Road cone and road cone-cone bar connection structure

The road cone and cone bar connection system addresses the issue of easy detachment by using a locking part that elastically secures the cone bar, enabling easy attachment and removal, and maintaining stability during use and transport.

JP2024177667AActive Publication Date: 2024-12-20TOP CORPORATION

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023095923
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-06-10
Publication Date
2024-12-20
Estimated Expiration
2043-06-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing road cone and cone bar connection systems face issues with the cone bar easily coming off and being difficult to attach or remove, due to the need for rotating or forcing the cone bar into place.

Method used

A locking part on the road cone extends horizontally or diagonally downward and elastically deforms to secure the cone bar, with features like band-shaped locking pieces and an opening/closing structure to facilitate easy attachment and removal.

Benefits of technology

The solution ensures the cone bar remains securely attached and can be easily installed and removed without interference, allowing for efficient stacking and transportation.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a road cone and a road cone-cone bar connection structure, capable of preventing the cone bar from coming off from the road cone, easily attaching the cone bar to the road cone, and easily detaching the cone bar from the road cone as necessary.SOLUTION: A road cone 10 is provided with a locking piece 20 extending obliquely downward on the tip end side of a cone body 11 and constituting a locking part. The locking piece 20 is bent around a root (a boundary with the cone body 11) and elastically deformed so as to abut on the outer peripheral surface of the cone body 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to road cones (known as color cones: registered trademark), which are cone-shaped safety devices, and to cone bars that are installed between adjacent road cones. [Background technology]

[0002] Road cones and traffic cones are used as tools to prevent or restrict entry or intrusion into certain areas due to accidents, construction work, etc. Conventionally, a typical road cone and a cone bar are connected by fitting annular fitting portions provided at both ends of the cone bar into the tip side of the conical road cone.

[0003] However, since the annular fitting portion is simply fitted into the tip of the cone, there was a problem that the cone bar was easily detached from the road cone. For this reason, in order to solve this problem, inventions and devices such as those in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have been disclosed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6656737 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3048692 [Patent Document 3] Utility Model Registration No. 3078897 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Certainly, inventions and ideas such as those in Patent Documents 1 to 3 may be able to solve the problem of cone bars coming off road cones. However, the inventions and devices of Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the following drawbacks in that they make it difficult for the cone bar to come off after being attached to the road cone. (1) The cone bar cannot be easily attached to the road cone. In detail, in Patent Document 1, the cone bar needs to be rotated around the road cone as an axis in order to fit the cone bar. In Patent Documents 2 and 3, the cone bar needs to be forcibly pushed into the road cone, which has grooves and protrusions, in order to fit the cone bar. (2) The cone bar cannot be easily removed from the road cone. In detail, as in (1) above, in Patent Document 1, the cone bar needs to be rotated around the road cone as an axis in order to remove it. In Patent Documents 2 and 3, the cone bar needs to be forcefully removed from the road cone, which has grooves and ridges.

[0006] In response to this, the present inventors have completed the present invention with the aim of providing a road cone and a road cone-cone bar connection structure that prevents the cone bar from coming off the road cone while allowing the cone bar to be easily attached to the road cone and also allows the cone bar to be easily detached from the road cone when necessary. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention of the present application is a road cone which is a conical safety device and which has a locking portion at the tip side of the road cone which extends horizontally or diagonally downward and elastically deforms so as to be able to abut against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone, and which locks annular fitting portions at both ends of the bar body of the cone bar which is installed between adjacent road cones so that the fitting portions do not come loose from the state in which they are fitted into the tip of the road cone. A second aspect of the present invention is the road cone, wherein the engaging portion has one or more band-shaped engaging pieces on the outer periphery of the tip end side of the road cone. The third invention of the present application is a road cone characterized in that an inner cylinder that is inserted into the top of the opened road cone is provided with a locking piece, and a locking piece hole is provided on the tip side of the road cone to allow the locking piece to protrude outside the road cone. A fourth aspect of the present invention is the road cone characterized in that it includes a fitting body that fits over the tip side of the road cone and brings the locking portion into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the road cone. The fifth invention of the present application is a road cone-cone bar connection structure comprising a locking portion at the tip of the road cone, which is a conical safety device, extending horizontally or diagonally downward and elastically deforming so as to be able to abut against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone, and annular fitting portions at both ends of the bar body of the cone bar that is installed between adjacent road cones, wherein the locking portion locks the fitting portion in place so that it does not come off once the fitting portion is fitted into the tip of the road cone. A sixth aspect of the present invention is a road cone-cone bar connection structure, characterized in that the locking portion has one or more band-shaped locking pieces on the outer periphery of the tip side of the road cone. The seventh invention of the present application is a road cone-cone bar connection structure, characterized in that the fitting portion of the cone bar has a separable open-close structure at its tip. The eighth invention of the present application is a road cone-cone bar connection structure characterized in that an inner cylinder that is inserted into the top of the opened road cone is provided with a locking piece, and a locking piece hole is provided on the tip side of the road cone to allow the locking piece to protrude outside the road cone. The ninth invention of the present application is a road cone-cone bar connection structure characterized by including a fitting body that fits over the tip side of the road cone and abuts the engaging portion against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The present invention has the following advantages. (1) The locking portion provided on the road cone is located on the tip side of the road cone and extends horizontally or diagonally downward, but is elastically deformed so as to be able to abut against the outer circumferential surface of the road cone, so that when the fitting portion of the cone bar is fitted into the tip of the road cone, the locking portion bends (elastically deforms) to abut against the outer circumferential surface of the road cone according to the movement of the fitting portion, so that it does not become an obstacle to the fitting portion, and the cone bar can be easily attached to the road cone. Also, when the fitting portion is fitted into the tip of the road cone, the locking portion returns to its original state extending horizontally or diagonally downward from the outer circumferential surface of the road cone, and becomes an obstacle when the fitting portion tries to be removed from the road cone, so that the cone bar cannot be removed from the road cone. (2) On the other hand, if the fitting portion of the cone bar has a separable opening and closing structure at its tip, when the fitting portion separates and opens the annular tip, the cone bar can be easily removed from the road cone without the locking portion interfering with the removal. (3) In addition, by providing an locking piece on the inner cylinder that is inserted into the open top of the road cone and providing a locking piece hole on the tip side of the road cone through which the locking piece protrudes outside the road cone, when the inner cylinder is inserted into the open top of the road cone, the locking piece becomes an obstacle when the cone bar (its fitting portion) tries to remove from the road cone. However, by simply moving the inner cylinder upward from the top of the road cone, the locking piece (locking portion) is pulled into the locking piece hole, so that the locking piece (locking portion) does not become an obstacle and the cone bar can be easily removed from the road cone. (4) Furthermore, by providing a fitting body that fits over the tip side of the road cone and abuts the locking portion against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone, the fitting body fits over the tip side of the road cone and abuts the locking portion (locking piece) against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone, so that the locking piece (locking portion) does not get in the way and the cone bar can be easily removed from the road cone. (5) The advantage of road cones is that they can be stacked for transportation and storage. The road cones of the present invention also have engaging parts that are elastically deformable (they bend to abut against the outer periphery of the road cone), so they can be stacked and the advantage of the road cones is not diminished. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Figure 2-1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (2-1) illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Figure 2-2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (2-2) illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram (3) illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (4) illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (5) illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the road cone-cone bar connection structure of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the road cone-to-cone bar connection structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates the basic structure of the road cone-cone bar connection structure according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the road cone 10 is provided with a locking piece 20 that extends obliquely downward from the tip end side of the cone body 11 to form a locking portion. The locking piece 20 bends near its base (the boundary with the cone body 11) and elastically deforms so as to be able to abut against the outer circumferential surface of the cone body 11.

[0011] Annular fitting portions 52 provided on both ends of a bar body 51 of a cone bar 50 are fitted into a road cone 10 equipped with a locking piece 20 (FIG. 1(a)). Then, the locking piece 20 extending diagonally downward undergoes elastic deformation and abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the cone body 11 so as to close the spread wings as the fitting portion 52 moves downward (FIG. 1(b)). This allows the cone bar 50 to be smoothly fitted into the road cone 10.

[0012] Once the cone bar 50 has been completely fitted into the road cone 10, the locking piece 20 returns to its original state (extending diagonally downward), which acts as an obstacle to the fitting portion 52 and prevents the cone bar 50 from coming off the road cone 10 (movement in the direction of arrow X) (Figure 1(c)).

