US2920184A - Illuminated driveway curbing - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent ILLUMINATED DRIVEWAY CURBING Milton Kessler, Youngstown, Ohio Application April 3, 1956, Serial No. 575,910

4 Claims. (Cl. 240-2) This invention relates to an illuminated curbing and more particularly to an illuminated curbing for driveways and roadways.

Garage driveways for private homes are usually made of minimum width in order to keep down expense. It is customary to provide a curbing, usually of cement construction to delineate the edges of the driveway and to prevent cars from being driven onto the lawn. It is also.

desirable, in most instances, to illuminate the driveway area, and there is increasing use of overhead lights for this purpose.

It is a primary object of the invention to satisfy both of the above needs by means ofa simple, unitary, relatively inexpensive construction, which not only provides a raised curbing at one or both edges of a driveway, but also provides suflicient illumination for the area after the car lights have been turned oif.

A particular advantage of the illuminated curbing is that its use greatly decreases the likelihood of a careless driver running a wheel over the curb and onto the lawn, particularly when backing out of the driveway, as often happens.

Another advantage of the illuminated curbing is that the name and address of the owner can be painted or otherwise placed upon the illuminated curbing to provide residence or building identification which can be readily seen both at night and by day.

Another advantage of the invention is that it can readily be installed by relatively unskilled workmen and that burned-out lights can be readily replaced.

The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a cross sectional view of an illuminated curb made in accordance with the invention taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a driveway or roadway constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of another modification using a flexible cover member;

Fig. 6 is a view of the same modification showing the cover member in deformed condition; and

Fig. 7 is a view of a modification using fewer lamps and reflected light.

Referring to Fig. 1, the curbing member comprises a base 2, preferably of wood treated to resist moisture and rot and insect attack, although any other suitable mate'- rial may be used. Mounted on the base 2 is an inverted U-shaped cover member 3 of glass-fiber-reinforced translucent plastic such as Fiberglas or vinyl plastic. The cover member is exceedingly strong and can be made of sufiicient thickness and rigidity to withstand the weight of a vehicle. The inverted U-shaped member 3 is preferably provided with out-turned flanged portions 4 for increased strength and support. Cover member 3 is fastened to base 2 in any suitable manner, e.g., by nails or rivets o-driven into the base 2. The base 2 is fastened to the driveway or roadway which is generally of either asphalt or cement, by means of large spikes 7 driven through the top of the base. For this purpose, it is preferred to use explosively-driven fasteners, applied before the cover 3 is fastened to the base 2, whereby the curbing can be applied to an existing roadway or drive- Way. However, it will be apparent that if the curbing is installed while the driveway is being built, this can be done by setting the entire curb, with pre-driven spikes 7, or suitable pre-applied bolts, into the still-soft material of, the driveway before it is set.

Within the assembly of cover member 3 and base 2 is any suitable illumination means, illustrated as a string of small lamps 8, similar to a string of Christmas tree lamps, but preferably of moisture-proof outdoor type. This string of lamps is preferably inserted before the cover is applied. An end-plate 9 is removably fastened to each end of base 2, e.g., by screws 11, to facilitate removal and replacement of burned-out lamps. Since the string of lamps lies loosely inside the curb structure, it can be readily pulled out for this purpose, and if a piece of cord is first tied to the remote end of the string of lamps, the lamps can be pulled back into the hollow curb thereby after the burned-out lamp is replaced. Alternatively, the cover member 3 can be made in short sections removably fastened, as by screws, to the base, and the section over a burned-out lamp can be removed for lamp replacement without pulling out the entire string; in this case, the lamps may be firmly mounted upon and fastened to the base.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative construction similar to that of Figs. 1-3, but using a reinforcing inverted U-shaped metal support 16 under the cover 30!, and the support 16 being perforated to admit light from the interior to pass through. With this construction, a lighter weight of plastic cover can be used, or the entire curb may be made strong enough to withstand heavy traffic, where the curb is to be used on public roads, etc,

Fig. 3 shows a preferred method of constructing drive ways according to the invention. The driveway 18 is first laid and smoothed in the usual fashion, and the completely assembled curb members, with predriven spikes or bolts 7, are then set on the edges of the stillsoft driveway. When the driveway material has completely set or hardened, the curbing is firmly installed in very simple fashion.

Fig. 5 shows an alternative construction in which a cover 3" is provided of flexible translucent plastic material, such as vinyl plastic, which is exceedingly tough and durable. In this case, the base 2" is provided with a deep and narrow groove 19 for receiving the lamps or other illuminating means 18".

Fig. 6 shows the manner in which the cover 3" deforms if a vehicle tire 21 is driven up on the curbway. It will be noted that the groove 19 protects the lamps, since it is too narrow for the tire to enter into the groove. If desired, a series of apertures 22 may be drilled into the wood to provide additional illumination at the side of the curbing. However, due to the translucent nature of the plastic cover 3", the light will generally be sufficiently well distributed so that this should not be necessary.

Fig. 7 shows an arrangement permitting the use of fewer lamps, which may be more powerful, if desired. Curbing sections 3b are provided, each of a desired length. Between adjacent curbing sections is provided a box or housing 23 containing lamp 30. The housing 23 is provided with oppositely directed condenser lenses 24, 25 for sending a beam of light down the section. Since the lenses are of inexpensive construction and the beam is not tightly collimated, enough light strikes the translucent walls 3b to provide the desired degree of illumination. To increase the efficiency, a mirror 27, 28 may be provided at the opposite end of each section from the lamp housing, and a reflecting surface may also be provided on the bottom surface of each section, e.g., a shiny strip of aluminum foil 29, 29b or similar material may be used. The construction may otherwise be similar to that of the preceding figures.

It will be apparent that the embodiments shown are only exemplary and that various modifications can be made in construction and arrangement within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a vehicle driveway having a smooth surface of substantial thickness, and an illuminated curbing comprising a rigid elongated base member extending for a substantial distance along an edge of said driveway on said surface, means for securely fastening said base member to said'surface, an upwardly extending lighttransmitting cover member comprising substantially the entire surface of the curbing and shaped to provide a curb, said cover member being fastened to said base member to 'form an enclosure between said members, and a pluralityof electric lighting means comprising a plurality of lamps disposed along the length of said enclosure for illuminating substantially the entire surface of said curb said cover member being of flexible resilient material capable of deformation under pressure but resuming its normal configuration when the pressure is removed, said base having a longitudinally extending groove therein, said lighting means being disposed within said groove, the walls of said groove extending upwardly sufliciently far to mechanical-1y protect the lighting means from vehicle wheels.

2. In combination, a driveway for vehicles, said driveway having a smooth vehicular trafiic surface thereof of sufiicient width to accommodate at least one vehicle and of substantial length and of suflicient thickness to support automotive traflic, and a self-illuminated continuous curbing member along and defining an edge of said driveway, said curbing member comprising an elongated rigid base member lying upon said surface at said edge thereof and securely fastened thereto, an upwardly extending translucent cover member shaped to provide a curb and fastened to said base member to form an enclosure be tween said members, said cover member being of tough, resilient plastic material, a plurality of electric lighting means disposed in said enclosure along the length thereof,

and protective lamp housing means in said enclosure parway on said surface, means for securely fastening said base member to said surface, an upwardly extending lighttransmit ting cover member shaped to provide a curb and fastened to said base member to form an enclosure between said members, an electric lighting means provided in said enclosure, said lighting means comprising a lamp housing within said enclosure, a lamp in said housing, and means for directing light from said lamp alongthe length of said enclosure, comprising two lens means disposed on opposite sides of said lamp longitudinally of said enclosure.

4. The invention according to claim 3, and light reflecting means in said enclosure for reflecting light from said lamp toward said cover member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,473,375 Kyle Nov. 6, 1923 1,686,363 Bald-vw'n Oct. 2, 1928 -2,092,606 Johnson Sept. 7, 1937 2,291,094 McCarthy July 28, 1942 2,332,362 Bartow Oct. 19, 1943 2,596,603 Sands May 13, 1952 2,602,850 Cline July 8, 1952 2,749,429 Wavell June 5, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 48,643 France Ian. 19, 1938 Addn. to 811,930

490,921 Great Britain Aug. 24, 1938 505,308 Great Britain Mar. 9, 1939

Images