Portable Traffic Barricade

Abstract

A portable, lightweight traffic barricade with a built-in, battery-powered flasher light. The barricade has an upright frame of rectangular shape defining a coplanar space for the display of an attention attracting panel, and a pair of short legs at the two lower corners of the frame. A pair of elongate, tubular feet are affixed to the bottom ends of these legs so as to be rotatably movable between first positions of perpendicularity to the plane of the upright frame, to provide standing support for the barricade, and second positions in which they lie in the plane of the frame to flatten the barricade for convenient movement and storage. The flasher light is built into one of the sides of the rectangular frame and has a tubular lens of hexagonal cross section through which the light shines laterally outwardly in all directions for easy visual detection and to illuminate any panel displayed in the rectangular frame. The frame is of tubular construction and has vertical sides connected at the top and bottom by cross pieces. When an attention attracting panel is employed, it is positioned to hang freely from the top cross piece, in the coplanar space within, the frame.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to portable barricades of the type employed to keep traffic away from dangerous street conditions, and more particularly to such barricades of new and unique design having safety, and other, features lacking in presently known barricades.

Temporary barricades, sometimes with flashing signal lights attached, have long been used by contractors, municipalities, utility companies, and the like, to give warning to motorists of dangerous street conditions. Such barricades are typically of the "sawhorse" type, having a metallic frame with a top cross-bar and two pairs of diverging, angle iron legs which support the cross-bar at its ends. Where flashing signal lights are employed with these barricades, the lights are often attached to the barricade frames in such a way as to be easily removable by unauthorized persons. Conventional barricades of this type have certain disadvantages known to those familiar with their usage. For one thing, the barricades are relatively heavy and cumbersome, which makes them rather difficult to handle. More importantly, the relatively heavy weight of such a barricade makes it a dangerous object when struck by an automobile. Not only is the barricade capable of damaging the impacting vehicle, but it poses a safety hazard to nearby persons or property if it is thrown from the scene of impact by said vehicle. Finally, the weight of the barricade can cause its angle iron legs to sink into certain (e.g., asphalt) road surfaces and thereby create undesirable scars in the pavement.

As indicated above, the flashing lights employed with traffic barricades are often mere accessary lights attached thereto in such fashion as to be easily removed or broken by thieves or vandals. The unlawful appropriation of such a signal light is disadvantageous not only because of the replacement cost of the light, but because its absence creates a hazardous condition which can lead to serious accidents. Furthermore, conventional lights of this types (frequently referred to as flasher lights) typically comprise light sources (bulbs) enclosed by pairs of lenses designed to beam the light rays outwardly in two opposite directions. Frequently, such flasher lights are mounted on barricades so that their lenses are positioned above the tops of the barricade frames.

While a flashing light of the above-indicated type is easily visible to one facing either of its lenses, it is far less visible to a person looking at if from either side. This could be a disadvantage in the case of a dangerous traffic condition approachable from more than two directions as, for example, where it occurs at a complex intersection, since the use of a plurality of barricades positioned to cover all lanes of approaching traffic with their flasher lights would then be required for optimum warning effect. Where a traffic barricade fitted with such a light carries a panel with indicia to attract attention to a traffic hazard, the light contributes substantially no illumination to the panel after dark, since its light rays are directed away from the vicinity of the panel toward approaching traffic. Furthermore, the elevated position of the light prevents any significant amount of incidental illumination from reaching the panel where the latter is suspended from the cross-bar of the barricade as is normally the case.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that much room remains for the improvement of conventional traffic barricades of the "sawhorse" type, even though such barricades have been in use for a great many years. In brief summary, these barricades are heavy and awkward to handle and transport, they create hazards to persons and property when accidently struck by vehicles, and they tend to scar certain pavement surfaces. When fitted with conventional flasher lights such barricades fail to give radial visual warning of traffic hazards after dark, they are vulnerable to thievery and acts of vandalism and they fail to provide adequate illumination of attached panels to permit easy reading of nonreflective indicia thereon at night.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I have now, by this invention, provided a lightweight, portable traffic barricade absent all of the above-noted disadvantages of conventional "sawhorse" barricades. In its preferred form, the barricade has a built-in flasher light so designed and positioned as to eliminate all of the above-mentioned short-comings of lights conventionally employed on present day barricades.

