A median barrier, of the type commonly known, utilizing a plurality of anti-glare paddles mounted onto the barrier for defining a continuous anti-glare system along the lengths of the barrier. There is further provided a system of lighted tubes mounted onto the glare panel with a specific attachment device. In the preferred embodiment, the attachment device is positioned on every fourth glare paddle, and the lighted tube is threaded through tube holders on the top of the attachment device, to define a continuous support for the lighted tube along the length of the barrier system. There is further provided a source of electrical power to the system of lighted tools, in order to effect the lighting within the tubes for use in night time driving.
Of the two systems which are utilized, each of the systems suffer from shortcomings. For example, when utilizing the system of the glare paddles alone, in particularly in areas which are not lighted at all at night time, motorists have a difficult time recognizing the glare paddles and the median barrier as they are merging back onto the highway, which can create a dangerous situation. In the second concept where there are no glare paddles utilized, but simply a series of lights positioned on the barrier itself, the motorist still suffers from the possibility of facing directly into automobile lights from ongoing traffic which is merging, and of course, that would create the possibility of loss of proper site during night driving conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The system of the present invention solves the shortcoming in the art in a simple and straightforward manner. What is provided is a median barrier, system of the type commonly known, utilizing a plurality of anti-glare paddles mounted onto the barrier for defining a continuous anti-glare system along the lengths of the barrier. There is further provided a system of continuous lighted tubes mounted along the glare paddles with a specific attachment device. In the preferred embodiment, the attachment device is positioned along the top of the glare paddles, and the lighted tube is threaded through tube holders on the attachment devices, to define a continuous support for the lighted tube along the length of the barrier system. There is further provided a source of electrical power to the system of lighted tubes, in order to effect the lighting within the tubes for use in night time driving.
Therefore, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a system of lighted tubes mounted onto glare paddles so that the lighted tube system is approximately at the eye level of the motorist, and thus makes for a positive guidance device;
It is a further principal object of the present system, to provide continuous lighted tubing atop a system of glare paddles, which provides that because of the height of the lighted tubing, the tubing is out of the splash zone, which reduces the amount of roadway dirt and grime which comes into contact with the tubing, thus extending the life of the tubing;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lighted glare paddle system, which provides a combination of the glare paddles mounted onto a median barrier, and the lighted system mounted thereto with a specific mounting feature to allow the glare paddles to be positioned angularly in relation to the glare paddles, yet for the lighted tube to follow in parallel relation with the median barrier itself;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lighted glare panel system, which affords the anti-glare feature of the plurality of anti-glare paddles mounted upon the median barrier, and also provides for a continuous lighting system for guiding the motorists through a construction or a merging area of a highway under construction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given like reference numerals, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the mounting attachment between the glare panel and the lighting tube of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is an overall view of the attachment device as seen in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention by the numeral 10. As illustrated in partial overall view in FIG. 1, system 10 provides a median barrier 12 having a base portion 14, a pair of formed sidewalls 16, 18, terminating in an upper flat top portion 20. A median barrier 12 is very common in the highway industry, and usually is provided in lengths of ten to twenty feet, which when set end to end, form a continuous barrier between automobile traffic moving in opposite directions. The barrier 12 is usually positioned upon a highway surface 22, as seen in FIG. 1. As further illustrated as part of the system, in order to effect an anti-glare feature into a barrier, there is provided a plurality of paddles 24, each of the paddles 24 including a vertically extending body portion 26, found in substantially a circular base portion 28, the lower end 29 of which is mounted upon the upper surface 20 of barrier 12. Typically, each of the paddles 24 would include a series of vertical slots 30, and base 28 would be mounted onto surface 20 via a pair of anchor bolts secured into the median barrier 12, the anchor bolts which are not illustrated. Further in the use of the plurality of paddles 24 in the preferred embodiment, each of the paddles would be approximately twenty inches apart, mounted along the length of the barrier system 12.
In order to effect a continuous anti-glare shield, the series of paddles 24 as illustrated must be mounted angularly in relation to the length of the barrier system 12. In effect, although there is a gap approximately twenty inches between each of the paddles 24 as illustrated in FIG. 1, because the paddles 24 are positioned in an angular relationship to base 12, the edges 32 of each of the paddles. 24 when viewed from merging traffic, form the continuous barrier 12 between the lights of the merging traffic and the lights of the ongoing traffic. This positioning of paddles 24 in relation to the median barrier 12 is known in the industry and is used quite extensively.
Turning now to an element of the present invention which is new to the combination is the use of a mounting device 34, which is utilizing for housing the length of lighting assembly 36 as illustrated in FIG. 1. In a discussion of this particular feature, reference is made also to FIGS. 2 and 3 which illustrate the mounting device in top view and overall view respectively. As illustrated in the FIGURES, mounting device 34 includes a base portion 38, which is of a certain length, identical to the width of each of the paddles 24 as seen in FIG. 1, and is of the same overall configuration of the upper end 27 of each of the paddles 24 so that the mounting device 34 may be secured thereupon as seen in FIG. 1. Further, each device 34 includes an upper tube holding portion 40, which includes a continuous ring 42 defining an orifice 44 therethrough through which the lighting tubing 36 would be threaded as seen in FIG. 1. An important feature of the mounting device 34 is seen in FIG. 2. As illustrated, the base 38 of device 34, as was discussed earlier, is of substantially the same configuration as top 27 of each of the paddles 24 which is mounted thereupon. However, because each of the paddles 24 is positioned at an angle relative to the overall length of the median barrier 12, for the reasons explained earlier, the orifice 44 through which the lighting tube is threaded, must be formed so that the access of the orifice 44 is directly in line with the linear direction of the barrier 12. For example, as seen in FIG. 2, there is illustrated a sectional view of the lighting tubing 36, which is threaded through the orifice 44 and is held in place therein. There is further illustrated the arrows 46, 48 which illustrate the direction of the lighting assembly 36 as it extends along the barrier 12, and also the direction of the median barrier 12. As seen, the lower base portion 38 is mounted upon each of the glare paddles 24 which are angularly positioned in relation to the lighted tube 36. In order to obtain this feature, there is provided a curved continuous upper side wall 50 of the mounting device 34 to form an arcuate angle between the base 38 and the upper portion 52 of the device 34 as seen in FIG. 2. The arcuate angle of side 50 is such that it enables the base 38 to be positioned in the direction of the width of each of the glare paddles 24, yet allows the orifice 44 to be positioned in alignment with the lighted tube 36 which is also in the same alignment of the median barrier 12.
In FIG. 1, it is illustrated that each of the mounting devices 34 is mounted upon each of the glare paddles 24. However, it may be that it is not necessary to place a mounting device on each of the glare paddles 24, but may be mounted on either the third or fourth glare paddle 24, depending on the structural integrity required for the particular system under construction.
Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 1, the lighting tubing 36 would further include a main power supply 40, which would in the preferred embodiment have approximately a 1,000 watt capacity, and would provide electrical power to the lighting tubing 36, which in the preferred embodiment would consist of 50 watt lamps to form the entire lighting assembly.
The following table lists the part numbers and part descriptions as used herein and in the drawings attached hereto.
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PARTS LIST
Description Part No.
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system 10
median barrier 12
base portion 14
side walls 16, 18
flat top portion 20
highway surface 22
paddles 24
body portion 26
upper end 27
base portion 28
lower end 29
vertical slots 30
edges 32
mounting device 34
lighting assembly 36
base portion 38
main power supply 40
lamps 42
orifice 44
arrows 46, 48
side wall 50
upper portion 52
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Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
