Releasable connection between members
AssigneeKeith Manufacturing Co.
InventorsRaymond Keith Foster, Randall Mark Foster, John Scott Cook
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A trailer (T) and a dock (D) are provided with substantially identical slat conveyors (10, 12). Each conveyor (10, 12) has alternating conveyor slats (36, 36′) and lifting/holding slats (38, 38′). The trailer (T) is backed up to the dock (D). Upper portions of the lifting/holding slats (38, 38′) are coupled together at their ends. The confronting ends of the conveying slats (36, 36′) are also coupled together. A mechanism carried by the dock (D) raises and lowers the upper portions of the two sets of lifting/holding slats (38, 38′) a drive mechanism carried by the dock (D) where it reciprocates both sets of conveying slats (36, 36′).
Claims7
1-16. (canceled)
A dock/vehicle system comprising:
- a loading/unloading dock having a dock end;
- and
- a vehicle having a rear end positionable at the dock end;
- said dock and said vehicle having complementary conveyors, each said conveyor having a plurality of elongated, laterally spaced apart lifting/holding slats and a plurality of elongated, laterally spaced apart conveying slats between the lifting/holding slats;
- said conveying slats on the dock having end portions and said conveying slats in the vehicle having complementary end portions that are connectable to the conveying slats on the dock;
- said lifting/holding slats each having a lower portion and an upper portion;
- said upper portions of the lifting/holding slats on the dock being connectable with the upper portions of the lifting/holding slats in the vehicle;
- said dock including means connected to the conveying slats for reciprocating both the conveying slats on the dock and the conveying slats in the vehicle;
- and
- said dock and said vehicle each having means for lifting the upper portions of the lifting/holding slats and moving them together upwardly from the lower portions of the lifting/holding slats on the dock and in the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.