Dock leveler
OwnerKurt Alteninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dock leveler that includes a pivotable bridge plate and an extension that can be moved back and forth relative to the latter and serves for reseting the bridge plate on a platform that is to be loaded or unloaded. A switch is provided that effects or permits automatic return of the dock leveler into the neutral or rest position. To ensure that return to the neutral position reliably occurs only when no platform is in the vicinity of the dock leveler, there is provided below the tip of the extension a sensing element that is movable in the direction toward the bridge plate and that can be contacted by the platform. The sensing element activates the switch except when the platform contacts the sensing element, at which time the switch is deactivated.
Claims10
A dock leveler, comprising:
- a bridge plate having a first end pivotably mounted on a dock in such a way as to be pivotable about a horizontal axis, said bridge plate also having a second end remote from said first end displaceable into a lower end position where it rests upon a fixed abutment location;
- an extension movably mounted on said second end of said bridge plate in such a way as to be extensible from said bridge plate from an initial position into an operative position, and in such a way as to be retractable into a rest position of said dock leveler, with said extension, in said operative position, serving for support of said bridge plate on a platform of a vehicle that is to be loaded or unloaded;
- said extension has a tip remote from said first end of the bridge plate;
- switch means for triggering return of said dock leveler to said rest position in the absence of a platform;
- switch-controlling means movably connected to said extension in such a way as to be movable toward and away from said bridge plate and said switch means;
- and
- a sensing element that is connected to said switch-controlling means and that is disposed extending downwardly in a predetermined range for an effective extent approximately below said tip of said extension in the operative position of the latter and prior to placement of said extension on a platform;
- said sensing element is adapted to be contacted by a platform, said switch-controlling means engaging said switch means, when said sensing element is not in contact with said platform, and said switch-controlling means disengaging said switch means, when said sensing element is in contact with said platform, said switch means being operatively connected with said switch-controlling means so that for safety reasons to avoid any accidents an automatic return to initial-rest position occurs only when said switch means is actuated by said switch-controlling means that results only when no platform is in the vicinity of said extension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.