Liquid ballasted temporary traffic marker

Claim 1

A traffic marking device comprising; a relatively light weight indicator; a base connected to the indicator for supporting the indicator in upright position; said indicator having low resistance to lateral impacts when supported in upright position by said base; said base including a container of which at least the lower portion is of imperforate, impervious, flexible, relatively limp sheet material which has such low resistance to flexure that the container can be supported on a generally horizontal supporting surface of irregular contour by engagement of a portion of the wall of said lower portion of the container with the supporting surface, and said portion of the wall so engaged can be conformed to the irregularities of the supporting surface by a predetermined charge of liquid in said lower portion of the container much less than would be required to fill said container; said container being of such a size, and having a liquid capacity so related to the size, shape, and weight of the indicator that, if the container is provided with said predetermined charge and said wall portion is conformed thereby to said supporting surface, the container will hold the indicator upright, and the said conformed portion of the wall and the overlying portion of the wall adjacent thereto will provide a peripheral container portion which extends materially outwardly from, and in surrounding relation to, the outer periphery of the bottom of the indicator and which will present to an aligned wheel of a vehicle approaching along said surface, a very low profile substantially free from frontal resistance to initial engagement thereof by the Wheel; said container having an upper hollow portion with free access thereinto from the lower peripheral portion so that it is capable of receiving freely any liquid which could be expelled from the peripheral portion as a result of such initial engagement and as a result of collapse of the part of the peripheral container portion over which the wheel passes; and said upper portion of the container having a capacity so related to the capacity of the lower portion of the container that the lower portion is capable of containing all of said charge while the upper portion is empty, and the upper portion is capable of receiving and accommodating temporarily all of the liquid which could be so expelled from the lower portion and so that the expelled liquid could return from said peripheral portion whereby said aligned peripheral portion of the container is rendered substantially free from resistance to collapse by a wheel passing thereover.