Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02749791 2011-08-23
LIGHT STANDARD BARRIER DEVICE
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bird and/or small animal barrier for a
roadway light standard.
Background of the Invention
A common problem with roadway light standards or luminaires is the
tendency of birds, squirrels and other small animals to nest or otherwise
enter
inside the headcasing. The point of entry into the headcasing is through the
pre-
existing aperture between the headcasing and the headpole. Squirrels may eat
the insulation coating on the wires, birds may be electrocuted, and birds'
nests
may catch fire. These problems require additional maintenance to be performed
and parts replacement which is costly. Even worse, nest fires may necessitate
the dispatch of fire, police and service crews to deal with the resultant
luminaire
fire.
One approach to dealing with these problems involves the installation
of a barrier device internally to the light standard such that it forms an
integral
part of the light standard, as disclosed in "Luminaire Shield Device" (US
4,010,362) and "Fauna Guard" (US 4,320,443). However, a drawback to this
approach is that the installation of the barrier requires the disassembly of
the
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luminaire, or in some cases, the removal of the luminaire from the headpole
altogether. In practice, this labour requirement often results in maintenance
workers choosing not to install the device at all, which omission cannot be
ascertained by visual inspection of the luminaire from the ground.
A further drawback is the lack of adaptability of these barrier devices
to be used with light standards with variously sized apertures. Generally
light
standards are manufactured with an aperture of one of a few standardized sizes
which necessitates the ordering and use of multiple devices to fit the
variously
sized aperture holes.
Another approach has been to install a barrier device externally to the
light standard, as disclosed in "Luminaire Birdshield" (US 4,434,456) and
"Streetlight Light Lifetime Saver/Anti-Pollution Device" (CA Application
2,087,640), such that it may be fitted and replaced without the need to
disassemble the luminaire or remove it from the headpole. Drawbacks to these
devices include the physical manipulation required to install them which
cannot
be effectively accomplished while wearing protective gloves. As well, exposure
to
the elements and/or animal pecking and clawing activity, may dislodge these
devices.
There is, accordingly, a need for improvements to barrier devices that
overcome the above problems.
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Summary of the Invention
One object of the present invention is to provide an aperture barrier for
a standardized light standard having a walled aperture having a first or
second
standardized dimension at the rear thereof in communication with a wire
bearing
conduit. The aperture barrier has a body portion having a standardized first
outer dimension and a thickness. The aperture barrier further has a removable
inner body portion releasably secured in the body portion having a second
standardized outer dimension and a thickness. The body portion is dimensioned
to frictionally engage with the wall of the aperture of the first standardized
dimension upon insertion therein, and the inner body portion is dimensioned to
frictionally engage with the walls of the aperture of the second standardized
dimension upon insertion therein. Additionally, the body portion and the inner
body portion further have openings for the passage of wires from the conduit
into
the light standard.
A further object of the present invention is to provided at least one
grasping tab on at least one of the body portion or the inner body portion for
grasping during installation or removal of the barrier
Another objection of the invention is to provide tabs on the outer periphery
of the body portion to frictionally engage with the walls of the aperture of
the first
standardized dimension upon insertion therein.
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A further objection of the present invention is to provide ribs on the outer
periphery of the inner body portion to frictionally engage with the walls of
the
aperture of the second standardized dimension upon insertion therein.
Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent
in the course of the following detailed description.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, a
preferred embodiment thereof will now be described in detail by way of
example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the barrier.
Figure 2a is a front view of the barrier.
Figure 2b is a rear view of the barrier.
Figure 3 is a side view of the barrier.
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Description of Preferred Embodiments
A barrier 20 according to the present invention is illustrated in the
figures. The barrier 20 is moulded from a resilient yet flexible type of
rubber such
5 as, by way of example, "DSM Sarlink 4180", that remains pliable in sub-zero
weather and will not degrade or break down in higher temperatures.
An opening or aperture at the rear of the light standard, herein called
the headcasing aperture, remains open after the headpole pipe is installed to
the
headcasing. The barrier 20, according to the present invention, may be
installed
after the assembly of the light standard to close the headcasing aperture.
In the preferred embodiment the barrier 20 may have substantially
planar opposing faces, a front face 21 and a rear face 22, separated by a
thickness that is substantially less that the length and width of opposing
faces.
As shown in Figure 2a, the barrier 20 according to the present invention is
generally comprised of two components, a body portion 24 and a removable
inner body portion 25. The body portion 24 houses the inner body portion 25
within which it is releasable secured by way of releasable connecting means 7.
The connecting means 7 may be of any type known in the art which permit easy
manual removal by the installer of the barrier to separate the inner body
portion
from the main body portion 24. In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in
Figures 2a and 2b, the connecting means are regularly or irregularly spaced
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perforations along the outer perimeter of the inner body portion 25. As will
be
described hereafter, the ribs 6 also function as connecting means.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the barrier 20
can be adapted for use on light standards with headcasing apertures of two
different standardized sizes. The barrier 20 can be used to fill larger
headcasing
apertures with the inner body portion 25 remaining attached to and within the
body portion 24. Alternatively, the inner body portion 25 may be separated
from
the body portion 24 and used independently to fill a smaller standardized
headcasing aperture. The dimension and shape of the body portion 24 and the
inner body portion 25 may be varied for use on light standards with varying
sized
headcasing apertures.
