Patent ID: 8627529

Claim:
An inflatable-bag dock leveling system, comprising: a plurality of loading dock bays, each loading dock bay including a ramp that is arranged to pivot about a hinge affixed to a proximal end of the ramp and affixed to a portion of the loading dock bay adjacent to a pit formed in the loading dock bay, and including an inflatable bag arranged underneath the ramp so that a distal end of the ramp is raised or lowered in response to a degree to which the inflatable bag is inflated; a centralized air supply that is selectively coupled to the inflatable bag of each of the plurality of loading dock bays by actuating one of a plurality of valves, wherein each of the valves is coupled to a respective one of the inflatable bags; a local controller for each ramp, the local controller is arranged to actuate a selected valve of the plurality of valves to individually control the degree of inflation of the respective inflatable bag coupled thereto; a master controller that is coupled to each of the local controllers and arranged to coordinate functions of the locals controllers; wherein the master controller is arranged to receive user commands from a first control box for controlling the ramp of a first bay of the plurality of loading dock bays and a second control box for controlling the ramp of a second bay of the plurality of loading dock bays; wherein the master controller is arranged to change an operation of the dock leveling system in response to receiving user commands from the first control box for initiating an operation of the ramp of the first bay that overlaps with an operation initiated by the second control box for controlling the ramp of the second bay.