Abstract:
A portable roadway construction barrier comprising vertically telescoping sections which allow the barrier to be expanded for use or collapsed for storage and transport. The sections are held in the expanded position using locking devices formed at the junctions between the sections. The uppermost section may comprise a handle to facilitate transport and the collapse or expansion of the barrier. The base section may include a recess to allow efficient stacking of multiple barriers in the collapsed state.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/942,683, filed Jun. 8, 2007, entitled COLLAPSIBLE STACKABLE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION BARRIER, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to portable barrier devices and, more particularly, to a collapsible and stackable roadway construction barrier. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The design and use of so-called traffic drums or traffic barrels is well-known in the art and comprise a familiar sight on the nation&#39;s roadways, particularly in construction areas where it is desired to control traffic access to particular areas. Such barriers, or channelizers as they are sometimes called, are generally formed of impact-resistant plastic and are typically configured as tiered drums having a base that is wider than the top of the drum in order to enhance stability. Additionally, the bottom of the barrier is typically weighted in order to keep the barrier in place once it has been placed by the construction or safety crew. 
         [0004]    A drawback to the prior art barrier design is that it is bulky and occupies a considerable amount of space when being stored and transported. This presents increased costs and logistical problems for both the storage of the barriers between uses, as well as the transport and installation of the barriers at the location where it is desired to control traffic. There is therefore a need for improvements in this area. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Accordingly, a portable roadway construction barrier is disclosed, comprising a plurality of vertically telescoping hollow sections; and a hollow base section; wherein the horizontal perimeters of the vertically telescoping hollow sections comprise substantially the same geometric shape; and wherein the vertically telescoping hollow sections are horizontally sized to be collapsible into the hollow base section. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of a construction barrier according to one embodiment shown in the expanded state. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1B  is a cross-sectional view of the barrier of  FIG. 1A  shown in the collapsed state. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the barrier of  FIG. 1A , illustrated in a magnified view. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a partial top plan view of the barrier of  FIG. 1A . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the barrier of  FIG. 1A  shown in the expanded state. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of the barrier of  FIG. 1A  shown in the collapsed state. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, and alterations and modifications in the illustrated device, and further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are herein contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
         [0013]    A first embodiment collapsible and stackable roadway construction barrier is illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 4A  and indicated generally at  10 . Barrier  10  is constructed of separate sections  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20  that have interior and exterior diameters that allow the various sections to nest with one another as shown. The present disclosure comprehends any suitable dimensions (both absolute and relative between the various portions) for the barrier  10 . Although the barrier  10  is illustrated as having five sections  12 - 20 , the present disclosure comprehends barriers which have more or fewer sections. 
         [0014]    Top section  12  includes a closed lid portion, to which is affixed a handle  22  having an opening  24  formed therein and functioning as a carry handle for the barrier  10 . Handle  22  is also used for expanding and collapsing the barrier  10 , as explained hereinbelow. In the first embodiment, the opening  24  is sized to be easily grasped by workers wearing gloves. The handle  22  includes light mount holes  26  that allow lights to be mounted to the barrier  10  for versatile lighting options. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the handle  22  additionally includes flag mount slots  27  that allow flags to be mounted to the barrier  10  for versatile flagging options. 
         [0015]    In the first embodiment, each section  12 - 20  of barrier  10  is formed to have a generally circular cross-section, but other cross-sectional shapes are also comprehended in other embodiments. The base section  20  may include a thickened circumferential outer rim  28  that increases both the diameter and the weight of the base  20 , thereby enhancing the stability of the barrier  10  and tending to keep the barrier  10  in an upright position despite wind loading and other forces that may be applied to the barrier  10 . The base section  20  also includes a recess  30  formed in the central section thereof, which allows room to receive the handle  22  of an adjacent barrier  10  when stacked, as described in greater detail hereinbelow. 
         [0016]    At each junction between adjacent sections  12 - 20 , there are formed locking devices in the form of complementary circumferential protrusions and indentations which allow the sections to be releasably locked together, as shown in  FIG. 2 . As one non-limiting example, a portion of the intersection between sections  12  and  14  is illustrated, showing a protrusion  32  formed circumferentially into the outer surface  33  of section  12  and a corresponding indentation  34  formed circumferentially on the inner surface  35  of section  14 . Each of the sections  12 - 20  will have at least one such locking device between adjacent sections. Provision of multiple locking devices between adjacent sections is also comprehended by the present disclosure. In addition to a continuous protrusion and indentation around the circumference of the sections  12 - 20 , the present disclosure contemplates that the locking device can be implemented as individual protrusions and indentations placed at various points around the circumference of the sections  12 - 20 . The protrusions  32  and indentations  34  are sized so as to naturally nest with one another when brought into mutual alignment. Although  FIG. 2  shows the protrusion  32  and indentation  34  as mutually nesting curvatures, the present disclosure contemplates that the other shapes may be used to implement the locking device. 
         [0017]    With continuing reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the barrier  10  may be collapsed from its extended position by simply applying enough downward pressure on its top surface (typically by pressing on the handle  22 ) to force the protrusions  32  to disengage from the associated indentations  34 . In the first embodiment, a force of approximately 4 to 6 lbs is required to accomplish this. Further downward pressure will cause the sections  12 - 20  to nest substantially completely as shown in the  FIGS. 1B and 4B . Expansion of the collapsed barrier  10  is accomplished by the reverse operation, namely applying a pulling force to the handle  22  in the upward direction until the protrusions  32  engage their associated indentations  34 , at which point the barrier sections  12 - 20  will lock in their expanded positions as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 4A . 
         [0018]    When in the collapsed state, the barrier  10  occupies approximately one-fifth the volumetric space of the prior art barriers. Storage, handling and transport of the barrier  10  are therefore greatly facilitated in relation to the prior art barriers. Furthermore, the collapsed barrier  10  may be stacked on top of other such barriers  10 , since the handle  22  will nest inside the recess  30  of the barrier  10  above. This further facilitates efficient storage, handling and transport of the barrier  10 . 
         [0019]    The barrier  10  may be formed from any suitable material and by any suitable manufacturing process. The first embodiment barrier  10  is manufactured by the spinning of plastic fibers. High volumes of the barriers  10  may be cost-effectively manufactured from molds using injection molding techniques as is known in the art. The barriers  10  can be made to any size, shape and design required by the relevant regulatory body, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation. Optionally, the surface of barrier  10  may have reflective bands formed therearound in order to make them more visible to vehicles at night. Such reflective bands may be formed using Scotchlite® (Retroreflective Sheeting (available from 3M®, St. Paul, Minn.). 
         [0020]    While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.