Guardrail support, attachment, and positioning block
First Claim
1. A spacer block for attaching a guard rail to a post, comprising:
- a pair of spaced apart opposing side walls having respective first ends and second ends;
a top panel extending between said first ends of said side walls;
a bottom panel extending between said second ends of said side walls;
said top panel, said bottom panel and said side walls forming a block member having a front face for cooperatively engaging said post and a rear face for cooperatively engaging said guard rail;
an engagement mechanism comprising at least one tab operably coupled to said top panel, said tab extending from said rear face of said spacer block for engaging said post and said tab including means operably coupled proximate a distal end of said tab and projecting downwardly for engaging a flange of said post;
at least one mounting bore extending there through said spacer block from said front face to said rear face for receiving a fastener to attach said spacer block to said guard rail;
an alignment mechanism comprising at least one tab operably coupled to and extending from said rear face of at least one side wall of said spacer block for maintaining lateral alignment of said spacer block on said post;
a resting mechanism comprising a tab projecting from said front face of said bottom panel for supporting a bottom edge of said guard rail thereon;
a notch formed in said rear face of said bottom panel and shaped to correspond to said tab of said resting mechanism for cooperative engagement of said resting mechanism of another said spacer block such that said spacer blocks may be positioned upon one another for storage; and
wherein said spacer block is composed of a polymeric material.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A block used to space guardrails from support posts. The positioning or spacer block is a generally rectangular block having corded-out cavities to reduce weight and tabs or projections for cooperatively engaging the sides and top of a support post as well as the edges of the guardrail during roadway safety barrier system installation. Webbing within one or more of the cavities is used for additional structural support. The spacer block may be formed by low-pressure injection molding to optimize the strength to weight characteristics of the spacer block. The spacer block is formed from virgin and/or recycled plastic material and/or includes virgin or recycled rubber material, such as that obtained from the regrind of used tires, and/or another elastomeric materials from other sources.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A spacer block for attaching a guard rail to a post, comprising:
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a pair of spaced apart opposing side walls having respective first ends and second ends; a top panel extending between said first ends of said side walls; a bottom panel extending between said second ends of said side walls; said top panel, said bottom panel and said side walls forming a block member having a front face for cooperatively engaging said post and a rear face for cooperatively engaging said guard rail; an engagement mechanism comprising at least one tab operably coupled to said top panel, said tab extending from said rear face of said spacer block for engaging said post and said tab including means operably coupled proximate a distal end of said tab and projecting downwardly for engaging a flange of said post; at least one mounting bore extending there through said spacer block from said front face to said rear face for receiving a fastener to attach said spacer block to said guard rail; an alignment mechanism comprising at least one tab operably coupled to and extending from said rear face of at least one side wall of said spacer block for maintaining lateral alignment of said spacer block on said post; a resting mechanism comprising a tab projecting from said front face of said bottom panel for supporting a bottom edge of said guard rail thereon; a notch formed in said rear face of said bottom panel and shaped to correspond to said tab of said resting mechanism for cooperative engagement of said resting mechanism of another said spacer block such that said spacer blocks may be positioned upon one another for storage; and wherein said spacer block is composed of a polymeric material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A spacer block for attaching a guard rail to a post, comprising:
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a pair of spaced apart opposing side walls having respective first ends and second ends; a top panel extending between said first ends of said side walls; a bottom panel extending between said second ends of said side walls; said top panel, said bottom panel and said side walls forming a block member having a front face for cooperatively engaging said post and a rear face for cooperatively engaging said guard rail; an engagement mechanism comprising a tab operably coupled to said top panel, said tab extending from said rear face of said spacer block for engaging said post and said tab including at least two spaced part fingers operably coupled proximate a distal end of said tab, the fingers extending from a bottom surface of said tab and forming a gap between said fingers and said rear face of said spacer block, the gap between said fingers operable to engage respective sides of a web of an I-beam support post and the gap between said fingers and said rear face of said spacer block operable to engage respective sides of a flange of the I-beam support post; at least one mounting bore extending there through said spacer block from said front face to said rear face for receiving a fastener to attach said spacer block to said guard rail; an alignment mechanism comprising at least one side tab or at least one side flange operably coupled to and extending from said rear face of at least one side wall of said spacer block for maintaining lateral alignment of said spacer block on said post; and wherein said spacer block is composed of a polymeric material. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification