Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Chad M Orthaus

Calice Gerard Courneya

Jeffrey Arnold Wilkens

Brad Anderson

Jeffrey L Rogers

Bertrum England

Merwin Anderson

Jamie Zimmerman

Michael J Christensen

Shawn M Green

DuWayne R Cookman

DuWayne E Paul

George Hammond

Patrick W Kruper

John Glawe

A power takeoff and gearbox is configured for use with an associated vehicle transmission to provide rotational power to an associated auxiliary component. The power takeoff and gearbox includes a housing. An input gear set includes an input gear and a transfer gear mounted for common rotation. The input gear is driven by the associated vehicle transmission. A primary drive gear is disposed on a drive shaft. The primary drive gear is meshed with the transfer gear for rotation with the transfer gear. A planetary gear system includes a carrier, a plurality of planet gears mounted for rotation within the carrier and a sun gear disposed central to the planet gears. The carrier is connected to the primary drive shaft for rotation with the shaft and for rotation of the planet gears relative to the carrier. An output is mounted to the sun gear for providing rotational power to the associated auxiliary component. The input gear set and the output are disposed, at least in part, within the housing and the primary drive gear and the planetary gear system are disposed within the housing. A clutch can also be included mounted within the housing.

Power takeoff and gearbox

Apparatus and method for retrieving traffic cones from roadway surfaces comprises a framework which is adapted to be attached to a roadwork vehicle so as to be movable therewith along a roadway surface. A knock-down bar upon the framework knocks down a normally upstanding traffic cone, and a substantially horizontally oriented, substantially conically configured spearing mechanism mounted upon the framework is inserted into the hollow interior of the traffic cone. The spearing mechanism and traffic cone are pivoted to a vertical orientation, and subsequently elevated so as to place the traffic cones onto a platform in a nested stacked array.

Traffic cone retrieving device for removing traffic cones from roadway surfaces

Apparatus and method for applying temporary raised pavement markers (TRPM) to roadway surfaces comprises a conveyor upon a wheeled vehicle wherein an upstream end portion of the conveyor is able to extend, for example, over the rear bed portion of a roadwork vehicle so as to permit an operator, stationed upon the bed portion of the roadwork vehicle, to deposit pavement markers upon the conveyor. A pair of wheel applicators are used for applying the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs) onto the roadway surface. A hitch mechanism is also used to provide hinged movement between the tow bar of the towed wheeled vehicle and the mounting bar of the towing roadwork vehicle so as to permit independent elevational movement of the towed wheeled vehicle relative to the towing roadwork vehicle.

Transversely extending pivotal hitch mechanism

Apparatus for dispensing and applying a nested collated array of permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs), wherein portions of a release sheet are folded between successive ones of the permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs), and successive permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs) are disposed atop one another with an undersurface portion of one of the permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs) being disposed in contact with a successive one of the permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs), is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a stripper plate, an indexable roller, a drive motor, and a program logic controller (PLC).

Collated road marker assembly, and system and method for automatically applying collated road markers to roadway surfaces

Apparatus and method are disclosed in connection with the separating, dispensing, and application of a plurality of temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs), having substantially L-shaped configurations, which are arranged within a collated nested array upon a single release liner. Portions of the release liner are folded between successive ones of the pavement markers such that when the folded portions of the release sheet are unfolded in conjunction with the dispensing of a leading one of the pavement markers, the release liner is routed around a stripper plate and the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs) are effectively stripped from the release liner, deposited upon the pavement surface, and an application wheel affixes the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs) to the pavement surface.

A method for dispensing and applying a nested collated array of permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs), wherein portions of a release sheet are folded between successive ones of the permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs), and successive permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs) are disposed atop one another with an undersurface portion of one of the permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs) being disposed in contact with a successive one of the permanent raised pavement markers (RPMs), is disclosed. The method further comprises the use of a stripper plate, an indexable roller, a drive motor, and a program logic controller (PLC) for achieving the separating and dispensing steps.

A collated array of temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs), or permanent half-track and full-track raised pavement markers (RPM), has the pavement markers disposed in a nested arrangement with portions of a release sheet folded between successive ones of the pavement markers such that when the folded portions of the release sheet are unfolded in conjunction with the dispensing of a leading one of the pavement markers, feather-edge boundary structure defined between the release sheet and the block of adhesive material upon the associated one of the pavement markers is effectively recombined with the primary mass of adhesive material upon the pavement marker such that the feather-edge structure is assimilated into the primary mass of adhesive material in order to readily permit the separation, peeling, and stripping of the release sheet from the pavement marker.

A collated array of temporary raised pavement markers (TRPMs), having substantially L-shaped configurations, has the pavement markers disposed in a nested arrangement with portions of a release sheet folded between successive ones of the pavement markers such that when the folded portions of the release sheet are unfolded in conjunction with the dispensing of a leading one of the pavement markers, feather-edge boundary structure defined between the release sheet and the block of adhesive material upon the associated one of the pavement markers is effectively recombined with the primary mass of adhesive material upon the pavement marker such that the feather-edge structure is assimilated into the primary mass of adhesive material in order to readily permit the separation, peeling, and stripping of the release sheet from the pavement marker.

Apparatus for depositing or placing traffic cones onto a roadway surface at predeterminedly spaced locations thereof comprises a horizontally disposed magazine, and a vertically oriented chute section. A plurality of traffic cones can be loaded into the magazine section, and a leading one of the traffic cones can be moved into the vertically oriented chute section for discharge and deposition onto the roadway surface. An automatic control system can also be used to control the discharge of the traffic cones into the vertically oriented chute section in accordance with predeterminedly timed sequences such that the traffic cones can be placed upon the roadway surface at locations which are spaced apart by predeterminedly defined distances.

Traffic cone setting devices for depositing traffic cones onto roadway surfaces

Temporary raised pavement marker (TRPM) applicator machine for automatically applying pavement markers to road surfaces

Apparatus for removing protective coverings from temporary raised pavement markers (TRPM) fixedly secured upon roadway surfaces comprises a platform, and a plurality of toothed implements disposed beneath the platform for encountering and removing the protective coverings mounted upon the upstanding vertical reflective portions of the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPM). The toothed implements are mounted upon a chain which is driven by a motor mounted upon an upper surface portion of the platform, and a blower is also mounted upon the upper surface portion of the platform. An exhaust duct, fluidically connected to the intake side of the blower, passes through a suction port defined within the platform so as to be fluidically connected to the underside of the platform, and in this manner, the removed protective coverings of the temporary raised pavement markers (TRPM) may be removed from the roadway surface and conveyed to a suitable debris collection bag.

Growing community of inventors

Alexandria, MN, United States of America

Chad M Orthaus