Patents by Inventor Charles M. Mettler

Charles M. Mettler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11535994
    Abstract: A cargo carrier for portable nimble strips that is mountable to a vehicle has a support surface that is configured to support multiple portable rumble strips. The support surface also is configured to move between a deployment position having a first width and a transit position having a second width that is less than the first width. The cargo carrier includes a frame that defines the support surface. In the illustrated embodiment, the support surface is divided along a major width dimension into at least three planar segments that are movable relative to one another to alter the overall width of the support surface, including a center portion and lateral portions extending from opposing sides of the center portion. The lateral portions are pivotably movable between extended positions aligned with the center portion in a horizontal orientation and retracted positions inclined relative to the center portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: PLASTIC SAFETY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Charles M. Mettler
  • Publication number: 20220002956
    Abstract: A portable barricade includes at least three legs that are operably coupled together to permit movement relative to each other between a collapsed state and an expanded state. The barricade is configured such that when in the collapsed state, the at least three legs are arranged with at least one of the legs stacked between at least two other legs to form a compact stack that facilitates portability of the barricade. The at least three legs are operably coupled together for rotation about a common axis. When the barricade is deployed to the expanded state, each leg is rotated about the common axis to spread the legs apart such that each leg is arranged at a different angular position about the axis relative to the other legs, thereby enlarging the footprint and/or enhancing stability of the barricade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventors: Charles M. METTLER, Gregory H. BROWN, Stephen A. SPEAKER, Edgardo SANTIAGO-DIAZ
  • Publication number: 20210079606
    Abstract: A portable roadway warning device comprises one or more rumble strips. Each rumble strip comprises at least two modular strip sections, each made of a polymeric material having top and bottom surfaces and end edges and side edges. At least one of the end edges of each of the strip sections has a plurality of aligned alternating notches and tabs, and connecting links hingedly connecting the tabs at one of the end edges of one of the strip sections to respective aligned tabs at one of the end edges of another of the strip sections. Each connecting link includes a U-shape link plate bracket and a pair of frangible rods that are configured to break at less than the tear strength of the polymeric modular strip sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventor: Charles M. Mettler
  • Publication number: 20200370255
    Abstract: A cargo carrier for portable nimble strips that is mountable to a vehicle has a support surface that is configured to support multiple portable rumble strips. The support surface also is configured to move between a deployment position having a first width and a transit position having a second width that is less than the first width. The cargo carrier includes a frame that defines the support surface. In the illustrated embodiment, the support surface is divided along a major width dimension into at least three planar segments that are movable relative to one another to alter the overall width of the support surface, including a center portion and lateral portions extending from opposing sides of the center portion. The lateral portions are pivotably movable between extended positions aligned with the center portion in a horizontal orientation and retracted positions inclined relative to the center portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventor: Charles M. METTLER
  • Patent number: 10662042
    Abstract: A system for retrieving a portable rumble strip from a roadway includes a carrier mountable to a vehicle for transporting retrieved portable rumble strips and a winch mountable to the carrier. The carrier has a support surface configured to support a rumble strip. And the winch includes a rotatable drum and a lead with a major dimension being a length dimension. A proximal end of the lead is connected to the drum such that rotation of the drum winds the lead about the drum. A hook is connected to a distal end of the lead opposite the proximal end. The hook is configured to engage and hold a portable rumble strip as the drum rotates to draw the lead and the hook to the winch, thereby drawing the engaged portable rumble strip into the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles M. Mettler
  • Patent number: 10661697
    Abstract: A cargo carrier for portable rumble strips is mountable to a hitch assembly for a vehicle. The cargo carrier includes a basket configured to receive and retain a portable rumble strip for storage and transport, and a mounting assembly that includes a pintle adapted to be received in a receiver of a hitch assembly mountable to a vehicle. The basket has a frame that includes frame elements that define a bottom wall, relatively long front and back walls, and relatively short side walls that connect the front wall and the back wall. The front, back, and side walls extend from respective sides of the bottom wall in a common direction. And the basket further includes a rotating element at the top of at least one of the side walls to facilitate drawing rumble strips lengthwise over the side wall into or out of the basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles M. Mettler
  • Publication number: 20190241412
    Abstract: A system for retrieving a portable rumble strip from a roadway includes a carrier mountable to a vehicle for transporting retrieved portable rumble strips and a winch mountable to the carrier. The carrier has a support surface configured to support a rumble strip. And the winch includes a rotatable drum and a lead with a major dimension being a length dimension. A proximal end of the lead is connected to the drum such that rotation of the drum winds the lead about the drum. A hook is connected to a distal end of the lead opposite the proximal end. The hook is configured to engage and hold a portable rumble strip as the drum rotates to draw the lead and the hook to the winch, thereby drawing the engaged portable rumble strip into the carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventor: Charles M. Mettler
  • Publication number: 20170282779
    Abstract: A cargo carrier for portable rumble strips is mountable to a hitch assembly for a vehicle. The cargo carrier includes a basket configured to receive and retain a portable rumble strip for storage and transport, and a mounting assembly that includes a pintle adapted to be received in a receiver of a hitch assembly mountable to a vehicle. The basket has a frame that includes frame elements that define a bottom wall, relatively long front and back walls, and relatively short side walls that connect the front wall and the back wall. The front, back, and side walls extend from respective sides of the bottom wall in a common direction. And the basket further includes a rotating element at the top of at least one of the side walls to facilitate drawing rumble strips lengthwise over the side wall into or out of the basket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles M. Mettler
  • Patent number: 9534394
    Abstract: A portable modular pedestrian ramp comprises a plurality of modular ramp units. Each of the modular ramp units comprises a pair of side edge plates each having inwardly facing sides to which opposite ends of decking are attached. The side edge plates of at least some of the modular ramp units have opposite ends thereof that are releasably connectable to one another by self-locking connectors to provide different ramp lengths without the need for any tools or fasteners to join the modular ramp units together or disassemble the modular ramp units for transportation and storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Patent number: 9297127