My novel barricade is preferably a lightweight structure of tubular plastic construction comprising a substantially flat, upright segment and a pair of elongate feet. The flat, upright segment of the barricade structure is formed from plastic tubing and fittings in the shape of a rectangular frame (defining a space within which one or more panels can be displayed) and a pair of short legs positioned to extend downwardly from the bottom corners of the rectangular frame. These legs have externally-threaded lower ends, and the elongate feet have sockets intermediate their ends which are threadedly engagable with said legs. This arrangement permits rotatable adjustment of the feet between positions perpendicular to the plane of the flat, upright segment of the barricade structure, to provide standing support for the barricade, and positions substantially coplaner with said upright segment, to flatten the barricade for easy movement and storage. The space defined by the rectangular frame portion of the barricade structure is sized to hold at least one panel of an attention attracting and/or informative character. Typically, this space will be used for the display of two panels, an upper one carrying warning indicia (such as, for example, diagonal stripes which reflect light for good visibility at night) and a lower one carrying the identity of the contractor, municipality, or other person or organization responsible for the positioning of the barricade. The rectangular frame portion of the barricade structure has a top member from which the upper of these two panels can be suspended with thin strips of flexible aluminum, or the like, so that it can swing under the influence of wind without exerting undue tilting force on the barricade in stormy weather. The bottom panel can be fastened between the lower parts of side members of the rectangular frame portion of the barricade structure by means of thin flexible strips of material similar to those used for support of the upper panel.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that my novel barricade is of lightweight plastic construction and adapted to stand on a pair of elongate feet which distribute its weight on a road surface in such manner as to prevent scarring of the surface, unlike the conventional "sawhorse" traffic barricade whose angle iron feet sink into and scar certain pavement surfaces. It will also be apparent that my novel barricade has feet which are easily rotatable from their normal positions of use to permit the barricade to be flattened for convenient handling and storage. By virtue of its lightweight tubular plastic construction, the barricade poses little danger when struck by a vehicle. Thus, the tubular framework of the barricade will give before it can do any damage to the striking vehicle, and if the barricade, or any part thereof, is caused to strike a person, or property, in the vicinity of the impact, far less damage will result than in the case of a conventional barricade with its metal framework and angle iron legs.

In its preferred form, the novel barricade of this invention has a flasher light built into one of the side members of the rectangular frame portion of its flat upright segment. The flasher light has a tubular lens which directs the light rays laterally outwardly to give radial warning of the presence of the barricade. This tubular lens is preferrably positioned in the top portion of one side of the flat upright segment of the barricade, and forms the upper part of the structure making up that side of the barricade framework. The light is battery-powered, and the battery fits downwardly into the hollow of a section of plastic tubing forming most of the remaining part of the light holding side of the barricade structure. The flasher light is built into the barricade structure in such fashion as to be removable only with time consuming difficulty. It will thus be seen that the flasher light, by virtue of its design and position in the barricade structure, gives a 360.degree. visual warning of the presence of the barricade to approaching drivers, that it provides direct illumination of any panel positioned in the upper part of the rectangular frame portion of the barricade structure, and that it is difficultly removable from the barricade to frustrate the unlawful designs of thieves and vandals.

It is thus a principal object of this invention to provide a lightweight, portable traffic barricade which can be easily converted from its normal position of use to a flattened shape for convenience of handling and storage.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a barricade which is relatively stable in cross winds and designed to rest lightly on pavement surfaces without scarring effect thereon.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a barricade which poses substantially no threat of harm to an impacting vehicle and minimum risk of harm to persons or property in the vicinity of the impact.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a barricade with flasher light means clearly visible from all sides to give warning of unsafe traffic conditions to truck and automobile drivers approaching the barricade from any direction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a barricade with a flasher light of difficultly removable character to maximize the odds against theft or vandalism of the light.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a barricade with flasher light means capable of illuminating a warning panel carried thereby.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the light of subsequent disclosures herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of traffic barricade in accordance with this invention in a standing position of use.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the barricade as seen from the left of its FIG. 1 position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a lower portion of the traffic barricade, taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is another enlarged view, mostly in section, of an upper portion of the barricade, taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in section and partly broken away, showing a built-in flasher light for the barricade and adjacent parts of the barricade structure.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the flasher light, taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a view of the inwardly facing side of one of a plurality of panels forming a lens for the flasher light.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, showing parts of the flasher light unit and adjacent parts of the barricade structure in exploded relationship, drawn to a smaller scale than FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an adaptor and drip shield fitting fixedly secured to the upper end of the flasher light lens to form a part of the light unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an enclosed flasher mechanism fixedly secured to the lower end of the flasher light lens to form another part of the light unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Considering now the drawings in greater detail, with emphasis first on FIGS. 1-4, there is shown generally at B a preferred form of portable barricade in accordance with this invention. Barricade B has a built-in flasher light L, soon to be described. The barricade is constructed, for the most part, from plastic tubing and fittings, and is essentially an upright, generally coplanar structure 10 supported on a pair of elongate feet 24 and 25 of similar size and shape. The upright structure 10 has parallel left and right sides 12 and 14 (as seen in FIG. 1) and top and bottom cross segments 16 and 18, respectively. The bottom cross segment 18 is spaced upwardly from the bottom ends of the left and right sides 12 and 14 of the upright structure, and defines, with the top cross segment 16 and those parts of the left and right sides 12 and 14 of the upright structure thereabove (above segment 18), sometimes hereinafter referred to as jambs, a rectangular frame in which a pair of panels 26 and 32 are displayed, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

Starting at the top, and proceeding clockwise around the aforesaid rectangular frame (as seen in FIG. 1), the parts forming the frame structure include a first section of plastic tubing 17, an elbow 42, a second section of plastic tubing 38, a tee 40, a third section of plastic tubing 41, a tee 58, a fourth section of plastic tubing 56, a tubular flasher light lens 68 (with integral hardware to be described hereinafter), and an elbow 60. The tubing and fittings of upright structure 10 are preferably of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic construction, although they could be made of any other suitable plastic material if desired. These parts can even, in fact, be of other than plastic construction, within the scope of my invention, although the latter is preferred because of the ready availability, lightness of weight and high strength of PVC, or equivalent, plastic parts. The top tubing section 17, right side section 38 and bottom section 41 (as seen in FIG. 1) are preferably, but not necessarily, of one and one-half inch diameter, and tubing section 56 (in the left side of upright structure 10 as seen in FIG. 1) is of somewhat larger (e.g., 2 -inch) diameter, for a reason hereinafter appearing. The tubing and fittings are friction-fitted together to form upright structure 10, and the resulting joints are preferably glued with a suitable cement, or the like, to add strength and rigidity to the barricade framework, except that the joint between elbow 42 and tubing section 38 is not glued, but bolted, for a reason hereinafter explained. Since, as indicated above and shown in FIG. 1, the left side or jamb of the rectangular frame portion of upright section 10 of the barricade is of larger cross-sectional area than its right side, elbow 60 and tee 58, positioned at the respective upper and lower left-hand corners thereof, are reducing fittings. Friction-fitted into the lower ends of tees 40 and 58, and preferably glued in position there, are two short sections of plastic, preferably PVC, tubing, 20 and 22. Tubing sections 20 and 22 are threaded upwardly from their lower ends, and form, in combination with downturned outlets of tees 40 and 58 (see FIG. 1), a pair of short legs for the upright structure 10 of barricade B.