[0013] 2 to 5 show the structure of the locking piece 20. However, the locking piece 20 is not limited to those shown in the drawings. Fig. 2-1(a) shows the locking piece 20A attached to the cone body 11 of the road cone 10 with a cable tie 30. For this purpose, the locking piece 20A is provided with a cable tie hole 21, and the cone body 11 is provided with a cable tie hole 12 and a locking piece hole 13. 2-1(b) and (c) show the locking piece attached to the cone body 11 of the road cone 10 without a cable tie. The locking piece 20B in Figure 2-1(b) has an attachment hole 22B formed in a part of the wide band, through which a narrow band is passed and wrapped around the locking piece hole 13 of the cone body 11 (the narrow band constitutes the locking piece 20B). The locking piece 20C in Figure 2-1(c) has an attachment hole 22C formed at one end of a wide band, through which a narrow band is passed and wrapped around the locking piece hole 13 in the cone body 11 (the wide band constitutes the locking piece 20C).

[0014] FIG. 2-2 illustrates a locking piece 20X, which is an evolved version of the locking piece 20A illustrated in FIG. 2-1(a) and in which the locking piece 20A and a cable tie 30 are integrated together. 2-2(d), the locking piece 20X includes a generally concave main body 25X and a band portion 28X. The main body 25X includes abutment portions 26X on the left and right sides parallel to the band portion 28X, and a band portion hole 27X on the base side of the band portion 28X through which the band portion 28X passes. The band portion 28X also includes a protrusion 29X. On the other hand, the cone body 11 has a band hole 14 for attaching the locking piece 20X, and an L-shaped notch 15 cut out from the outer side of the top of the band hole 14, as shown in FIG. 2-2(a).

[0015] 2-2(b) and (c) show the state in which the locking piece 20X is attached to the cone body 11, the former of which is attached by wrapping the band portion 25X of the locking piece 20X twice around the band portion perforation 14 and finally passing it through the band portion perforation 27X, while the latter of which is attached by wrapping the band portion 25X of the locking piece 20X once around the band portion perforation 14 and finally passing it through the band portion perforation 27X. In either case, the convex portion 29X provided on the band portion 25X of the locking piece 20X fits into the notch 15 formed at the top of the cone body 11, eliminating any misalignment of the band portion 25X and reliably fixing the locking piece 20X to the cone body 11. The locking piece 20X attached to the cone body 11 extends obliquely downward with the abutment portions 26X, 26X of the body 25X abutting against the cone body 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the cone bar 50 can be easily attached to the road cone 10 and the cone bar 50 can be prevented from coming off the road cone 10.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows an annular ring member 35 provided with a locking piece 20, and the ring member 35 is used to attach the locking piece 20 to the road cone 10. In FIG. 3(a), by attaching a ring member 35 to the outer periphery of the tip end side of the cone body 11, the road cone 10 can be provided with a locking piece 20D. In Fig. 3(b), the ring member 35 is attached to the inner circumference of the tip side of the cone body 11 (the top of the road cone 10 must be open), so that the road cone 10 can be provided with a locking piece 20E. In this case, a locking piece hole 13 is required to allow the locking piece 20E to protrude outside the road cone 10.

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a locking piece 20F attached directly to a road cone 10 by a clip member 40.

[0018] 5 shows that the locking piece 20G is provided on (the top of) the road cone 10 so as to extend in the horizontal direction. Two locking pieces 20G are provided diagonally, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0019] 6 to 8 show a structure for removing the cone bar 50 from the road cone 10 having the locking piece 20. FIG. Fig. 6 is characterized by a cone bar 50. That is, the fitting part 52 of the cone bar 50 has a separable opening and closing structure 53 at its tip (Fig. 6(a)). The cone bar 50 having the separable opening and closing structure 53 at the tip of the fitting part 52 is described in detail in the present applicant's Japanese Patent No. 7162316. As a result, in order to remove the cone bar 50 from the road cone 10, it is possible to simply open the tip of the fitting portion 52, without the locking piece 20 becoming an obstacle, and to lift the cone bar 50 upward and remove it (Figures 5 (b-1) and (c)). Furthermore, the fitting portion 52 can be removed from the cone body 11 by pulling it horizontally (sideways) without lifting the cone bar 50 upward, and the locking piece 20 does not obstruct this (Figures 5(b-2) and (c)).

