ROAD PLATE TAPER SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

The invention provides a road plate taper system and method of providing a gradual incline to the approach of a road plate that is installed upon a road. The invention replaces the use of costly, environmentally harmful cold mix asphalt as a means of providing a gradual incline to the approach of a road plate. The road plate taper system incorporates taper members that couple to the edges of a road plate such that the weight of the road plate and the friction bearing surface of the taper members secures the road plate to the surface of a road.

Claims

1. A road plate taper system, comprising: at least one taper member having a body portion and a receiving portion, wherein said receiving portion is adapted to receive an edge of a road plate.

2. The road plate taper system of claim 1, wherein said at least one taper member is free of any aperture that is adapted to fasten said at least one taper member to a surface.

3. The road plate taper system of claim 1, wherein said receiving portion is adapted to permit an edge of said road plate to nest within said receiving portion.

4. The road plate taper system of claim 1, wherein said body portion and said receiving portion are made from a single, continuous material.

5. The road plate taper system of claim 1, wherein said plate taper system comprises a plurality of said at least one taper member.

6. The road plate taper system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of taper members are adapted to nest against one another.

7. The road plate taper system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of taper members are adapted to be coupled to a road plate to form a frame around a periphery of said road plate.

8. The road plate taper system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of taper members include at least one side taper member and at least one end taper member.

9. The road plate taper system of claim 8, wherein the receiving portion of said at least one side taper member is adapted to receive a side of a road plate.

10. The road plate taper system of claim 8, wherein the receiving portion of said at least one end taper member is adapted to receive at least one corner of a road plate.

11. The road plate taper system of claim 8, wherein said at least one end taper member is u-shaped.

12. The road plate taper system of claim 1, wherein said receiving portion comprises a bottom lip and a top lip.

13. The road plate taper system of claim 12, wherein said receiving portion comprises a void between said bottom lip and said top lip.

14. The road plate taper system of claim 12, wherein said bottom lip is longer than said top lip.

15. The road plate taper system of claim 12, wherein said bottom lip and said top lip form an end of said at least one taper member.

16. The road plate taper system of claim 1, wherein said body portion forms an end of said taper member opposite said receiving portion, wherein the height of said receiving portion is greater than said height of said end.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive road plate taper system installed upon a road plate.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of the inventive road plate taper system installed upon a road plate.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of an embodiment of a taper member coupled to a road plate.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a receiving portion for use with the inventive road plate taper system.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of an embodiment of a taper member coupled to a road plate with references to dimensions of the taper member.

[0040] The figures referred to above are not drawn necessarily to scale and should be understood to present a representation of the invention, illustrative of the principles involved. Some features of the road plate taper system depicted in the drawings have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate explanation and understanding. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings for similar or identical components and features shown in various alternative embodiments. The road plate taper system, as disclosed herein, will have configurations and components determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which it is used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a top perspective view of an embodiment of the road plate taper system installed on road plate 101. The plate taper system can comprise side taper members 102 and end taper members 103. Side taper members 102 are adapted to couple to the sides of road plate 101, while end taper members 103 are adapted to couple to the ends of road plate 101. End taper members 103 can be adapted to couple to the corners of road plate 101. Thus, end taper members 103 can have receiving portions that are adapted to permit the end of road plate 101 and a portion of the side of road plate 101 to nest within end taper members 103. The receiving portions can be adapted to receive corners of the road plate where the sides and end of the road plate meet at 90 degree angles.

[0042] Side taper members 102 are adapted to nest against one another and against end taper members 103 by taper member edges 104. Thus, it will be appreciated that side taper members 102 and end taper members 103 are separate, modular pieces that nest against one another while coupled to road plate 101 such that the taper members can form a frame around road plate 101. Taper member edges 104 can have a shape and profile such that the edges of adjacent taper members are complimentary to one another. In a non-limiting embodiment, taper member edges 104 are straight. In another non-limiting embodiment, adjacent taper members have taper member edges 104 that are complimentary to one another so as to permit adjacent taper members to lock together, such as in a dovetail relationship, for example.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the inventive road plate taper system having side taper members 102, end taper members 103, and joining taper members 105. Side taper members 102, end taper members 103, and joining taper members 105 can be separate, modular pieces that are adapted to nest against one another by taper member edges 104. In this embodiment, end taper members 103 are not adapted to receive the corners of road plate 101. Instead, end taper members 103 are adapted to couple to the ends of road plate 101. Thus, the end of road plate 101 is coupled end taper members 103, while a portion of the sides of road plate 101 are coupled to joining taper members 105. One skilled in the art will appreciate that side taper members 101 and end taper members 102 can assume other configurations that permit the taper members to nest against one another to frame the sides and ends of a road plate. For example, side taper members 102 can couple to a road plate along then entire sides of road plate 101, while end taper members 103 couple to entire ends of road plate 101.

