US 12,270,166 B2
Link for foldable portable roadway warning device
Charles M. Mettler, Perry, OH (US)
Assigned to Plastic Safety Systems, Inc., Cleveland, OH (US)
Appl. No. 17/042,451
Filed by Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
PCT Filed Mar. 26, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/024029
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 28, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/191064, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 3, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/647,912, filed on Mar. 26, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0079606 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. E01F 9/529 (2016.01); F16B 2/24 (2006.01); F16B 19/02 (2006.01)
CPC E01F 9/529 (2016.02) [F16B 2/245 (2013.01); F16B 19/02 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A portable roadway warning device that includes a rumble strip having at least two longitudinally-extending modular strip sections, each of the strip sections being made of a polymeric material having spaced apart top and bottom surfaces, longitudinally-spaced end edges, and laterally-spaced side edges,
wherein at least one of the end edges of each of the strip sections has a plurality of laterally-spaced tabs, each tab having a laterally-extending through-hole, and a plurality of connecting links hingedly connecting the tabs at one of the end edges of one of the strip sections to respective aligned tabs at one of the end edges of another of the strip sections,
the connecting links including a link plate bracket and a pair of frangible pins that will fail before the polymeric material of the rumble strip section to which they are attached, extending through the through-holes of respective tabs to pivotally connect the strip sections through the corresponding bracket,
wherein the link plate bracket includes a center section configured to extend from one lateral side of the tab to an opposing lateral side of the tab such that the pivotally connected strip sections can fold in only one direction when the strip sections are arranged in an end-to-end alignment, the center section providing a physical interference limiting rotation of the tab in a direction opposite the one direction, the link plate bracket limiting rotation of the two strip sections connected to the link plate bracket in the direction opposite the one direction to about 180 degrees relative to each other to prevent the end edges of each of the strip sections connected to the link plate bracket from folding beyond 180 degrees and lifting vertically away from a roadway surface.