[0020] Fig. 7 is characterized in that an inner cylinder 45 is provided with a locking piece 20H, which is inserted into the inner circumference of the tip side of the cone body 11 (the top of the road cone 10 must be open). The method of attaching the locking piece is the same as in Fig. 3(b), but the inner cylinder 45 is longer in the vertical direction than the ring member 35 in Fig. 3(b) (Figs. 7(a) and (b)). Therefore, when removing the cone bar 50, the inner tube 45 is slid upward so that it protrudes from the top of the road cone 10, and the locking piece 20H is also retracted into the locking piece hole in the cone body 11, so that the locking piece 20H does not become an obstacle and the fitting portion 52 can be removed from the cone body 11 (Figure 7(c)).

[0021] FIG. 8 is characterized by a fitting body 48 that fits over the tip end side of the cone body 11. The tip end side of the road cone 10, which is provided with the locking piece 20I and is connected to the cone bar 50, is fitted with the fitting body 48 (FIG. 8(a)). Then, the engaging piece 20I is elastically deformed by the fitted body 48 so that it abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the cone body 11, and the engaging piece 20I does not become an obstacle, allowing the fitting portion 52 to be removed from the cone body 11 (Figures 8(b) and (c)). [Industrial Applicability]

[0022] The road cone and road cone / cone bar connection system of the present invention can be widely used to connect road cones and cone bars to form restriction zones at accident sites, construction sites, event venues, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 10. Road Cones 11 Cone body 12 Drilling holes for cable ties 13 Drilling holes for locking pieces 14 Band hole 15 Notch 20 Locking piece 21 Drilling holes for cable ties 22 Mounting hole 30 Cable Ties 35 Ring member 40 Clip member 45 Inner cylinder 48 Fitted object 50 Cone Bar 51 Bar body 52 Fitting 53 Opening and closing structure

Claims

1. This road cone is a conical safety device and is provided with a locking portion at the tip side of the road cone, which extends horizontally or diagonally downward and elastically deforms so as to be able to abut against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone, and the locking portion locks annular fitting portions provided at both ends of the bar body of the cone bar that is installed between adjacent road cones so that the fitting portions do not come out from the state in which they are fitted into the tip of the road cone.

2. 2. The road cone according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion comprises one or more band-shaped engaging pieces on an outer periphery of the tip end side of the road cone.

3. 3. The road cone according to claim 2, further comprising an inner cylinder that is inserted into the top of the open road cone and has a locking piece, and a locking piece hole is provided at the tip of the road cone for allowing the locking piece to protrude outside the road cone.

4. 3. The road cone according to claim 1, further comprising a fitting body that fits over a tip end of the road cone and brings the engaging portion into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the road cone.

5. A road cone-to-cone bar connection structure comprising a locking portion at the tip of the road cone, which is a conical safety device, extending horizontally or diagonally downward and elastically deforming so as to be able to abut against the outer peripheral surface of the road cone, and annular fitting portions at both ends of the bar body of the cone bar that is installed between adjacent road cones, wherein the locking portion locks the fitting portion so that it does not come off once the fitting portion is fitted into the tip of the road cone.

6. 6. The road cone-to-cone bar connecting structure according to claim 5, wherein the engaging portion comprises one or more band-shaped engaging pieces on the outer periphery of the tip end side of the road cone.

7. 7. The road cone-to-cone bar connecting structure according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the fitting portion of the cone bar has a separable openable / closable structure at its tip.

8. 7. The road cone-to-cone bar connection structure according to claim 6, characterized in that an inner cylinder inserted into the open top of the road cone is provided with a locking piece, and a locking piece hole is provided on the tip side of the road cone to allow the locking piece to protrude outside the road cone.

9. 7. A road cone-to-cone bar connecting structure according to claim 5, further comprising a fitting body that fits over the tip end of the road cone and brings the engaging portion into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the road cone.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Road sign implement

    JP2005139620A

  • Guard cone

    JP2021127656A

  • Multifunctional color cone

    JP3047271U

  • Cone bar detachment prevention structure

    JP3078897U

  • Safety equipment for construction sites consisting of a multifunctional color cone and a cone bar hanging ring

    JP3048692U

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