[0044] The road plate taper system can be made from any material suitable for receiving and supporting a steel road plate that is to be driven upon by vehicles and cyclists while covering a trench or hole in a road. Suitable materials include, but are not necessarily limited to, rubber (such as rubber used in the manufacture of tires), high density plastics, and the like. The road plate taper system can be made from a recycled material, such as recycled tires. The road plate taper system can be colored so as to provide notice to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians of the presence of a road hazard. For example, the road plate taper system can be colored orange, yellow, bright green, white, red, or any other color suitable for providing notice of a road hazard. The top and bottom surfaces of the taper members can be treated with anti-skid, anti-slip materials or can feature texturing for increasing the friction produced by the top and bottom surfaces of the taper members. In some embodiments, the taper members are free of any aperture or other feature for receiving a fastener, such as an anchor bolt or stake for fixing the taper member to a surface. Thus, the taper members of the invention can be secured to a road surface to provide a gradual incline to the approach of a road plate without the use of fasteners, such as anchor bolts.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a perspective side view of side taper member 102 coupled to road plate 101. Side taper member 102 can comprise body portion 109 and receiving portion 106. As with side taper members 102, end taper members 103 and joining taper members 105 similarly comprise a body portion and receiving portion. In all instances, the body portion and receiving portion can be made from a single, continuous material. Receiving portion 106 has a height that is greater than the height of the opposing end of side taper member 102 where body portion 109 terminates. The end where body portion 109 terminates can have a height that is between about one inch and about two inches. Thus, the profile of side taper member 102 can be tapered. While not shown in FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that end taper members 103 and joining taper members 104 will have similar tapering profiles. Receiving portion 106 can be adapted to receive the edge of a road plate such that the edge of the road plate nests within receiving portion 106, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0046] Receiving portion 106 can comprise top lip 107 disposed above bottom lip 108. Top lip 107 and bottom lip 108 define a void therebetween for receiving the edge of road plate 101. The void can have a height that is the same as, less than, or more than, the width of the road plate that is to be coupled to the taper member. In some embodiments, the void has a height that is less than the thickness of road plate 101 so that the taper member couples to plate 101 under tension in order to keep the taper member coupled to road plate 101 during the placement of road plate 101 onto a surface. The void can have a height that is about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, or about 20% less than the height of road plate 101. In alternate embodiments, the void can have a height that is about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, or about 20% more than the height of road plate 101 so as to make it easier to couple and uncouple the taper member to road plate 101. As used herein, the term about means the quantity or value that is referenced, or that varies (plus or minus) by up to 5%, up to 10%, up to 15%, or up to 20% of the quantity or value that is referenced.

[0047] While not shown in FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that end taper members 103 and joining taper members 105 can similarly comprise receiving portion 106. In instances where the road taper plate system comprises side taper members 102, end taper members 103, and joining taper members 105, the entire length of side taper members 102 and end taper members 103 will comprise top lip 107 and bottom lip 108 with a void for receiving the edge of a road plate being defined therebetween. In instances in which the road plate taper system comprises side taper members 102 and end taper members 103 without joining taper members 105, end taper members 103 can assume a u-shape wherein the two opposing sides of the u-shape, and the length of the member that joins the opposing sides of the u-shape together, will include top lip 107, bottom lip 108, and a void therebetween as disclosed herein. Unless otherwise dictated by context in which the phrase is used, it will be understood that the phrases taper member and taper members as used herein include side taper members 102, end taper members 103, joining taper members 105, or combinations thereof.

[0048] FIG. 5 depicts the dimensions for side taper members 102. Side taper members 102 can have width W which can be between about 10 inches and about 24 inches, or between about 12 inches and about 18 inches. When the road plate taper system is used for a road plate that is one inch thick, width W can be about 12 inches. When the road plate taper system is used for a road plate that is 1? inches thick, width W can be about 18 inches. Side taper members 102 can have length L. In some non-limiting embodiments, length L is between about two feet and about 6 feet. For example, length L can be about two feet, about 3 feet, about 4 feet, about 5 feet, or about six feet. Depending on the size of the road plate to which the taper members are coupled, and the length L of side taper members 102, the road plate taper system of can comprise one, two, three or more side taper members 102 coupled to each side of a road plate. The road plate taper system can comprise a plurality of taper members having the same or different lengths.

[0049] In some embodiments, the invention provides a method for providing a gradual incline to the approach of a road plate. The method can be practiced by providing one or more taper members as disclosed herein, coupling the road plate to the one or more taper members wherein the road plate is placed within the receiving portions of the one or more taper members, and placing the road plate with the one or more taper members coupled thereto onto a road surface, wherein the weight of the road plate forces the bottom of the one or more taper members against the surface under friction thereby securing the road plate taper system to the surface. The road plate with taper members coupled thereto can be placed over a hole or trench in a road. The taper members can include side taper members 102, end taper members 103, joining taper members 105, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the road plate taper system is used to provide a taper to a plurality of road plates, such as over a trench, wherein the road plates with taper members coupled thereto are placed end to end in series over the length of the trench. In such embodiments, it will be understood that the road plates that are in the middle of the series will omit end taper members 103 and joining taper members 105, while the outward ends of the road plates in the series will include end taper members 103 and/or joining taper members 105 such that the collection of the taper members in the series forms a frame around the edges of the road plates in the series.

[0050] The road plate taper system can include shims that are placed between the bottom surface of the taper members and the surface on which the road plate rests in order to level the road plate in instances where the road plate is placed on an uneven surface. Shims for use with the invention can be made from high density plastic or rubber, for example. The shims can be made from rubber obtained from recycled tires.