Pavement marker

Claim 1

IN A PAVEMENT MARKER FOR PROVIDING A MARKING ON A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DIRECTED ROADWAY SURFACE, THE MARKING BEING VISIBLE FROM AN ONCOMING VEHICLE ON THE ROADWAY: A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BASE ADAPTED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ROADWAY SURFACE; A BODY OF LIGHT TRANSMITTING SYNTHETIC RESIN HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE INCLUDING AN OBVERSE LIGHT RECEIVING AND REFRACTING FACE AND AN INNER SURFACE INCLUDING A REVERSE LIGHT RECEIVING AND REFLECTING FACE; A REFLEX REFLECTING SYSTEM INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RETRODIRECTIVE REFLECTOR ELEMENTS OF THE CUBE CORNER TYPE IN SAID REVERSE FACE FOR RECEIVING LIGHT EMANATING FROM THE VEHICLE AND INCIDENT UPON SAID OBSERVE FACE IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION OF INCIDENCE AND REFLECTING SUCH LIGHT TO RETURN THE LIGHT GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF INCIDENCE; SAID OBVERSE FACE MAKING AN ACUTE ANGLE OF AT LEAST 15* WITH THE BASE TO RISE ABOVE THE ROADWAY SURFACE UPON WHICH THE PAVEMENT MARKER IS TO BE INSTALLED FOR MAINTAINING ADEQUATE OPTICAL EFFICTIVENESS OF THE PAVEMENT MARKER DURING SERVICE WHILE ALLOWING WIPING OF SAID OBVERSE FACE BY CONTACT WITH THE ONCOMING VEHICLE; AND EACH OF REFLECTOR ELEMENTS HAVING THREE PLANAR SURFACES ARRANGED MUTUALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES AND MEETING AT A COMMON POINT REMOTE FROM SAID OBSERVE FACE TO FORM A CUBE CORNER, AND AN AXIS PASSING THROUGH THE CUBE CORNER OF EACH REFLECTOR ELEMENT, SAID REFLECTOR ELEMENTS BEING ORIENTED SUCH THAT EACH CUBE CORNER AXIS MAKES AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH THE NORMAL TO THE OBVERSE FACE TO ALIGN THE CUBE CORNERS RELATIVE TO THE LIGHT REFRACTED AS A RESULT OF THE ACUTE ANGLE OF THE OBVERSE FACE FOR RECEIVING SUCH REFRACTED LIGHT AND REFLECTING THE REFRACTED LIGHT TO RETURN THE INCIDENT LIGHT GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF INCIDENCE AFTER REFRACTION OF THE REFLECTED LIGHT AT THE OBVERSE FACE.