Dock shelter

An improved dock shelter comprising a pair of side panels and a top panel which are hinged to the dock and border a doorway in the dock. The panels are each biased to a storage position where the panel extends laterally outward from the dock. The panels are pivoted inwardly from the storage position to an operative sealing position by inflatable bags which are operably connected to the panels. A blower mounted above the doorway operates through a duct system to inflate the bags and pivot the panels into sealing engagement with the sides and top of a truck parked in front of the dock. When the loading operation is completed, operation of the blower is discontinued and the biasing mechanism acts to return the panels to the storage position. Corner panels are carried by the top panel and are mounted for flatwise sliding movement relative to the respective side panels. The corner panels provide an effective seal between the upper ends of the side panels and the top panel regardless of the angular inclination of the top panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Dock seals and dock shelters are used to provide a weather seal between a 
dockboard the rear end of a truck parked in front of the dock. 
Dock seals are normally composed of a resilient material and are mounted 
along the sides and top of the doorway in the dock. As the truck backs 
toward the dock, the rear end of the truck will engage the dock seal to 
compress the seal and provide a weather seal between the truck and the 
dock. 
In some cases, dock seals are composed of inflatable bags, while in other 
instances the dock seal may comprise resilient pads or cushions. 
While the dock seal provides an effective weather seal between the truck 
and the dock, the dock seal, when in the sealing position, protrudes 
inwardly into the truck and encroaches upon the access opening. Because of 
this, the protruding edge of the dock seal is frequently engaged by cargo 
or fork lift trucks which can cause damage to the seal and substantially 
reduce the service life of the dock seal. 
Dock shelters, instead of sealing against the rear end of the truck as in 
the case of a dock seal, are adapted to engage the sides and top of the 
truck. Certain dock shelters are composed of flexible panels which are 
positioned to be engaged by the truck, and due to their resilient nature, 
engage the sides and top of the truck. Other types of dock shelters are 
composed of movable panels which can be moved either by mechanical or 
fluid means from a storage position to a sealing position where the panels 
engage the outer truck surfaces. 
By engaging the outer surface of the truck, dock shelters do not encroach 
or restrict the access opening to the interior of the truck, but dock 
shelters, in general, do not provide as complete a weather seal as dock 
seals, particulary at the upper corners where the side panels are joined 
to the top panel of the dock shelter. This is due primarily to the fact 
that the trucks have varying dimensions and both the top panel and side 
panels can be at different angles of inclination when in the sealing 
position. 
Further, both seals and shelter are normally composed of fabric which is 
prone to wear from repeated engagement with the rear ends of trucks. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is directed to a improved dock shelter which provides an 
improved weather seal and longer life. The dock shelter of the invention 
is composed of a housing or frame mounted on the outer surface of the dock 
and includes a pair of side sections, which are mounted along the sides of 
the doorway in the dock, and a top housing section which extends along the 
top of the doorway. A side panel is hinged to each side housing sections, 
while a top panel is hinged to the top housing section. The panels are 
biased to a storage position where the panels extend laterally outward 
from the dock. 
The panels can be pivoted inwardly to engage the sides and top of the 
trucks respectively, by inflatable bags which are located between the 
respective panel and the corresponding housing section. A blower is 
mounted on the upper housing section above the doorway and operates 
through a duct system to inflate the bags and move the panels to the 
operative or sealing position. 
When the loading operation is complete, operation of the blower is 
discontinued, and the biasing mechanism will return the panels to the 
storage position. 
To provide an effective seal at the upper corners, at the junction between 
the side panels and the top panel, unique corner panels are incorporated 
in the dock shelter. The corner panels are carried by the top panel and 
are mounted for flatwise sliding movement relative to the respective side 
panels. The corner panels provide an effective seal against the truck 
regardless of the angular position of the top panel and side panels, which 
can vary depending on the dimensions of the truck. 
The dock shelter of the invention also includes a provision for sealing the 
gap between the dock and the lower end of each side panel when the side 
panel is in the operative or sealing position. In this regard, an arm is 
pivotally connected to the outer end of each side panel and a flexible 
generally triangular sheet is connected between the arm and the side 
panel. When the side panel is in the storage position, the arm is 
positioned generally parallel to the side panel and the sheet is in a 
folded condition. As the side panel is moved inwardly to the sealing 
position, the outer end of the arm will initially engage the side of the 
truck to pivot the arm relative to the side panel and unfold the flexible 
sheet to enclose the gap between the side panel and the dock. 
The dock shelter of the invention provides an effective weather seal to the 
truck. As the sealing panels engage the outer surfaces of the sides and 
top of the truck, there is no encroachment on the interior of the truck, 
so that the shelter will not interfere with the loading operation. Because 
the sealing panels are not contacted by the moving truck, but instead are 
brought into the sealing position after the truck has been moved into 
position at the loading dock, the shelter is less susceptible to damage 
and has a substantially longer service life than other dock seals and 
shelters. 
As the inflatable bags are confined between the housing sections and the 
respective panels they are in a location where they will not be subjected 
to damage during use of the dock shelter. 
