Surface marking device and method

• US 5,967,079 A
• Filed: 02/26/1998
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huffman, John Sinclair, Eslambolchi, Hossein
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirshfeld, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US09/030,974
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 116/211, 116/209, 116/203, 116/200, 116/201, 116/DIG. 14, 405/157, 473/577, 102/448, 102/502, 102/513
• US Class Current: 116/211
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 1/11 for the detection or protection of pipes in the ground

Abstract

A device (10) for marking the ground above a buried conveyance includes an upper and lower shells (12, 14) of a fracturable material joined at their edges to form a sealed body. A separator layer (16) devises the void between the two shells into an upper and lower regions (18, 20). The lower region contains a paint-adhesive mixture (22), whereas the upper region contains an indicia-bearing member (26) that identifies the entity responsible for the buried conveyance. To mark the buried conveyance, a technician deposits the marking device (10) on the ground and then steps on it, thereby fracturing the upper and lower shells to release the paint-adhesive mixture and the indicia-bearing member for adherence to the ground by the adhesive.

Claims

1. A surface marking device for visually marking the ground above a buried conveyance, comprising:

a body formed of a fracturable material and including first and second interior regions separated from each other by a separating layer;

a mixture of paint and adhesive contained in the first region; and

an indicia-bearing member contained within the second region, wherein the body, when fractured, releases the paint and adhesive mixture to mark the ground and exposes the indicia-bearing member for adherence to the ground by the adhesive within the paint adhesive mixture.

2. The surface marking device according to claim 1 wherein the paint is of a color for designating a particular type of buried conveyance.

3. The surface marking device according to claim 2 wherein the paint color is orange and said conveyance is a buried telephone conveyance.

4. The surface marking device according to claim 2 wherein the paint color is yellow and said conveyance is a buried gas conveyance.

5. The surface marking device according to claim 2 wherein the paint color is blue and said conveyance is a buried water conveyance.

6. The surface marking device according to claim 2 wherein the paint color is red and said conveyance is a buried electrical conveyance.

7. The surface marking device according to claim 1 wherein the indicia-bearing member includes indicia identifying an entity responsible for the buried conveyance.

8. The surface marking device according to claim 7 wherein the indicia-bearing member includes a telephone number associated with the entity responsible for the buried conveyance.

9. The surface marking device according to claim 1 wherein the fracturable material forming the body is biodegradable.

10. The surface marking device according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the fracturable material forming the body is generally transparent to expose the indicia-bearing member.

11. A method for visually marking the ground above a buried conveyance, comprising the steps of:

depositing on the ground a surface marking device comprised of a body formed of a fracturable material and including first and second interior regions separated from each other by a separating layer;

a mixture of paint and adhesive contained in the first region; and

an indicia-bearing member contained within the second region; and

fracturing the body to release the paint and adhesive mixture to mark the ground and expose the indicia-bearing member for adherence to the ground by the adhesive within the paint adhesive mixture.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the body of the marking device is fractured by foot pressure exerted by an individual stepping on the body.