GB2468371A

GB2468371A - Vehicle dock buffer

Info

Publication number: GB2468371A
Application number: GB0911584A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Andrew Holt
Original assignee: HOLT STOP Ltd
Current assignee: HOLT STOP Ltd
Priority date: 2009-07-03
Filing date: 2009-07-03
Publication date: 2010-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2029-07-03
Also published as: GB2468371B; GB0911584D0

Abstract

A loading bay buffer 1 has a cradle 2, a back plate 6, supporting means 8, absorption block 4 and impact plate 3. The absorption block 4 and impact plate 3 are freely supported by the supporting means 8 such that the absorption block 4 is held between the back plate 6 of the cradle and an inner face of the impact plate 3. The buffer 1 may be advantageous in that the absorption block 4 is freely supported such that it may absorb impact from misaligned trailers without damage to either itself or the trailer. The buffer 1 may additionally feature a latch arrangement (21,fig.3) to hold a trailer in place at the loading bay, whilst loading or unloading.

Description

TITLE

A Buffer

DESCRIPTION

Field of Invention

The present invention relates tO buffers for articulated trailer loading docks. In particular, the present invention provides a new loading bay buffer that is suitable for use with standard or non-standard traders and that can greatly reduce the possibihtv of damage to the loading dock compared to conventional buffers

Background

Loading bay s are used for loading and unloading articulated trailers They typically comprise an elevated concrete bay that is built at substantially the same height and width as the tear end of a standard arLiculaed tiailer In order to use a loading hay an articulated tradet is backed up until the rear end is Immediately adjacent the loading bay. The trailer may thenbe loaded or unloaded without the need to raise or lower the load from or to the height of the trailer bed.

To allow trailers to be safely backed up to a loading bay, buffers are normally provided on the front face of the loading bay I he buffets may be provided directly below the edge of the loading bay andi'oi to eithei side of the loading bay The buffers are designed so that the trailer can be backed up until it contacts the buffers wherein the trailer will be in the correct position relative to the loading bay to allow loading Or unloading I he buffers act to absorb the force of the impact of the trailer in order to prevent damage to either the loading bay or the trailer Conventional loading bay butters comprise a rubber absorption block that is bolted either directly to the bay or to a steel mounting, which is in turn attached to the bay.

Conventional loading bay buffers suffer from a number of problems. First, they are only able to be positioned correctly for a small range of standard sires of trailers and do not fiinctrnn s%ell for non-standard tiamlers Furthermore, as the absorption block is fitted to the wall of the loading bay wider compression conditions, i.e. it is bolted to the bay, it is not capable of substantially absorbing impact in any direction other than the normal direction to the wall Thus if a trailer is backed up and is slightly out of alignment with the loading bay and impacts one or more buffers at an angle damage S can be caused to the buffer, which may eventually necessitate its replacement or even cause damage to the hay or the trailer.

I urtherm ore, conventional loading bay buffers do nothing to protect the top surface of the loading bay This surface can easily be damaged if a trailer ts backed up to a loading ba without first lowering its suspension and the suspension is subsequently lowered when the trailer is in a position above the top surface of the loading bay the trailer may impact the top surface. This can cause significant damage to both the loading bay and the trailer when the trailer is being loaded and unloaded and when an attempt is madi to pull the trailer off the top surface of the loading bay Damage to the concrete loading bay can be very difficult and extremely expensive to repair.

In light of the above there is a need for a new loading bay buffer that better protects a loading bay and a trailer during loading and unloading and that can substantially absorb impacts front trailers being backed up to a loading bay out of their correct alignment.

Sunirnary of Invention I he present invention provides a buffer for a loading bay comprising a cradle having a back plate for fixing to the loading bay and supporting means; an absorption block; and an impact plate; wherein, the absorption block and the impact plate are freely sunported by the supporting means such that the absorption block is held between the back plate of the cradle and an inner face of the impact plate.

When the buffer of the present invention is in use the back plate of the cradle is secured to the front face of a loading bay in a suitable position. This may be done either by bolting the back plate directly to the loading bay or by welding the back plate of the cradle onto a pre-httcd steel plate on thc loading bay The absorption block is freely supported between the back plate and the impact plate The impact plate is positioned such that a trailer being backed up to the loading bay will impact the impact plate and not the supporting means of the cradle or any other part of the buffet.

