GB2450487A

GB2450487A - Slidable loading bay buffer

Info

Publication number: GB2450487A
Application number: GB0712242A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Scott Martin; Barry Weddell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-06-25
Filing date: 2007-06-25
Publication date: 2008-12-31
Also published as: GB0712242D0; GB2450487A8

Abstract

A loading bay buffer assembly comprises a buffer support (35) with mounting means so it may be secured to a loading bay, and a buffer (20) mounted on the buffer support (35) and arranged to slide in a generally vertical direction relative to said buffer support. One of the buffer (20) and buffer support (35) defines at least one channel (40) and the other includes at least one formation (28) arranged to locate in the channel and slide relative thereto to thereby mount the buffer (20) on the buffer support (35). The buffer assembly (10) is normally mounted below or beside an opening (13) in a warehouse (12) or delivery depot so that the rearmost part of a delivery vehicle strikes the buffer (20) instead of the wall (11) or platform 17 of the warehouse as it reverses into the loading bay. The buffer (20) will then move vertically as such a vehicle is loaded or unloaded.

Description

Slidable Bay Buffer Assembly The present invention relates to a buffer

assembly to be mounted on a wall of a loading bay and arranged to withstand the impact of a trailer located in the bay and bearing against the buffer.

Most warehouses, large retail outlets, delivery depots and the like (hereinafter referred to as storage units) have at least one loading bay at which transport / delivery vehicles may locate to be loaded or unloaded with goods.

Such Loading bays may include a parking space located adjacent and below a raised platform onto or from which goods may be moved from a vehicle parked in the parking space. Such a platform may be in front of a door or other opening. Alternatively such a door or opening may have a lower edge spaced above the parking space to define the platform. One or more bay buffer is provided on the edge of the platform and/or a wall in which a door is formed and these are arranged to be engaged by a rearmost portion of the vehicle as it reverses into the loading bay. The or each bay buffer includes a relatively soft, elastically deformable material which absorbs the impact of the delivery vehicle, thereby protecting the exterior wall and delivery vehicle from structural and or aesthetic damage.

Though existing bay buffers are reasonably effective in protecting the wall and vehicle from structural and aesthetic damage, they do have the following drawbacks. Firstly, the relatively soft, elastically deformable material is subject to considerable wear and therefore the buffers need to be replaced if they are to maintain their effectiveness. However, this is not always an easy task, particularLy when bolts or like fasteners securing the buffers to the wall become damaged and rusty.

Furthermore, as the goods compartment of the delivery vehicle is unloaded or loaded with goods, the vehicle's suspension system is Likely to cause the goods compartment to rise or fall under the varying load. If the goods compartment of the delivery vehicle is in engagement with the bay buffer during unloading and loading, the rise and fall of the vehicle is likely to damage the bay buffer.

Thus, it is a principle aim of the present invention to provide an improved bay buffer which may also be more readily replaced as required. It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a bay buffer that is free to move up and down as a goods compartment of the vehicle rises and falls.

According to the present invention, there is provided a loading bay buffer assembly comprising a buffer support provided with mounting means to allow it to be secured to a loading bay; a buffer mounted on the buffer support and arranged to slide in a generally vertical direction relative to said buffer support.

In a preferred arrangement one of the buffer and buffer support defines at least one channel and the other of the buffer and buffer support includes at least one formation arranged to locate in the channel and slide relative thereto.

Such a channel may extend in a generally vertical direction between upper and lower portions of the buffer or buffer support so that the buffer may move up and down relative to the buffer support.

Furthermore, the at least one channel may be defined by a base and opposed sidewalls and at least one of the sidewalls may be provided with an inwardly extending limb located in spaced relation to the base. Preferably the formation includes a flange arranged to locate in a region defined by the base, sidewall and limb, thereby restraining the at least one formation from moving in a direction other than along the length of the channel.

In one arrangement, the at least one channel is defined by at least one channel member projecting from a front face of the buffer support or a rear face of the buffer. Preferably the channel member is elongate and has an L-shaped cross-section defined by a main limb extending perpendicularly from the buffer or buffer support and a flange extending generally perpendicular from the free end of said limb. Most preferably two channel members are spaced laterally apart and arranged so that their flanges extend towards each other to define the channel.

In an alternative arrangement the channel may be defined by the buffer support or buffer such that the channel comprises a generally T-shaped or L-shaped slot formed in the rear face of the buffer or front face of the buffer support and extending between upper and lower edges thereof.

