Abstract:
A dock system having a float including a top wall. The top wall has a periphery and a central portion spaced from the periphery. The float also has a bottom wall and a continuous side wall connecting the top wall to the bottom wall about the periphery of the top wall. A connection member spaced from said periphery connects the top wall to the bottom wall generally at the central portion, and a deck is connected to said float to form a floating pier or deck.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/076171, filed Feb. 27, 1998. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to docks, and more particularly, to an improved float for a floating dock. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Floating docks are used to moor boats and other water craft and are advantageous where the water level may change because the dock surface will always stay above the water level. 
     Several different floating dock designs are known. One type of floating dock utilizes a float or float section constructed of a foam, such as styrofoam or a polyurethane foam. However, the foams are generally expensive, break apart, and are environmentally unfriendly. 
     Another known type of floating dock includes a plurality of float sections and attachable deck sections supported by the float sections. The float sections are molded from a plastic such as, for example, polyethylene, and are usually filled with styrofoam or some other filler material to improve the strength of the float section. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Hollow plastic float sections or floats placed in water are subject to forces which can cause the float to deform. Therefore, the floats need to have a great deal of strength to resist the deformation. Also, a phenomenon known as oil-canning can occur, wherein the top and bottom walls or side walls of the float are bent (or &#34;popped&#34;) inwardly or outwardly as a result of the stress on the float. The repeated stress and strain caused by oil canning can, over time, result in degradation of the float. 
     It is an advantage of the invention to reduce the occurrence of oil-canning in a semi-rigid float for a dock section. 
     It is another advantage of the invention to provide a float wherein the top wall and bottom wall are connected to improve the strength of the dock float. 
     It is another advantage of the invention to provide a dock float having an opening between the top wall and the bottom wall to allow water to drain from the upper surface of the top wall. 
     It is another advantage of the invention to provide a float having an upper surface that is crowned to facilitate drainage of water from the upper surface of the float. 
     It is another advantage of the invention to provide a dock float having channels formed in the upper surface of the top wall to facilitate drainage of water from the upper surface thereof. 
     It is another advantage of the invention to provide an inexpensive and reliable floating dock design. 
     Other features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a dock float in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the dock float. 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the dock float. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the dock float. 
     FIG. 5 is a view of a first end of the dock float. 
     FIG. 6 is a view of a second end of the dock float. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the dock float taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 1, but including a deck or dock section attached to the dock float. 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of a dock float in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a dock float or float section 10 in accordance with the present invention. The dock float 10 is a generally rectangular, hollow, self-floating, one-piece molded section. The dock float 10 can be constructed of any suitable material. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the dock float 10 is made of a blow molded parasin, such as polyethylene, and in particular, high density, high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     As shown in FIG. 7, the dock float 10 is adapted to support a deck or deck section 14 constructed, for example, out of wood planks 18. The deck section 14 is attached to the dock float 10 as shown to create a floating dock 22. The floating dock is typically constructed using a plurality of dock floats 10. While the modular nature of the dock floats 10 permits the floating dock to be constructed of various sizes, in the usual case, three dock floats are used to support a modular deck section that is approximately four feet wide by twelve feet long. As shown in FIG. 7, the floating dock 22 is anchored to the bed 26 beneath the body of water 30 via poles 34 embedded in the bed 26. The deck section 14 is slidably connected to the poles 34 via brackets 38 mounted on the side of the deck section 14. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the dock float 10 includes a top wall 42 having a periphery 46, a bottom wall 50 (FIG. 3) having a periphery 54 (FIG. 3) and a continuous side wall 58 connecting the top wall 42 to the bottom wall 50 adjacent the peripheries 46 and 54 to form an interior cavity 60 (FIG. 7). Though any shape may be appropriate, in the preferred embodiment, the side wall 58 defines four sides 62, 66, 70 and 74 so that the dock float 10 (as viewed from the top or bottom) is a generally rectangular or square quadrilateral in shape. The sides 62, 66, 70 and 74, include offset regions 63, 64 and 65; 67, 68 and 69; 71, 72 and 73; and 75, 76 and 77, respectively. The offset regions add stability and strength to the sidewall. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, offset regions 64 (FIG. 3 only), 68 and 76 include strengthening membranes 79, 80 and 81, respectively. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the top wall 42 includes an upper surface 78 having a generally central portion 82 spaced from the periphery 46. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the top wall 42 is slightly crowned, i.e., the central portion 82 rises above the horizontal plane defined by line A--A extending through the periphery 46 of top wall 42. Referring again to FIG. 1, the upper surface 78 defines within the central portion 82, a generally frustoconical recess 86 extending downwardly from the central portion 82 of the top wall 42 toward the bottom wall 50. 