In ordei to allow the plate to be bolted to a loading bay a vertically extending slot may be formed in the back plate Bolts may be fitted through this slot and into the face of a loading bay in order to hold the cradle in position. The use of a slot is preferable to a plurality of holes as this enables the bolts to he fitted in different positions. However, it is to be understood that one or more bolt holes may be provided in addition or instead of a vertically extending slot.

The buffer of the present invention is better able to absorb impact than buffers according to the present invention as the absorption block and the impact plate are freely supported in the cradle rather than being bolted or otherwise permanently fixed to a back plate. This allows the absorption block to better absorb impacts that are not directly aligned with the loading bay Furthermore, there may be air gaps between the back plate and the absorption block and between the absorption block and the impact plate These air gaps may proude better cushioning As the absorption block is freely supported it is less likely to be damaged by any impact and may therefore last longer

than a buffer according to the prior art.

Additionally as the absorption block and impact plate are freely supported by the cradle they can easily be lifted into and out of position without the need for special tools. This allows both the absorption block and the impact plate to be easily turned around in the supporting means of the cradle. That is, the absorption block and the impact plate may be turned around such that a different side is facing outwards from the loading bay and/or the may turned upside down such that their vertical orientation is reversed. Regularly rotating the absorption block and the impact plate in this manner can greatly extend the life of the buffer as the portion of each component that absorbs the majority of the impact forces when in use can he \ aried This avoids a small portion of the absorption block or the impact plate becoming damaged to such an extent that the entire component requires repair.

The absorption block of the present invention may comprise any suitable material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the absorption block is a substantially a block of a suitable mild rubber compound The cradle and the impact plate may also comprise any suitable material In a preferred embodiment of the invention the cradle and the impact plate are substantially formed of plate steel, In order to improve visibility and therefore safety of the huffei, the cradle and the impact plate may be powder coated such that they are highly visible. The cradle and the impact plate may be substantially any colour, tor cxample they may be provided in a company's corporate colours, but it may bc preferable that they are a standard colour according to the relevant safety regulations. For example, in the UK it may be preferable that the cradle andlor the impact plate are British Standard safet' yellow in order to impiove its visibility the impact plate may further comprise one or more reflective strips The reflective strips may be fitted in milled grooves in the surface of the impact plate. The milled grooves may be diagonal and extend across a surface of the impact plate Suitable reflectrve strips include multi-prism reflective strips The support means of the cradle may be foimed in any manncr apparent to the person skilled n the art In a preferred embodiment of the in ention the supporting means comprises a first side plate attached to and extending outwards from a first side of the back plate, a second side plate attached to and extending outwards from a second side of the back plate a base plate attached to a bottom edge of thc back plate and the first -S..

and second side plates and a front plate attached to a front edge of the base plate, the first side plate and the second side plate.

The side plates may extend substantially the whole length of the back plate in order to protect the absorption block from being knocked out of position in the buffer.

However, it is pieferable that the front plate only extends along only a relatively small portion of the length of the back plate in order that when the impact plate and absorption block are in position in the supporting means the impact plate forms the majority of a front impact surface of the buffer In a preferred embodiment of the invention the front plate extends upwards from the base plate less than half the height of the back plate.

Along the height of the buffer over which the front plate is provided the side plates may extend substantially from the back plate to the front plate such that the absorption block and impact plate are totally enclosed within the supporting means at that point.

However, it is advantageous that along the heigjtt of the buffer over which the front plate is not provided the side plates (if piesent at this point) do not extend frilly from the back plate of the buffer to the front but extend only a distance necessary to hold the absorption block in position Instead it is preferable that the side plates only extend part of this distance at this point such that when the impact plate and absorption block are in position in the supporting means the impact platc is positioned forward from a front edge of the side plates over the height of the buffer in which the front plate is not present This ensures that when a trailer impacts the buffer at any point where the font plate is not present the trailer impacts the impact plate and not the side plates even if the impact is at an angle to the buffer In a preferred embodiment of the invention the side plates, base plate and front plate of the supporting means are all formed of steel plate The steel plate may be welded into position on the back plate. However, it is to be understood that the side plates, base plate and front plate of the supporting means may be replaced by equivalent components formed of other materials such as mesh, rods or any other suitable materiaL It is preferable that the buffer of the present invention further comprises a slip plate that extends backwards from, a top end of the back face. The slip plate is intended to extend backwards over and be fixed to the top surface of a loading bay. The slip plate may be formed integrally with the back plate of the buffer in a preferred embodiment of the invention the slip plate and the back plate are substantially the same length and are formed from a single piece of plate steel with a ninety degree bend along a centre-line. The slipplate may comprise a plurality of holes tO allow it to be bolted to the tOp surface of a loading bay Preferably the slip plate has three holes that allow the slip plate to be bolted to the: top surface of a loading bay using three vertical counter-sunk bolts.

