Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Combined – With a loading dock seal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2001-08-28
Callo, Laura A. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Combined
With a loading dock seal
C049S009000, C049S034000, C049S065000, C160S205000, C160S219000, C256S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279276
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the field of storage and loading facilities and in particular to a protective apparatus for attachment to the overhead doors found at loading docks to provide a spring loaded safety net in the immediate front of the door to prevent pallets from being pushed into the door and causing damage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically loading docks include a raised dock for the loading and unloading of materials which typically come in large quantities in connection with wooden pallets. Most docks have an overhead door that provides access to a garage or similar type of building. Overhead doors are similar to garage doors found in most domestic homes and may be operated manually or automatically by a motor There are also pipe bollards that are typically at one or both sides of the door.
Pipe bollard are typically upright pipes that have been set in cement in order to provide a virtually unmovable upright member that will protect the forklift operator from damaging the wall or door track at one or both sides of the door. Pipe bollards are typically 5″ in diameter and are usually about 4 or 5 feet above the ground. They may be a foot or more in advance of the door so that they are right near the edge of the loading dock.
Often forklift operators at a warehouse will put loaded pallets of product in front of a closed overhead door. The overhead doors may be closed since this may be at night when no one is around to wait for loading or unloading. In many cases, the forklift operators will place several rows of pallets in front of a closed door. In the process of putting the palette in place and removing them from this door area, the pallets often come into contact with the door.
This happens because each time the forklift operator moves a pallet the will typically hit the pallet and slide it forward a few inches to ensure that the pallet is on the forks. Damage typically results to the bottom section of the door.
The present invention includes a netting member that has an attachment device with one end attached to the existing door and the other end going over the existing pipe bollard on either side of the door. So, thus, when the door comes down the attachment device will secure a netting across the front of the door area be engaging the pipe bollards. The apparatus will therefore prevent pallets and other objects from coming into contact and therefore damaging an overhead door.
PRIOR ART
While there are protective devices for overhead door used at loading docks, none of them have both the advantage of no manual steps are needed to set the device in place as well as not needing any modification of the existing overhead door.
For example there are breakaway lower panels in the prior art that can be used by replacing the lower part of the overhead doors. However, these need to be fit for each door, are expensive and are still liable to be damaged under some circumstances. The applicant's invention, by contrast, can really be attached to any existing door and the attending pipe bollard since the linkage can be adjusted for various distances between the pipe bollard and the door. The invention is simply attached to the overhead door without having to do further modifications to the door.
For another example, there are portable fences that may be erected temporarily in front of the overhead door. However, such fences need to be manually set every time an unloading operation is anticipated. The invention described herein, by contrast, does not need a separate manual step in order to be set in place. Of course, initially it must be attached to the door but after that it will be set in place, every time the door comes down automatically by the very nature of its construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a protective assembly for overhead doors on loading docks that is used in connection with pipe bollards that exist in front of the doors and on each side. A mounting bracket allows the assembly to be attached to the door and this is connected by an expandable linkage to an end assembly. The end assembly has a spring loaded bracket that holds a bollard collar that is sized and shaped to go over the existing bollard collar. These parts exist on each side of the door in connection with each of the pipe bollards. Connecting each of these assemblies is a netting that is of relatively sturdy material and is connected at each end to the pipe collar.
When in place, the netting will be strung across the front of the door when the overhead door is moved down by the action of the bollard collars fitting over the pipe bollards. When the netting is struck by pallets the netting will give somewhat to accommodate the space between the bollard collar and the pipe bollard after which the net is stretched taunt and it will no longer give. The door will thus be prevented from being damaged by the movement of the pallet too far forward on the loading dock.
It is an object of the invention to provide a protective device for overhead doors on loading docks by placement of a protective netting in the front of the door that is erected every time the overhead door comes down.
It is an object of the invention to provide a protective device for overhead doors at loading docks that can be set in place automatically every time the overhead door comes down and does not need a separate manual placement step in order to insert that it is in place.
Another object is to provide a protective system for overhead doors on loading docks that can be readily attached to many different types and sizes of overhead doors by means of an adjustable linkage between the pipe bollard attachment and the linkage that is attached to the overhead door.
Other objectives will be known to those skilled in the art once the invention is shown and described.
REFERENCES:
patent: 808813 (1906-01-01), Cassidy
patent: 1689257 (1928-10-01), Sawyer
patent: 1692142 (1928-11-01), Strauss
patent: 1692425 (1928-11-01), Strauss
patent: 2237106 (1941-04-01), Minert
patent: 4493164 (1985-01-01), Wagner
patent: 4553739 (1985-11-01), Baines
patent: 5408789 (1995-04-01), Plfeger
patent: 5564238 (1996-10-01), Ellis
patent: 5649396 (1997-07-01), Carr
Callo Laura A.
Halvonik John P.
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