The feet 24 and 25 of barricade B are of similar construction, so only foot 24 (shown in side elevation in FIG. 2) will be described in detail here. Foot 24, similarly to the major portion of upright structure 10 of the barricade is of tubular plastic, preferably PVC, construction, having a tee 50 at its center, from which branches of equal length extend in opposite directions, these branches being made up of two proximate sections of smaller diameter tubing 52 and 53 and two distal sections 54 and 55 of larger diameter tubing. Sections 52 and 53 are of the same diameter as tubing sections 17, 38 and 41 of upright structure 10 of the barricade, and the distal sections 54 and 55 are sized to provide stable support of foot 24 on a flat surface, through contact with said surface of tee 50 and said distal sections 54 and 55, to help prevent teetering or tilting of the standing barricade. The branch outlet of tee 50 is internally threaded to receive the threaded lower portion of tubing section 22 at the bottom end of the left leg of the upright structure of the barricade, in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and foot 24 is fastened to the barricade for use by simply turning tee 50, in threaded engagement with tubing section 22, until the foot is perpendicular to the plane of axial disposition of upright structure 10 of the barricade. By "axial disposition" as that term is here employed, is meant the disposition of the axes of the structural elements making up upright structure 10. Foot 25 is attached to tubing section 20 of the right leg of upright structure 10 of the barricade similarly to the way foot 24 is attached to the left leg of the upright structure. As can readily be seen, feet 24 and 25 provide stable support for the barricade, and, by virtue of their lengths, protect it against overturning in windy weather. It is unnecessary to screw the feet as far as they will go onto the barricade legs, as illustrated in FIG. 3, if the threaded engagement between the feet and legs is (as it preferably should be) tight enough to prevent rotational slippage of the feet when they are less than fully engaged with said legs. Consequently, there is generally no need to design the threaded connection between the barricade legs and feet as precisely as indicated in the drawings, which show foot 25 positioned at right angles to upright structure 10 of the barricade when it (the foot) is screwed all the way onto tubing section 20. The threaded engagement between the barricade legs and feet permit the feet to be swiveled to positions of coplanar relationship with upright structure 10 of the barricade to flatten the barricade for easy handling and storage. The length of the feet is such that when they are turned to positions of coplanar relationship with the upright structure, there is sufficient clearance between the barricade legs to accommodate the inturned ends of both of the feet. The threaded engagement of the feet with the barricade legs also permits the feet to be removed entirely for movement or storage, where this is preferable to mere flattening of the barricade by rotation of the feet as described above. Obviously, the two feet should be screwed onto the barricade legs to approximately the same extent where the road surface of use is substantially flat, to permit the barricade to rest squarely on the pavement.

The flasher light L has a tubular lens 68 which forms the upper portion of the left side 12 of upright structure 10 of the barricade, as seen in FIG. 1. Flasher light L comprises a light bulb 84 mounted on the upper end of a tubular support or "candle" 82 forming part of a flasher mechanism 66, a tubular lens of hexagonal cross section 68, and a battery 64. The circuitry of flasher mechanisms is well known, and hence will not be illustrated or described in detail herein. The tubular lens 68 is made up of six rectangular lens panels 70, each with a molded lens pattern 79 on its inner side, as best seen in FIG. 7 which shows the inner surface of one of the panels. These lens panels are preferably molded from a suitable plastic of a type familiar to those skilled in the art, preferably of amber color. The panels are beveled at their side edges, as shown at 71 and 73 in FIG. 7, so that they can be fitted together to form a tube of hexagonal cross section. See FIG. 6, which shows at 72 the manner in which the beveled side edges of adjacent panels fit together to form the tubular lens 68. Panels 70 are glued together at their meeting edges with a suitable cement or the like to integrate them into the tubular lens 68 structure.

