38  which conforms to the shape of the back of the plow blade  20  and a flat upper portion  40  which projects vertically upward from the top edge of the plow blade  20  when it is attached. The lower portion  38  of the bracket  16  additionally contains holes  42  which match the same bolt holes in the blade that are normally used for bolting on the blade&#39;s replaceable wear plates  22 . The mounting bracket  16  is accordingly fixed in place by bolts  44  extending through the existing holes in the plow&#39;s face.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front, partial perspective view of the plow assembly  10 . Blade wear plates  22  cover the top front comers of the front face of the plow. These plates  22  typically are used to direct snow away from the plow and are replaceable as wear makes it necessary. As previously mentioned, these plates  22  also provide the holes through which bolts  42  extend within the plow face  20  to hold mounting brackets  16  and the strobe lights  18  to the plow assembly. The tubular housing  12  and the conduit  14  afford a solid, dry, protective shield for the electrical wiring preventing breakage and/or wearing thereof, even in the most severe working environments.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which a unique light assembly is attached to the rear face of the plow blade  20 . The assembly generally comprises a commercially available central strobe light  46  contained within a moisture-proof strobe light housing  48 . The assembly is shown centrally located near the end edge of the back of the plow blade  20 .  
         [0026]     A rectangular frame  50  of the assembly is clamped, bolted, welded or otherwise attached to either the side lip or back of the plow  20 . The frame  50  comprises four metal side members, as at  56 , which are welded or otherwise fastened together in a generally square shape.  
         [0027]     Referring still to  FIG. 5 , centrally located within frame  50  is the strobe light  46  and strobe light housing  48 . Strobe light housing  48  is generally a hollow cylindrically shaped cam member which terminates in a flat flange  62  around the round opening  64 . This flat flange  62  contains four equally spaced attachment hole locations  66  around the strobe housing  48  perimeter. The attachment hole locations  66  provide a structure which allows resilient straps as at  52  to stretch between the attachment locations  60  of the frame  50  and the attachment locations  66  around the flange  62  of the strobe housing  48 . In this way, eight resilient straps  52  can be placed in tension to provide vibration isolated support for the strobe housing  48  and are configured such that the strobe housing  48  will experience a dampening of vibrations when the plow blade  20  is jolted and impacted during use.  
         [0028]     Located within the strobe housing  48  is an array of LED strobe lights  46 . These strobe lights in array  46  are protected around the perimeter by a seal member (not shown) placed in between the strobe light array  46  and strobe housing  48 . When in use, the light array  46  will face outward from the rear face of the plow  20 . Placing a flashing strobe light array in this location enables drivers approaching from the rear to better see the location of the plow blade, and will reduce the danger to other motorists. Also within the strobe housing  48  is wiring which will exit the strobe housing  48  via an electrical cord  54  either through an opening  74  in the side of the strobe housing  46  (see  FIG. 5 ) or from the rear opening (not shown) in the back side of the strobe housing  46 . The wiring  54  can be shrouded by conduit  14  as it exits the strobe housing  
         [0029]     While this embodiment of the present invention has been primarily described as having a configuration utilizing a frame equipped with eight resilient straps, a more simplified version utilizing less than eight straps and corresponding components is also well within the scope of this invention. Also, the light assembly can be affixed to a top edge of a plow blade so as to e viewable to on-coming motorists.  
         [0030]     This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.