U.S. patent application number 10/630653 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-03 for apparatus and method for driveway gutter.
Invention is credited to Kozlowski, Michael.
Application Number | 20050025569 10/630653 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34103890 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050025569 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kozlowski, Michael |
February 3, 2005 |
Apparatus and method for driveway gutter
Abstract
A method and apparatus for improving a driveway includes a
pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or gutter
appurtenant to the driveway. An embodiment includes a method and
apparatus for improving a driveway, including the steps of
providing a pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or
gutter appurtenant to the driveway and paving over the speed bump.
Another embodiment includes a method and apparatus for improving a
driveway, including the steps of providing a pre-fabricated speed
bump in contact with a culvert or gutter appurtenant to the
driveway, paving over the speed bump and driveway, and removing a
portion of the pavement covering the speed bump.
Inventors: |
Kozlowski, Michael;
(Syracuse, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROWN & MICHAELS, PC
400 M & T BANK BUILDING
118 NORTH TIOGA ST
ITHACA
NY
14850
US
|
Family ID: |
34103890 |
Appl. No.: |
10/630653 |
Filed: |
July 30, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
404/15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01F 9/529 20160201 |
Class at
Publication: |
404/015 |
International
Class: |
E01F 011/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An improved driveway, comprising a pre-fabricated speed bump in
contact with a culvert or gutter appurtenant to said driveway.
2. The driveway of claim 1, further comprising asphalt material
over said speed bump.
3. The driveway of claim 2, wherein said asphalt material also
covers said driveway.
4. The driveway of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said speed
bumps in contact with one or more culverts or gutters appurtenant
to said driveway.
5. The driveway of claim 1, wherein said speed bump includes one or
more channels across one or more portions thereof.
6. A method for improving a driveway, comprising the step of
providing a pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or
gutter appurtenant to said driveway.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of providing
asphalt material over said speed bump.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing
asphalt material over said driveway.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of providing includes
providing a plurality of said speed bumps in contact with one or
more culverts or gutters appurtenant to said driveway.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein said speed bump includes one or
more channels across one or more portions thereof.
11. A method for improving a driveway, comprising the steps of: a)
providing a pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or
gutter appurtenant to said driveway; and b) paving over said speed
bump.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of paving
over said driveway.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of providing includes
providing a plurality of said speed bumps in contact with one or
more culverts or gutters appurtenant to said driveway.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of paving includes
paving over said plurality of speed bumps in contact with one or
more culverts or gutters appurtenant to said driveway.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein said speed bump includes one or
more channels across one or more portions thereof.
16. A method for improving a driveway, comprising the steps of: a)
providing a pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or
gutter appurtenant to said driveway; b) paving over said speed bump
and said driveway; and c) removing a portion of said pavement
covering said speed bump.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of providing includes
providing a plurality of said speed bumps in contact with one or
more culverts or gutters appurtenant to said driveway.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of paving includes
paving over said plurality of speed bumps in contact with one or
more culverts or gutters appurtenant to said driveway.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein said speed bump includes one or
more channels across one or more portions thereof.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of removing
said speed bump after paving.
21. A driveway prepared by the method of claim 6.
22. A driveway prepared by the method of claim 11.
23. A driveway prepared by the method of claim 16.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention pertains to the field of driveways. More
particularly, the invention pertains to methods and apparatus for
improving driveway gutters and for paving driveways.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Asphalt is widely used for paving, roofing, paints and
varnishes. In modern road construction, asphalt is a material of
choice, due to its ability to provide a smooth surface for travel,
while also providing a surface rough enough for tire traction. This
sticky substance is the glue that holds pavements together. Its
relative cost effectiveness, durability and ease to work with
provide added benefits that increase its desirability.
[0005] Asphalt, in a strict sense, is the black, sticky substance
that is produced by petroleum refineries, obtained as a residue or
by-product of processing certain petroleum compositions. It is
essentially the residue remaining after all the more valuable
fractions of a barrel of oil have been removed, such as gasoline,
fuel oil, diesel fuel, aviation fuel and others. Asphalt is
insoluble in water but soluble in gasoline. It melts on heating and
burns with a smoky flame. Most native or naturally occurring
asphalt is a residue in the form of evaporated petroleum.
[0006] The term asphalt, when used to describe a road, such as an
asphalt road, generally is referred to in the industry as hot mix
asphalt (HMA) pavement. Hot mix asphalt is a combination of
aggregates and asphalt cement. Typically, asphalt is only about
eight percent, by weight, of the HMA pavement, while aggregates
typically account for about ninety-two percent, by weight, of the
mixture that goes into the pavement. The aggregates usually are
various sized stones, dust and/or sand. Basically, the aggregates
can be any hard, inert materials used for mixing in granulated
fragments (e.g., crushed stone). For the purposes of this patent,
the term asphalt shall be used in conjunction with the type of
asphalt material referred to in road construction that is used for
pavements, such as hot mix asphalt (HMA) and the like.
[0007] Paving machines are well known in the art and commonly are
employed in the laying of asphalt roadway mat, such as for roads
and driveways. The typical paving machine employs a "floating
screed" for spreading and compressing the asphalt material to form
a smooth surfaced roadway mat. The floating screed type paving
machine typically is a self-propelled tractor unit providing a
storage means for receiving and containing a discreet quantity of
loose asphalt material and a material flow means for conveying the
asphalt material to the roadbed, where the loose asphalt material
is then displaced laterally in front of the floating screed. As the
paving machine progresses along the roadbed, the floating screed
engages the loose asphalt material, plowing under and compressing
the asphalt material into the desired roadway mat.
[0008] It is common to use a floating screed of fixed width, for
example, typically on the order of eight feet or ten feet in width.
Further, the efficiency of the paving machine can be increased and
the number of trips required to generate a road surface can be
decreased by employing a floating screed having an operator
selectable width. This may be accomplished by providing a series of
extensions, which may be affixed to the main body of the floating
screed to a predetermined fixed width. It is known to provide
endgates on the outer, distal ends of the screed extensions to
ensure that the loose asphalt material disposed in front of the
screed extensions is not merely shunted aside beyond the width of
the floating screed.
[0009] The means most commonly used for providing the lateral
disposition of the loose asphalt material is a flighted auger
providing two oppositely directed flights from the centerline of
the paving machine to provide disposition of an equal amount of
asphalt material toward the outer edges of the floating screed.
While this means has proved to be generally satisfactory, a
difficulty exists in ensuring that the appropriate desired amount
of loose asphalt material is provided to the screed extensions.
This problem is exacerbated by the fact that paving machines often
are operated under less than ideal conditions, and it often is
necessary to operate one screed extension at a different width than
the other screed extension, as obstacles are passed or width
changes in the roadway mat must be accommodated as the paving
machine moves forward.
[0010] In the operation of current paving machines, the screed
operator must cause a suitable flow of loose asphalt material to
the auger to ensure that a sufficient amount of aggregate will
cascade across the floating screed to reach and fill the area in
front of the floating screed to the minimum requisite depth
required for the pavement mat. However, the screed operator must be
possessed of a substantial amount of skill and expertise to
accomplish this result, due to the fact that the primary means of
controlling the amount of aggregate available to the floating
screed is in the conveyance means from the tractor unit of the
paving machine. The combination of foregoing problems make certain
paving operations difficult, particularly the paving of driveways
and around curbs or gutters.
[0011] An improved arrangement of the floating screed includes one
or more, typically two, screed extensions, which are slidingly
attached to the main body of the floating screed. These screed
extensions typically are connected to a linear power source, such
as a bi-directional hydraulic cylinder or other similar activator,
which is selectively operable in response to controls disposed at
the operator's control station. This permits the operator to
control the position of the screed extensions in response to
changing requirements as the paving machine progresses. For
example, this permits the screed operator to accommodate obstacles
in the path of the paving machine, such as sewer drains and manhole
covers, and also to permit overwidth paving of the road surface to
accommodate driveway entrances and other similar areas, where
overwidth paving of the roadway mat is desired.
[0012] Slip form paving machines of various configurations have
been developed to address the problems inherent in forming curbs
and gutters or culverts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,006 shows
a machine for forming integral sidewalks and curbs, which uses a
slip form for the formation of these sidewalks and curbs. Other
apparatus in the art is exemplified by a curb-forming machine shown
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,156, which has a pair of wheels at the rear
thereof that can be laterally moved across the width of the machine
for accommodating different form locations and cross section
shapes. Such slip form paving machines commonly are used to form
sidewalks, curbs and culverts or gutters for collection and
diversion of storm drainage and similar runoff.