     The upper surface 78 also defines a plurality of channels 90 formed therein and extending radially outward from the recess 86 toward the periphery 46 of the top wall 42. The channels 90, in combination with the crowning of the top wall 42, allow water to run off of the upper surface 78 of the dock float 10. 
     The upper surface 78 also includes four corner portions 94 and defines four elevated plateau-like sections 98, one in each corner portion 94. Each plateau-like section 98 includes a raised nodule 102 extending upwardly from the plateau-like section 98 of the top wall 42. The periphery 46 of the top wall 42 includes a plurality of through-bores 106 for connecting the dock floats 10 to the deck sections 14. While any number of through-bores 106 may be selected, the embodiment shown in the drawings has eight through-bores 106 formed in the periphery 46 of the top wall 42. As shown in FIG. 7, wood screws 110 extend upwardly through the through-bores 106 and into the deck section 14 to secure the deck section 14 to the float 10. 
     As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom wall 50 includes a lower surface 114 defining a centrally located, generally frustoconical recess 118 located directly below the top wall recess 86 and extending upwardly from the bottom wall 50 toward the top wall 42. Still referring to FIG. 7, the top wall 42 and the bottom wall 50 meet and are fixedly connected to one another adjacent the frustoconical recesses 86 and 118 to form a base wall 122 having a top surface 126 and a bottom surface 130. A hole 134 extends through the base wall 122 from the top surface 126 to the bottom surface 130, thereby connecting the top recess 86 and the bottom recess 118. The hole 134 allows water to drain through the dock float 10 and prevents accumulation of water in the top recess 86. The connection of the top wall 42 to the bottom wall 50 provides structural support to the dock float 10 to improve the strength thereof, and reduces the tendency of both the top wall 42 and bottom wall 50 from oil-canning, i.e. bowing or popping inwardly and outwardly in response to the external stresses placed on the dock float 10. While, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, the connection of the top wall 42 and bottom wall 50 is centered within the central portion, in other embodiments (not shown) the connection can be located anywhere within the central portion as long as it operates to prevent &#34;oil-canning&#34; of the top wall 42 and the bottom wall 50. Moreover, though only one connection is shown, in other embodiments (not shown) multiple connections may be used and positioned in various places, again, with the goal of preventing &#34;oil-canning.&#34; In still other embodiments, the connection between the top wall and bottom wall need not be in the form of recesses that meet, but rather may include a connection member of any sort formed between the top wall 42 and the bottom wall 50. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface 114 of the bottom wall 50 also includes plateau-like sections 138 that are complementary to the plateau-like sections 98 formed in the upper surface 78 of the top wall 42. The complementary fit between the upper and lower surface plateau-like sections 98 and 114 allows the floats 10 to be stacked during shipping or storage without having the floats 10 slide relative to one another. The nodules 102 provide additional stability by reducing rocking or tippage of the stacked float sections. Such rocking or tippage may otherwise result from the crowning of the top wall 42. 
     The continuous side wall 58 includes a circular opening 142 that extends through the side wall 58 into the interior cavity 60 of the dock float 10. A plug 146 is mounted on the opening 142 to seal the dock float 10. Any method of securing the plug 146 to the dock float 10 is appropriate as long as a seal is created to prevent water from entering the interior cavity 60 of the dock float 10. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the plug 146 is a self-threading plug that is screwed onto the lip of the circular opening 142 to seal the opening 142. 
     Various other features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.