GB2463961A

GB2463961A - Portable screening apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2463961A
Application number: GB0913132A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Andrew Middleton; David Ying Kwai Manning
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-28
Filing date: 2009-07-28
Publication date: 2010-04-07
Also published as: GB0813759D0; GB0913132D0

Abstract

A free-standing portable screening apparatus that can be extended longitudinally from a collapsed or folded position [Fig. 3] to an operable position [Fig. 1]. The apparatus comprises screening means 7 and supporting means. The supporting means comprises a plurality of elongate elements 2 interconnected via movable joints 4, so that the elements can be arranged to form a zigzag configuration when viewed in side elevation [Fig. 1]. The apparatus may further comprise feet 3, which may be in the form of spikes, pads, prismatic polygons, cylinders or tubes, and may be made of a polymer, rubber, plastic, metal, concrete, stone or wood. The elements 2 may be made of metal (such as steel or aluminium), plastic or wood. The elements 2 may form triangular, rectangular or trapezoidal frames when viewed from the front or back. The screening means may be made of fabric, net or mesh, and may have venting means in the form of I-shaped vertical slits [Fig. 4].

Description

Portable Screening Apparatus This invention relates to a portable screening apparatus.

When incidents occur on vehicle carriageways, two significant effects can occur: * Secondary incidents * Bulk highway congestion Rubbernecking' describes these effects, occurring where motorists are distracted io from normal driving by the visual interest created by unusual activity, such as the aftermath of a road incident. Rubbernecking can occur on both carriageways of a motorway and on other roads.

The present invention has as its aim the prevention of rubbernecking by obscuring the vision of passing motorists.

Existing systems to block vision have significant drawbacks. Systems that depend on a central reservation attachment are restricted in their versatility and can only obscure the incident scene from the opposite carriageway; they are inadequate for obscuring an incident in which traffic flows in two directions.

Systems that are a permanent fixture have similar limitations in versatility and will not necessarily be in the optimal position to obscure the incident scene effectively. Non-modular systems present the danger of handling large components near live traffic, potentially in hazardous conditions.

To overcome the problems of rubbernecking, the present invention proposes a device which is used at incident sites to obscure the scene from passing traffic, although it may be used in any application requiring the blocking of vision or separation of two geographical areas, such as but not limited to: advertising and public or private outdoor events.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a portable screening apparatus, said apparatus comprising a plurality of inter-connectable elements movable between a retracted position and an extended position, adjacent ones of said elements being connectable together by pivot means, each pivot means in use having a generally horizontally arranged pivot axis, and screen means arrangeable between adjacent ones of said elements for screening purposes when the screening apparatus is in its extended position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a portable io screening apparatus deployable longitudinally from a smaller size to a larger size, said apparatus including screening means and supporting apparatus to support said screening means, said supporting apparatus comprising a plurality of elements, characterised in that said elements when in use are connected alternately top and bottom by movable joint means so that the elements may be arranged into a is generally zigzag configuration when viewed in side elevation.

The preferred method of deployment of the portable screening apparatus is to expand longitudinally from a compact module, ideal for storage and transportation, although it may be deployed without longitudinal expansion by being assembled on site from separate elements.

When deployed, it can be positioned freely on a vehicle carriageway with no reliance on existing anchor points (for example the central reservation) or features, although such anchors can be added if required, for example to allow for high wind loading.

Preferably, the portable screening apparatus is provided with a plurality of feet, e.g. high friction bases, to resist movement of the screening apparatus when wind-loaded. The feet may be of any suitable shape, e.g. spikes, pads, prismatic polygons, cylinders or tubes. The feet may be made of any suitable material such as polymer, rubber, metal, plastic, concrete, stone or wood.

Preferably, the portable screening apparatus may be transported and or manoeuvred in discrete sections to allow ease of handling.

The inter-connectable elements may be made of any suitable material, including but not limited to metal, plastic, wood and composites. In a preferred screening apparatus of the present invention the elements are made of tubular steel or aluminium. The elements may be of any suitable shape, with preferred element shapes being generally rectangular or triangular, and frame-like in nature.

Preferably, the screen has a system to allow wind dissipation to allow it to be used in high wind conditions using flaps or alternative venting designs.

io The screen means is preferably flexible in nature and may be made of a planar fabric such as cloth, canvas or plastics. The screen means may be provided with apertures, through-flaps or slits to enable wind to pass through the screen means so as to reduce wind-loading. Alternatively, or as well, the screen means or portions thereof may be of a mesh or net configuration or of a somewhat open weave configuration, again to enable wind to pass through the screen means so as to reduce wind loading.

In a preferred configuration, each inter-connectable element is generally triangular, with adjacent elements being arranged generally upright when the screening apparatus is in its retracted position, with pairs of adjacent elements being connectable together by said pivot means respectively at the apices of the triangular elements and at the bases of the triangular elements, the arrangement being such that upon deployment of the screening apparatus into its extended position the interconnected elements are in a generally zigzag configuration in side erevation, with the screen means extending between said elements in an approximately upright position.