[0013] Also known are various configurations of speed bumps, either
integral with or permanently or reversibly affixed to the roadway,
which commonly are used as a physical obstruction to encourage
drivers to proceed slowly, such as in parking lots or other areas
with high pedestrian traffic. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,137
describes a portable speed bump, for use in limiting the speed of
vehicles that are traveling on a road, formed from a plurality of
elongated speed bump modules. Each module has a cross-section that
has at the most, a low slope from the outer edges toward the
mid-line and a substantially increased slope proximate the module
mid-line, a length of at least two feet, a width of at least one
foot, and a height of at least one inch. Each module has an upper
surface which has a concave slope region from outer edge to middle
section and a convex middle section. Anti-skid elements can extend
from the planar lower surface, whereby lateral movement of said
speed bump is resisted. The elements can be a plurality of
substantially parallel, outwardly angled anti-skid fingers.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,103 describes a removable and portable
speed bump system using a flexible connector such as a chain or
cable lying transversely across the roadway, and a number of
generally triangular, or arch-shaped, spaced-apart bump modules
disposed on the speed bump for which cars must slow down to cross.
The speed bump modules are either fastened to the flexible
connector or molded directly onto the flexible connector. The
flexible connector is attached to a connecting anchor fixed into
the road curb or road shoulder of a roadway. The opposite end of
the flexible connector is fastened to a clasp or spring-loaded link
set at a second point transversely across the roadway from the
connecting anchor. The speed bump modules are configured to enable
stacking in a compact fashion, for example, in a special container
located on the side of the roadway.
[0015] One problem commonly encountered by screed operators when
paving, particularly driveways, is that it is difficult for the
operator to control the paving near the end of the driveway, where
it meets the road. For example, driveways typically slope uphill or
downhill toward the end thereof, sloping toward the road, and also
often require overwidth paving of the driveway surface near the end
thereof to accommodate the driveway entrance. Further, driveways
that include culverts or gutters on either side or at the
intersection with the roadway, for example, present special
problems for the screed operator. For example, it is particularly
difficult to pave the junction of a roadway and driveway,
especially when the roadway includes a gutter, as this presents a
plurality of surfaces of substantially varying height at the end of
the driveway. This causes undue wear and tear on the paving
machines and makes it more difficult for the operator to pave the
driveway at the junction between the driveway and roadway, where
the gutter intersects the two.
[0016] The typical driveway gutter also presents problem for
drivers, frequently causing drivers to slow down upon approaching
the transition between the roadway and the driveway, and often
causing undue bumping of the vehicle upon entering or exiting the
driveway, because of the gutter. In particular, where the gutter or
curb comprises concrete, which is very hard, and the driveway
surface comprises asphalt, which is relatively soft, this
difference in material strength results in damage to the driveway,
due to undue wear from vehicles entering the driveway, bumping the
gutter and subsequently pounding on the driveway pavement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention provides methods and apparatus for
improved driveway gutters and improved methods for paving driveways
and similar structures.
[0018] One embodiment provides a method and apparatus for improving
a driveway, comprising a pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with
a culvert or gutter of the driveway.
[0019] Another embodiment provides a method and apparatus for
improving a driveway, comprising the steps of providing a
pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or gutter of
the driveway, and paving over the driveway and the speed bump.
[0020] Another embodiment provides a method and apparatus for
improving a driveway, comprising the steps of providing a
pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or gutter of
the driveway, paving over the speed bump, and then removing the
speed bump.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a speed bump of the type suitable for the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a
driveway gutter in accordance with the invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows an improved driveway gutter mat, according to
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] The present invention provides methods and apparatus for
improved driveway gutters and improved methods for paving driveways
and similar structures. One embodiment provides a method and
apparatus for improving a driveway, comprising a pre-fabricated
speed bump in contact with a culvert or gutter appurtenant to said
driveway.
[0025] The speed bump preferably is of the prefabricated type that
is commonly available. For example, rubber speed bumps are
preferred because they are extremely durable; they will not rot,
chip, or corrode and are UV-resistant. They typically are made from
solid, rugged, recycled rubber tires and are built to withstand in
excess of 2,500 psi of pressure.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 2, a pre-fabricated speed bump is
shown in contact with a driveway gutter. The speed bump is placed
in the driveway gutter, thereby smoothing the transition between
the driveway and the roadway. This improves driving by decreasing
bumps and the inherent wear and tear on vehicles entering and
exiting the driveway. The pre-fabricated speed bump is placed in
the gutter optionally either right-side up or up-side down, each
having its advantages in particular circumstances, as will be
apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, where the driveway
gutter is substantially similar in contour to the speed bump, the
pre-fabricated speed bump optionally is placed up-side down in the
gutter, thereby leveling the driveway entry.
