Tactile embedment plate assembly with an alignment bracket

• US 8,662,788 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Detectable Llc
• Original Assignee: MetaDome, LLC
• Inventors: Sippola, Duane F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Addie, Raymond W
• Application Number:
  US13/453,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20130279978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 404/29, 404 34- 41
• US Class Current: 404/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/066 Installations on the floor, e.g. special surfaces, to guide blind persons
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/005 Individual couplings or spacer elements for joining the prefabricated units E01C5/10 takes precedence
• 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 9/083 made of metal, e.g. plates, network

Abstract

Tactile detection embedment plates used in pedestrian walkways releasably aligned by a bracket on at least one of the embedment plates. The bracket can be mated with a bracket on another plate to define a receiver yoke in which a wedge is disposed for a releasable plate assembly connection.

Claims

1. A tactile embedment plate assembly comprising:

a first plate;

a first bracket joined to the first plate;

a second plate arranged co-planar and adjacent to the first plate;

a second bracket joined to the second plate and aligned with the first bracket to define a receiver yoke there between; and

a wedge member disposed in the receiver yoke.

2. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the first bracket includes a first wedge surface spaced apart from the first plate; and

the second bracket includes a second wedge surface spaced apart from the second plate and the first wedge surface to define the receiver yoke.

3. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiver yoke is defined by:

a first wedge surface on the first bracket, the first wedge surface is spaced apart from the first plate; and

a second wedge surface on the second bracket, and the second wedge surface is spaced apart from the second plate and the first wedge surface.

4. The plate assembly of claim 1, wherein the first bracket is disposed adjacent to the second bracket.

5. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second pair of connecting brackets comprising;

a first bracket joined to the first plate; and

a second bracket joined to the second plate to define a receiver yoke therebetween.

6. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the first bracket includes a first foot; and

the second bracket includes a second foot.

7. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 1, wherein the wedge is a rod.

8. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 1, wherein the wedge is a rod with a substantially round cross-sectional shape.

9. A tactile embedment plate assembly comprising:

a first plate;

a first bracket joined to the first plate and the first bracket includes a shoulder;

a second plate adjacent to and co-planar with the first plate and bearing at least partially on the first bracket shoulder;

a second bracket joined to the second plate, and the second bracket includes a shoulder and the first plate bears at least partially on the second bracket shoulder;

wherein

a receiver yoke is defined by the first bracket and the second bracket; and

a wedge disposed in the receiver yoke.

10. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 9, wherein the receiver yoke is elongated and arranged substantially parallel to an edge of the second plate.

11. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 9, wherein the receiver yoke is wedge-shaped.

12. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 9, wherein:

the receiver yoke is defined by a first wedge surface on the first bracket, and the first surface is spaced apart from the first plate, and

a second surface on the second bracket, and the second surface is spaced apart from the second plate; and

a wedge is wedged between the first surface and the second surface.

13. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 12, wherein the first surface and the second surface define the receiver yoke that is wedge-shaped.

14. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 12, wherein:

the wedge is a rod.

15. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 9, wherein the wedge is a rod with a substantially round cross-sectional shape.

16. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 9, wherein:

the first bracket shoulder includes a lip for engaging a notch in a lower surface second plate.

17. The tactile embedment plate assembly of claim 13, and further comprising:

a lip on the second bracket for engaging a notch on the first embedment plate.

18. An alignment bracket for aligning a first tactile embedment plate to a second tactile embedment plate in a substantially co-planar relationship, the alignment connector comprising:

a first bracket joined to the first tactile embedment plate;

a second bracket joined to the second tactile embedment plate and aligned with the first bracket to define a receiver yoke; and

a wedge releasably disposed in the receiver yoke.

19. The alignment bracket of claim 18, wherein the first bracket comprises:

a shoulder on which the second tactile embedment plate bears.

20. The alignment bracket of claim 18, wherein the first bracket comprises:

a shoulder on which the second tactile embedment plate bears; and

a foot extending from the first bracket, substantially parallel to the first tactile embedment plate.

21. The alignment bracket of claim 18, wherein the first bracket comprises:

a shoulder on which the second tactile embedment plate bears; and

a wedge surface that at least partially defines the receiver yoke.

22. The alignment bracket of claim 18, wherein:

the first bracket comprises;

a shoulder on which the second tactile embedment plate bears, and a wedge surface that at least partially defines the receiver yoke; and

the second bracket comprises;

a shoulder on which the first tactile embedment plate bears and a wedge surface that at least partially defines the receiver yoke; and

a wedge surface that at least partially defines the receiver yoke.

23. A method of installing plate assemblies for being cast in concrete or asphalt pavement which includes the steps of:

setting a first plate in a desired position;

bringing a second plate substantially edge-to-edge with the first plate;

pivoting the second plate toward a co-planar position with the first plate to insert a bracket extending from the second plate under the first plate and into a co-planar position with the first plate to bring the bracket into bearing support of the first plate by aligning the bracket on the second plate with a bracket on the first plate to define a receiving yoke; and

inserting a wedge into the receiving yoke.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of pivoting the second plate toward a co-planar position with the first plate comprises the step of:

engaging a lip on the bracket of the second plate with a notch on the first plate to releasably join the second plate and the first plate.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of pivoting the second plate toward a co-planar relationship with the first plate comprises the step of:

bringing a bracket on the first plate into bearing support of the second plate.

26. The method of claim 23, and further including the step of:

placing a moldable material around and under the first plate and the second plate to form pavement having a detectable warning surface.

27. The method of claim 23, and further comprising the steps of:

engaging a lip on the bracket of the second plate with a notch in the first plate to create a plate assembly of the second plate and the first plate; and

installing the plate assembly into a pavement location to at least partially define a detectable warning surface.

28. The method of claim 23, and further comprising the step of:

sliding an edge of the second plate along an edge of the first plate to adjust a spacing between the bracket on the first plate and a bracket on the second plate.