Omnidirectional retro-reflective roadway marker and the like

• US 5,557,461 A
• Filed: 05/26/1995
• Issued: 09/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brite-Line Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brite-Line Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Wyckoff, Charles W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, James
• Application Number:
  US08/451,234
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 359/529-532, 359/534-542, 359/546-547, 359/551, 359/552, 404/9, 404/12, 404/14, 404/16, 116/63 R
• US Class Current: 359/551
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/524 Reflecting elements specially adapted for incorporation in or application to road surface markings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/12 Reflex reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/128 transparent spheres being embedded in matrix

Abstract

A novel roadway or similar marker strip having preferably retro-reflective-beaded protuberances in a critical "herringbone"-like pattern that provides a surprising degree of azimuthal uniform omindirectionality of light reflected from the strip.

Claims

1. A retro-reflective roadway marker strip having, in combination, a first plurality of transversely extending parallel rows of transversely uniformly spaced transversely oriented blocks protruding upwardly of the strip, and with successive of the parallel rows uniformly longitudinally spaced and transversely staggered with respect to one another;

a second plurality of transversely extending parallel rows of transversely uniformly spaced longitudinally oriented blocks similarly protruding upwardly of the strip, and with successive of the parallel rows thereof uniformly longitudinally spaced and transversely staggered with respect to one another;

the first and second pluralities of rows being uniformly transversely and longitudinally interleaved, with the longitudinally oriented blocks symmetrically positioned in the transverse spaces between adjacent transversely oriented blocks of each row, and the transversely oriented blocks symmetrically positioned in the longitudinal spaces between adjacent longitudinally oriented blocks, and similar edge faces of the blocks of each of the pluralities of rows being provided with retro-reflective beads.

2. A marker strip as claimed in claim 1 and in which all the blocks are of similarly dimensioned substantially rectangular configuration.

3. A marker strip as claimed in claim 2 and in which the top surfaces of each block are substantially flat and the edge faces of each block inclined such that the blocks are of substantially trapezoidal shape in longitudinal vertical section.

4. A marker strip as claimed in claim 3 and in which the area of the top surface of each block is substantially greater than the area of each of the inclined edge faces.

5. A marker strip as claimed in claim 3 and in which all the edge faces of the blocks are provided with said retro-reflective beads, providing substantially uniform omni-directional retro-reflection to light incident upon the strip at low angles of incidence to the roadway and from all directions about the strip.

6. A marker strip as claimed in claim 3 and in which the angle of incline of the edge face is about 10°

.

7. A marker strip as claimed in claim 1 and in which the transverse spaces between adjacent transversely oriented blocks in each row are somewhat smaller than the transverse space between adjacent longitudinally oriented blocks in that row.

8. A marker strip as claimed in claim 1 and in which the strip is oriented with the longitudinally oriented blocks disposed parallel to the direction of the roadway.

9. A marker strip as claimed in claim 1 and in which the strip is oriented with the longitudinally oriented blocks disposed at about 45°

to the direction of the roadway.

10. A marker strip as claimed in claim 1 and in which each of the longitudinally and transversely oriented blocks is replaced by an array of corresponding longitudinally and transversely oriented blocks.

11. A marker strip as claimed in claim 10 and in which each array comprises three parallel rows of blocks, with the intermediate row staggered with respect to the other rows.

12. A reflective roadway marker strip having, in combination, a first plurality of transversely extending parallel rows of uniformly spaced transversely oriented blocks protruding upwardly of the strip, and with successive of the parallel rows uniformly longitudinally spaced and transversely staggered with respect to one another;

a second plurality of transversely extending parallel rows of transversely extending parallel rows of transversely uniformly spaced longitudinally oriented blocks similarly protruding upwardly of the strip, and with successive of the parallel rows thereof uniformly longitudinally spaced and transversely staggered with respect to one another;

the first and second pluralities of rows being uniformly transversely and longitudinally interleaved, with the longitudinally oriented blocks symmetrically positioned in the transverse spaces between adjacent transversely oriented blocks of each row, and the transversely oriented blocks symmetrically positioned in the longitudinal spaces between adjacent transversely oriented blocks; and

similar edge faces of the blocks of each of the pluralities of rows serving as reflective surfaces to light incident upon the strip at low angles of incidence to the roadway and from all directions about the strip.

13. A marker strip as claimed in claim 12 and in which all the blocks are of similarly dimensioned substantially rectangular configuration.