[0027] The pre-fabricated speed bumps optionally are installed
permanently or semi-permanently, using a wide variety of well know
fasteners, or they can be used as a portable gutter mat that is not
fastened to the surface. They may be easily removed and
re-installed to facilitate snow plowing or resurfacing. The
pre-fabricated speed bumps are used individually, or optionally
multiple units can be used to assemble a variety of configurations.
In addition to the gutter typically found at the end of a driveway,
the speed bumps also can be used in gutters in other locations
around the driveway.
[0028] The preferred prefabricated speed bumps typically conform to
the contour of the pavement, and optionally include built-in
reflectors or are manufactured in a particular color, pattern or
combination thereof to increase visibility. Optionally, the speed
bumps include one or more channels (e.g., about 1-2" in diameter)
that run along the bottom side to allow for cables, pipes, etc. The
channels also allow water to drain through the speed bump, which is
particularly advantageous when used as a gutter mat as it allows
water to pass along the course or the gutter. Optionally, the ends
of the channels are covered with a screen or other straining means
to prevent debris from entering the channels and blocking the
gutter course.
[0029] EXAMPLE 1: Dimensions: 72" long.times.12" wide.times.2.5"
high.
[0030] EXAMPLE 2: Dimensions: 72" long.times.10" wide.times.2.5"
high.
[0031] Another embodiment provides a method and apparatus for
improving a driveway, comprising the steps of providing a
pre-fabricated speed bump in contact with a culvert or gutter
appurtenant to said driveway, and paving over said speed bump. For
example, a pre-fabricated speed bump is provided as in the first
embodiment and installed permanently or semi-permanently, and then
the driveway is paved. Optionally the entire driveway and speed
bump are paved-over, leaving a smooth transition between the
driveway and the roadway. This improves driving by decreasing bumps
and the inherent wear and tear on vehicles entering and exiting the
driveway. Further, the invention facilitates convenient paving of
driveways; it solves the problem of the plurality of surfaces of
substantially varying height at the end of the driveway making
paving difficult for the operator and causing wear and tear on the
paving machine.
[0032] The pre-fabricated speed bump is placed in the gutter
optionally either right-side up or up-side down, each having its
advantages in particular circumstances, as will be apparent to one
skilled in the art. For example, where the driveway gutter is
substantially similar in contour to the speed bump, the
pre-fabricated speed bump optionally is placed up-side down in the
gutter, thereby leveling the driveway entry. Surprisingly, however,
when the speed bump is placed right-side up in the gutter, the
speed bump provides a damping effect, flexing just enough when a
vehicle rolls over it, thereby smoothing the ride over the gutter.
The speed bumps are used individually, or optionally multiple units
can be used to assemble a variety of configurations. In addition to
the gutter typically found at the end of a driveway, the speed
bumps also can be used in gutters in other locations around the
driveway, particularly wherever paving is desired.
[0033] Optionally, the speed bumps include one or more channels
(e.g., about 1-2" in diameter) that run along the bottom side to
allow for cables, pipes, etc. The channels also allow water to
drain through the speed bump, which is particularly advantageous
when used as a gutter mat as it allows water to pass along the
course or the gutter. Optionally, the ends of the channels are
covered with a screen or other straining means to prevent debris
from entering the channels and blocking the gutter course.
[0034] Another method for paving a driveway according to one
embodiment includes the steps of preparing the surface, placing one
or more speed bumps in the gutter, and then paving over the
driveway and the speed bump. Optionally, if keeping the gutter is
desirable, the speed bump can then be removed after paving. Thus,
the invention facilitates convenient paving of driveways; it solves
the problem of the plurality of surfaces of substantially varying
height at the end of the driveway making paving difficult for the
operator and causing wear and tear on the paving machine, while in
the end leaving the driveway gutter intact. Further, it has been
discovered that coating the speed bump with a solvent, such as, for
example, kerosene, prior to paving facilitates removal of the new
pavement layer covering the speed bump, and subsequently the speed
bump itself below.
[0035] Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of
the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the
application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to
details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the
scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features
regarded as essential to the invention.
* * * * *