Fan-powered edge-of-dock leveler
First Claim
1. A dock leveler for use with a loading dock having a dock face, the dock leveler comprising:
- a deck plate being able to be movably mounted to the dock and movable between a lowered position and a raised position;
an air bag engaging surface disposed substantially parallel to the dock face;
an air bag positioned under said deck plate such that said air bag hangs pendant when deflated, said air bag engages said air bag engaging surface when deflated, and while inflated; and
a blower in fluid communication with said air bag, wherein inflation of said air bag causes said deck plate to move with respect to the dock.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An edge-of-dock leveler includes a deck plate hingedly interconnected to a dock, a lip plate hingedly interconnected to the deck plate, an air pan mounted on the face of the dock to allow the air pan to rotate with respect to the dock, and a blower mounted on the air pan. The blower inflates an air bag that causes the air pan to rotate away from the dock face. A deck plate bearing is provided between the air pan and the deck plate, and causes the deck plate to rotate with the air pan. A locking arm hangs pendant from the lip plate until the deck plate has raised to a fully raised position, at which time the locking arm engages a bearing. The blower is turned off, allowing the air to escape the air bag, and the lip plate to extend as the air bag deflates.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A dock leveler for use with a loading dock having a dock face, the dock leveler comprising:
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a deck plate being able to be movably mounted to the dock and movable between a lowered position and a raised position; an air bag engaging surface disposed substantially parallel to the dock face; an air bag positioned under said deck plate such that said air bag hangs pendant when deflated, said air bag engages said air bag engaging surface when deflated, and while inflated; and a blower in fluid communication with said air bag, wherein inflation of said air bag causes said deck plate to move with respect to the dock. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A dock leveler for use with a loading dock having a dock face, the dock leveler comprising:
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a deck plate being able to be interconnected with the loading dock for movement between a lowered position and a raised position; a pan positioned under said deck plate for movement with respect to said deck plate, said pan including a bag-engaging portion and a deck plate-engaging portion, said deck plate-engaging portion being able to translate along a portion of said deck plate; and an air bag, said air bag hanging pendant when deflated such that a longitudinal extent of said air bag is substantially parallel to the dock face; whereby said air bag is in abutment with said bag-engaging portion upon inflation of said air bag, and causes said deck plate-engaging portion to abut said deck plate and move said deck plate toward said raised position. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification