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US 6,854,224 B2Granted
Loading dock with vertically movable side pads
AssigneeRite-Hite Holding Corporation
InventorsGregory J. Thill, Timothy J. Schmidt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeRite-Hite Holding Corporation
InventorsGregory J. Thill, Timothy J. Schmidt
Estimating the term…
A loading dock seal for around a doorway of a building includes a vertically movable side seal and a relatively fixed head seal that are adapted to seal against the rear of a truck. As the truck is loaded or unloaded of its cargo, the resulting weight change on the truck's suspension can cause the truck to raise and lower a few inches. To minimize the truck abrading the side seal, a movable coupling allows the side seal to move with the truck's vertical movement. In some embodiments, the coupling includes antifriction elements, such as rollers and bearing pads, which smoothen the motion of the side seal. Although the head seal is relatively fixed to ensure a positive seal against the face of the building, the head seal is designed to readily deform in response to the truck's vertical movement.
A dock seal disposed adjacent a doorway of a wall and having a standby mode and a sealing mode, wherein a vehicle engaging the dock seal places the dock seal in the sealing mode and the vehicle disengaging the dock seal allows the dock seal to return to the standby mode, comprising:
A dock seal disposed adjacent a doorway of a wall and having a standby mode and a sealing mode, wherein a vehicle engaging the dock seal places the dock seal in the sealing mode and the vehicle disengaging the dock seal allows the dock seal to return to the standby mode, comprising:
The dock seal of 14, further comprising a flexible head curtain that drapes downward to bridge the gab between the side seal and the head seal.
A dock seal disposed adjacent a doorway of a wall and being adapted to seal against a vehicle, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.