Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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TITLE OF INVENTION
LOADING DOCK BUMPERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a resilient bumper used for
5 protecting loading docks and other structures subject to damaging impacts of avehicle, for example a transport vehicle when positioning up against a loading
dock or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a loading
dock bumper construction which provides the operator of a vehicle with a visual
signal to guide the vehicle along a pathway to a predetermined proper position.
10 The construction provides for and further indicates excessive wearing away of material in the bumper and enables the removal and replacement of such
material.
The use of rubber tires and also pieces of rubber tires put together and
fashioned in different ways is known in the art of loading dock bumpers. The art15 of cutting tires into almost flat sections and stacking these sections together to
create a flexible and/or resilient stack is also known in the art.
United States Patent RE 24276 to Schuyler, issued February 12, 1957,
discloses a loading dock bumper consisting of a plurality of resilient rubber like
strips arranged face-to-face in a stacked relationship, and these strips are secured
20 together at the two ends of the stack by a pair of angle brackets such that the
rubber strips are directly exposed to the vehicle.
United States Patent 3,165,305 to Pfleger, issued July 12, 1965, discloses a
truck dock bumper constructed from a stack of flat, rectangular rubber units, the
stack having a rectangular tie bar extending therethrough from end-to-end to
25 prevent sagging of the bumper in its middle and an offsetting relationship in the
location of the mounting angles at the opposite ends of the bumper permitting
close end-to-end disposition of adjacent bumpers.
United States Patent 3,353,812 to Miller, issued November 21, 1967,
discloses a bumper constructed from a plurality of stacked rubber strips mounted
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and supported for attachment on a marine dock, loading dock and the like, by
means of supports at least one of which is loosely mounted on the bumper.
United States Patent 5,094,905 to Murray, issued March 10,1992, discloses a
dock bumper constructed of rubber fragments mixed with an adhesive and
5 bonded together, the rubber fragments being produced by fragmenting at least
one tire containing rubber and strands of reinforcing material used to reinforcethe tire, wherein a sufficient quantity of adhesive is mixed with the rubber to
create a free standing article having structural integrity said dock bumper formed
under pressure in a mold having the desired shape for a time period sufficient
10 for the adhesive to set.
Since bumpers of this sort receive repeated impacts from vehicles, with
time, due to the friction, the bumper will deteriorate. All bumpers of this typeheretofore available have had at least one serious defect. Bumpers in service for
a while and prior to their removal and replacement when worn, would
15 deteriorate to a level which would interfere with the cushioning (dampening)
function of the bumper thereby damaging the loading dock and/or vehicle which
is backing up against the bumper.
It is also frequently necessary to accurately position a vehicle, such as a
truck, within close proximity to a door opening in a building wall to facilitate the
20 loading or unloading of the vehicle. In this case, along with similar cases, an
operator must accurately guide the vehicle along a pathway, bringing it to a
defined position in relationship to surrounding stationary structures, enclosures,
or spaces.
It is not uncommon for damage to occur to the vehicle and/or
25 surrounding structures which may be obscured from the driver's line of sight
during the positioning process. Moreover, the initial positioning of the vehiclemay be unsatisfactory. If this is the case, the positioning operation may have to
be repeated, thereby leading to the possibility that damage will occur during
repositioning. Alternatively, if repositioning is not performed, other
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consequential problems, such as difficulty in loading and unloading cargo,
frequently arise. These and other problems inherent in vehicular positioning
operations are well recognized, and various devices and techniques have been
envisioned or devised to overcome such problems.
In the past, a number of different vehicle positioning guides have been
proposed, such as, for instance, Tucker U.S. Patent No. 3,893,068, issued July 1,
1975, which discloses a guide device for use in the backing up of a towed trailer
into a parking space which includes a pair of light containing units each having a
housing with a light source contained therein and batteries contained therein for
powering the light source, with each having a port extending through the front
thereof for directing light forwardly therefrom, and a port disposed in the sides
thereof to direct light sideways from the unit, one unit being positioned on each
side of the parking space into which the trailer is to be backed into such that the
units are visible to the vehicle driver and thus acting as guides for backing the
trailer into the parking space.
In addition, White U.S. Patent No. 5,285,205, issued February 8, 1994,
which discloses a vehicle guidance and positioning system utilizing a laser, theemitted beam from which is directed over the path along which a vehicle is to beguided. The laser beam impinges on a target area located on the vehicle in such a
manner that the impingement of the laser beam on the target is continuously
observable by the vehicle's operator. The operator steers the vehicle so that the
laser beam continuously impinges on the target area until the vehicle reaches a
preselected position in a confined space.
The prior art solutions appear to be complex devices which are expensive
to manufacture, install and maintain.
Furthermore, upon the loading and/or unloading of a truck at a loading
dock, a commonly used fork-lift will ride into the truck to drop-off or pick-up a
load. Frequently, damage may occur to the forks and tires of the forklifts from
loading dock bumpers during loading and/or unloading. As well, during
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loading the extra weight of the load and the fork lift moving onto and out of the
truck will cause the truck's bumper to get caught on the top of the loading dockbumper resulting in difficulties when moving away from the loading dock.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
5 loading dock bumper, with a wear indicator providing a quantitative measure ofthe amount of resilient material remaining in connection with the safe and
effective operation of the bumper and indicates when the resilient material of
the bumper is dangerously worn and should be replaced.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
10 loading dock bumper, that has a substantially long wear life.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
loading dock bumper, with a chamfered edge for preventing damage to forklifts
or the like during loading and/or unloading and preventing a vehicle from
becoming stuck on a loading dock bumper and causing problems during
15 disengagement from the loading dock.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
loading dock bumper, with a mounting element for removably mounting the
bumper to facilitate the removal and replacement of the bumper when worn.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
20 loading dock bumper, with a vehicle guidance and positioning system to quickly
and accurately aid an operator in the guidance of a vehicle, leading the vehicle to
the desired position at the loading dock both at night and during the day without
requiring the assistance or guidance of other individuals.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
25 loading dock bumper, that is economical to produce.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bumper, preferably a
loading dock bumper, which uses waste material in the production thereof.
Further and other objects of the invention will be apparent to a person
skilled in the art reading the following:
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a
loading dock bumper comprising:
ta) a first rigid part for fastening to said dock
(b) a second rigid part preferably said second part further
comprises a front having a top and a bottom, when proximate said top there is atleast one substantially chamfered edge, said second rigid part engaged with saidfirst rigid part by at least one connecting device, preferably in one embodiment,
said at least one connecting device is a plurality of engaging flanges, said second
rigid part being moveable with respect to said first rigid part between a first and a
second position, and said first and said second rigid parts when engaged defining
a substantially enclosed hollow therebetween; and
(c) a compressible resilient material, said resilient material
is laminate rubber dispersed between said first and second rigid parts within the
hollow therebetween,
wherein said second part is moveable with respect to the first part
between the first position wherein the resilient material is not compressed and
the second position wherein said resilient material is compressed, wherein any
load applied to said bumper moves the second part towards the second position
and compresses the resilient material to provide dampening of the load applied
preferably said second part further comprises at least one vehicle positioning
indicia, preferably substantially recessed.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a loading dock bumper for
use with a loading dock, said loading dock bumper comprising:
(i) a substantially enclosed container comprising a first
half, said first half having a back, and four sides extending substantially normal
to said back, at least two of said four sides of said first half further comprise a
flange on each of said two sides,
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(ii) a second half substantially larger than said first half
made of substantially carbon steel, said second half having a front, and four sides
extending substantially normal to said front, preferably said front further
comprises a substantially chamfered edge proximate at least one side thereof,
5 wherein at least two of said four sides of said second half further comprise aflange on each of said two sides, wherein said flanges of said second half sidesmatingly engage with said flanges of said first half sides, when assembled with
said first half and provide for movement of said first and second halves relative
to each other forming a substantially enclosed hollow container, wherein said
10 mating flanges prevent disassembly of said halves as said first half and said second half move between a first position and a second position; and
(iii) an effective amount of substantially compressible
resilient material contained within the hollow of said substantially enclosed
container such that in the first position, said back of said first half and said front
15 of said second half are a predetermined distance from each other due to the
rubber material being substantially uncompressed within said hollow of the
substantially enclosed container and upon the introduction of a load to said
substantially enclosed container, said resilient material is substantially
compressed by the load substantially dampening the load as said second half
20 moves towards said first half, preferably said loading dock bumper further
comprises a substantially chamfered edge proximate at least one side thereof,
preferably said loading dock bumper further comprises at least one vehicle
positioning indicia.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacture of
25 a loadmg dock bumper for use with a loading dock, said loading dock bumper
comprlsmg:
(i) a substantially enclosed container comprising a first
half, said first half having a back, and four sides extending substantially normal
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to said back, at least two of said four sides of said first half further comprise a
flange on each of said two sides,
(ii) a second half substantially larger than said first half
made of substantially carbon steel, said second half having a front, and four sides
5 extending substantially normal to said front, wherein at least two of said four
sides of said second half further comprise a flange on each of said two sides,
wherein said flanges of said second half sides matingly engage with said flangesof said first half sides, when assembled with said first half and provide for
movement of said first and second halves relative to each other forming a
10 substantially enclosed hollow container, wherein said mating flanges prevent
disassembly of said halves as said first half and said second half move between a
first position and a second position; and
(iii) an effective amount of substantially compressible
resilient material contained within the hollow of said substantially enclosed
15 container such that in the first position, said back of said first half and said front
of said second half are a predetermined distance from each other due to the
rubber material being substantially uncompressed within said hollow of the
substantially enclosed container and upon the introduction of a load to said
substantially enclosed container, said resilient material is substantially
20 compressed by the load substantially dampening the load as said second half
moves towards said first half,
wherein said method comprises:
(i) placing a predetermined effective amount of
compressible resilient material in said manufactured first half to an overfilled25 capacity,
(ii) placing said front of said second half on top of said first
half and applying pressure thereto,
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(iii) attaching said at least two sides of said second half
comprising said flanges to said front of said second half to matingly engage said
flanges of said second half sides with said flanges of said first half sides,
(iv) removing said pressure on said front of said second
5 half, and
(v) attaching said sides of said second half without flanges
to said front of said second half and said sides of said second half with flanges,
preferably said loading dock bumper further comprises at least one vehicle
.
posltmg mdlcla.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a loading dock bumper for
use with a loading dock, said loading dock bumper comprising:
(i) a substantially enclosed container comprising a first half,
said first half having a back, and four sides extending substantially normal to said
back, at least one substantially elongated aperture located at a predetermined
15 position on one of said sides of said first half, and at least another substantially
elongated aperture located at a predetermined position on one of the other sidesof said first half opposed said side having said at least one substantially elongated
aperture thereon, preferably said loading dock bumper further comprises a collarconnecting said at least one substantially elongated aperture with said at least20 another substantially elongated aperture,
(ii) a second half substantially larger than said first half,
said second half having a front, and four sides extending substantially normal to
said front, preferably said front further comprises a substantially chamfered edge
proximate at least one side thereof, at least one aperture located at a
25 predetermined position on one of said sides of said second half, and at leastanother aperture located at a predetermined position on one of the other sides of
said second half opposed said side having said at least one aperture thereon, said
second half and said apertures thereof matingly fitting over and aligning with
said first half and the elongated apertures thereof proximate the sides thereof,
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forming a substantially enclosed hollow container, such that said elongated
apertures of said first half and said apertures of said second half are substantially
axially aligned with each other when the first and second halves are inter-fitted,
(iii) a connecting device running through the apertures,
5 connecting the first half with the second half, wherein said connection allowssaid first half and said second half to be substantially moveable with respect to
each other,
(iv) an effective amount of substantially compressible
resilient material contained within said substantially enclosed container wherein
10 in a first position, said back of said first half and said front of said second half are
a predetermined distance from each other due to the rubber material being
substantially uncompressed within said substantially enclosed container and
upon the introduction of a load to the front of said container, said resilient
material is substantially compressed by the load moving the halves towards one
15 another, thereby substantially absorbing the shock of the load, preferably said
loading dock bumper further comprises a substantially chamfered edge
proximate at least one side thereof, preferably said loading dock bumper furthercomprises at least one vehicle positioning indicia.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacture of
20 a loadlng dock bumper for use with a loading dock, said loading dock bumper
comprlsmg:
(i) a substantially enclosed container comprising a first half,
said first half having a back, and four sides extending substantially normal to said
back, at least one substantially elongated aperture located at a predetermined
25 position on one of said sides of said first half, and at least another substantially
elongated aperture located at a predetermined position on one of the other sidesof said first half opposed said side having said at least one substantially elongated
aperture thereon, preferably said loading dock bumper further comprises a collar
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connecting said at least one substantially elongated aperture with said at leastanother substantially elongated aperture,
(ii) a second half substantially larger than said first half,
said second half having a front, and four sides extending substantially normal to
5 said front, at least one aperture located at a predetermined position on one of said
sides of said second half, and at least another aperture located at a predetermined
position on one of the other sides of said second half opposed said side having
said at least one aperture thereon, said second half and said apertures thereof
matingly fitting over and aligning with said first half and the elongated apertures
10 thereof proximate the sides thereof, forming a substantially enclosed hollow
container, such that said elongated apertures of said first half and said apertures
of said second half are substantially axially aligned with each other when the first
and second halves are inter-fitted,
(iii) a connecting device running through the apertures,
15 connecting the first half with the second half, wherein said connection allows
said first half and said second half to be substantially moveable with respect to
each other,
(iv) an effective amount of substantially compressible
resilient material contained within said substantially enclosed container wherein
20 in a first position, said back of said first half and said front of said second half are
a predetermined distance from each other due to the rubber material being
substantially uncompressed within said substantially enclosed container and
upon the introduction of a load to the front of said container, said resilient
material is substantially compressed by the load moving the halves towards one~5 another, thereby substantially absorbing the shock of the load,
wherein said method comprises:
(i) placing a predetermined effective amount of resilient
material in said first half to an overfilled capacity,
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(ii) placing said second half under pressure over top of said
first half aligning said elongated apertures of said first half and said apertures of
said second half,
(iii) sliding said at least one connecting device through the
5 apertures connecting the first half with the second half,
(iv) securing said at least one connecting device to said
second half of said bumper, and
(v) removing said pressure on said second half, preferably
said loading dock bumper further comprises at least one vehicle positioning
10 indicia.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a substantially open-faced
loading dock bumper comprising:
(a) at least one resilient member;
(b) at least one resilient member support for supporting
15 said at least one resilient member preferably said at least one resilient member
support is at least one bracket;
(c) at least one resilient member wear indicator proximate