    Abstract: A barricade assembly comprises a pair of laterally spaced uprights for supporting at least one barricade board, and a foldable leg assembly for selectively supporting the uprights in a generally upright position. The leg assembly comprises two pairs of legs, one of which has a sliding connection with the respective uprights, and the other of which has a pivotal connection with the respective legs of the one pair and with the respective uprights. When the legs of both pairs are unfolded, the legs of both pairs support the uprights in a generally upright position, whereas when the legs of both pairs are folded, the legs of the one pair are nested within the legs of the other pair substantially in line with the inner sides of the respective uprights to provide a substantially flat barricade assembly for ease of stacking of a plurality of such barricade assemblies on top of one another during storage and/or transit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Publication number: 20150110554
    Abstract: A portable roadway warning device comprises one or more rumble strips. Each rumble strip comprises at least two interconnected strip sections, each made of a polymeric material. Opposite end edges of the strip sections have respective alternating notches and tabs sized and spaced for engagement with respective tabs and notches on opposite end edges of other of the strip sections to provide a releasable connected joint therebetween. The undersides of the tabs have transverse slots adjacent axial inner ends of the tabs for seated engagement by lower outer cross members extending transversely of the notches adjacent axial outer ends of the notches. The alternating notches and tabs in the respective opposite end edges of the strip sections are dovetailed for dovetailed engagement with one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Publication number: 20150027645
    Abstract: A barricade assembly comprises a pair of laterally spaced uprights for supporting at least one barricade board, and a foldable leg assembly for selectively supporting the uprights in a generally upright position. The leg assembly comprises two pairs of legs, one of which has a sliding connection with the respective uprights, and the other of which has a pivotal connection with the respective legs of the one pair and with the respective uprights. When the legs of both pairs are unfolded, the legs of both pairs support the uprights in a generally upright position, whereas when the legs of both pairs are folded, the legs of the one pair are nested within the legs of the other pair substantially in line with the inner sides of the respective uprights to provide a substantially flat barricade assembly for ease of stacking of a plurality of such barricade assemblies on top of one another during storage and/or transit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Publication number: 20150030390
    Abstract: A portable roadway warning device comprises one or more rumble strips. Each rumble strip comprises at least two modular strip sections, each made of a polymeric material having top and bottom surfaces and end edges and side edges. At least one of the end edges of each of the strip sections has a plurality of aligned alternating notches and tabs, and connecting links hingedly connect the tabs at one of the end edges of one of the strip sections to respective aligned tabs at one of the end edges of another of the strip sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Gregory H. Brown, Charles M. Mettler
  • Patent number: 8302937
    Abstract: Pedestrian barricade assembly includes a plurality of uprights and associated guide rails. Each upright includes a front section having one or more transversely extending channels. Each of the channels has a pair of laterally spaced semi-circular flanges in upper and lower side walls of the channels that are slidably engageable by upper and lower open notches adjacent end portions of the guide rails to provide hinge connections therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Patent number: 8282309
    Abstract: An inertial barrier includes a standard size plastic container and a single size insert that is supported by a ledge inside the container for supporting different amounts of sand or other dispersible granular energy absorbing material thereon to achieve different barrier weight configurations. The insert has an axially upwardly, radially inwardly extending top wall that permits some downward flexing of the insert inside the container as the weight of the material that is placed on the insert builds up, causing the sides of the insert to expand and push radially outwardly against the container side wall, preventing the material from leaking past the insert inside the container. Axially extending ribs may be provided in the container side wall for increased strength and rigidity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Publication number: 20110101296
    Abstract: Pedestrian barricade assembly includes a plurality of uprights and associated guide rails. Each upright includes a front section having one or more transversely extending channels. Each of the channels has a pair of laterally spaced semi-circular flanges in upper and lower side walls of the channels that are slidably engageable by upper and lower open notches adjacent end portions of the guide rails to provide hinge connections therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Patent number: 7922420
    Abstract: A barrier includes a housing having a front wall and an opposing back wall each extending between opposing sidewalls. The housing also includes a floor and an interior surface bounding a chamber, the chamber communicating externally through an inlet opening. A first inset projects into the chamber from the front wall so as to form a recessed pocket on the front wall. A second inset projects into the chamber from the back wall so as to form a recessed pocket on the back wall. The first inset and the second inset are connected together within the chamber so that the chamber encircles the connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Off the Wall Products, LLC
    Inventors: Marc E. Christensen, Greg H. Brown, David E. Cowan, Bryan D. Grabowski, Charles M. Mettler, Bruce E. Owens, Patricia Russell
  • Publication number: 20100215431
    Abstract: A portable highway warning device comprised of one or more rumble strips. Each rumble strip is comprised of a plurality of modular strip sections made of a polymeric material. Each strip section has end edges with alternating notches and tabs sized and spaced for overlapping engagement with respective tabs and notches on opposite end edges of other ones of the strip sections for connecting the end edges of the strip sections together. Embedded in each of the strip sections are a plurality of metal plates or bars that run transversely between side edges of the strip sections in laterally spaced relation from one another to provide ballast to the strip sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Publication number: 20100158607
    Abstract: A portable highway warning device includes any number of elongated rumble strips each fabricated of a suitable flexible polymeric material. Embedded within each rumble strip are a plurality of laterally spaced metal plates or bars to provide ballast to each rumble strip. The metal plates or bars run transversely across the width of each rumble strip with sufficient spacing therebetween to permit each rumble strip to be rolled up lengthwise from end to end when not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown
  • Patent number: D665689
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles M. Mettler, Gregory H. Brown