Weather barriers for vehicle loading docks

A weather barrier for at least partially sealing or sheltering a vehicle parked at a loading dock of a building, the building having a wall facing in a forward direction toward the vehicle when the vehicle is parked at the loading dock, the vehicle to be parked at the loading dock selectively in at least one of a centrally aligned position, a first laterally offset position, and a second laterally offset position, the wall defining a doorway proximate a rear portion of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked at the loading dock, the vehicle and the doorway being centrally aligned with reference to a lateral direction when the vehicle is parked at the centrally aligned position, the vehicle being laterally misaligned with the doorway when the vehicle is at either the first laterally offset position or the second laterally offset position, the lateral direction being horizontal and perpendicular to the forward direction, the vehicle having a side panel, the vehicle having a door panel hinged to the side panel at the rear portion of the vehicle, the door panel and the side panel defining therebetween a hinge gap that is vertically elongate along the rear portion of the vehicle when the door panel is open, the weather barrier comprising:

• a side support member being vertically elongate between an upper end and a lower end of the side support member, the side support member having a back end attached to the wall, the side support member extending in the forward direction to a front end of the side support member;
• and
• a lateral seal including:
• a front sheet being vertically elongate, the front sheet being a sheet material that is pliable, the front sheet having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being attached to the front end of the side support member, the front sheet extending in the lateral direction from the proximal end to the distal end;
• a curved stay being horizontally elongate, the curved stay extending horizontally between an outer end of the curved stay and an inner end of the curved stay, the inner end of the curved stay being attached to the distal end of the front sheet, the outer end of the curved stay being attached to the proximal end of the front sheet, the curved stay having a front surface and a back surface, the front surface facing away from the wall, the back surface facing away from the front surface, the curved stay being resiliently flexible, the curved stay to bow to provide the front surface of the curved stay in compression and the back surface of the curved stay in tension, the curved stay to impart a tension force to the front sheet in a horizontal direction, the curved stay being comprised of a stay material that is stiffer than the sheet material;
• and
• a lip being vertically elongate and attached to the distal end of the front sheet, the lip defining a channel that is vertically elongate, the lip being comprised of a lip material that is stiffer than the sheet material;
• the lateral seal being configurable selectively between a resting configuration and a deflected configuration, the lateral seal is to be spaced apart from the vehicle when the lateral seal is in the resting configuration, the lip is closer to the wall when the lateral seal is in the deflected configuration than when the lateral seal is in the resting configuration, the channel of the lip to receive a rear portion of a vehicle when the lateral seal is in the deflected configuration, the front sheet to engage the rear portion of the vehicle when the lateral seal is in the deflected configuration, and the front sheet to be held in tension across the hinge gap when the lateral seal is in the deflected configuration.

A weather barrier for at least partially sealing or sheltering a vehicle parked at a loading dock of a building, wherein the building has a wall, facing in a forward direction toward the vehicle when the vehicle is parked at the loading dock at a given distance in front of the wall, the wall defining a doorway proximate a rear portion of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked at the loading dock, the doorway having a right doorway edge and a left doorway edge, the vehicle having a side panel, the vehicle having a door panel hinged to the side panel at the rear portion of the vehicle, the door panel and the side panel defining therebetween a hinge gap that is vertically elongate along the rear portion of the vehicle when the door panel is open, the weather barrier comprising:

• a first side support member being vertically elongate and to mount to the wall proximate the right doorway edge;
• a second side support member being vertically elongate and to mount to the wall proximate the left doorway edge;
• a first front sheet to attach to the first side support and extend toward the second side support member;
• a second front sheet to attach to the second side support and extend toward the first side support member;
• a first sheath coupled to the first front sheet;
• a first stay to couple to the first front sheet via the first sheath, the first stay being horizontally elongate, the first sheath to cause the first stay to curve when the first stay is coupled to the first sheath such that the first stay, when curved, is to subject the first front sheet to tension in a horizontal direction;
• a second sheath coupled to the second front sheet;
• a second stay to couple to the second front sheet via the second sheath, the second stay being horizontally elongate, the second sheath to cause the second stay to curve when the second stay is coupled to the second sheath such that the second stay, when curved, is to subject the second front sheet to tension in the horizontal direction;
• a first lateral seal including the first front sheet and the first stay;
• and
• a second lateral seal including the second front sheet and the second stay,
• wherein the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal is to be configurable selectively between a resting configuration and a deflected configuration, the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal to be spaced apart from the vehicle when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the resting configuration, the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal to bend toward the wall when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the deflected configuration;
• the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal in the deflected configuration being movable selectively between a centered position and a laterally offset position while the vehicle is parked at the loading dock, the vehicle is to be closer to the first side support member when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the laterally offset position than when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the centered position;
• the first stay is to be closer to the wall when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the laterally offset position than when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the centered position;
• and
• the second stay is to be farther away from the wall when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the laterally offset position than when the first lateral seal and the second lateral seal are in the centered position.

A weather barrier including:

• a lateral seal to be coupled to a side support structure, the lateral seal including:
• a front sheet having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end to attach to the side support structure when the lateral seal is coupled to the side support structure;
• a sheath coupled to the front sheet;
• and
• a stay coupled to the front sheet via the sheath, the stay and the sheath having a curved profile between a first end of the stay and a second end of the stay when the stay is coupled to the sheath.