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US 6,213,680 B1Granted
Apparatus and method for integrated pavement marking
AssigneeInterstate Highway Construction
InventorsJames Kenyon Schaeffer, Roger D. Randall, John L. Edwards, Brian D. Huffman, Jack L. Crosby, Paul Svaldi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods are provided for filling a groove in a pavement with a groove filling grout. The present invention is used for forming pavement markings, such as lane striping.
Claims81
A grout dispensing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a grout hopper for storing, grout;
- (b) a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material gate is in the open position;
- (c) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove:
- (d) an extrusion pan for leveling the grout in the pavement groove;
- (e) a visibility-enhancing agent applying device for applying and embedding a visibility-enhancing agent on the grout surface in the pavement groove;
- and
- (f) a warning device operatively connected to said visibility-enhancing agent applying device for alerting the operator when the visibility-enhancing agent is not being properly applied or dispensed by the visibility-enhancing agent applying device.
4 more elements
A grout dispensing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a grout hopper for storing grout;
- (b) a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material Rate is in the open position;
- (c) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove;
- (d) an extrusion pan for leveling the trout in the pavement groove;
- (e) a visibility-enhancing agent applying device for applying and embedding a visibility-enhancing agent on the grout surface in the pavement groove;
- and
- (f) a grout-surface air spray device for removing non-embedded visibility-enhancing agent from the grout surface and for further embedding the visibility-enhancing agent into the grout surface.
4 more elements
A grout dispensing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a grout hopper for storing grout;
- a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material gate is in the open position;
- (c) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove;
- (d) an extrusion pan for leveling the grout in the pavement groove;
- and
- (e) a rollable support system;
- wherein said rollable support system comprises a longitudinal bogey averaging system and a transversal bogey averaging system.
4 more elements
A grout dispensing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a grout hopper for storing grout;
- (b) a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material gate is in the open position;
- (c) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove;
- (d) an extrusion pan for leveling the grout in the pavement groove;
- and
- (e) a groove clearing air spray device for clearing the pavement groove of particles.
3 more elements
A grout dispensing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a grout hopper for storing grout;
- (b) a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material gate is in the open position;
- (c) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove;
- and
- (d) an extrusion pan for leveling the grout in the pavement groove;
- further comprising a grout preparation apparatus operatively connected to said grout dispensing apparatus, wherein said grout preparation apparatus comprises:
- (a) a product hopper for storing a dry particulate material;
- (b) a product dispensing device for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper;
- (c) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product-dispensing device for mixing the dry particulate material with water to produce the grout;
- (d) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- and
- (e) a surge hopper grout agitator for agitating the grout in said surge hopper.
9 more elements
A grout preparation apparatus comprising:
- (a) a product hopper for storing a dry particulate material;
- (b) a product dispensing device for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper;
- (c) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product-dispensing device for mixing the dry particulate material with a liquid to produce the grout;
- and
- (d) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- wherein said product hopper comprises a product-hopper air pad in the interior of said product hopper for providing air flow into said product hopper to reduce the amount of agglomerate formation of the dry particulate material.
3 more elements
A grout preparation apparatus comprising:
- (a) product hopper for storing a dry particulate material;
- (b) a product dispensing, device for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper;
- (c) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product-dispensing device for mixing the dry particulate material with a liquid to produce the grout;
- (d) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- and
- (e) a grout temperature sensor for determining the temperature of the grout in said surge hopper.
3 more elements
A grout preparation apparatus comprising:
- (a) a product hopper for storing a dry particulate material;
- (b) a product dispensing device for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper;
- (c) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product-dispensing device for mixing the dry particulate material with a liquid to produce the grout;
- and
- (d) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- wherein said surge hopper comprises a surge-hopper grout level sensor, wherein said surge-hopper grout level sensor is operatively connected to said grout mixer and said product dispensing device for controlling the production of grout and wherein said surge-hopper grout level sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.
3 more elements
A grout preparation apparatus comprising:
- (a) a product hopper for storing a dry particulate material;
- (b) a product dispensing device for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper;
- (c) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product-dispensing device for mixing the dry particulate material with a liquid to produce the grout;
- (d) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- and
- (e) a self-propulsion device having an engine for self-propulsion operatively connected to said grout preparation apparatus.
3 more elements
A pavement groove filling apparatus comprising:
- (a) a grout preparation apparatus, wherein said grout preparation apparatus comprises:
- (i) a product hopper for storing a dry particulate material,
- (ii) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product hopper for mixing at least a portion of the dry particulate material with water to produce the grout,
- (iii) a product dispensing device for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper to said grout mixer, and
- (iv) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- and
- (b) a grout dispensing apparatus operatively connected to said grout preparation apparatus, wherein said grout dispensing apparatus comprises:
- (i) a grout hopper for storing the grout,
- (ii) a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material gate is in the open position,
- (iii) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove, and
- (iv) an extrusion pan for leveling the grout in the pavement groove.
8 more elements
A self-propelled pavement groove filling apparatus comprising:
- (a) an engine for self-propulsion;
- (b) a groove clearing air spray device for clearing the pavement groove of particles;
- (c) a mist spray device for spraying water mist onto the pavement groove;
- (d) a product hopper for storing a dry particulate material;
- (e) a product dispensing device comprising a dry product feed auger and a metering auger for dispensing at least a portion of the dry particulate material from said product hopper;
- (f) a water storage device;
- (g) an additive storage device;
- (h) a grout mixer operatively connected to said product dispensing device for mixing the dry particulate material with water to produce the grout;
- (i) a water inlet operatively connected to said water storage device for adding water to said grout mixer;
- (j) an additive inlet operatively connected to said additive storage device for adding an additive to said grout mixer;
- (k) a surge hopper operatively connected to said grout mixer for storing the grout;
- (l) a surge hopper grout agitator for agitating the grout in said surge hopper;
- (m) a grout dispensing device operatively connected to said surge hopper for dispensing the grout from said surge hopper;
- (n) a grout hopper operatively connected to said grout dispensing device for storing the grout;
- (o) a grout hopper grout agitator for maintaining homogeneity of the grout in said grout hopper;
- (p) a material gate having open and closed positions operatively connected to said grout hopper for dispensing the grout from said grout hopper into a pavement groove when said material gate is in the open position;
- (q) a side form for confining the grout substantially within side boundaries of the pavement groove;
- (r) an extrusion pan for leveling the grout in the pavement groove;
- (s) a smoothing plate for smoothing the grout surface in the pavement groove;
- and
- (t) a guiding device for guiding said grout hopper and said material gate into a proper pavement groove filling position.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.