GB2299356A - Temporary road signs - Google Patents

Abstract

A temporary road sign comprises a sign-bearing plate 2 having two ground-engaging legs 7, 8, a further ground engaging leg 4 pivotally connected to an upper portion of the sign-bearing plate, and an apertured support plate 3 pivotally connected to a lower portion of the sign-bearing plate and having an aperture 24 extending therethrough through which the further ground-engaging leg extends, whereby, in a storage position, the storage plate and the further ground-engaging leg may be folded substantially flat with the sign-bearing plate, and in an erected condition, the further ground-engaging leg may be inclined at an angle so as to support the sign-bearing plate in a tilted position with the apertured support plate extending substantially horizontally so as to support the further ground-engaging leg at the required inclination.

Description

"Temporarv Road Signs This invention relates to temporary road signs.

Temporary road signs are widely used in the vicinity of road works and in other locations in which warnings and other road directions are to be given to traffic on a temporary basis. A typical warning sign which may be used in such circumstances will show a red triangle surrounding the standard man-at-work symbol denoting roadworks. Such temporary road signs must be capable of being supported on the ground in a secure manner so that they cannot easily be displaced by wind gusts for example, whilst being of a convenient form to enable them to be stored and transported.

Temporary road signs are typically fabricated from metal and comprise a sign-bearing plate and a ground-engaging leg which is inclined at an angle so as to support the sign-bearing plate in a tilted position. The sign-bearing plate may be in the form of a sheet bearing the sign supported at its edges by a metal frame. The leg may be collapsible to facilitate storage and transport of the sign. However metal signs suffer from a number of disadvantages in use. They are prone to corrosion and are easily damaged in use, for example by being hit by a vehicle, as well as being relatively costly to produce. They will also tend to cause damage to the vehicle if hit by the vehicle, and often need to be secured in position by ballast, such as a sand bag.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved temporary road sign which is particularly advantageous in use and which can be formed wholly or partially from plastics material where appropriate.

According to the present invention there is provided a temporary road sign comprising a sign-bearing plate having two ground-engaging legs, a further groundengaging leg pivotally connected to an upper portion of the sign-bearing plate, and an apertured support plate pivotally connected to a lower portion of the sign-bearing plate and having an aperture extending therethrough through which the further ground-engaging leg extends, whereby, in a storage position, the support plate and further ground-engaging leg may be folded substantially flat with the sign-bearing plate, and, in an erected position, the further ground-engaging leg may be inclined at an angle so as to support the sign-bearing plate in a tilted position with the apertured support plate extending substantially horizontally so as to support the further ground-engaging leg at the required inclination.

Such a temporary road sign is of a suitable form to enable it to be produced wholly or partly from plastics material so as to be long lasting in use and substantially maintenance free, as well as safer in the event that a vehicle collides with the sign.

When in the storage position, the sign is particularly compact, and is thus easily stored and transported. Furthermore, when in the erected position, the sign is stably supported by virtue of the fact that the support plate holds the further groundengaging leg in position (rather than the leg tending to be displaced by vibration in use as in some metal sign constructions which can lead to collapsing of the sign) and additional stability can be provided by producing the support plate from a low cost, heavy weight plastics material, which is different from the relatively stiff and light plastics material used for the sign-bearing plate, so that the use of ballast, such as a sand bag, is not required in many circumstances. The sign can be produced particularly economically from recycled plastics material.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the sign-bearing plate, the further ground-engaging leg and the support plate are formed as three separate plastics elements which are subsequently connected together, preferably whilst still in a plastics state. This is particularly advantageous as it renders fabrication particularly straightforward and avoids the need for a costly fabrication step as required in many known sign constructions.

The sign-bearing plate and the further ground-engaging leg are conveniently integrally formed with a pivot pin and a recess which together form the pivotal connection between the sign-bearing plate and the further ground-engaging leg.

Furthermore the sign-bearing plate and the support plate are conveniently integrally formed with two pivot pins and two recesses which together form the pivotal connection between the sign-bearing plate and the support plate.

The sign-bearing plate may comprise a front sign-bearing surface and a rear surface bearing a rearwardly extended peripheral flange within which the support plate and the further ground-engaging leg are accommodated when in the storage position. When in the storage position the further ground-engaging leg is preferably adapted to be secured in position relative to the sign-bearing plate so as to ensure that the support plate and the further ground-engaging leg remain folded flat in the storage position. The front sign-bearing surface may be recessed to provide a recessed area for a separate sign member, or alternatively the sign symbol may be directly applied to the sign-bearing surface.

The support plate may be of generally triangular form having a base portion having pivot points at its opposite ends engaging opposite sides of the sign-bearing plate to permit pivoting about an axis extending along the base portion, and an apex portion bearing the aperture through which the further ground-engaging leg extends.

The base portion may be in the form of a strengthening rib. Furthermore two further strengthening ribs may be provided along the other two sides of the support plate.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a temporary road sign in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the three separate plastics elements, that is the sign-bearing plate, the support plate and the further ground-engaging leg, from which the sign is formed; and Figure 4 shows the sign in the erected position.

The illustrated road sign 1 is made from heavy-duty recycled plastics material, and is fabricated by pressing between suitable mould parts three separate plastics elements, namely a sign-bearing plate 2 as shown in Figure 1, a support plate 3 as shown in Figure 2 and a further ground-engaging leg 4 as shown in Figure 3.

