Tactile warning system

• US 20060024132A1
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HotTape Acquisition, LLC
• Original Assignee: HotTape Acquisition, LLC
• Inventors: Seman, Todd J.
• Application Number:
  US10/926,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20060024132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 404/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/066 Installations on the floor, e.g. special surfaces, to guide blind persons
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 11/222 Raised kerbs, e.g. for sidewalks E01C11/223, E01F9/535, E01F9/547 take precedence; preformed sidewalk paving with integral kerb E01C15/00; specially for traffic islands E01F1/00; Integrated or portable means for facilitating ascent or descent

Abstract

A tactile warning system (100 or 200) having an application surface (114 or 214) and a sheet (110 or 210) formed from a predetermined material and adhered to the application surface. The tactile warning system includes a plurality of tactile warning members (112 or 212) formed from a selected material different from the predetermined material of the sheet. The plurality of tactile warning members are disposed between the sheet and the application surface. The plurality of tactile warning members contact the application surface without an intermediate layer disposed therebetween.

Claims

1. A tactile warning system for providing tactile warning sensations to a user, the tactile warning system attachable to an application surface comprising:

(a) a plurality of tactile warning members formed from a selected material, the tactile warning members having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

(b) a sheet coupled to the top surface of each of the plurality of tactile warning members, the sheet formed from an activatable material activatable from a first state in which the sheet is resistant to adhering to an application surface to an application state in which the sheet is adapted to adhere to the application surface without use of an adhesive to sandwich the plurality of tactile warning members between the sheet and the application surface such that the bottom surface of each of the plurality of tactile warning members contacts the application surface.

2. The tactile warning system of claim 1, wherein the activatable material of the sheet is a heat activated material activatable by heating the sheet above a predetermined temperature to configure the sheet from a solid state to at least a partially molten state.

3. The tactile warning system of claim 2, wherein the activatable material of the sheet is a preformed thermoplastic material.

4. The tactile warning system of claim 2, wherein the selected material of the plurality of tactile warning members is a heat resistant material able to withstand temperatures at least up to the predetermined temperature without melting.

5. The tactile warning system of claim 4, wherein the selected material of the plurality of tactile warning members is a porous material.

6. The tactile warning system of claim 1, furthering including a plurality of bonds coupling the plurality of tactile warning members to the sheet while the sheet is in the first state prior to adherence to the application surface, the plurality of bonds absent of adhesive.

7. The tactile warning system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of bonds each comprise a portion of the activatable material of the sheet hardened from a liquefied state to a solid state thereby bonding the plurality of tactile warning members to the sheet.

8. The tactile warning system of claim 1, wherein the sheet is in a substantially flat configuration when in the first state and wherein the sheet is adapted to be at least partially liquefied during transition between the first state and the application state so that the sheet conforms in shape to the application surface and the plurality of tactile warning members when in the application state.

9. The tactile warning system of claim 1, wherein the tactile warning members are embedded in the sheet when the sheet is in the first state such that a bottom surface of the sheet is substantially flush with the bottom surfaces of the tactile warning members.

10. A tactile warning system for providing tactile warning sensations to a user, the tactile warning system attachable to an application surface comprising:

(a) a plurality of tactile warning members formed from a heat resistant material, the tactile warning members having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

(b) a preformed thermoplastic sheet coupled to the top surface of each of the plurality of tactile warning members, the preformed thermoplastic sheet activatable by application of heat to adhere the preformed thermoplastic sheet to the application surface such that the plurality of tactile warning members are sandwiched between the preformed thermoplastic sheet and the application surface with the bottom surface of each of the plurality of tactile warning members contacting the application surface without an adhesive or additional thermoplastic layer disposed therebetween.

11. The tactile warning system of claim 10, wherein the preformed thermoplastic sheet is activated by heating the preformed thermoplastic sheet above a predetermined temperature to configure the preformed thermoplastic sheet from a solid state to at least a partially molten state.

12. The tactile warning system of claim 11, wherein the selected material of the plurality of tactile warning members is a heat resistant material able to withstand temperatures at least up to the predetermined temperature without melting.

13. The tactile warning system of claim 12, wherein the selected material of the plurality of tactile warning member is a porous material.

14. The tactile warning system of claim 10, furthering including a plurality of bonds coupling the plurality of tactile warning members to the preformed thermoplastic sheet while the preformed thermoplastic sheet is in the first state prior to adherence to the application surface, the plurality of bonds absent of adhesive.

15. The tactile warning system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of bonds each comprise a portion of the activatable material of the preformed thermoplastic sheet hardened from a liquefied state to a solid state bonding the plurality of tactile warning members to the preformed thermoplastic sheet.

16. The tactile warning system of claim 10, wherein the preformed thermoplastic sheet is in a substantially flat configuration when in the first state and wherein the preformed thermoplastic sheet is adapted to be at least partially liquefied during transition between the first state and the application state so that the preformed thermoplastic sheet conforms in shape to the application surface and the plurality of tactile warning members when in the application state.

17. The tactile warning system of claim 10, wherein the tactile warning members are embedded in the preformed thermoplastic sheet such that a bottom surface of the preformed thermoplastic sheet is substantially flush with the bottom surfaces of the tactile warning members prior to adhering of the preformed thermoplastic sheet to the application surface.

18. A tactile warning system for providing tactile warning sensations to a user, the tactile warning system comprising:

(a) an application surface;

(b) a sheet formed from a predetermined material and adhered to the application surface; and

(c) a plurality of tactile warning members formed from a selected material different from the predetermined material of the sheet, the plurality of tactile warning members disposed between the sheet and the application surface, the plurality of tactile warning members contacting the application surface without an intermediate layer disposed therebetween.

19. The tactile warning system of claim 18, wherein the predetermined material of the sheet is a preformed thermoplastic material.

20. The tactile warning system of claim 18, wherein the selected material of the plurality of tactile warning members is a heat resistant material.

21. The tactile warning system of claim 18, wherein the predetermined material of the sheet is a preformed thermoplastic material which begins to melt at a predetermined temperature and wherein the selected material of the plurality of tactile warning members is a heat resistant material able to withstand temperatures at least up to the predetermined temperature without melting.

22. The tactile warning system of claim 18, wherein the tactile warning system is free of an adhesive layer or additional sheet disposed between the tactile warning members and the application surface.

23. A method of applying a tactile warning for providing tactile warning sensations to a user to an application surface, wherein the tactile warning system includes a sheet and a plurality of tactile warning members, the method comprising:

(a) placing a sheet and a plurality of tactile warning members upon the application surface such that the tactile warning members are disposed between the sheet and the application surface and such that the plurality of tactile warning members contact the application surface without an intermediate layer disposed therebetween; and

(b) activating the sheet such that the sheet is transformed from a substantially non-adhering state to an adhering state wherein the sheet adheres to the application surface sandwiching the tactile warning members between the application surface and the sheet.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein activating the sheet includes heating the sheet to at or above a predetermined temperature.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising using tactile warning members formed from a heat resistant material able to withstand temperatures at or above the predetermined temperature without melting.

26. The method of claim 23, further including transforming the sheet from a first configuration to a conformed configuration wherein the sheet is configured in a shape of the tactile warning members and application surface.

27. The method of claim 23, further including heating the tactile warning members and pressing them into the sheet to bond the tactile warning members to the sheet.

28. The method of claim 23, further including coupling the tactile warning members to the sheet prior to placing the sheet upon the application surface.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the tactile warning members are coupled to the sheet by heating the tactile warning members and engaging them with the sheet to partially melt the sheet, resulting in the adherence of the tactile warning members to the sheet once the sheet cools.