Rite-Hite Corporation

Jeff Schwager

Norbert Hahn

William Triervieler

Richard Kellermann

A seal assembly is provided for use in a dock leveler used to span a gap between a loading dock and a bed of a vehicle in loading or unloading position in front of the dock. The loading dock has a pit defined by opposing pit walls, a rear wall and a floor. The dock leveler has a frame mounted in the pit, a deck having front and rear portions, with the rear portion pivotally connected to the frame so that the deck can pivot up and down about a horizontal axis between a horizontal position wherein the deck is substantially co-planar with a surface of the dock, a raised, upwardly inclined position, and a lowered, downwardly inclined position. The dock leveler also has opposing deck sides which are adjacent to and move vertically relative to the pit walls. The seal assembly comprises a seal body capable of resiliently and compressibly engaging the deck side and pit wall to form an air-blocking seal and an attachment member for mounting the seal body to either the deck side or pit wall so that said seal body may form the seal when the deck is in the horizontal or lowered position with the other of the deck side or the pit wall. The seal body is preferably mounted in the joint using hook and loop type fasteners.

Growing community of inventors

Mequon, WI, United States of America

Jeff Schwager