Rite-Hite Holding Corporation

Henk De Lang

Norbert Hahn

Jonathan I Andersen

Timothy Cotton

Kurt Lessard

Ben Wieberdink

Pamala Pietrangelo

Reinhard E Sander

Benjamin Wieberdink

Hans Van De Wiel

Restraints for restraining a vehicle at a loading dock are described. An example restraint described herein includes a brace movable between a holding position and a release position. A first portion of the brace engages a supporting portion of the vehicle and a second portion of the brace engages a non-movable location at the loading dock to restrain the vehicle relative to the loading dock when the brace is in the holding position. For the holding position, the first portion of the brace moves in one direction underneath the vehicle to engage the supporting portion and the second portion moves in a second direction underneath the vehicle to engage the non-movable location. The first and second portions retract to allow the vehicle to move relative to the loading dock when the brace is in the release position.

Support frame vehicle restraints

A vehicle restraint restrains a vehicle at a loading dock by engaging a rail that is part of the vehicle's support frame, wherein the rail is normally used for adjusting the position of the vehicle's rear wheels. In a preferred embodiment, the restraint includes an adjustable-length arm attachable between the vehicle and the loading dock. The arm includes a retractable or removable pin that engages one of a series of holes in the rail or releasably engages some feature of the loading dock. In some examples, the restraint clamps onto the rail, particularly if the rail has no available open holes for a pin to be inserted. In some cases, the restraint also provides the vehicle with vertical support.

A bumper assembly for a loading dock includes a bumper that is moveable between an operative position and a stored position. In the operative position, the bumper extends well above the dock platform to prevent excessively high trucks, trailer beds, and cargo containers from being parked over the top of the dock platform. In the stored position, the bumper is positioned so as not to obstruct loading and unloading of cargo. In some cases, the bumper is biased to the operative position to encourage operators to normally leave the bumper in that position. In some embodiments, the bumper is selectively moveable away from the vehicle or container that the bumper is blocking to facilitate subsequently moving the bumper to its stored position.

Moveable bumper for a loading dock

Growing community of inventors

Maarssen, Netherlands

Henk De Lang