Wheel chock with locking mechanism
Assignee9172-9863 Quebec Inc.
InventorsGREGORY PALMER, JONATHAN DUBE, DANIEL GROTHE, GAETAN JETTE, MARC-ANDRE BOIVIN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The wheel chock includes a locking mechanism that can be held in a locked state when properly positioned on a base plate. The locking mechanism includes a positioning unit having at least one tooth provided to engage a side of a corresponding one of the blocking elements in a latched engagement when the positioning unit is in the fully locked position. The locking mechanism also includes an actuating device to move the positioning unit from the unlocked position towards the fully locked position, and a holding device to selectively hold the positioning unit in the fully locked position.
Claims34
A wheel chock restraint system for a vehicle having a wheel, the wheel including a rigid rim around which is mounted a tire having a circumferentially disposed resilient tire tread, the wheel chock restraint system including:
- a ground-anchored base plate having an upper surface with a plurality of transversally extending and spaced-apart teeth;
- a wheel chock having a tire-facing side, the wheel chock including:
- a main body having a bottom base portion;
- a plurality of spaced apart and substantially downwardly projecting teeth provided underneath the bottom base portion of the wheel chock to engage in a latched engagement at least one among of the teeth provided on the base plate and establish a tire-blocking position resisting force applied in a departure direction by the wheel of the vehicle on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock;
- a tire-engagement zone located on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock, the tire-engagement zone being configured and disposed on the wheel chock to initially contact the tire tread on an upper portion of a lower leading quadrant of the wheel, the tire tread having an undeformed state when away from the wheel chock, and a deformed state when pressed forcefully against the tire engagement zone while the wheel chock is in the tire-blocking position;
- and
- the main body having a tire deformation cavity on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock, the tire deformation cavity being located below the tire engagement zone to receive the tire tread in the deformed state, thereby preventing the wheel from rolling over the wheel chock and the vehicle from moving away in an unauthorized or accidental manner in the departure direction;
- wherein the tire deformation cavity of the wheel chock extends from the tire-engagement zone down to the bottom base portion;
- and
- wherein the bottom base portion of the wheel chock is spaced apart from the tire tread when the tire tread initially contacts the tire-engagement zone in the undeformed state.
A wheel chock restraint system for a vehicle having a wheel, the wheel including a rigid rim around which is mounted a tire having a circumferentially disposed resilient tire tread, the wheel chock restraint system including:
- a ground-anchored base plate having an upper surface with a plurality of transversally extending and spaced-apart teeth;
- a wheel chock having a tire-facing side, the wheel chock including:
- a main body having a bottom base portion;
- a plurality of spaced apart and substantially downwardly projecting teeth provided underneath the bottom base portion of the wheel chock to engage in a latched engagement at least one among the teeth provided on the base plate and establish a tire-blocking position resisting forces applied in a departure direction by the wheel of the vehicle on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock;
- a tire engagement zone located on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock, the tire engagement zone being configured and disposed on the wheel chock to initially contact the tire tread on an upper portion of a lower leading quadrant of the wheel, the tire tread having an undeformed state when away from the wheel chock, and a deformed state when pressed forcefully against the tire engagement zone while the wheel chock is in the tire-blocking position;
- and
- the main body having a tire deformation cavity on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock, the tire deformation cavity being located below the tire engagement zone to receive the tire tread in the deformed state, thereby preventing the wheel from rolling over the wheel chock and the vehicle from moving away in an unauthorized or accidental manner in the departure direction;
- wherein the tire deformation cavity has a depth that is at least about 30% of a tire sidewall height at a deepest location of the tire deformation cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.