The corner panels provide an effective seal at the upper corners of the 
dock shelter and automatically compensate for variations in the dimensions 
of the truck. 
As the operating mechanism and bags are confined between the panels and the 
housing sections, the dock shelter has an improved esthetic appearance. 
Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following 
description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
The drawings illustrate a dock shelter to be mounted around a doorway in a 
loading dock to provide a weather seal between the dock and the rear end 
of a truck parked at the dock. In general, the shelter comprises an upper 
panel assembly 1 which is mounted on the dock or building 2 above doorway 
3, and a pair of side panel assemblies 4 which are mounted along the sides 
of doorway 3. 
Upper panel assembly 1, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes a housing 
or frame 5 composed of an rear wall 6 attached to dock 2, an upper wall 7, 
a pair of side walls 8, and a front wall 9. As shown in FIG. 3, a flange 
10 extends inwardly from the lower edge of front wall 9. 
Upper panel assembly 1 also includes a movable upper panel 11 which can be 
pivoted downwardly into sealing engagement with the top surface of a truck 
parked at the loading dock. Upper panel 11 is pivotally connected to rear 
wall 6 of housing 5 through hinge 12 and the forward edge of upper panel 
11 carries a flexible lip 13 which is adapted to engage the top of the 
truck. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, upper panel 11 is connected to upper wall 7 of 
housing 5 by two pair of arms 14 and 15, only one pair of which is shown 
in FIG. 3. Each arm 14 is pivotally connected to bracket 16 on upper panel 
11, while each arm 15 is connected to a bracket 17 on upper wall 6. As 
shown in FIG. 2, the adjacent ends of arms 14 and 15 are pivotally 
connected to a generally square column 18 which extends horizontally 
within housing 5. 
In accordance with the invention, upper panel 11 can be moved between a 
generally horizontal storage position, as shown in FIG. 3, and a sealing 
or operating position through the inflation and deflation of a flexible 
bag 19 which is located within housing 5. A portion of bag 19 is connected 
to upper panel 11 through angle-shaped retaining strip 20, while a second 
portion of bag 19 is connected to upper wall 7 of housing 5 through 
retaining strip 21 which is connected to an angle on the inner surface of 
the upper wall 7, as shown in FIG. 12. 
To inflate bag 19 and correspondingly pivot upper panel 11 downwardly, a 
blower 22 is mounted in housing 5. Blower 22 is driven by motor 23 which 
is mounted through bracket 24 to a plenum 25 attached to rear wall 6 of 
housing 5, as shown in FIG. 2. Air is drawn to blower 22 through an inlet 
26 and is discharged from the blower through outlet 27. As shown in FIG. 
2, outlet 27 is connected through plenum 25 to a conduit 28 which 
communicates with bag 19. Thus, operation of blower 22 will act to inflate 
bag 19 to move upper panel 11 from the generally horizontal storage 
position to a downwardly inclined position where lip 13 will engage the 
upper surface of the truck. 
Upper panel 11 is biased to the horizontal or storage position by a pair of 
counterweights 29. Counterweights 29 are mounted for movement within the 
respective side panel assemblies 4, and each counterweight is connected 
through a cable 30 to an angle bracket on the inner surface of panel 11. 
Each cable 30 is trained over a pulley 31 mounted on the undersurface of 
upper wall 7. On termination of operation of blower 22, the counterweights 
serve as a biasing or counterbalancing mechanism to urge the upper panel 
11 upwardly to a horizontal position and cause the air within bag 19 to be 
discharged back through the blower 22 to the atmosphere. 
The two side panel assemblies 4 are similar in construction, so that the 
description will be limited to one of the side assemblies. As shown in 
FIG. 5, each side assembly 4 includes a base 33 that is attached to dock 2 
and a housing or frame 34 extends upwardly from base 33. Housing 34 
includes an inner wall 36 which is attached to dock 2, a side wall 35 that 
extends outwardly from inner wall 36, and an end wall 37. The inner edge 
of wall 37 is bent inwardly with a reverse bend to provide a hollow column 
as indicated by 38 in FIG. 7. 
The side panel assembly 4 also includes a movable side panel 39 which is 
connected by hinge 40 to inner wall 36. The free vertical edge of panel 39 
carries a flexible brush 41 which is adapted to engage the side of a truck 
when panel 39 is moved inwardly to its sealing or operating position, as 
shown in FIG. 8. 
Side panel 39 is connected to side wall 35 of housing 34 through two pair 
of arms 42 and 43. Each arm 42 is pivoted to a bracket 44 mounted on the 
inner surface of side panel 39, while each arm 43 is pivotally connected 
to a bracket 45 on the inner surface of wall 35. Corresponding ends of 
arms 42 are pivotally connected to a square column 46 which extends 
vertically within housing 34, while corresponding ends of arms 43 are 
rigidly connected to column 46. 