said at least one resilient member, preferably said at least one resilient member is
a plurality of resilient members, preferably the plurality of resilient members are
20 substantially arranged face-to-face in a substantially stacked relationship,
preferably said wear indicator is integral with said at least one resilient member;
and
(d) at least one mounting element for mounting said
bumper to said loading dock, preferably said at least one mounting element is
25 integral with said at least one resilient member support, preferably said bumper
further comprising at least one vehicle positioning indicia, preferably in one
embodiment, said at least one vehicle positioning indicia is integral with said at
least one resilient member wear indicator, preferably said at least one vehicle
positioning indicia is of a substantially reflective media, preferably said vehicle
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positioning indicia is integral with said at least one resilient member wear
indicator, and preferably in another embodiment said at least one resilient
member comprising said wear indicator having at least a first portion of a firstindicia and at least a second portion of a second indicia proximate said first
5 portion.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a substantially open-faced
loading dock bumper comprising:
(i) a plurality of resilient members, substantially arranged face-
to-face in a substantially stacked relationship, said stack having at least two outer
10 face ends, said members having at least one aperture located at a predetermined
position on each member;
(ii) a pair of brackets made of a substantially non-resilient
material, each of said pair of brackets abut the outer face ends of the stack, said
pair of brackets having at least one aperture located at a predetermined position
15 on the first bracket of said pair of brackets, and at least another aperture located at
a predetermined position on the second bracket of said pair of brackets;
(iii) at least one mounting element made of a substantially non-
resilient material, said mounting element having a front, a back and two sides,
and at least one connecting aperture located at a predetermined position on one
20 of said sides, and at least another connecting aperture located at a predetermined
position on one of the other sides opposed said side having said at least one
connecting aperture thereon, at least one mounting aperture located at a
predetermined position on said front, and at least another mounting aperture
located at a predetermined position on said back opposed said front having said
25 at least one mounting aperture thereon;
(iv) at least one connecting member made of a substantially non-
resilient material, said connecting member extending through said at least one
aperture of said resilient members and through said at least one connecting
aperture of said mounting element, connecting the first and second brackets of
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said pair of brackets through said at least one aperture of said pair of brackets,
such that said connection retains said resilient members and said mounting
elements clamped in a substantially compressed mode between said pair of
brackets as an integral unit;
(v) at least one vehicle positioning indicia made of a
substantially reflective media;
(vi) at least one resilient member wear indicator proximate said
plurality of said resilient members.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacture of
10 a substantially open-faced loading dock bumper for use with a loading dock, said
loading dock bumper comprising:
(i) a plurality of resilient members, substantially arranged face-
to-face in a substantially stacked relationship, said stack having at least two outer
face ends, said members having at least one aperture located at a predetermined
15 position on each member;
(ii) a pair of brackets made of a substantially non-resilient
material, each of said pair of brackets abut the outer face ends of the stack, said
pair of brackets having at least one aperture located at a predetermined position
on the first bracket of said pair of brackets, and at least another aperture located at
20 a predetermined position on the second bracket of said pair of brackets;
(iii) at least one mounting element made of a substantially non-
resilient material, said mounting element having a front, a back and two sides,
and at least one connecting aperture located at a predetermined position on one
of said sides, and at least another connecting aperture located at a predetermined
25 position on one of the other sides opposed said side having said at least oneconnecting aperture thereon, at least one mounting aperture located at a
predetermined position on said front, and at least another mounting aperture
located at a predetermined position on said back opposed said front having said
at least one mounting aperture thereon;
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(iv) at least one connecting member made of a substantially non-
resilient material, said connecting member extending through said at least one
aperture of said resilient members and through said at least one connecting
aperture of said mounting element, connecting the first and second brackets of
said pair of brackets through said at least one aperture of said pair of brackets,
such that said connection retains said resilient members and said mounting
elements clamped in a substantially compressed mode between said pair of
brackets as an integral unit;
(v) at least one vehicle positioning indicia made of a
10 substantially reflective media;
(vi) at least one resilient member wear indicator proximate said
plurality of said resilient members,
wherein said method comprises:
(i) arranging said at least one mounting element at a
15 predetermined position proximate said stack of resilient members,
(ii) placing said pair of brackets adjacent said outer face ends of
said stack, to align said at least one connecting aperture, with said at least one
aperture of said resilient members with said at least one aperture of said pair of
brackets,
(iii) sliding said at least one connecting member through said at
least one aperture of said pair of brackets, through said at least one aperture of
said resilient members and through said at least one connecting aperture of saidmounting elements,
(iv) securing said at least one connecting member to said bumper,
and
(v) attaching said at least one vehicle positioning indicia to said
bumper.