FIG. 5 shows flasher light L with a front lens panel removed, and portions of the adjacent panels broken away, to illustrate certain internal details of the light unit. Affixed to the upper end of lens 68 is a plastic adaptor and drip shield fitting 74, formed preferably, but not necessarily, of a suitable plastic material. This fitting has a hollow lower portion 75 of hexagonal cross-sectional shape sized to fit snugly within the upper end of the lens and terminating, at its top, at the base of an annular drip shield 76, constituting a second portion of the fitting. Above drip shield 76, the fitting has a ring-like neck 77 shaped to fit snugly within the downturned outlet of elbow 60 of upright structure 10 of the barricade, in the manner best illustrated in FIG. 5. The lower portion 75 of the fitting is glued in its position of interfit with the top of lens 68 (the lens panels having thin strips of smooth surface at the top ends of their inner faces to make this interfit possible -- see FIG. 7 where such a strip is shown at 100), and its neck 77 is fully inserted in the downturned outlet of elbow 60, in the assembled barricade unit. There are matching, diametrically aligned openings in the walls of the downturned outlet of elbow 60 and neck 77 of the adaptor and drip shield fitting sized to receive a bolt 62 which, in conjunction with a nut 63, is employed to lock those parts together. Nut 63 and the head of bolt 62 are both of round periphery so that the fastening between the elbow and adaptor and drip shield fitting is relatively tamper-proof.

The flasher mechanism 66 is protected by a plastic housing having an encircling collar segment 81 with a pair of locking threads 78 arranged to engage a pair of receptive grooves 83 in the inner wall of the upper end of tubing section 56 forming a portion of the left side of the barricade frame as seen in FIG. 1. The collar segment 81 of the flasher mechanism assembly housing extends upwardly from its threaded part and expands outwardly to a hexagonal peripheral wall sized and shaped to fit snugly into the lower end of the tubular lens 68. The plastic housing for the flasher mechanism includes the outer shell of the tubular support 82 for the light bulb 84. This tubular support rises from an otherwise flat base surface 98 extending radially inwardly from the top edge of the hexagonal peripheral wall of collar segment 81 of said housing. That part of collar segment 81 of the flasher mechanism housing with the hexagonal peripheral wall is glued in position in the lower end of tubular lens 68, so that the light unit as a whole, including the flasher mechanism, lens, and adaptor and drip shield fitting 74 is readily installable in the barricade frame. The lens panels 70 have strips of smooth internal surface areas at their lower ends, similar to the strips at their upper ends exemplified by strip 100 of FIG. 7, to provide good fit between the flasher mechanism assembly housing and lens 68. FIG. 7 illustrates such a strip at 102.

A plastic battery case or holder 80 sized to fit telescopically within tubing section 56 is fixedly secured in the proper position therewithin, as by glue or cement means, to hold battery 64 at the proper level for energizing the flasher light through a pair of contact springs 92 in the usual manner (see FIG. 5). Flasher mechanism 66 has a conventional on/off switch 86 operable through a spring leaf triggering member 88, and a small hole 90 is provided in the wall of tubing section 56 for the insertion of a slender tool to move the spring leaf member as necessary for turning of the flasher light on or off.

Nut and bolt fastening means 44 of similarly tamper-proof character to bolt 62 and nut 63 serve to hold elbow 42 and tubing section 38 together in the same way bolt 62 and nut 63 hold elbow 60 and the tubular lens of flasher light L together. These nut and bolt fastening means (nut and bolt fastening means 44, bolt 62 and nut 63) permit easy disassembly of the barricade for repair of the light, replacement of battery 64, or a like purpose. Thus, to disassemble the barricade for any of these reasons, it is only necessary to disconnect said nut and bolt fastening means with an appropriate tool and lift the top cross segment 16 of upright structure 10 away from the remaining barricade structure. The whole light assembly can now be removed by rotating lens 68 in the proper direction to disengage the threads 78 on collar segment 81 of the flasher mechanism 66 housing from their mating grooves in the top of tubing section 56. Battery 64 can then, if necessary, be slid out of case 80 by merely inverting section 56, as by turning the barricade, minus the removed parts, upside down.

