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:
May. 21, 2013
Filed:
Oct. 21, 2011
Matthew Sveum, Wauwatosa, WI (US);
Norbert Hahn, Franklin, WI (US);
Paul D. Mathews, De Soto, MO (US);
Robert Maxey, Millington, TN (US);
Matthew Sveum, Wauwatosa, WI (US);
Norbert Hahn, Franklin, WI (US);
Paul D. Mathews, De Soto, MO (US);
Robert Maxey, Millington, TN (US);
Rite-Hite Holding Corporation, Milwaukee, WI (US);
Abstract
Example dock levelers installed at a vehicle loading dock include pivotal or otherwise vertically adjustable deck plates with special coatings on the deck's upper surface. In some examples, the coating improves traction and addresses various thermal issues, such as condensation and thermal strain between a polymeric coating and a steel deck plate. In some examples, when indoor and outdoor air create a temperature differential across opposite faces of the deck, the coating is designed such that a median temperature of the temperature differential occurs near an interface where the coating bonds to the steel plate's upper surface. In some examples, the coating includes particles of different sizes and colors embedded within and covered by a polymeric base material. As traffic abrades the coating, the different colored particles become exposed at different levels of wear, thereby providing a visual signal indicating when the coating needs to be touched up or replaced.