In any of the above embodiments, the loading dock bumper
preferably further comprises at least one substantially chamfered edge.
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In any of the above embodiments, the at least one resilient member
wear indicator is preferably integral with said at least one resilient member. Yet
still in any of the above embodiments, the at least one resilient member
preferably has at least a first portion of a first indicia and at least a second portion
5 of a second indicia proximate said first portion.
In any of the above embodiments, said at least one mounting
element is preferably integral with said at least one resilient member support.
In any of the above embodiments, the loading dock bumper further
comprises at least one resilient member wear indicator proximate said at least
10 one resilient member.
In any of the above embodiments, said at least one vehicle
positioning indicia is preferably integral with the at least one resilient member
wear indicator.
In any of the above embodiments, the at least one resilient member
15 is preferably a plurality of resilient members, preferably substantially arranged
face-to-face in a substantially stacked relationship.
In any of the above embodiments, the at least one resilient member
support is preferably at least one bracket made from a non-resilient material.
In any of the above embodiments, the vehicle positioning indicia is
20 preferably integral with said at least one resilient member wear indicator.
In any of the above embodiments, the resilient material may
include but is not limited to a spring, foam, crumb rubber from waste tires, scrap
laminate rubber, or a combination of the above.
In any of the above embodiments, the non-resilient material is a
25 metal, preferably carbon steel or the like.
In any of the above embodiments, the vehicle positioning indicia is
preferably made of a substantially reflective media, preferably, a reflective strip
and is preferably substantially recessed from where the load is introduced.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following figures illustrate preferred and alternative embodiments of
the invention, wherein:
Figure 1 is a top sectional view of the present invention in an unloaded
5 state in a preferred embodiment.
Figure 2 is a top sectional view of the present invention in a loaded state
in a preferred embodiment.
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the present invention in a preferred
embodiment.
Figure 4 is a top sectional view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 5A is a front view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 5B is a front view of Figure 5A when in use.
Figure 6A is a perspective view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 6B is a side view of Figure 6A when in use.
Figure 6C is a side view of Figure 6A when in use.
Figure 7 is an exploded view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 8 is a front view of Figure 7 in an unloaded state.
Figure 9 is a front view of Figure 7 in a loaded state.
Figure 9 is a top sectional view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 10 is top sectional view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 11 is a top sectional view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
Figure 12 is a front view of Figure 11.
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Figure 13 is a perspective view of the present invention in another
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to figures 1 through 9, there is provided a loading dock bumper
generally designated as 10 having a first shell 20 and a second shell 30, where the
first shell 20 is smaller than the second shell 30, in order for the second shell 30 to
snugly fit over the first shell 20.
The first shell 20 has a back plate 21 and four sides 22, 23, 24, 25 projecting
substantially normal to said back plate 21 as best seen in figures 4 and 5. Sides 22
10 and 25 are substantially parallel to each other, as are sides 23 and 24 substantially
parallel to each other.
The second shell 30, has a front plate 31 and four sides 32, 33, 34 and 35
projecting substantially normal to said front plate 31 as best seen in figures 4 and
5. Sides 32 and 35 are substantially parallel to each other, as are sides 33 and 34
15 substantially parallel to each other.
Referring now specifically to Figures 1 through 6C, in one embodiment,
each side 22 and 25 of the first shell 20, have a pair of flanges 80 located on the
outer portion of sides 22 and 25 as best seen in figure 4. Each side 32 and 35 of the
second shell 30 have a pair of flanges 80' located on the inner portion of the sides
20 32 and 35 as best seen in figure 5.
The first shell 20 and the second shell 30 are kept together by the two pairs
of flanges 80 and 80', preferably made of carbon steel or the like as best seen in
figures 1, 2 and 4.
In this embodiment, the second shell 30 fits over the first shell 20 such that
25 the sides with the flanges of each shell are placed over each other, aligning same.