Flaying a slip plate is advantageous as it may protect the top surface of a loading bay from damage. In particular, it is relatively common for a trailer to be backed up to a loading bay such that at least a portion of the trailer extends over the loading bay. The suspension of the trailer may then be lowered such that the trailer impacts the top surface of the loading bay This can cause a lot of damage particularly if it is necessary to subsequently drag the trailer off the loading ba In this situation slip plates may protect the top surface of the loading bay.

Advantageously, if the buffer compnses a slip plate a socket plate is provided on the upper suiface of the slip plate substantially at a tear end of the slip plate A socket plate is small vertically extending plate A socket plate may be useful in capturing the protruding twist lock mounting blocks that might otherwise overrun into a door and cause severe damage The socket plate may be a simple steel piatc that is welded onto the top surface of the slip plate In oidei to reinforce a socket plate one or more reinforced angled plates may be fixed behind the sockct plate A reintorcing plate may compuse a steel plate that is mounted substantially normal to the socket plate and the slip plate.

Socket plates may be repeatedly impacted during use of a loading bay. Therefore it may bc preferable that one or more sacnficial plates are pros ided for attaching to a front face of the socket plate and absorbing impact. If the socket plate is damaged by impact a sacrificial plate may be attached to the front face of the socket plate to prevent further damage If the sacrificial plate is subsequently damaged by impact It can either be removed and replaced or an additional sacrificial plate can be attached to the front face of the damaged sacrificial plate Sacnfiuai plates can be attached to the front face ot the socket plate 01 to the front face of another sacrificial plate by welding, bolting or any other suitable means Sacrificial plates may be formed of plate steel or any other suitable material.

An upwardly extending side angle plate may also be provided substantially at an outer edge of a slip plate Preferably a side angle plate extends from substantially a rear end of a slip plate towards the back plate and is attached to an outer edge of the slip plate if a socket plate is provided a side angle plate may be attached to, and extend forward from, the socket plate. A side plate may comprise a triangular plate of metal or other suitable material that is fixed to the slip plate that is sloped away from an outer end of the slip plate. Side plates are useful in that they prevent damage that may occur due to poor docking technique In particular, they may guide a tiatler into engagement with a socket plate anchor prevent a trailer being driven into the side of a loading bay The buffer of the present invention may also further comprise a latch mechanism for holding a trailer in position adjacent a loading bay. A latch mechanism may be formed in any manner apparent to a person skilled in the art Nevertheless, a prefcrrcd embodiment of a latch mechanism comprises a latch aim that is rotatably mounted at a first end to a side plate of the buffer. When a trailer is positioned adjacent the buffer the latch arm ntay be rotated such that a second end of the ann releasably engages the trailer. The latch arm may releasably engage the rear under-run bar of a trailer. The latch mechanism may additionally compnse a catch positioned on the side plate of the buffer for holding the latch arm in a substantially vertical position when it is not in use. A latch mcchanism is advantageous as it can prevent the trailer being pushed or pulled away from a loading bay whilst it is being loaded or unloaded, This is a particular problem if the trailer is being loaded or unloaded using heavy machinery such as a fork-lift truck, that must pass from or onto the loading bay into or out of the trailer.

Further features and aspects of the invention will be apparent from the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the drawings and discussed below. win.s

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a bnffer according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an isometric view of the buffer of Figure 1. with the impact plate and absorption block shown separate front the cradle; Figure 3 is a partial side view of a buffer aecoiding to the piesent mvention that further comprises a rotatable latch; and Figure 4 is a partial side view of a slip plate of a buffer according to the present invention with a sacrificial plate attached to the rear socket plate.

A buffer I according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2 Tne buffer 1 comprises a cradle 2 an impact plate 3 and an absorption block 4. The absorption block 4 is a substantially cuboid block of mild rubber compound.

The impact plate 3 is a rectangular plate of plate steel and has two diagonally placed reflective strips 5 mounted on a front surface. The reflective strips S are mounted within grooves formed in the front surface of the impact plate 3 The cradle 2, which can be seen more clearly in Figure 2, comprises a back plate 6 a slip plate 7, supporting means 8, a side angle plate 9 and a socket plate 10 The back plate 6 and the slip plate 7 are integral with one another and are fonned of a single piece of steel plate that has a ninety degree bend formed substantially along a centre-linc The supporting means 8 is fhrmed of a first side plate 11, a second side plate 12 a base plate 13 and a front plate 14 The that side plate ilis welded to and extends forward from a first side of the back plate 6 Ihe second side plate 12 is welded to and extends forward from a second side of the back plate 6. The base plate 13 is welded to a bottom edge of the back plate 6, the first side plate 11 and the second side plate 12 The front plate 14, is welded to a front edge of the lower part of the first side plate 11, a front edge of the lower part of the second side plate 12 and the front edge of the base plate 13.

The back plate 6 has a vertically extending slot 15 formed along a substantial portion of its length to allow it to be bolted to the front surface of a loading bay (not shown) Similarly, the slip plate 7 has three holes 16 formed therethroughto allow it to be bohed to the top surface of a loading bay (not shown) The side angle plate 9 is welded to a side of the slip plate 7 along a bottom edge and to a side of the socket plate 10 along a vertical edge The socket plate is welded to the top surface of the slip plate 7 along a bottom edge and is teinforced in the ertical position by two reinfoicing plates 17 that are attached to the back surface of the socket plate 10 and the top surface of the slip plate 7.

The cradle 2 is substantially formed of steel plate.

\k hen the buffer Us in use the %lip plate 7 of the buffer is bolted to the top surface of a loading bay using countersunk bolts positioned through the holes 16, the back plate 6 is bolted to the front surface of a loading bay using bolts positioned through the slot 15, the absorption block 4 and impact plate 3 are positioned within the supporting means S such that the absorption block is freely supported between a front face of the back plate and a back face of the impact plate in the manner shown in Figure 1 As the absorption block 4, is freely supported in the cradle 2 and is not fixed to the back plate 6 it may absorb impact from a trailer (not shown) much better than buffers according to the prior art In particular, it can absorb impact from traileis that are imperfectly aligned with a loading bay without becoming damaged I urthermoie, the presence of air gaps between the inner face of the impact plate 3 and the absorption block 4 and between the front face of the back plate 6 and the absorption block further improve the impact absorbing properties of the buffer 1.

-10 -If and when the absorption block 4 or impact plate 3 are damaged through impact with a tiailei they may be rotated in the cradle 2 to present anothei face for impact In particular, the absorption block 4 or impact platL 3 may be rotated 1800 around either a horizontal or vertical axis.

The buffer 1 shown in the figures is intended to be positioned on the left hand side of a loading bay as seen from the outside A buffer 1 for positioning on the right hand side of the loading bay would be a minor image of the buffet shown in the Figures and in particular would have the side plate 9 and the socket plate 10 positioned on the other side of the top plate 7 The socket plate 10 is positioned to capture the protruding twist lock mounting blocks of a trailer (not shown) and the side plate 9 give protection to a loading bay by guiding the outer edges of a trailer into the socket plate.

As shown in Figure 4, if a socket plate 10 is damaged through impact a sacrificial plate 20 may be attached to its front face in order to reinforce the socket plate 10 and prevent it from further damage.

A' shown in Figuie 3, the buffer 1 may further comprise a latch mechanism 21 tor releasabiv fixing a trailer (not shown) in position adjacent the buffer arid therefore adjacent the loading bay The latch mechanr'm 21 cumpnses a latch arm 22 that is rotatably mounted at a first end to the first side plate 11 of the cradle 2 and has an engaging podion 23 at a second end and a catch24 that releasably holds the latch arm in a substantially vcrticai position when it is not in use When a tIailei is positioned adjacent the buffer 1 the catch 24 is opened to release the latch arm 22 The latch ann 22 is then rotated away from the loading bay until the engaging portion 23 hooks around the trailer's rear under-run bar to hold the trailer in position. When loading or unloading of the trailer has been completed the latch arm 22 is rotated back to the vertical position and the catch 24 is re-engaged to hold the latub arm in position again The trailer may then be dnven away -li-lt is to be understood that the latch mechanism 21 is a completely optional feature that may either be formed integrally with the buffer I when it is initially manufactured or retrofitted to a buffer 1 after manufacture if it is deemed necessary. 12 -