Patent US4087977A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4087977A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dock system
Assignee: DOCKS UNLIMITED
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Filing: 1977-03-24
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Granted: 1978-05-09
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Expires: 1997-03-24
Abstract
Abstract A boat dock of improved stability and ease of assembly and disassembly, which comprises a dock frame, a pair of dock legs for detachable securement to the opposing sides of the dock frame, and for each dock leg, a releasable leg holding bracket which has means for detachable securement of the bracket to the dock frame in order to prevent significant sidesway of the dock frame. The bracket is slidably received upon the dock legs and capable of upward sliding movement but has stop means to prevent downward sliding movement. The dock, because of its means of construction, prevents lateral swaying movement. Upward pulling motion caused by high waves may move the dock upward on the leg posts and as it comes down, this motion is used to further drive the leg posts into the lake bottom for increased stability.
Inventors
- 👤 Tom E. Kuhlman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:48
CPC Classifications
E; E02; E02B; E02B3/00; E02B3/04; E02B3/06; E02B3/068
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
190 words
A boat dock of improved stability and ease of assembly for mounting in a body of water having a bottom, said dock comprising: a dock frame having an upper surface, opposite side frames, and end frames extending between said side frames; at least one dock plank supported on said upper surface of said dock frames; at least a pair of dock legs positioned on opposite sides of said dock frame, each of said legs having its lower end anchored in said bottom of said body of water; a leg holding bracket mounted for vertical sliding movement on each of said dock legs, said bracket comprising a sleeve having upper and lower sleeve ends and being slidably received upon said leg, said bracket further comprising detachable mounting means for detachably mounting said bracket to said dock frame, stop means on said leg below said sleeve for engaging said lower sleeve end and limiting downward sliding movement of said sleeve beyond a predetermined point with respect to said leg, said bracket being free for upward sliding movement on said leg in response to upward forces on said bracket and said dock frame.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
190 words
A boat dock of improved stability and ease of assembly for mounting in a body of water having a bottom, said dock comprising: a dock frame having an upper surface, opposite side frames, and end frames extending between said side frames; at least one dock plank supported on said upper surface of said dock frames; at least a pair of dock legs positioned on opposite sides of said dock frame, each of said legs having its lower end anchored in said bottom of said body of water; a leg holding bracket mounted for vertical sliding movement on each of said dock legs, said bracket comprising a sleeve having upper and lower sleeve ends and being slidably received upon said leg, said bracket further comprising detachable mounting means for detachably mounting said bracket to said dock frame, stop means on said leg below said sleeve for engaging said lower sleeve end and limiting downward sliding movement of said sleeve beyond a predetermined point with respect to said leg, said bracket being free for upward sliding movement on said leg in response to upward forces on said bracket and said dock frame.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
A boat dock according to claim 1 wherein said side frames each include elongated upper and lower horizontal members, said mounting means comprising an upper bracket member fixed to said sleeve and retentively engaging said upper horizontal member, and a lower bracket member fixed to said sleeve and retentively engaging said lower horizontal member.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
A boat dock according to claim 2 wherein said mounting means further comprise at least one hook pin extending through apertures in said upper and lower brackets to detachably lock said sleeve to said dock frame.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said stop means is a pin releasably extendable into said dock legs.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The boat dock of claim 1 wherein said dock frame has at least one reinforcement cross bar extending between said dock sides.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The boat dock of claim 5 wherein said reinforcement bar has means thereon to prevent significant lateral movement of said dock planks.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The boat dock of claim 1 wherein said dock frame is adapted for attaching a plurality of frame sections together.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The boat dock of claim 7 wherein said frame sections are attached by a removable double U-bracket.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
252 words
A boat dock of improved stability and ease of assembly for mounting in a body of water having a bottom, said dock comprising: a dock frame having an upper surface, opposite side frames, and end frames extending between said side frames, at least one dock plank supported on said upper surface of said dock frame; at least a pair of vertical dock legs positioned on opposite sides of said dock frame; a leg holding bracket for each of said dock legs, said bracket comprising a sleeve having upper and lower sleeve ends and being slidably received upon said leg for vertical sliding movement thereon; mounting means operatively attaching said bracket to said dock frame; stop means on said leg below said sleeve for engaging said sleeve and limiting downward sliding movement of said sleeve on said leg beyond a predetermined point; said bracket being free for upward sliding movement on said leg; at least one reinforcement cross bar extending between said side frames, means attached to the bottom surface of said plank for securing said plank to said dock frame comprising a first one way slide bracket attached near one end of said plank, a second one way slide bracket attached to said plank at an intermediate position, and a spring biased pin lock one way clamp attached to said plank at the other end of said plank, said pin lock being oriented for sliding engagement with said dock frame in the opposite direction of said first and second way sliding brackets.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
252 words
A boat dock of improved stability and ease of assembly for mounting in a body of water having a bottom, said dock comprising: a dock frame having an upper surface, opposite side frames, and end frames extending between said side frames, at least one dock plank supported on said upper surface of said dock frame; at least a pair of vertical dock legs positioned on opposite sides of said dock frame; a leg holding bracket for each of said dock legs, said bracket comprising a sleeve having upper and lower sleeve ends and being slidably received upon said leg for vertical sliding movement thereon; mounting means operatively attaching said bracket to said dock frame; stop means on said leg below said sleeve for engaging said sleeve and limiting downward sliding movement of said sleeve on said leg beyond a predetermined point; said bracket being free for upward sliding movement on said leg; at least one reinforcement cross bar extending between said side frames, means attached to the bottom surface of said plank for securing said plank to said dock frame comprising a first one way slide bracket attached near one end of said plank, a second one way slide bracket attached to said plank at an intermediate position, and a spring biased pin lock one way clamp attached to said plank at the other end of said plank, said pin lock being oriented for sliding engagement with said dock frame in the opposite direction of said first and second way sliding brackets.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-05-08 | 1981-11-07 | 1982-05-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-05-08 | 1985-11-07 | 1986-05-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-05-08 | 1989-11-07 | 1990-05-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |