Trirund device

Abstract

A temporary warning sign that is mounted to a vehicle, trailer or caravan that indicates to other road users positioned behind the vehicle, that the vehicle has a tyre hazard, and the speed of the veh

Description

I remember visiting my uncle and aunt with my family as a boy and still recall my uncle saying to my dad about his astonishment that two cars driving towards one another at fast speeds are kept apart and safe by a broken white painted line or just cats' eyes. Well, that was over 50 years ago but still applies today. In those days, with about 5 million cars on the roads that doubled to 10 million by the end of the 1960's, road signs and painted lines which were so important are now becoming even more so as the roads get busier. Today with 33 million cars on the roads in the UK, road driving signs and road information signs are vital to keep the traffic moving and informing drivers of hazards, road works or speed restrictions and general directions, accidents or diversions and even signs saying, "don't drive when tired, take a break!" Signs on vehicles are important also and warn us of that vehicles restricted or compromised driving and the possible hazard that they may cause, for example, a school bus or coach that says "frequent stops", or a sign at the rear of a refuse lorry that states the same or a lorry displaying a "wide load" or "long vehicle" sign or a van rear sign stating "60mph limited", but more often than not we associate these types of vehicles with that sign and vice versa and understand the hazard they may impose. And not forgetting the learner "L" plates and new driver "P" plates, potential hazards we are familiar with, we know what's going on to a greater degree, and we know what to expect from their driving and can therefore minimise the hazard with that knowledge and nearly all of these signs are required by law. Today with more cars on the roads than ever, more new cars and more cars in good condition than ever before in conjunction with our busier lives, driving has become faster and more aggressive to some degree. Now I would like to do a hypothetical experiment with you, the reader. Can you drive this rented car for two hours on a 60mph "B" road, passing a medium size town and through some villages and you don't know these roads and you've just had a puncture so you're driving with a space saver spare wheel and can only drive approximately 30mph. Oh, and it's 5 o'clock in the evening and raining. In the meantime, I'm going to discuss road rage and I'll get back to you after that. In recent years three to four thousand incidents of road rage each year are reported to our police force. In a recent survey by "comparethemarket.com," of those that took part, 62% had experienced road rage, with 30% reporting having had a face-to-face confrontation with another driver. Reports of offenders making obscene finger or hand gestures, verbal abuse, obscene verbal abuse, being spat at, people having been kicked, punched or knocked down, driving at other vehicles or persons, threatened with violence and even stabbings. In the USA road rage is the main factor in more than half of all fatal crashes (Bankrate.US). In the UK 30% of all reported road rage incidents are due to a vehicle being driven too slowly and let's not forget that most incidents never get reported to the police. This patent application came about because my wife sometimes works night shifts and had to drive for approximately an hour alone on a space saver spare wheel and suffered several incidents of gesticular and verbal abuse to which I couldn't protect her from, so this application is to help our wives, mothers, partners, daughters, sons, us and everybody from this scary, unnecessary situation of poor to shocking human behaviour. Anyway, let's get back to you, the hypothetical driver. How was your drive in that rented car? Well, we don't really need to ask, we already know that by complete chance it could have been a positive or negative outcome, but probably a negative one. So now to discuss a resolution for this situation. The Trirund device is a simple graphic sign, in this instance a yellow triangular styled shape recognised throughout the world as a hazard sign shape, (see Trirund Examples / Figures 1-8), with a simple black ring or "O" shape or a zero or a suggestion of a tyre or flat tyre, a flattened zero or ring in a contrasting colour that represents a wheel or tyre or any simple graphic that suggests a flat tyre or related tyre problem in regard to a compact or space saver spare wheel, run flat tyre or repair kit partial failure or vehicles with twin wheels or axles that have a puncture. This graphic sign has several methods of attachment; magnetic, static cling or adhesive, or partial adhesive and is ideally stowed on a motor vehicle or acquired or obtained by any means when needed. In recent years approximately 2 million new cars each year come onto our roads. Of those, about 10% have a regular same size spare wheel, 50% have a puncture repair kit, (which has about a 20% failure or partial failure rate), and about 30% have a compact or space saver spare wheel and approximately 10% run flat tyres, so there are several million of these vehicles that don't have a regular spare wheel and with about half a million punctures each year on our roads something needs to be done, due to that amount of slow driving, thousands upon thousands of drivers attracting totally unnecessary criticism or abuse from a situation not of their making. One of the causes of this slow driving is due to the compact or space saver wheel as it's a much thinner and lighter tyre and wheel to act as a temporary spare wheel. Another issue is the run flat tyre which can only be driven on for a very short time, also at slow speeds. Then for some reason, the most popular for new motor vehicle purchases with only about 80% success of repair, is the repair kit, instead of any spare wheel or tyre. All of the above have suggested usage speeds around the thirty to forty miles per hour and with a nearside or kerbside front wheel not visible to a driver behind, a skinny wheel or run flat wouldn't be seen, or for that matter any view of the wheels condition, especially in poor weather or at night. If road users driving behind a compromised motor vehicle know what the issue or problem is with the slow motor vehicle in front of them that road user behind can better calculate with a constant rather than a probable erratic situation. The act of presenting the Trirund hazard graphic device that occurs by chance due to a puncture to a tyre of a motor vehicle that's had the Trirund device stowed within or about that motor vehicle, or acquired by another means, that also has stowed a compact or space saver spare wheel or tyre repair kit and also a vehicle with run flat tyres fitted to its wheels or a vehicle or vehicle with a trailer or caravan that has twin wheels or twin axles, the Trirund device makes aware to road users behind of a puncture or wheel hazard to that motor vehicle. In the instance of a motor vehicle with a stowed Trirund device and a compact or space saver spare wheel also stowed, that in the case of a chance puncture to a regular tyre of that motor vehicle and therefore the fitting of the thin spare wheel, this vehicle is now compromised by its lack of handling, steering and braking due to the fitting of that compact or space saver spare wheel and therefore an altered manner in which that motor vehicle has to be driven at a slower speed and earlier braking and therefore the Trirund device is attached to the rear of that motor vehicle visible to other road users behind and stays attached for the duration of that problem until repair or replacement of the regular tyre. But more importantly there is a technical point of law that the Trirund device being stowed and used when needed resolves. Technically it can be argued that any space saver spare wheel or run flat tyre or substandard self-tyre repair that compromises that motor vehicles handling, braking and speed is a motor vehicle that is not fully compliant in law and to balance this a Trirund device is essential. In a situation of police being called, or intervening in an incident of slow driving, would in most cases be given a verbal warning and that would be that. But depending on the circumstances the police or insurance companies within a "made complex, complex, serious, expensive or fatal incident" involving a slow driver things would change. Someone has to take the blame, it's how the system works. Driving too slowly is technically an offence, even though there isn't a direct charge. The Trirund device being displayed means that within the law the driver of the slow driven motor vehicle is shown to be doing everything that is reasonably practicable and not being inconsiderate to other road users and not to have a lack of due care and attention with regards to other road users by slow driving which carriers three to nine penalty points on a licence if prosecuted. People have died due to poor decisions made by a lack of understanding due to a hazard on our roads. The Trirund device is an integral part of the process of the fitting of a compact or space saver spare wheel, with a technical point of law, for safe and legal use of a compact or space saver spare wheel which also applies to the device used with punctures to run flat tyres or partially deflated repair kit failures and their legal use and the courtesy this device displays within a total of at least half a million puncture incidents each year and rising. Hopefully, following a patent success, I intend to pursue a legal status for this device that's similar to the learner "L" plate sign. These signs do help other road users to better calculate a motor vehicle hazard and this in turn means better decisions, less accidents, insults or injuries or even further fatalities, which are becoming a growing issue year on year.

Claims

Trirund Device Claim 1The Trirund device is stowed within or about a motor vehicle, (or acquired by another means and at a time when required), and that motor vehicle also has a compact or space saver spare wheel stowed or may have a compact or space saver spare wheel acquired by another means when needed for use on that motor vehicle.When that motor vehicle has a puncture or wheel damage and a compact or space saver spare wheel is fitted to one of its hubs, this motor vehicle is now compromised by inferior handling, steering and braking and an altered manner to which this motor vehicle has now to be driven at a slower speed and therefore creating a technical infringement to a point of law and so the Trirund device must be attached to the visible rear of that motor vehicle, visible to other road users behind, and the Trirund device remains attached for the duration of this problem until a tyre or wheel and tyre repair or replacement results and by this action of attaching the Trirund device does vindicate that keeper or driver of that motor vehicle from a lack of consideration for other road users and from a lack of due care and attention relating to other road users in this regard and so by this action of courtesy the Trirund device abides to these points of law in its technical relative scope for a legal and safer outcome.Trirund Device Claim 2The Trirund device is stowed within or about a motor vehicle that has run flat tyres fitted to its wheels or the Trirund device acquired by other means for use on a motor vehicle that has run flat tyres. When that motor vehicle has a puncture to one or more of its run flat tyres that motor vehicle is compromised by inferior handling, steering and braking and therefore an altered manner to which this motor vehicle has to be driven at a slower speed and therefore creating a technical infringement to a point of law. So, the Trirund device must be attached to the visible rear of that motor vehicle visible to road users behind and the Trirund device remains attached for the duration of this problem until a tyre or tyres and wheels are replaced or repaired. And by this act of attaching the Trirund device does vindicate that keeper or driver of that motor vehicle from a lack of consideration to other road users and from a lack of due care and attention relating to other road users in this regard and so by this action of courtesy the Trirund device abides to these points of law in its technical relative scope for a legal and safer outcome.Trirund Device Claim 3The Trirund device is stowed in or about a motor vehicle that has twin wheels or twin axles or tows a trailer or caravan that has twin wheels or that has twin axles or a Trirund device acquired by other means when needed. When that motor vehicle or motor vehicle and trailer or towed equipment or plant is compromised by a puncture or wheel damage and therefore an altered manner to which this motor vehicle or arrangement of vehicles has to be driven due to inferior handling, steering and breaking, this creates an infringement to a point of law. The Trirund device must be fitted to the visible rear of that motor vehicle or towed vehicle for the duration of that problem until repair or replacement of that wheel or tyre and by this courtesy of attaching the Trirund device does vindicate that keeper of driver from a lack of consideration to other road users and from a lack of due care and attention for other road users and the Trirund device abides to these points of law in its technical relative scope for a legal and safer outcome.Trirund Device Claim 4The Trirund device is a motor vehicle hazard sign and a mechanism to abide to a point of law by the act of its attachment and visibility to other road users in a circumstance of slow driving due to compromised handling, steering and braking, and points of relative law infringement are resolved by the Trirund device attachment within that relative related situation.Trirund Device Claim 5A Trirund device can be stowed in a motor vehicle or acquired when needed by another means or provided by others for use for that motor vehicle at a time when required.Trirund Device Claim 6A further embodiment to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, comprising of the standardising of the Trirund device in its size, shape and colour to conform to UK and International standards regarding hazard warning and vehicular signs.Trirund Device Claim 7A further embodiment to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, comprising of several methods of attaching the Trirund device to motor vehicles or towed vehicles or plant by using amongst other methods such as a magnetic, static cling and adhesive, or partial adhesive, as a universal pack or as a specific individual attachment method for specific vehicles.Trirund Device Claim 8A further embodiment to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, comprising of the use of a Trirund device on any vehicle that has compromised handling, steering and braking due to a punctured wheel or tyre related problem creating an infringement to a point of law by slow driving directly related to that short term and temporary situation prior to repair or replacement of a tyre, or wheel and tyre, to that motor vehicle. The Trirund device must be removed and stowed once a repair or replacement wheel or tyre is fitted to that now non-compromised motor vehicle.

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