The support plate 3 is made from a low cost, heavy weight plastics material, whereas the other two elements 2 and 4 are made from a rigid plastics material. The three separately fabricated elements 2, 3 and 4 are then assembled by being snapped together while still in a warm, partly uncured plastics state, so that, when fully cured, the elements cannot easily be disassembled.

Referring to Figure 1, the sign-bearing plate 2 is generally triangular and comprises a front sign-bearing surface (not visible in Figure 1) and a rear surface 5 bearing a rearwardly extending peripheral flange 6. Furthermore the sign-bearing plate 2 is formed with two ground-engaging legs 7 and 8, an upper pivot member 9 and two side pivot members 10 and 11 adjoining the peripheral flange 6.

Referring to Figure 2, the support plate 3 is generally triangular and comprises a strengthened base portion 20 having integral pivot pins 21 and 22 at its opposite ends for engaging within receiving recesses in the pivot members 10 and 11 of the sign-bearing plate 2, and an apex portion 23 through which a square aperture 24 extends. Furthermore, strengthening ribs 25 and 26 are provided along the other two sides of the support plate 3.

Referring to Figure 3, the further ground-engaging leg 4 has a generally H shaped or U-shaped cross-section and is provided with a tapered end 30 bearing an integral pivot pin 31 for engaging between recessed parts of the pivot member 9 of the sign-bearing plate 2. The opposite end 32 of the leg 4 is angled (as best seen in Figure 4) to provide optimum contact with the ground in the erected position of the sign. Intermediate the two ends 30 and 32, the leg 4 extends through the square aperture 24 in the apex portion 23 of the support plate 3, and stops 33 on the leg 4 are provided to bear against the lower surface of the apex portion 23 in the erected position. Each of the recesses provided for the pivot pin 31, as well as the recesses for the pivot pins 21 and 22, is partially open at one side to enable the pivot pin to be snapped into the recess during assembly.

Figure 4 shows the sign 1 in the erected position with the leg 4 inclined at an angle of about 67C so as to support the sign-bearing plate 2 in a tilted position and with the support plate 3 extending substantially horizontally so as to support the leg 4 at the required inclination. It should be noted that the front sign-bearing surface 40 of the plate 2 has a peripheral lip 40A so as to provide a recessed area within which there is bonded by an adhesive a separate reflective triangular sign member 42 on which the appropriate sign symbol is marked, such as a red warning triangle enclosing a road works symbol. The peripheral lip 40A protects the front surface of the sign member 42 in the event that the sign falls over. Furthermore tabs 41 are also provided for supporting the sign member 42 from below.It should also be noted that the support plate 3 incorporates a recessed portion 43 which may hold ballast for increasing the stability of the erected sign (although in most cases the weight of the support plate 3 itself will be sufficient to provide the required stability).

When the sign 1 is to be stored or transported, it is easily collapsed by pivoting the support plate 3 upwardly so that it is folded flat within the peripheral flange 6 of the sign-bearing plate 2, and simultaneously pivoting the leg 4 downwardly as it slides through the aperture 24 so as to cause the leg 4 to lie flat against the back of the folded sign and so as to cause the leg 4 to snap into a suitably shaped cut-away 44 (see Figure 1) in the peripheral flange 6 so as to secure the sign in the folded position. Furthermore, when the sign is so folded, it can be nested with other similar signs by virtue of the fact that the peripheral lip 40A on each sign engages within the peripheral flange 6 provided on the adjacent sign, and this aids storage and transport as well as ensuring that the sign member 42 of each sign is not damaged by contact with other signs.

Claims (10)

1. A temporary road sign comprising a sign-bearing plate having two groundengaging legs, a further ground-engaging leg pivotally connected to an upper portion of the sign-bearing plate, and an apertured support plate pivotally connected to a lower portion of the sign-bearing plate and having an aperture extending therethrough through which the further ground-engaging leg extends, whereby, in a storage position, the support plate and further ground-engaging leg may be folded substantially flat with the sign-bearing plate, and, in an erected position, the further groundengaging leg may be inclined at an angle so as to support the sign-bearing plate in a tilted position with the apertured support plate extending substantially horizontally so as to support the further ground-engaging leg at the required inclination.

2. A temporary road sign as claimed in claimed in claim 1, wherein the signbearing plate, the further ground-engaging leg and the support plate are formed as three separate plastics elements which are subsequently connected together.

3. A temporary road sign as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the signbearing plate and the further ground-engaging leg are integrally formed with a pivot pin and a recess which together form the pivotal connection between the sign-bearing plate and the further ground engaging leg.

4. A temporary road sign as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sign-bearing plate and the support plate are integrally formed with two pivot pins and two recesses which together form the pivotal connection between the sign-bearing plate and the support plate.

5. A temporary road sign as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sign-bearing plate comprises a front sign-bearing surface and a rear surface bearing a rearwardly extended peripheral flange within which the support plate and the further ground-engaging leg are accommodated when in the storage position.

6. A temporary road sign as claimed in claim 5, wherein the front sign-bearing surface is recessed to provide a recessed area for a separate sign member.

7. A temporary road sign as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support plate is of generally triangular form having a base portion having pivot points at its opposite ends engaging opposite sides of the sign-bearing plate to permit pivoting about an axis extending along the base portion, and an apex portion bearing the aperture through which the further ground-engaging leg extends.

8. A temporary road sign as claimed in claim 7, wherein the base portion is in the form of a strengthening rib.

9. A temporary road sign as claimed in claim 8, wherein two further strengthening ribs are provided along the other two sides of the support plate.

10. A temporary road sign substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.