Panel 26 can be made from thin sheet metal, wood, plastic, or the like, and can carry any attention-attracting indicia, such as, for example, stripes painted with light reflecting paint. The panel is suspended from top tubing section 17 of the upright structure 10 by means of a pair of thin flexible metal straps, such as thin sheet aluminum straps, 28, and cooperating nut and bolt, or equivalent, fasteners 30. The lower panel 32 can be made of the same sheet material as panel 26 or a different sheet material, and is preferably used to carry identifying indicia of the contractor, municipality, or other person or organization responsible for the use and emplacement of the barricade. Panel 32 is fastened to the sides of the barricade frame by means of thin flexible straps and fasteners, similar to the straps 28 and fasteners 30 which hold upper panel 26 in place, in the manner made clear in FIG. 1.

As will now be apparent, barricade B is a stable, lightweight unit capable of simple and easy conversion between positions of use and storage. As a result of its lightness of weight, and easily breakable nature, by comparison with metal "sawhorse" barricades, my novel barricade poses very little safety hazard if it is struck by a vehicle. The flasher light on the barricade has a tubular lens which throws light in a complete circle, to give a visual signal to one approaching the barricade from any direction on the ground. The flasher light also, by virtue of its position directly to the left of panel 26, as seen in FIG. 1, aids in the illumination of that panel at night.

While the novel barricade of this invention has been herein described and illustrated in what is believed to be a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention. Certain of these departures have already been mentioned, and others will occur to those skilled in the art in the light of present teachings. An example of the latter would result from the substitution of a tubular lens of substantially round cross section for tubular lens 68 of barricade B.

Moreover, although the present invention has been exclusively referred to, illustrated and described herein as a portable traffic barricade, it should be understood that the invention, considered in its broadest aspect, comprises skeletal structure means particularly adaptable for use as a portable traffic barricade, but not necessarily limited to this use. Thus, skeletal structure means in accordance with the present teachings can be employed in any capacity for which its unique structural character and functional capabilities suit it.

In summary, the scope of the present invention extends to all variant forms thereof encompassed by the language of the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. Skeletal structure means of generally tubular plastic construction particularly adaptable for use as a portable traffice barricade having, in its normal service capacity, a generally flat upright part defining a frame of generally rectangular shape for the display of at least one informational panel and having, also, two legs; said skeletal structure means including, additionally, two elongate feet, each of said feet being threadedly engaged with the lower end of a separate one of said legs in such a way as to extend substantially perpendicularly outwardly, in opposite directions, from the axis of the leg, and each foot being rotatably adjustable between a first position normal to the plane of axial disposition of said flat upright part of said skeletal structure means, in which it serves as stable support means for the standing upright part, and a second position at right angles to said first position, to permit substantial flattening of the structure for convenient handling and storage thereof, the rotational adjustment of said foot between said first position and said second position being achieved by turning it in threaded engagement with said leg;

said frame for the display of at least one informational panel having a first jamb with built-in flasher light means, said flasher light means having a tubular lens forming a structural part of said first jamb, disposed in axial alignment with the remaining part of the jamb, and a light source laterally enclosed by the lens, and said tubular lens serving to direct light rays from said light source laterally outwardly through its wall in such manner as to render the light visible in a substantially complete circle there-around.

2. Skeletal structure means in accordance with claim 1, in which said tubular lens constitutes an upper portion of said first jamb and is of hexagonal cross-sectional shape.

3. Skeletal structure means in accordance with claim 2, in which said flasher light means is battery-powered; that portion of said first jamb situated below said tubular lens is a first section of rigid plastic tubing; and said flasher light means comprises said light source, a flasher mechanism, a battery for supplying power to the light source, and an open-topped case for said battery;

said case for said battery being sized and shaped to fit snugly within the hollow interior of said first section of rigid plastic tubing, and being supported, by suitable support means at the proper level within the tubing section to permit current to be fed from the battery to the flasher light circuit for proper operation of the flasher light means.