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a portable screening apparatus according to the present invention when deployed, in side view, Figure 2 shows an end view of the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 3 shows the apparatus of Figure 1 is a packed or collapsed condition, Figure 4 shows a preferred configuration and arrangement of slits or flaps in the screen means of the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the screening apparatus of Figure 1, in a deployed or extended position.

io Figure 6 shows a front elevation of a portion of the screening apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 7 shows a side elevation of a portion of the screening apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 8 shows a top elevation of a portion of the screening apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 9 shows a three dimensional view of a portion of the screening apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 a portable screening apparatus according to the present invention can be seen in its deployed configuration. A screen means (1) is slung between tubular frame elements (2). Pivots (3) and (4) interconnect the frame elements (2) and allow the portable screening apparatus to contract or collapse as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 2 shows possible layouts for the frame elements (2), (5) being a rectangular frame and (6) being a triangular frame. As may be seen in Fig. 5, when the frame elements (2) are triangular in nature, there are two bottom pivots (3) joining adjacent bases of the frame elements (2) and one top pivot (4) joining adjacent apices of the frame elements (2).

Figure 4 shows details of the screen means (1) including the presence of flaps or slits (7) provided in the screen means (1) to allow for wind load optimisation. Each slit or flap (7) is arranged vertically in the screen means (1) and is in the shape of a capital letter I, i.e. upright with transverse elements at the top and bottom of the upright. The screen means (1) is preferably attached to the triangular frame elements (2) at the three corners of the triangular screen section, i.e. at the top pivot (4) and close to the bottom two pivots (3), or alternatively attached to the frame elements (2) along the edges of the screen means (1).

Figure 5 shows a 3 Dimensional perspective view of the general layout of the triangular frame elements (2), bottom pivots (3), top pivots (4) and screen means (1).

Figure 6 shows a front elevation of the present invention, detailing frame elements (2) which are attached to the bottom pivots (3). The bottom pivots (3) of adjacent frame elements (2) are interconnected and each adjacent set of bottom pivots share a generally horizontal axis of rotation (8). Similarly, the top pivots (4) of adjacent frame elements (2) are interconnected and each set of adjacent bottom pivots share a generally horizontal axis of rotation (9). Feet means (10) provide a suitable surface to contact with the surface on which the invention is to be used.

Figure 7 shows a side elevation of the frame elements (2) of a portion of the present invention in its deployed position. The screen means is not shown for clarity. The positions of feet means (10) are shown near the bottom of the figure.

Figure 8 shows a top elevation of the frame elements of a portion of the present invention in its deployed position. The screen means is not shown for clarity. The bottom pivots (3) are shown with their shared axes of rotation (8). The top pivots are also shown with their shared axes of rotation (9). The general ocation of the feet means is also shown 10.

Figure 9 shows the general location of the feet means (10) on a 3 dimensional perspective view of a portion of the frame means in its deployed position.

Advantages The portable screen of the present invention will prevent passing motorists from being distracted by incidents on, or near, a road, by obscuring their vision of the incident.

It is to be understood that the present invention may be performed other than as has been particularly described and the present invention includes within its scope all modifications, and improvements that would be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Claims

Claims 1. A free-standing portable screening apparatus deployable longitudinally from a smaller size to a larger size, said apparatus including screening means (1) and supporting apparatus to support said screening means (1), said supporting apparatus comprising a plurality of interconnected elements (2,5,6), characterised in that said elements (2,56) are connected alternately top and bottom by movable joint means (3,4) so that the elements (2,5,6) may be arranged into a generally zigzag configuration when viewed in side elevation (figures 1 & 3 & 7).
2. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that each movable joint means (3,4) in use has a generally horizontally arranged axis of rotation (8,9).
3. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that there are provided feet means (10) to resist movement of the screening apparatus on the surface on which it is placed in use.
4. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means take the form of spikes.
5. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means take the form of pads.
6. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means take the form of prismatic polygons (10).
7. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means take the form of cylinders.
8. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means take the form of tubes.
9. A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of polymer.
1O.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of rubber.
1 l.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of metal.
12.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of plastic.
13.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of concrete.
14.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of stone.
15.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said feet means are made of wood.
16.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is deployable from a smaller size to larger size by rotation of the elements (2,5,6) in a manner that moves the central axis of the screening apparatus from generally vertical to generally horizontal.
17.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said elements (2,5,6) are made of metal, plastic or wood.
18.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 17, characterised in that said elements (2,5,6) are made of tubular steel or aluminium.
19.A portable screening apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said elements (2) are in the form of triangular frames (6).
20. A portable screening apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said elements (2) are in the form of rectangular frames (5).
21.A portable screening apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said elements (2) are in the form of trapezoidal frames (as shown in Figure 5).
22.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the screening means (1) is made of fabric, net or mesh.
23.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that venting means (7) are provided to allow the venting of wind through the screening means (1).
24.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 23, characterised in that said venting means (7) comprise slits in the screening means (1).
25.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 24, characterised in that said slits are arranged generally vertically.
26.A portable screening apparatus as claimed in claim 24 or 25, characterised in that said slits have the shape of a capital letter I.