Embedment plate for pedestrian walkways with reinforced projections

• US 8,544,222 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MetaDome, LLC
• Original Assignee: MetaDome, LLC
• Inventors: Sippola, Duane F.
• Primary Examiner(s): KATCHEVES, BASIL S
• Application Number:
  US13/370,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20120207543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 521/77, 521/80, 523/89, 523/90, 525/915, 525/921, 525/923, 404/34
• US Class Current: 52/177
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/066 Installations on the floor, e.g. special surfaces, to guide blind persons
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/16 made of metallic units with a filling or ground plate of other material E01C5/22; for temporary pavings E01C9/083; steel gratings E01C9/10
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/22 made of units composed of a mixture of materials covered by two or more of groups E01C5/008 , E01C5/02 - E01C5/20 except embedded reinforcing materials
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02 Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements of webs E04F15/16

Abstract

An embedment tile for producing a tactilely detectable surface in a pedestrian walkway. The tile includes a pattern of upwardly extending projections on its upper surface forming a tactilely detectable pattern, and the projections have reinforcing ridges to protect the projections from lateral forces such as those applied by snow plows.

Claims

1. An embedment tile for producing a tactilely detectable surface in a pedestrian walkway, the embedment tile comprising:

a tile member having an upper surface;

a plurality of tactile projections, and each tactile projection extends upward from the upper surface of the tile member,

and includes a plurality of

reinforcing ridges and each ridge extends outwardly from side and top portions of the tactile projection.

2. The embedment tile of claim 1, wherein:

each tactile projection is a substantially truncated dome in shape, and defines a lower perimeter adjacent to the top surface of the top plate and a center of the top surface; and

each reinforcing ridge extends from the lower perimeter toward the center of the top surface of the tactile projection.

3. The embedment tile of claim 1, wherein:

each tactile projection includes an outer inclined and substantially annular surface and a center of the top surface; and

each reinforcing ridge extends outwardly above the outer inclined and substantially annular surface and the center of the top of the tactile projection.

4. An embedment tile for producing a tactilely detectable surface in a pedestrian walkway, the embedment tile comprising:

a tile member having an upper surface;

a projection extending upward from the upper surface of the tile member, the projection having a top surface; and

a plurality of reinforcing ridges extending outwardly above the top surface of the projection and spaced apart at substantially equal distances around the projection.

5. An embedment tile for producing a tactilely detectable surface in a pedestrian walkway, the embedment tile comprising:

a tile member having an upper surface;

a projection extending upward from the upper surface of the tile member, the projection having a top surface; and

a reinforcing ridge having at least a portion that extends outwardly above the top surface of the projection wherein the reinforcing ridge extends between a lower base perimeter and a center of the top surface of the projection.

6. An embedment tile for producing a tactilely detectable surface in a pedestrian walkway, the embedment tile comprising:

a tile member having an upper surface;

a plurality of tactile projections extending upward from the upper surface of the tile member, each tactile projection includes an inclined side surface; and

each tactile projection includes a plurality reinforcing ridge having at least a portion that extends outwardly from side and top portions of the tactile projection.

7. The embedment tile of claim 6, wherein each reinforcing ridge extends above a top and substantially horizontal surface of the projection.

8. The embedment tile of claim 6, and

the plurality of reinforcing ridges are spaced apart at substantially equal distances.

9. The embedment tile of claim 6, wherein each reinforcing ridge on each tactile projection extends between a lower base perimeter and a center top portion of the projection.

10. The embedment tile of claim 6, wherein:

at least one tactile projection includes a substantially horizontal top surface.

11. An embedment tile for producing a tactilely detectable surface in a pedestrian walkway, the embedment tile comprising:

a tile member having an upper surface;

a plurality of projections extending upward from the upper surface of the tile member, and each projection has an inclined side surface, is a substantially truncated dome in shape, defines a lower perimeter adjacent to the top surface of the top plate, and has a center top portion; and

each projection also includes a reinforcing ridge having at least a portion that extends outwardly above and substantially parallel to the inclined side surface of the projection and the reinforcing ridge extends from the lower perimeter toward the center top portion of the projection.