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US 7,225,751 B2Granted
Connecting link assembly and socket arrangement for assembly of floating drive-on dry docks
OwnerDavid Rueckertinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a connecting link assembly and socket arrangement for assembling modular dock and/or deck elements into walkways, decks and drive-on docks.
Claims19
A floating drive-on dock element comprising:
- an upper receiving surface constructed and arranged to guide and support a watercraft thereupon, a generally planar lower surface, a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of side walls for adjoining and maintaining spacing between said upper surface and said lower surface, said receiving surface includes two upward standing and generally parallel guide and support rails, said guide and support rails spaced apart and connected by a lowered track-way surface, wherein said guide and support rails are constructed and arranged to cooperate with a watercraft keel and hull to provide guiding and support when used for drive-on docking, said upper surface, said lower surface, and said front, said back, and said side walls continuously and integrally formed, said continuously formed upper surface, said lower surface, and said front, said back, and said side walls forming an inner cavity, a plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter of said dock element for connecting adjacently arranged dock elements, each said aperture including an continuously and integrally formed aperture wall extending between said upper surface and said lower surface, said upper receiving surface including a recessed surface extending at least partially around each said aperture and extending to the perimeter of said dock element, said recessed surface and said aperture defining an upper socket, wherein an outer surface of an upper connecting link elate is substantially co-planar with said upper surface when assembled.
A floating deck element comprising:
- an upper generally planar surface, a generally planar lower surface, a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of side walls for adjoining and maintaining spacing between said upper surface and said lower surface, said deck element including a plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter thereof for connecting adjacently arranged deck elements, each said aperture including a continuously and integrally formed aperture wall extending between said upper surface and said lower surface, said upper surface including a recessed surface extending at least partially around each said aperture and extending to the perimeter of said deck element, said recessed surface and said aperture defining an upper socket, said lower surface includes a recessed surface extending at least partially around each said aperture and extending to the perimeter of said deck element, said recessed surface and said aperture defining a lower socket, wherein said lower surface, said front, said back, said side walls and said aperture walls are continuously and integrally formed to define an inner cavity, said inner cavity filled with expanded polymeric foam.
A floating drive-on dock assembly comprising:
- a plurality of floatable dock elements, each dock element including an upper receiving surface constructed and arranged to guide and support a watercraft thereupon, a generally planar lower surface, a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of side walls for adjoining and maintaining spacing between said upper surface and said lower surface, said upper surface, said lower surface, and said front, said back, and said side walls continuously and integrally formed, each of said dock elements including a plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter thereof for connecting adjacently arranged dock elements, each said aperture including a continuously and integrally formed aperture wall extending between said first surface and said second surface;
- a connecting link for connecting said adjacently arranged dock elements into a substantially rigid drive-on dock, said connecting link including a lower plate, said lower plate including an inner surface and an outer surface, a pair of link pins, said link pins each including an upper portion, a lower portion and a longitudinal centerline, said lower portion of each said link pin secured to said inner surface of said lower plate, wherein said longitudinal centerline is substantially perpendicular to said inner surface of said lower plate, said upper portion of each said link pin including a centrally located bore therein for attachment of an upper plate, said upper plate including an inner surface, an outer surface and a pair of apertures arranged to align with said link pin apertures;
- wherein said inner surface of said lower plate is arranged juxtaposed to said lower surface of said adjacently arranged dock elements, wherein said link pins extend through said apertures of said adjacently arranged dock elements wherein said inner surface of said upper plate is arranged juxtaposed to said upper surface of said adjacently arranged dock elements, wherein a pair of fasteners extend through said upper plate and into said link pin apertures.
A floating drive-on dock assembly comprising:
- at least one floatable dock element, said at least one dock element including an upper receiving surface constructed and arranged to guide and support a watercraft thereupon, a generally planar lower surface, a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of side walls for adjoining and maintaining spacing between said upper surface and said lower surface, wherein said at least one dock element includes a plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter thereof for connecting adjacently arranged deck elements, wherein said lower surface, said front, said back, said side walls and said aperture walls are continuously and integrally formed to define an inner cavity, said inner cavity filled with expanded polymeric foam;
- at least one floating deck element including an upper generally planar surface, a generally planar lower surface, a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of side walls for adjoining and maintaining spacing between said upper surface and said lower surface, said deck element including a plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter thereof for connecting adjacently arranged dock elements, each said aperture including a continuously and integrally formed aperture wall extending between said upper surface and said lower surface, wherein said lower surface, said front, said back, said side walls and said aperture walls are continuously and integrally formed to define an inner cavity, said inner cavity filled with expanded polymeric foam;
- a connecting link for connecting said adjacently arranged dock and deck elements into a substantially rigid drive-on dock, said connecting link including a lower plate, said lower plate including an inner surface and an outer surface, a pair of link pins, said link pins each including an upper portion, a lower portion and a longitudinal centerline, said lower portion of each said link pin secured to said inner surface of said lower plate, wherein said longitudinal centerline is substantially perpendicular to said inner surface of said lower plate, said upper portion of each said link pin including a centrally located bore therein for attachment of an upper plate, said upper plate including an inner surface, an outer surface and a pair of apertures arranged to align with said link pin apertures;
- wherein said inner surface of said lower plate is arranged juxtaposed to said lower surface of said adjacently arranged dock and deck elements, wherein one of said link pins extends through one of said dock element apertures and wherein one of said link pins extends through one of said deck element apertures, wherein said inner surface of said upper plate is arranged juxtaposed to said upper surface of said adjacently arranged dock and deck elements, wherein a pair of fasteners extend through said upper plate and into said link pin apertures.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.