TACTILE WARNING SURFACE MOUNT PANEL FOR MOUNTING ON A PREFORMED GROUND SURFACE

• US 20150265491A1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brand Bumps, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brand Bumps, LLC
• Inventors: Henshue, Christopher Gary, Henshue, Gary LaVerne
• Granted Patent: US 9,895,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/066 Installations on the floor, e.g. special surfaces, to guide blind persons
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/001 on prefabricated supporting structures or prefabricated foundation elements except coverings made of layers of similar elements

Abstract

The present invention relates to the means and methods of installation, securement, removal and replacement of tactile warning surface mount plates/panels (TWSP'"'"'s), preferably having at least a two color graphic design thereon, on pedestrian walkways, driveways, sidewalks, ramps, handicap ramps, retail floors and other types of existing preformed ground surfaces. The present invention includes TWSP'"'"'s for both attention plates/panels and guiding plates/panels.

Claims

1. A surface mount panel assembly comprising:

a base plate directly attachable to an existing preformed ground surface, said lower base plate having a plurality of anchor holes therein for securing by anchoring said lower base plate to said preformed ground surface and a plurality of securement members therein that are offset from said anchor holes; and

a removable upper panel having an upper surface, said upper panel having a plurality of through holes therein that register with said securement members when said upper panel is placed on said lower base plate so that said upper panel can be removeably secured to said lower plate.

2. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of anchors insertable through said anchor holes so that said lower base plate can be secured to said preformed ground surface.

3. The surface mount assembly of claim 2, wherein said plurality of anchors comprise expansion flanges that engage said preformed ground surface.

4. The surface mount assembly of claim 3, wherein said plurality of anchors are nail drive expansion anchors.

5. The surface mount assembly of claim 2, wherein said plurality of anchors are mechanical anchors selected from the group consisting of screw anchors, drop-in anchors and impact anchors.

6. The surface mount assembly of claim 2, wherein said plurality of anchors each comprises a head.

7. The surface mount assembly of claim 6, wherein said removable upper panel comprises a plurality of hollow domes or raised projections that accommodate said heads of said plurality of anchors when said upper panel is attached to said lower plate.

8. The surface mount assembly of claim 7, wherein said upper panel further comprises additional hollow domes that provide a tactile warning surface.

9. The surface mount assembly of claim 8, wherein said tactile warning surface is ADA compliant.

10. The surface mount assembly of claim 6, wherein said removable upper panel has a plurality of openings therein that accommodate said heads of said plurality of anchors when said upper panel is attached to said lower plate.

11. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel comprises a tactile warning surface selected from the group consisting of attention and guiding patterns.

12. The surface mount assembly of claim 11, wherein said tactile warning surface comprises a plurality of raised, truncated domes.

13. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel comprises a plurality of raised structures that provide slip resistance.

14. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said plurality of through holes have a shape selected from the group consisting of circles, ovals, teardrops, keyholes, oblong holes and combinations thereof.

15. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said plurality of securement members comprise a shaft and head that project upwardly from said lower base plate and engage said upper panel through said though holes to releasably secure said upper panel to said lower base plate.

16. The surface mount assembly of claim 15, wherein said securement members are selected from the group consisting of a stand-off stud and a threaded screw or bolt.

17. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said securement member further comprises a plurality of receivers on said lower base plate and a plurality of fasteners that releasably secure said upper panel to said lower base plate.

18. The surface mount assembly of claim 17, wherein said fasteners are selected from the group consisting of threaded screws, threaded bolts, quick release fasteners, quarter turn fasteners, cam-lock fasteners, and dual lock reclosable fasteners.

19. The surface mount assembly of claim 17, wherein said plurality of receiver members project downwardly from said lower base plate and said plurality of fasteners engage said receiver members when inserted through said upper panel through holes to releasably secure said upper panel to said lower base plate.

20. The surface mount assembly of claim 17, wherein said receiver members are threaded receivers and said fasteners are threaded bolts that can be screwed into said threaded receivers.

21. The surface mount assembly of claim 17, wherein said receiver members are quarter turn receivers and said fasteners are quarter turn fasteners that engage said quarter turn receivers.

22. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate does not include a downwardly projecting perimeter or interior flange.

23. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel does not include a downwardly projecting perimeter or interior flange.

24. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate is mountable so that it is flush with said preformed ground surface.

25. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said assembly comprises at least two removeable upper panels that are removeably securable to said lower base plate.

26. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said assembly comprises at least two lower base plates.

27. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel comprises a graphic display displaying at least two colors.

28. The surface mount assembly of claim 27, wherein said graphic design displays at least three colors.

29. The surface mount assembly of claim 27, wherein said graphic design has a resolution of at least 300×

300 dots per inch.

30. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel is textured to provide slip resistance and durability.

31. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel comprises raised features to provide slip resistance.

32. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel comprises an array of raised, truncated domes that are in register with raised, truncated domes on said lower base plate.

33. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal, polymeric materials, concrete, bricks, natural stone, ceramic, and tile.

34. The surface mount assembly of claim 33, wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of cast iron, ductile iron, steel, aluminum, and alloys thereof.

35. The surface mount assembly of claim 33, wherein said polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of a plastic, thermoset plastic, thermoplastic, plastic composite, and fiber entrained plastic impregnated with carbon nanotubes, carbon black, or combinations thereof.

36. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate comprises a graphic display displaying at least two colors.

37. The surface mount assembly of claim 36, wherein said graphic design displays at least three colors.

38. The surface mount assembly of claim 36, wherein said graphic design has a resolution of at least 300×

300 dots per inch.

39. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate is textured to provide slip resistance and durability.

40. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate comprises raised features to provide slip resistance.

41. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate comprises an array of raised, truncated domes that are in register with raised, truncated domes on said upper panel.

42. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal, polymeric materials, concrete, bricks, natural stone, ceramic, and tile.

43. The surface mount assembly of claim 42, wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of cast iron, ductile iron, steel, aluminum, and alloys thereof.

44. The surface mount assembly of claim 42, wherein said polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of a plastic, thermoset plastic, thermoplastic, plastic composite, and fiber entrained plastic impregnated with carbon nanotubes, carbon black, or combinations thereof.

45. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said lower base plate and said upper panel are flushly secured to as to prevent tripping.

46. The surface mount assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper panel is formed from a plastic composite and comprises a beveled edge that extends past the outer edge of said lower base plate and has therein an indentation on the underside of said upper panel to accommodate said lower base plate.

47. A surface mount panel assembly comprising:

a lower base plate directly attachable to an existing preformed ground surface, said lower base plate having a plurality of anchor holes therein for securing by anchoring said lower base plate to said preformed ground surface and a plurality of securement members therein that are offset from said anchor holes;

a removable upper panel having an upper surface, said upper panel having a plurality of through holes therein that register with said securement members when said upper panel is placed on said lower base plate so that said upper panel can be removeably secured to said lower plate; and

a plurality of anchors insertable through said anchor holes so that said lower base plate can be secured to said preformed ground surface.

48. A surface mount panel assembly comprising:

a lower base plate directly attachable to a preformed ground surface, said lower base plate having a plurality of anchor holes therein for securing by anchoring said lower base plate to said preformed ground surface and a plurality of securement members therein that are offset from said anchor holes;

a removable upper panel having an upper surface, said upper panel having a plurality of through holes therein that register with said securement members when said upper panel is placed on said lower base plate so that said upper panel can be removeably secured to said lower base plate and having thereon a plurality of raised, truncated domes or raised projections providing a hollow void therein; and

a plurality of anchors insertable through said anchor holes so that said lower base plate can be secured to said preformed ground surface, said anchors each comprising a head, wherein said hollow void of said domes accommodates said heads of said plurality of anchors when said upper panel is attached to said lower plate.

49. A surface mount panel assembly comprising:

a lower base plate directly attachable to a preformed ground surface, said lower base plate having a plurality of anchor holes therein for securing by an anchoring said lower base plate to said preformed ground surface and a first plurality of plastic reclosable fastener members distributed in a pattern on said lower base plate;

a removable upper panel having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower base plate surface comprising a second plurality of plastic reclosable fastener members distributed in a pattern that matches said pattern on said lower base plate so that said upper panel can be removeably secured to said lower base plate via said first and second plurality of plastic reclosable fastener members; and

a plurality of anchors insertable through said anchor holes so that said lower base plate can be secured to said preformed ground surface.