Temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM) applicator machine for automatically applying pavement markers to road surfaces

In combination, apparatus for automatically serially applying a plurality of pavement markers to a roadway surface as a result of said apparatus moving along the roadway surface, comprising:

• a roadwork vehicle;
• a wheeled vehicle;
• means operatively connecting said wheeled vehicle to said roadwork vehicle whereby said wheeled vehicle can be moved along the roadway surface as said roadwork vehicle moves along the roadway surface;
• conveyor means for serially conveying a plurality of pavement markers, from an upstream end portion which is disposed at an upper elevational level so as to be accessible by an operator disposed upon the roadwork vehicle such that a plurality of pavement markers can be serially deposited upon said conveyor means by the operator disposed upon the roadwork vehicle, to a downstream end portion which is disposed at a lower elevational level disposed immediately above the roadway surface onto which the plurality of pavement markers are to be deposited, such that the plurality of pavement markers can be serially discharged from said downstream end portion of said conveyor means and serially deposited at predeterminedly spaced locations along the roadway surface;
• and
• applicator means disposed adjacent to said downstream end portion of said conveyor means for operatively engaging each individual one of the plurality of pavement markers, deposited onto the roadway surface by said conveyor means, so as to serially apply the plurality of pavement markers onto the roadway surface at the predeterminedly spaced locations along the roadway surface.

A method, for automatically serially applying a plurality of pavement markers to a roadway surface by means of apparatus attached to a roadwork vehicle whereby the apparatus can move along the roadway surface with the roadwork vehicle, comprising the steps of:

• attaching the apparatus to a roadwork vehicle such that the apparatus can be moved along the roadway surface as the roadwork vehicle moves along the roadway surface;
• serially conveying a plurality of pavement markers, from an upstream end portion of a conveyor which is disposed at an upper elevational level so as to be accessible by an operator disposed upon the roadwork vehicle such that a plurality of pavement markers can be serially deposited upon said conveyor by the operator disposed upon the roadwork vehicle, to a downstream end portion of said conveyor which is disposed at a lower elevational level located immediately above the roadway surface onto which the plurality of pavement markers are to be deposited, such that the plurality of pavement markers can be serially discharged from said downstream end portion of said conveyor and serially deposited at predeterminedly spaced locations along the roadway surface;
• and
• disposing applicator means adjacent to said downstream end portion of said conveyor for operatively engaging each individual one of the plurality of pavement markers, deposited onto the roadway surface by said conveyor, so as to serially apply the plurality of pavement markers onto the roadway surface at the predeterminedly spaced locations along the roadway surface.