Patent ID: 6769149
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
A dock leveler comprising:a frame; a deck pivotably mounted at one end thereof to said frame; a lip pivotably mounted to said deck at another end thereof; a lip extension mechanism comprising, a crank mechanism pivotably attached to the underside of said deck and a lip bar pivotably connected to said crank mechanism at one end thereof and operatively connected to the lip at the other end thereof; a lip spring tension member connected at one end to said crank mechanism and at another end thereof to said deck and to said frame, wherein said lip spring tension member is tensioned upon upward movement of said deck and the lip is counterbalanced to at least one of near and more than the lip's weight; a cam roller mounted under the deck; a lip latch having two ends, the lip latch operatively connected to the lip at one end, and the other end having a camming surface and latching surface, and at least one of the camming surface and the latching surface engaging the roller, wherein the lip latch is biased to have the latching surface engage the roller when the lip in an extended position; and a lip latch release spring operatively connected to the lip latch wherein the lip latch release spring is disengaged from the lip latch when the deck is in a raised position and the lip in an extended position and the lip latch release spring is engaged with the lip latch when the deck is lowered to the operating range of the dock leveler.