Patent ID: 8657551

Claim:
A vehicle brace for a vehicle that tends to move vertically in response to being loaded or unloaded at a loading dock, the vehicle brace comprising: a support member coupled to a base and being movable relative to the base; a first control system comprising a first resilient element to continuously urge the support member toward a preparatory position away from the base, the preparatory position being adjacent the vehicle so that the vehicle is able to exert an applied force against the support member that urges the support member downward from the preparatory position when the vehicle engages the support member and the first control system urges the support member away from the base when the vehicle disengages the support member; and a second control system comprising a second resilient element and an actuator coupled to the support member, the second resilient element operatively coupled to the actuator to enable the support member to exert against the vehicle a first reactive force that opposes the applied force in a first allowable range, and the actuator controlled to exert against the vehicle a second reactive force that opposes the applied force when the applied force exceeds the first allowable range such that the support member appreciably slows a descent of the vehicle when the vehicle moves downwardly, wherein the second control system operates independently from the first control system.