Preferably the buffer comprises a shock absorbing body having a front face arranged to engage a vehicle parked in the bay and a rear face directed toward the back plate. Most preferably, the back plate is wider than the shock absorbing body and has opposed side portions which extend outwardly beyond the width of the body to define a pair of opposed formations adapted to locate in the channel.

Preferably, the mounting means include one or more countersunk hole formed in the buffer support through which a bolt, screw or like fastener locates to secure said buffer support to the bay. Alternatively, the walls of the bay may be provided with metal plates and the buffer support may be welded to said metal plates.

Furthermore, there may also be provided a support panel extending perpendicular to and rearward from the buffer support and arranged to rest on the surface of the loading platform of the bay. As well as the improved stability provided by the support panel, such a feature is sometimes necessary when the loading bay is low and the bay buffer assembly is to be mounted partly above the loading platform at the rear of the bay.

In an alternative arrangement a spring is provided to resiliently bias the buffer upwardly, the buffer being arranged for upward and downward movement as the height of a delivery vehicle located in the loading bay rises or falls under varying loads. In the absence of the spring or similar mechanism the buffer could under the force of gravity locate at the bottom of the buffer support and would therefore not be able to move down as the vehicle lowered. When the spring arrangement is in a state of equilibrium the buffer locates midway along the buffer support so that the buffer may move up or down (against the bias of the spring) as the rear of the delivery vehicle rises or falls during loading or unloading.

By way of example only, three embodiments of the present invention and certain modifications thereof will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: -Figure 1 is an illustration of a loading bay with two bay buffer assemblies; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the bay buffer; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a bay buffer support to support the bay buffer of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan view of the bay buffer of Figure 2 located in the bay buffer support of Figure 3; Figures 5 shows a plan view of a second embodiment of bay buffer assembly; and Figure 6 shows a plan view a third embodiment of bay buffer assembly.

Referring initially to Figure 1 there is shown a loading bay on a warehouse building 12. An opening 13 provided with a rotter shutter 14 or like closure is formed in an exterior walt 11 of the warehouse 12 and through this goods are carried in and out of the warehouse 12 on forklifts or by other suitable means. A parking space 15 is provided in front of the opening 13, which is suitably sized to accommodate a large delivery vehicle which is to be loaded or unloaded with goods through opening 13. The interior floor 16 of the warehouse 12 is spaced some distance above the parking space 15. The distance between the interior floor 16 and the parking space 15 is substantially equal to the nominal height of the floor of the delivery vehicle's goods compartment. The warehouse 12 also has a loading platform 17 located in front of the opening 13, at the height of the interior floor 16. When loading or unloading, a delivery vehicle parks in the parking space 15 adjacent the platform 17. Bay buffers 10 are mounted such that they prevent the vehicle from striking the platform 17. Thus, generally it is best to mount two or more bay buffers 10 beneath the lip of the platform on its front face, so that they engage a rearmost part of the delivery vehicle, typically its bumper, when it reverses into the parking space 15.

Figure 2 shows a bay buffer, generafly indicated 20, which comprises a buffer body 21 mounted on a plate 22. The buffer body 21 is generally rectangular and has upper and lower faces 23,24 front and rear faces 25,26 and opposed side faces 27. The rear face 26 of the buffer body 21 is mounted to a front face of the plate 22, the plate being slightly wider than the buffer body so that opposed side portions 28 of the plate 22 extend beyond the side faces 27 of the buffer body 21 to define opposed flanges. Two threaded spindles 29 extend from the front face of the plate and the buffer body 21 locates on these using holes 30 formed in the buffer body 21. Each hole 30 widens towards the front face 25 of the buffer body 21 to define a shoulder 31 against which a nut 47 (see Figure 4) bears and engages the threaded spindle 29. Alternatively, the plate 22 and buffer body 21 could be glued together or secured by suitable fasteners.

Figure 3 shows a buffer support 35 arranged to support the bay buffer 20 and mounted to the exterior wall 11 of the warehouse 12. The buffer support 35 comprises a generally flat base plate 36 having a rear surface 37, in use directed toward the wall on which the buffer assembly is to be mounted, and a front surface 38 provided with a pair of channel members 39. Each channel member 39 is generally elongate and extends between upper and lower edges of the base plate to define a pair of spaced channels 40 arranged to receive the opposed flanges 28 of the bay buffer 20. Channel members could be formed in a variety of ways, but in this embodiment each channel member 39 comprises a first strip 41 welded to the base plate 36 and a second similar strip 42 welded to the first strip 41 but arranged to overhang so as to define channel 40. The buffer support in Figure 3 includes a horizontal support plate 43 extending substantially at a right angle from the rear face 37 of the base plate 36, which is particularly advantageous when at (east part of the bay buffer assembly 10 is to extend above the loading platform 17, or if the buffer is to be mounted Just below the lip of the platform. Thus, the base plate 36 may be screwed to the front walt of the loading platform and the support plate 43 may be screwed to the upper surface of the loading platform 17 using fixing holes 66 on the base plate and support plate to provide additional stability. Reinforcing webs 67 are arranged between the rear surface 37 and an upper surface of the support plate 43.