4. Skeletal structure means of generally tubular plastic construction particularly adaptable for use as a portable traffic barricade having, in its normal service capacity, a generally flat upright part defining a frame of generally rectangular shape for the display of at least one informational panel and having, also, two legs; said skeletal structure means including, additionally, two elongate feet, each of said feet being threadedly engaged with the lower end of a separate one of said legs in such a way as to extend substantially perpendicularly outwardly, in opposite directions, from the axis of the leg, and each foot being rotatably adjustable between a first position normal to the plane of axial disposition of said flat upright part of said skeletal structure means, in which it serves as stable support means for the standing upright part, and a second position at right angles to said first position, to permit substantial flattening of the structure for convenient handling and storage thereof, the rotational adjustment of said foot between said first position and said second position being achieved by turning it in threaded engagement with said leg;

said frame for the display of at least one informational panel having a first jamb with built-in flasher light means, said flasher light means having a tubular lens forming a part of said first jamb, disposed in axial alighment with the remaining part of the jamb, and a light source laterally enclosed by the lens, said tubular lens serving to direct light from said light source laterally outwardly through its wall in such manner as to render the light visible in a substantially complete circle therearound, said tubular lens, additionally, constituting an upper portion of said first jamb and being of hexagonal cross-sectional shape;

said flasher light means being battery-powered; that portion of said first jamb situated below said tubular lens being a first section of rigid plastic tubing; and said flasher light means comprising said light source, a flasher mechanism, a battery for supplying power to the light source, and an open-topped case for said battery;

said case for said battery being sized and shaped to fit snugly within the hollow interior of said first section of rigid plastic tubing, and being supported by suitable support means at the proper level within the tubing section to permit current to be fed from the battery to the flasher light circuit for proper operation of the flasher light means;

said frame for the display of at least one informational panel having a top comprising a second section of rigid plastic tubing;

the upper end of said first jamb of said frame, incorporating said tubular lens, comprising adapter means fixedly secured to the top of said lens and having an upstanding neck adapted to interfit with a properly sized plastic elbow fitting;

said frame having a second jamb comprising a third section of rigid plastic tubing disposed substantially parallel to said first jamb;

said skeletal structure means including a pair of plastic elbow fittings adapted to connect one end of said second section of rigid plastic tubing with said adapter means and the other end thereof with the top of said third section of rigid plastic tubing, respectively;

one outlet of each elbow fitting in said frame being firmly secured to an end of said second section of rigid plastic tubing so that its other outlet extends downwardly; and

the downwardly extending outlets of the two elbow fittings being removably engaged with the upstanding neck of said adapter means and the upper end of said third section of rigid plastic tubing, respectively, whereby the top of said frame is removable to permit ready access to said flasher light means for repair, or other, purposes.

5. Skeletal structure means in accordance with claim 4, in which said flasher mechanism has a housing fixedly secured to the bottom end of said tubular lens, said housing having a reduced lower portion adapted to fit into the hollow upper portion of said first section of rigid plastic tubing without binding, and an enlarged upper portion having a bottom part of round cross section with locking threads (78) disposed around its peripheral wall; and

in which the internal walls of the upper end of said first section of rigid plastic tubing has receptive grooves (83) for said locking threads;

whereby the integrated flasher mechanism and tubular lens can be locked in position, as a unit, in said first jamb of said frame for the display of at least one informational panel when it is properly positioned and rotated so that said locking threads engage said receptive grooves, and the top of said frame is positioned so that the downturned outlets of said elbow fittings are engaged with the upper ends of said adaptor means and third section of rigid plastic tubing, respectively, and can be removed from said frame, as a unit, by a reversal of the above-described locking procedure.

6. Skeletal structure means in accordance with claim 5, in which each of the joints between said downturned outlets of said elbow fittings and the upper ends of said adaptor means and third section of rigid plastic tubing, respectively, has a pair of diametrically opposite openings for snugly receiving a bolt, and each of said joints is locked with a bolt that extends through these openings and a cooperating nut, the bolt and nut fasteners in each case being of tamper-proof character to prevent easy disassembly of the structure by unauthorized persons.