In the preferred embodiment the body portion 24 is dimensioned to
close the headcasing aperture in a light standard with a 2" headpole when
inserted into the headcasing aperture. The inner body portion 25 is
dimensioned
to close the headcasing aperture in a light standard with a 1 '/4" headpole
when
detached from the body portion 24 and inserted into the headcasing aperture.
As shown in Figure 2, the barrier 20 is moulded with openings 8a and
8b which are dimensioned to allow space for the operative cables/wires to pass
through between the conduit and the light standard when the barrier 20 is
installed in the headcasing aperture. The size and shape of the openings 8a
and
8b may be any small suitable size to accommodate the wiring.
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As shown in Figure 1, the barrier 20 may be provided with ventilation
holes 2 to allow for air circulation within the headcasing. Additionally, the
ventilation holes 2 aid in the dissipation of the heat generated from the
light bulb
in the head casing. The ventilation holes 2 may be provided in either the
outer
body 24 or the inner body portion 25 of the barrier 20. In the preferred
embodiment, as illustrated in the figures, the ventilation holes 2 are
provided in
the inner body portion 25.
As shown in Figures 1, 3a, and 3b, plier grasping tabs 4 may be
provided on the front face 21 of both the inner body portion 25 and the body
portion 24. In the preferred embodiment the grasping tabs 4 are moulded
integral
with the barrier 20. However, the grasping tabs 4 may be formed of a different
material from the barrier 20 and attached thereto using means known in the
art.
The grasping tabs 4 can be grasped and manipulated by the installer to
facilitate
the installation or removal of the barrier 20 from the light standard opening
8. In
the preferred embodiment illustrated in the Figure 2a a grasping tab 4 is
provided
on both the inner body portion 25 and the outer portion of the barrier 20.
Outwardly protruding tabs 5 may be provided on the exterior edge 23
of the outer portion of the barrier 20. During the installation of the barrier
20 the
tabs 5 aid in the frictional engagement of the barrier 20 with the wall of the
headcasing aperture. In the preferred embodiment the tabs 5 may be moulded
integral with the outer portion of the barrier 20.
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Outwardly protruding ribs 6 may be provided along the outer perimeter
of the inner body portion 25. During the installation of the inner body
portion 25
into the headcasing aperture the ribs 6 may be forced into an abutting
relationship with the interior wall of the headcasing aperture to aid in the
frictional
engagement of the barrier 20 with the headcasing. In the preferred embodiment
the ribs 5 may be moulded integral with the inner body portion 25 of the
barrier
20 and are connected to the body portion 24 at their extremity. The connection
between the ribs 6 and the body portion 24 may be correspondingly thinned so
as to function as releasable connection means 7 to accommodate the removal of
the inner body portion 25 from the body portion 24.
As shown in Figure 3, the barrier 20 is moulded with a constant
thickness. In an alternative embodiment the exterior edge 23 may be bevelled
to
further accomadate the installation of the barrier 20. During installation,
the
barrier 20 is positioned such that the rear face 22 of the barrier 20 is
aligned with
the headcasing aperture and the wires or cables are collected and placed in
the
opening 8, whereby front face 21 and grasping tabs 4 face outward from the
headcasing aperture. The installer then applies pressure to front face 21 of
the
barrier 20 to force the rear face 22 of the barrier 20 to enter the headcasing
aperture. As the rear face 22 of the barrier 20 enters the headcasing aperture
the bottom exterior edge 23 of the barrier 20 will be brought into contact and
frictional engagement with the wall of the headcasing aperture to thereby
secure
the barrier 20 in place.
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In an alternative embodiment of the present invention the exterior
edge 23 of the barrier 20 may be angled inwardly such that the front face 21
of
the barrier 20 is larger than the rear face 22 of the barrier 20. The
dimensions of
the front face 21 may be slightly larger than the dimensions of the headcasing
aperture and the dimensions of the rear face 22 may be slightly smaller than
the
dimensions of the head aperture. During installation, the barrier 20 is
positioned
such that the rear face 22 of the barrier 20 is aligned with the headcasing
aperture and the wires or cables are collected and placed over the opening 8.
The installer then applies pressure to front face 21 of the barrier 20 forcing
the
rear face 22 of the barrier 20 to enter the headcasing aperture. As the rear
face
22 of the barrier 20 enters the headcasing aperture the exterior edge 23 of
the
barrier 20 will be brought into contact and frictional engagement with the
wall of
the headcasing aperture.
Further advantages which are inherent to the invention are obvious to one
skilled in the art. The embodiments are described herein illustratively and
are not
meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Variations of the
foregoing
embodiments will be evident to a person of ordinary skill and are intended by
the
inventor to be encompassed by the following claims.
