An improved method and apparatus for machine reading of license plate numbers on license plates uses separate illumination sources to (1) identify and locate the license plate image within a field of view, and (2) to read the license plate number from the license plate image. The use of separate sources allows the use of preferred equipment and reduces power consumption of the system.

A pavement marking tape having a scrim, wherein the scrim is extensible to enable the tape to conform to irregularities in a road surface, and thereby bond more securely to that surface.

A marker insertion apparatus automatically removes a marker from a roll of marker material and applies the marker to an applicator. The markers mount to a backing sheet and are peeled from the sheet by passing over a peel bar. Jaws are positioned near the peel bar and configured for gripping an end marker. An applicator member inserts intermediate the jaws and has the end marker pressed onto the applicator and torn from the roll. In a first embodiment, the applicator is a paddle applicator for i...

A reflective plate (10) is disclosed, comprising a substrate (1), a retroreflective sheet (2) adhered to the surface of said substrate and having substantially flat base portions (3) covered with said retroreflective sheet (2), the retroreflective sheeting having retroreflective elements and a light transmissive cover layer; and a plurality of projections (4) covered with said retroreflective sheet and present on the corners of regular polygons that are arranged to form a regularly repeated patt...

An article is disclosed having both holographic and retroreflective features. The article includes a holographic layer that is perceptible under normal lighting conditions and substantially imperceptible to the unaided eye under retroreflective lighting conditions, a retroreflective layer perceptible under retroreflective lighting conditions, and means for bonding the two layers together.

The guidance system of the invention includes at least two spaced, permanently magnetized regions that each produce a magnetic field. The two permanently magnetized regions can be provided at either side of another region that produces a magnetic field of less intensity than the permanently magnetized regions, and in one embodiment, the former region produces no magnetic field. The system may also include portable means for detecting the magnetic fields produced by the permanently magnetized reg...

A tape applying apparatus for applying adhesive tape product to a primarily vertical surface includes a taping head which can be adjusted to apply the tape product at a specific predetermined location along such a primarily vertical surface, wherein the taping head is mounted to follow surface fluctuations. Moreover, the taping head is preferably vertically adjustable, horizontally movable, and angularly repositionable. Thus, adhesive tape product can be applied consistently and for an indefinit...

The present invention discloses signage articles having a layer of fused dry toner powder which is fused by employing a tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive and low compression. Suitable tacky pressure-sensitive adhesives include alkyl acrylate polymers or copolymers, alkyl vinyl ether polymers or copolymers, polyisobutylene, polybutadiene, and butadiene-styrene copolymers. Such signage articles further comprise a transparent cover layer disposed over the fused dry toner powder-bearing surface. Als...

A flexible, durable, cube-cornered retroreflective article capable of accommodating the expansion and contraction of the underlying polymeric substrate where such article has a pillowed or curved microstructured member bonded in a regular pattern to a sealing member. The retroreflective article has normal and stressed states. In the normal state, the microstructured member is substantially parallel with the sealing member. In the stressed state, the microstructured member is either compressed or...

A retroreflective article comprising a monolayer of microspheres partially embedded in and protruding from a binder layer and specular reflector underlying the microspheres, wherein the monolayer of microspheres comprises a mixture of a first class of microspheres having a first refractive index and a second class of microspheres having a second refractive index wherein the second refractive index is higher than the first refractive index. As a result, the sheeting exhibits superior observation ...