Prior to placing the second shell 30 over the first shell 20, a predetermined
effective amount of resilient material, in this embodiment, layers of laminate
rubber 50 are placed in the first shell 20 in an overfilled capacity, and under
pressure, the front plate 31 of the second shell 30 is placed on top of the first shell
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20, and the sides 32 and 35 with the flanges 80', are attached for example, by
welding to the front plate 31 of second shell 30 as best seen in figure 4, to align the
two pairs of flanges 80 and 80' in order to movably connect the first shell 20 and
the second shell 30. When the pressure on the second shell 30 is removed, the
5 resiliency of the laminate rubber 50 causes the first shell 20 and the second shell
30 to move away from each other. The sides 33 and 34 of the second shell 30 are
then attached for example, by welding to the front plate 31 while maintaining the
bumper 10 substantially enclosed.
The back plate 21 of the first shell 20 is also a mounting plate to mount the
10 loading dock bumper to the loading dock, as can be seen in figures 1 and 2. In
figure 1 the loading dock bumper is in the "rest" or unloaded position, since
there is no external force urging the second shell 30 toward the first shell 20. But
as can be seen in figure 2, a truck 60 backing up to the loading dock 70 with the
loading dock bumper 10 in place, (the truck 60 moving against the bumper 10)
urges the second shell 30 to said first shell 20 compressing the laminate rubber 50
contained therein and thus absorbing and/or reducing the shock of said truck 60
against the loading dock 70. In this embodiment, the layers of laminate rubber 50
are placed horizontally in the first shell 20 in an overfilled capacity. However, in
another embodiment, the layers of laminate rubber 50 are placed vertically in the
20 first shell 20 in an overfilled capacity as best seen in figure 4.
In another embodiment, as best seen in figures 5A and 5B, the bumper
structure is similar to the embodiment shown in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, except that
the bumper comprises a vehicle positioning indicia 36'. In this instance, the
front plate 31 of the second shell 30 has a recess 36, the form and dimensions of
25 which may vary depending on design requirements and preference, forming the
vehicle positioning indicia 36'. In this embodiment, the recess 36 is in the form
of an "A channel". It will be evident however, that the recess 36 could be of
various forms such as a "V groove". While the recess may be formed in different
dimensions, as previously mentioned, in a typical case, the recess is 1 1/2 inches
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wide and 1 inch deep. Creating the channel via welding the components
together, or simply stamping or forming the channel with techniques well
known to people in the field is acceptable. Indicia 36' suitable for use in thisembodiment include reflective media such as substantially reflective or
fluorescent strips and substantially reflective or fluorescent paint or coatings.
Suitable reflective media such as Reflectix Double Bubble Foil by Reflectix can be
used. Upon positioning the truck (not shown) at the loading dock 70 for loading
or unloading, the brakes are applied activating the brake lights. However, the
light rays are not intercepted by the vehicle positioning indicia 36' until the
10 vehicle reaches the proper location. When light rays from the brake lights are
reflected by the vehicle positioning indicia 36' and visibly seen by the operator
through the side view mirror, this signifies that the vehicle is traveling along the
desired pathway towards the loading dock. The vehicle positioning indicia 36'
facilitates the operator to accurately guide the truck along a longitudinal pathway,
15 bringing it to a defined position in relationship to the loading dock to facilitate
loading and unloading as best seen in figure 5B. While the operator is
positioning the vehicle at the loading dock, the operator can visually see the
progress of vehicle movement by use of the side view mirror. The side of the
vehicle will be viewed as the rear end approaches the loading dock, all the while
20 a bright glow from the reflection of the brake lights in the vehicle positioning
indicia 36' appears in the side view mirror signaling that the vehicle is traveling
along the predetermined pathway to arrive at the proper location. During night
or daylight conditions, the brake lights are sufficiently bright to provide visual
images to the operator.
In another embodiment, as best seen in figure 6A, the bumper structure is
similar to the embodiment shown in figures 5A and 5B except that the bumper
10 further comprises a chamfered edge 37. In this instance, the second shell 30
has a 45~ chamfered edge 37 formed using the front plate 31 and three of the sides
of the second shell 30. Furthermore, upon the loading and/or unloading of the
' CA 02213109 1997-08-14
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truck at the loading dock, a fork lift (not shown) will ride into the truck from the
warehouse to pick-up (drop off) a load and return to the warehouse. The
chamfered edge 37 on the loading dock bumper will prevent premature damage
to fork-lift forks and tires. As well, during loading, the extra weight of the load
5 and of the fork lift moving onto the truck will cause the truck's bumper 60 to get
caught up on the loading dock bumper, but due to the chamfered edge 37, of the
present invention, the truck's bumper 60 just slides off the top of the loading
dock bumper, thus preventing problems during disengagement from the loading
dock as best seen in figures 6B and 6C.
