The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 15, 2005
Filed:
Feb. 20, 2001
Gregory J. Thill, Dubuque, IA (US);
Timothy J. Schmidt, Dubuque, IA (US);
Gregory J. Thill, Dubuque, IA (US);
Timothy J. Schmidt, Dubuque, IA (US);
Rite - Hite Holding Corporation, Milwaukee, WI (US);
Abstract
A loading dock seal for around a doorway of a building includes a vertically movable side seal and a relatively fixed head seal that are adapted to seal against the rear of a truck. As the truck is loaded or unloaded of its cargo, the resulting weight change on the truck's suspension can cause the truck to raise and lower a few inches. To minimize the truck abrading the side seal, a movable coupling allows the side seal to move with the truck's vertical movement. In some embodiments, the coupling includes antifriction elements, such as rollers and bearing pads, which smoothen the motion of the side seal. Although the head seal is relatively fixed to ensure a positive seal against the face of the building, the head seal is designed to readily deform in response to the truck's vertical movement.