Figure 4 shows the bay buffer of Figure 2 mounted in the buffer support of Figure 3. The bay buffer 20 will move vertically within the channels 40, and is supported at the lowest position on a ledge 46 (see Fig. 3) provided adjacent the lower ends of the channel members 39 and is free to move upwardly relative to the buffer support 35. Thus, if the rear end of the delivery vehicle is bearing against the bay buffer 20, the bay buffer may rise with the vehicle, as the goods compartment is unloaded.

Referring also to Figure 4, a grease nipple 45 is also located on the rear 37 face of the base plate 36 above the back plate 43 to enable the supply of a suitable lubricant to the space between the bay buffer and buffer support. This allows the bay buffer 20 to move smoothly along the channels 40 and base plate 36. In an alternative arrangement (not shown), a spring may be provided to resiliently bias the buffer support upwardly so that the buffer support may drop with the vehicle as the goods compartment is loaded. The spring arrangement may take various forms, but preferably comprises a coil spring located in each channel and having a Lower end located on the Ledge and an upper end Located beneath the Lower edge of the fLanges.

Figures 4 and 5 show further second and third embodiments of bay buffer assemblies each having alternative flange mechanisms for mounting the buffers to the supports. In the second embodiment shown in Figure 5 a plate 50, mounted to the rear of the buffer body 21, has a pair of sidewalls 51 extending perpendicularly from the side edges thereof and each sidewall has an outwardly extending portion defining a flange 52. Each flange 52 Locates in a channel 53 defined by an L-shape leg 54 extending from the front face of a base plate 55 of a buffer support 56.

Figure 6 shows a buffer support 60 in the form of a rectangular body having a wide T-shape slot 61 formed therein. The bay buffer 49 is the same as in Figure 5 and the flanges are arranged to locate in the T-shaped slot 61.

Claims

1. A loading bay buffer assembly comprising a buffer support provided with mounting means to allow it to be secured to a loading bay; a buffer mounted on the buffer support and arranged to slide in a generally vertical direction relative to said buffer support.

2. A Loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in cLaim 1, wherein one of the buffer and buffer support defines at least one channel and the other of the buffer and buffer support includes at [east one formation arranged to locate in the channel and slide relative thereto to thereby mount the buffer on the buffer support.

3. A loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one channel is defined by a base and opposed sidewalls, at least one of the sidewalls is provided with an inwardly extending limb located in spaced relation to the base, the sidewalls and limb restrain the at least one formation from moving in a direction other than along the length of the channel.

4. A loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the at least one channel is defined by at least one channel member projecting from a front face of the buffer support or a rear face of the buffer.

5. A loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the channel is defined by the buffer support or buffer.

6. A loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the channel comprises a T-shaped slot extending between upper and lower edges of the buffer or buffer support.

7. A Loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the buffer comprises a shock absorbing body secured to a back plate.

8. A Loading bay buffer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the back plate is wider than the shock absorbing body and has opposed side portions which extend outwardly beyond the width of the body to define a pair of opposed formations adapted to locate in one or more suitable channel.

9. A loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting means include one or more fixing hole formed in the buffer support and through which a bolt or like fastener locates to secure said buffer support to the bay.

10. A loading bay buffer assembly as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein there is provided a support panel extending perpendicular to and rearward from the buffer support, the support panel being arranged to rest on a substantially horizontal surface.

11. A loading bay buffer as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a biasing means is provided to resiliently bias the buffer to a rest position above the lowest point of its range of vertical movement, such that the buffer may move upward or downward as the height of a vehicle located in the loading bay rises or falls under varying loads.

12. A Loading bay buffer as claimed in claim 11, wherein the biasing means urge the buffer to a position approximately half way up the range of movement.

13. A loading bay buffer as claimed in any of claims 11 or 12, wherein the biasing means comprise a spring arrangement.

14. A loading bay buffer as claimed in cLaim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.