In another embodiment, as best seen in figures 7, 8 and 9 there is shown
the loading dock bumper 10 without the need of the flanges 80 and 80'. In this
instance, the first shell 20 and second shell 30 are connected to each other via a
pair of connecting rods 40 threaded at the ends thereof 41 and each rod is held in
place by a pair of nuts 42 threaded onto said threaded ends 41. Each side 22 and 25
15 of the first shell 20 have respectively a pair of axially aligned substantially
elongated apertures 22' and 25' respectively thereon. Furthermore, sides 22 and
25 have running along the interior of the shell formed by the four sides 22, 23, 24
and 25, and between each pair of substantially elongated apertures 22' and 25' aprotective collar 26. Each side 32 and 35 of the second shell 30 have respectively a
20 pair of axially aligned apertures 32' and 35' respectively thereon.
In this embodiment, the second shell 30 fits over the first shell 20 such that
the sides with the apertures of each are placed over each other, aligning same.
The second shell 30 is placed under pressure over top of the first shell 20 to align
the pairs of apertures 22' with 32' and 25' with 35' with the first shell 20 over
25 filled with a predetermined effective amount of laminate rubber 50 and then the
connecting rods 40 are slid through the apertures 22', 32', 25', 35' in order tomovably connect the first shell 20 and the second shell 30.
CA 02213109 1997-08-14
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Similarly the loading dock bumper of this embodiment operates as per
figures 1 and 2 in the unloaded and loaded states respectively as can be seen infigures 8 and 9.
In another embodiment, as best seen in figure 10, the bumper structure is
similar to the embodiment shown in figures 7, 8 and 9, except that the second
shell 30 is smaller than the first shell 20, in order for the second shell 30 to snugly
fit into the first shell 20. Although connecting members 40 are shown in this
embodiment, flanges such as those shown in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, could replace
the connecting members 40 as a means to movably connect the first shell 20 and
10 the second shell 30.
In any of the above embodiments, upon the loading and/or unloading of
the truck at the loading dock, a commonly used fork-lift (not shown) will ride
into the truck from the warehouse to pick-up (or drop off) a load and return to
the warehouse. The extra weight of the fork lift moving onto and out of the truck
15 will cause the truck's bumper, to move substantially horizontally against theloading dock bumper, but due to the resiliency of the laminate rubber, and the
structural integrity of the shells, there is substantially no damage encountered by
the loading dock bumper of the present invention, due to the movement of the
truck bumper or the like against the loading dock bumper.
In yet another embodiment, as best seen in figures 11 and 12, there is
shown a substantially open-faced loading dock bumper designated as 10
comprising a plurality of individually and substantially rectangular members 50
of resilient material, in this embodiment, laminate scrap rubber sheets such as
that removed from vehicle tires. Such sheets are arranged face-to-face in a stack,
25 the dimensions of which may vary depending upon design requirements or
preference.
The stack of resilient members 50 constitutes the body of the bumper. Each
of the many individual resilient members 50 are apertured, in this embodiment,
each individual unit is provided with two apertures 14 and 16, as by drilling or
CA 02213109 1997-08-14
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cutting or punching or otherwise. All of the members 50 are substantially the
same size and shape preferably and the two apertures 14 and 16 located
substantially in the same position on each so that when placed in a stack,
aperture 14 aligns with all of the other apertures 14 and aperture 16 aligns with
5 all of the other apertures 16 and provides longitudinal openings through all of
the stacks of like members 50. Such members 50 are clamped together in the
stack between a pair of brackets 18 and 20 and a mounting element 22 by
connecting members 40, threaded at the ends 41 thereof and each member 40 is
held in place by a pair of nuts 42 threaded onto said threaded ends 41.
In this embodiment, the mounting element 22 is a hollow steel bar having
a front 26, a back 27 and two sides 28 and 29 projecting substantially normal tosaid front 26 and said back 27. Each side 28 and 29 have respectively four axially
aligned apertures 28' and 29' respectively thereon. The front 26 and the back 27have respectively a pair of axially aligned apertures 26' and 27' respectively
thereon. Each bracket 18 and 20 have respectively four axially aligned apertures18' and 20' respectively thereon. The connecting members 40 are in the form of
parallel through-bolts which are inserted and which extend through the aligned
apertures in the resilient members 50 and the aligned apertures in the mounting
element 22 and which have their ends secured to and thus interconnect the pair
of brackets 18 and 20. The brackets 18 and 20 function as end plates abutting the
end members of the stack over a major portion of their area. In this
embodiment, the brackets have their rear edges 18A flush with the rear face of
the stack 50A and their top and bottom edges 18C and 18D respectively flush withthe top and bottom faces of the stack 50C and 50D respectively, but the front edge
18B of the brackets are spaced rearwardly of the front face 50B of the stack so that
the brackets 18 and 20 will not be damaged by a truck backing up against the
bumper, nor will the brackets interfere with the resiliency of the bumper. The
mounting element 22 functions to mount the bumper against a rigid surface, in
this embodiment, the supporting wall of a loading dock (not shown). The
CA 02213109 1997-08-14
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mounting element 22 is preferably flush with the rear face of the stack 50A so
that when the mounting element 22 is secured to the wall by bolts (not shown),
such edges abut the wall surface. The mounting element 22 is recessed from the
front edges 50B of the stacked members 50 so that the mounting element 22 does
5 not interfere with the resiliency of the loading dock bumper.