An inflatable bag 47 is employed to move the side panel 39 from the storage 
position, where it is generally parallel to side wall 35 to the inward 
sealing position where brush 41 engages the side of a truck. As 
illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, bag 47 is sealed around duct 50, extends 
forwardly from panel 36 along panel 35, rearwardly along arm 43, around 
column 46, forwardly along arm 42 and then rearwardly along panel 39 to 
rear panel 36. As best shown in FIG. 8, one portion of bag 47 is connected 
to retaining strip 48 on the inner edge of panel 39, while a second 
portion of bag 47 is connected to retaining strip 49 on wall 35. Duct 50 
connects the outlet 27 of blower 22 to the bag 47 of one of the side panel 
assemblies 4, while a duct 51 connects bag 19 with the bag 47 of the other 
of the side panel assemblies 4. 
Operation of the panel assemblies 1 and 4 can be accomplished through 
manual activation, or alternately can be automatically tied into the 
unloading operation. In this latter situation, a sensing mechanism, such 
as a photoelectric eyes can be mounted in the column 38 of side housings 
34 to sense the presence of a truck at the loading dock. When the overhead 
door, which normally encloses doorway 3, is opened and if the 
photoelectric eye senses the presence of a truck at the loading dock, 
blower 22 will be actuated to supply air to the bags 19 and 47, thereby 
causing the upper panel 11 and side panels 39 to move inwardly into 
sealing engagement with the top surface and side surfaces, respectively, 
of the truck 52. After the loading operation is completed and the overhead 
door is closed, operation of the blower 22 will be discontinued and 
springs 53 that are connected between wall 35 and lugs 54 on arms 43 will 
return the side panels 39 to their original storage position and 
counterweight 29 will return the top panel 11 to its original storage 
position causing the air within bags 19 and 41 to be displaced outwardly 
through blower 22 to the atmosphere. 
As trucks can have varying heights and widths, the operating angle of both 
the top panel 11 and side panels 39 can vary consideraly. Because of this, 
there would normally be a gap between the upper edge of each side panel 39 
and the lower surface of upper panel 11. To seal this gap, a pair of 
generally triangular panels 55 are carried by top panel 11 and are movable 
flatwise along the outer surface of the respective side panel 39. The 
outer edge of corner panel 55 carries a flexible lip 56, which is adapted 
to engage the side surface 54 of the truck. 
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the inner edge of panel 55 is pivotally 
connected to the respective side panel 39 at pivot 57 and a pin 58 extends 
through aligned slots 59 and 60 in panel 39 and panel 55, respectively. 
The outer end of pin 58 carries a keeper disc 61 and a plastic wear disc 
62 is interposed between panels 39 and 55. 
The inner end of pin 58 is secured to the side of a bar 63 which is located 
on the inside of panel 39, as shown in FIG. 9. The upper end of bar 63 is 
pivotally connected to panel 55 at pivot 64, while the lower end of bar 63 
is free to move within a strap 65 mounted on the inner surface of panel 
39. Suitable plastic wear strips 66 can be mounted on the inner surface of 
strap 65. 
As previously mentioned panels 55 are carried by top panel 11. In this 
regard, an elongated roller (see FIGS. 2, 3, and 9) 67 is journaled 
between brackets 68 mounted on the upper edge of each panel 55 and a 
curved rod 69 mounted on the lower surface of panel 11 rides on roller 67. 
Rod 69 is provided with upwardly bent ends 70 which are secured to the 
lower surface of top panel 11, so that the central portion of rod 69 is 
spaced from panel 11. 
With this construction, each panel 55 is carried by upper panel 11 and the 
rod 69 and roller 67 arrangement along with the dual slot arrangement 
59,60 permits panel 55 to remain flatwise against the respective side 
panel 39, even though panels 11 and 39 may pivot relative to each other. 
When side panel assemblies 4 are in their inner or sealing position with 
panels 39 in engagement with the sides of the truck 52, there is a 
generally triangular gap at the lower end of the side panel assembly 4 
between the angular side panel 39 and the side of the truck. The invention 
also includes a provision for enclosing this gap, as the side panel is 
moved to its sealing position. In this regard, a flexible fabric panel 71 
is connected through angle 72 to the lower edge of each side panel 39. 
Flexible panel 71 is also connected to the upper edge of a plate 73 that 
is secured to an elongated arm 74. As shown in FIGS. 6, 10 and 11, the 
outer portion of arm 74 is pivotally connected to side panel 39 at pivot 
79 and the outer extremity of arm 74 projects outwardly beyond the brush 
41 on panel 39. 
When side panel 39 is in its storage position, arm 74 will be located 
generally parallel to the panel 39 as shown in FIG. 10, with the flexible 
fabric panel 71 being in a folded condition. When panel 39 is pivoted 
inwardly to its sealing position, the outer end 75 of arm 74 will intially 
engage the side of the truck, causing arm 74 to pivot relative to side 
panel 39, thereby unfolding the flexible panel 71 and enclosing the gap, 
as illustrated in FIG. 11. 
When panel 39 is returned inwardly to its storage position, the outer end 
75 of arm 74 will engage a roller 76 mounted through bracket 77 to base 
33, and engagement of end 75 with roller 76 will pivot arm 74 back to its 
original position, generally parallel to panel 39, and causing flexible 
panel 75 to fold, as shown in FIG. 10. 
Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being 
within the scope of the following claims particulary pointing out and 
distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.