PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15965783
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2019-10
Patent Classification: ["414", "401000"]

Abstract:
The present invention is an impact vehicle restraint with a hook and auxiliary locking mechanism that combine to secure the RIG bar of a trailer to a loading dock. A motor rotates the hook between retracted and extended positions. When extended, the hook secures and holds the RIG bar to the dock. When the hook is extended, the auxiliary locking mechanism is also extended to and held at a set position by a biasing mechanism. When the hook is blocked by an obstruction, forward movement of the trailer causes the RIG bar and the obstruction to slide into engagement with the auxiliary locking mechanism, which accepts the RIG bar and obstruction and moves to a locked position to secure the RIG bar. The retraction of the hook by the motor overpowers the biasing mechanism and causes the retraction of the auxiliary locking mechanism.

Claim (Index 20):
A trailer restraint to secure a trailer to a loading dock and prevent certain disengagement events, such as inadvertent driver departure and excessive dock-walk, the loading dock having a front wall and the trailer having a RIG bar with front and bottom surfaces and an obstruction with front and bottom surfaces, where forward movement of the trailer away from the dock wall results in a forward movement of the RIG bar and obstruction, said trailer restraint comprising:\n a carriage anchored proximal the front wall of the dock and movable to adjust to the height of the RIG bar, said carriage having an upper surface adapted to allow flush sliding engagement with the bottom surface of one of either the RIG bar and the obstruction when the trailer is in the loading dock; a hooking mechanism secured to said carriage and rotatable about a motor driven axis of rotation between a retracted position and a range of raised positions, said hooking mechanism having a retraction component; a motor having a drive shaft drivingly connected to said hooking mechanism, said motor being adapted to rotate said hooking mechanism in a first rotational direction during a deployment phase of operation, maintain said hooking mechanism in said range of raised positions during a RIG holding phase of operation except for the certain disengagement events, and rotate said hooking mechanism in a second opposite rotational direction during a retraction phase of operation; an auxiliary securing mechanism secured to said carriage and rotatable about a biased axis of rotation between a lower stored position and a raised set position, said biased axis of rotation being forward said motor driven axis of rotation, said securing mechanism having first and second RIG abutments and a retraction surface, said retraction component pressing down on said retraction surface to hold said securing mechanism in said lower stored position, and said first RIG abutment facing rearwardly to selectively engage the front surface of one of either the RIG bar and the obstruction when said securing mechanism is in said raised set position; a biasing mechanism within said carriage engaging said securing mechanism and adapted to rotate said securing mechanism from said lower stored position to said raised set position; wherein during said deployment phase of operation, said hooking mechanism rotates from said retracted position to said range of raised positions to engage one of either the RIG bar and the obstruction, said biasing mechanism rotates said securing mechanism to and holds said securing mechanism at said raised set position, and said retraction component disengages said retraction surface; wherein during said RIG holding phase of operation for the certain disengagement events, the forward movement of the RIG bar moves the front surface of one of either the RIG bar and the obstruction into abutting engagement with said first RIG abutment and moves the bottom surface of one of either the RIG bar and the obstruction over said second RIG abutment, said hooking and securing mechanisms combining to capture the RIG bar and prevent further forward movement of the RIG bar and trailer; and, wherein during said retraction phase of operation, said hooking mechanism rotates from said range of raised positions to said retracted position with said retraction component engaging said retraction surface to overpower said biasing mechanism and rotate said securing mechanism from said raised set position to said lower stored position.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 16.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.59322
- Patent Class: 414.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12655339', '15079969', '11327986', '15013579', '13330209']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8685395756574298
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5582547258587324
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.83751109067756
- Mean Citation Score: 358.77870199999984
- Max Citation Score: 465.35052
- Similarity Product: 387.2807027184677

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test