US3846672A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Strobe light system for transitional guidance and delineation
Assignee: Elco Corp
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Filing: 1973-04-02
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Granted: 1974-11-05
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Expires: 1993-04-02
Abstract
Abstract A strobe light system including a plurality of strobe light assemblies which may be positioned along a highway at spaced intervals to provide road delineation, and particularly guidance of vehicular traffic from one lane to another around obstacles such as construction, accidents, and the like. Each strobe light assembly includes a lamp unit and a circuit housing mounted on a portable stand. Circuitry for controlling the flashing of the lamps in master or slave modes, and for providing fail safe operation is mounted in the circuit housing. Each assembly further includes a jumper cable for connection to a primary cable connected to a power source. Each jumper cable includes calibration markings to enable accurate positioning of the assemblies for transitional purposes.
Inventors
- 👤 F Doughty
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 19:09
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05B; H05B41/00; H05B41/14; H05B41/36; H05B41/44; E; E01; E01F; E01F9/00; E01F9/60; E01F9/604; E01F9/615
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
272 words
A strobe light system for deployment along a roadway to provide vehicular transitional guidance comprising: a plurality of light assemblies, each of said light assemblies including; a portable support stand, a strobe lamp unit mounted on said support stand, a circuit housing mounted on said support stand, a jumper cable connected at one end to said assembly, and circuit means mounted in said circuit housing for controlling the flashing of said strobe lamp unit said circuit means including trigger means for causing said strobe lamp unit to flash, input means for receiving an external pulse from the circuit means of a preceding light assembly, output means connected to said trigger means for supplying an external pulse to the circuit means of the succeeding light assembly whenever said trigger means receives an actuating pulse, switching means for selectively connecting said input means to said trigger means, so that said external pulse actuates said trigger means, and pulse generator means connected to said trigger means for providing an actuating pulse to said trigger means, said switching means including means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a master trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means causes said input means to be disconnected from said trigger means, and fail safe means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a fail safe trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means causes said input means to be connected to said trigger means; and a primary cable which supplies operating voltage to and interconnects said circuit means of said light assemblies through the individual jumper cable associated with each of said light assemblies.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
272 words
A strobe light system for deployment along a roadway to provide vehicular transitional guidance comprising: a plurality of light assemblies, each of said light assemblies including; a portable support stand, a strobe lamp unit mounted on said support stand, a circuit housing mounted on said support stand, a jumper cable connected at one end to said assembly, and circuit means mounted in said circuit housing for controlling the flashing of said strobe lamp unit said circuit means including trigger means for causing said strobe lamp unit to flash, input means for receiving an external pulse from the circuit means of a preceding light assembly, output means connected to said trigger means for supplying an external pulse to the circuit means of the succeeding light assembly whenever said trigger means receives an actuating pulse, switching means for selectively connecting said input means to said trigger means, so that said external pulse actuates said trigger means, and pulse generator means connected to said trigger means for providing an actuating pulse to said trigger means, said switching means including means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a master trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means causes said input means to be disconnected from said trigger means, and fail safe means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a fail safe trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means causes said input means to be connected to said trigger means; and a primary cable which supplies operating voltage to and interconnects said circuit means of said light assemblies through the individual jumper cable associated with each of said light assemblies.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 1 wherein each of said jumper cables includes calibrated markings thereon to facilitate accurate positioning of the light assemblies.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said primary cable includes a plurality of connectors spaced along its length, wherein each of said jumper cables includes connector means at its other end for connection to any one of said connectors, and wherein said circuit housing is operable to provide easy access to said circuit means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
206 words
A control circuit for operating each one of a plurality of strobe lights interconnected to form a system in which the flashing thereof will occur in a desired manner comprising: trigger means for causing a strobe light to flash, input means for receiving an external pulse from the control circuit of the preceding strobe light, output means connected to said trigger means for supplying an external pulse to the control circuit of the succeeding strobe light whenever said trigger means receives an actuating pulse, switching means for selectively connecting said input means to said trigger means so that external pulses received by said input means may actuate said trigger means, and pulse generator means connected to said trigger means for providing an actuating pulse to said trigger means, said switching means including means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a master trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means is in a mode causing said input means to be disconnected from said trigger means, and fail safe means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a fail safe trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means is in a mode causing said input means to be connected to said trigger means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
206 words
A control circuit for operating each one of a plurality of strobe lights interconnected to form a system in which the flashing thereof will occur in a desired manner comprising: trigger means for causing a strobe light to flash, input means for receiving an external pulse from the control circuit of the preceding strobe light, output means connected to said trigger means for supplying an external pulse to the control circuit of the succeeding strobe light whenever said trigger means receives an actuating pulse, switching means for selectively connecting said input means to said trigger means so that external pulses received by said input means may actuate said trigger means, and pulse generator means connected to said trigger means for providing an actuating pulse to said trigger means, said switching means including means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a master trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means is in a mode causing said input means to be disconnected from said trigger means, and fail safe means for controlling said pulse generator means to operate as a fail safe trigger actuating pulse generator when said switching means is in a mode causing said input means to be connected to said trigger means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
82 words
The circuit of claim 4 wherein said pulse generator means includes a timing capacitor for determining the pulse rate thereof said timing capacitor being discharged whenever said trigger is actuated, and wherein said fail safe means comprises a capacitor which is selectively connected in parallel with said timing capacitor to reduce the pulse rate of said pulse generator means below the pulse rate of said external pulses when said switching means is operated to connect said input means to said trigger means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
The circuit of claim 4 wherein said input means includes delaying means for delaying a received external pulse so as to actuate said trigger means after a time delay, when said input means is selectively connected through said switching means to create sequential flashing of the strobe lights of the system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
67 words
The circuit of claim 6 wherein said input means further includes means for supplying a received external pulse to actuate said trigger means without a time delay, so as to create simultaneous flashing of the strobe lights of the system, and wherein said switching means may selectively connect either said delayed external pulse or said nondelayed external pulse or neither of said pulses to said trigger means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-04 | 1978-05-06 | 1978-11-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-04 | 1982-05-06 | 1982-11-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-04 | 1986-05-06 | 1986-11-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |