Inflatable warning device for roadways

Claim 1

A warning device adapted to be disposed generally transversely of a roadway for indicating a traffic condition comprising an elongated flexible planar base means including a bottom surface adapted to frictionally engage said roadway, inflatable means on the upper surface of said base member and including a wall portion which is proportioned to extend above and along the length of said base means when said means is inflated to provide a depressible projection above the surface of said roadway in the path of vehicular traffic on said roadway and to provide a surface exposed to the view of an operator of an oncoming vehicle and creating an illusory obstruction to vehicular traffic, thereby alerting the vehicle operator to unusual attention to the traffic condition, said wall portion having a flexural rigidity less than the flexural rigidity of said base means and being adapted to lie in proximity to said base means when said inflatable means is deflated, whereby said warning device may be reduced to a geometry other than elongated for storage but said more rigid base supports said inflatable means in position on said roadway.