The vehicle positioning indicia 36', in this embodiment, a reflective strip,
is attached to the mounting element 22. The vehicle positioning indicia 36' is
recessed from the front face 50B of the stack so that the vehicle positioning
indicia 36' is protected from wear until the resilient members 50 are worn down
10 to a level which is flush with the vehicle positioning indicia 36'. In this
embodiment, the vehicle positioning indicia 36' further functions as a wear
indicator 38 thus indicating that a substantial amount of resilient material hasbeen worn away from the loading dock bumper, and that the resilient material of
the loading dock bumper should be replaced in order to ensure safe use.
In the illustrated case, the connecting members 40 have threads 41 at the
ends thereof. In such case, clamping pressure of the brackets 18 and 20 against the
ends of the stack is exerted by tightening the retaining nuts 42 on the threadedends 41 of the connecting members 40.
It will be evident however, that the connecting members 40 could take the
20 form of through-rods having heads at one end and their opposite ends are
welded to form heads (not shown) while the resilient members in the stack are
held under sufficient clamping pressure between the brackets. Such pressure can
be established by holding the assembly in a press or vise until the ends of the
connecting members are appropriately welded onto the brackets to maintain the
25 desired pressure.
While four connecting members have been shown in the above
embodiment, more or less connecting members may also be used, depending on
the size of the loading dock bumper and the application thereof.
CA 02213109 1997-08-14
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In yet another embodiment, as best seen in figure 11, there is shown a
variation to the embodiment shown in figure 10. In this embodiment, each
bracket 18 and 20 are angled and comprise clamping flanges 21 and 22 and
mounting flanges 23 and 24. The clamping flanges 21 and 22 have respectively
5 two axially aligned apertures 21' and 22' respectively thereon. The mounting
flanges 23 and 24 have two apertures 23' and 24' thereon. The clamping flanges
21 and 22 function as end plates abutting the end members of the stack over a
major portion of their area which consequently support the members against
buckling when subjected to impacts. The mounting flanges 23 and 24 constitute
10 mounting plates by which the loading dock bumper is mounted against a rigid
surface, in this embodiment, the supporting wall of a loading dock (not shown).
The mounting flanges 23 and 24 are preferably flush with the rear face of the
stack 50A so that when the mounting flanges 23 and 24 are secured to the wall bybolts 26 (not shown), such face abuts the wall surface.
The wear indicator 38, in this embodiment, is one of the plurality of
resilient members, which comprises a first portion 38A termed the "working
zone", a second portion 38B termed the "caution zone" and a third portion 38C
termed the "replacement zone". The first portion 38A of the wear indicator is
the same colour as the remaining resilient members 50 in the stack and indicates20 the normal working function of the bumper. The second portion 38B of the wearindicator is a different colour from that of the first and third portions 38A and
38C respectively and indicates that a substantial amount of resilient material has
been worn away from the bumper. The third portion 38C of the wear indicator is
of a colour differing from the first and second portions 38A and 38B respectively
25 and indicates that the bumper should be replaced.
In any of the above embodiments, the layering configuration of the
laminate rubber can be substantially horizontal as shown in figures 1 and 2,
substantially vertical as shown in figures 3, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 or a combination
of both.
, CA 02213109 1997-08-14
-25-
The preferred material in any of the embodiments depicting a substantially
enclosed container is high carbon steel for the container, but any appropriate
metal or any other effective material which can meet the requirements of the
invention may be used. Furthermore, although laminate rubber is shown in
5 these embodiments, any suitable resilient material may be used.
While the bumpers may be made in different sizes as previously
mentioned, in a typical case, a substantially enclosed bumper unit is 12 inches
long by 12 inches wide and 4 inches deep. In yet another typical case, an open-
faced bumper unit is 20 inches long by 8 inches wide and 3 1/4 inches deep.
As many changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the
invention without departing form the scope of the invention; it is intended thatall material contained herein be interpreted as illustrative of the invention and
not in a limiting sense.
