Modular Floating Dock

This invention relates to a modular type floating dock and, more specifically, to an interlocking assembly for the floatation units of the dock.

Canadian Pat. No. 982,881 dated Feb. 3, 1976 to H. Stanzinger (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,644 dated July 23, 1974) discloses floating docks made of a plurality of interlocking units. The interlocking means thereof consist of pins engaging through superposed eye lugs. The conical enlarged heads of the pins have two projections which come into engagement with rounded grooves in the corners of the floating units so as to thus resiliently lock the pin against inadvertent rise out of the eye lugs. Since these pins are resiliently held in locking position, they may eventually become disengaged from the eye lugs in wavy waters. If conventional bolts and nuts were used, a swimmer would need to crawl under the floating dock to hold the nut in position when a second person would screw the bolt from above. This is obviously inconvenient.

The general object of the invention is to provide an interlocking bolt and nut arrangement for modular floating dock units with means to hold the locking nut in position below the dock to prevent its rotation when screwing the bolt from above. An important object of the present invention is to prevent release of the interlocking arrangement by wave action. Another object of the invention is to provide the above mentioned arrangement for attaching bumpers, cleats and the like to the sides of the dock.

The interlocking assembly of the invention comprises eye lugs projecting from the corners of the floating units at different levels so that they may be superposed when, for instance, four floating units are joined together, a bolt with an enlarged head and a threaded spindle is inserted from above through the superposed eye lugs and screwed into a nut underlying the lowermost lug.

In accordance with the invention, nut holding anti-rotation means hold the nut in position and prevents its rotation when the bolt is screwed into the nut.

The enlarged conical shape of the head comes into frictional engagement with matching frusto-conical corner surfaces of the floating units and thus positively prevent inadvertent unscrewing of the bolt.

The same lugs are used to attach bumpers and cleats to the sides of the dock. These bumpers and cleats are formed by changing the shape of the above-noted bolt head.

The nut holding and anti-rotation means include a pair of upstanding parallel flanges of L-shape cross-section and protruding from one end face of the nut and slidably engageable into side grooves formed at the top surface of the lowermost lug of each floating unit.

Anti-rotation means are also provided to prevent rotation of the bumpers or cleats when screwed in position by means of a conventional nut, these second anti-rotation means includes ridges formed on the stem of the bumpers and cleats and engageable with corresponding notches formed at the periphery of the eye of the lugs.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the modular floating dock according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the floating units forming the dock;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section of the floating dock taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of one corner of a floating unit;

FIG. 4a is a perspective view of the lowermost eye lug;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the nut to be attached to the lug of FIG. 4a;

FIG. 6 is an elevation of a bumper assembly;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a cleat;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the cleat of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the cleat assembled with its nut.

We will first refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The floating dock 20 is constituted of a plurality of similar floating units 22. Each floating unit 22 is of polygonal shape and, preferably, square section in which case it comprises four diagonally extending corner eye lugs 24 set at four different levels from the top surface 25 of each unit, each having having four circumferentially spaced notches 28 for a purpose later set forth.

Each floating unit 22 is water-proof and preferably hollow and may be moulded out of synthetic resins such as high density polyethylene. A plastic foam may fill each unit 22. Each top corner of each unit 22 forms a concave and inclined frusto-conical surface 30 which is followed by a partly-cylindrical surface portion 32, in turn followed by a flat surface 34 from which horizontally extends a lug 24. Surface 34 is set at 45.degree. from the adjoining side surfaces of the units so that, in practice, each lug 24 extends diagonally of the floating unit 22. The lowermost lug 24a is provided with longitudinally extending and parallel lateral grooves 36 formed at the top of the lug. A bolt 38 and a corresponding nut 40 are provided. Bolt 38 is preferably also made of synthetic resin and is hollow and has a generally frusto-conical head 42 adapted to match and fit on the concave frusto-conical surface portion 30 of the four adjacent units 22 interconnected by the bolt 38. Depending from head 42 is a hollow spindle 44 which has external threads 46 at the lower portion thereof. Spindle 44 is long enough to extend past through the superposed four lugs and past the lowermost lug 24a. The nut 40 is of standard construction but is characterized by an integral ring 48 at one end face thereof, said ring 48 forming a pair of diametrically opposite and parallel upstanding flanges 50 of L-shape cross-section defining guide slots 52. The thickness of the internal top portion 54 of the flanges 50 is at the most equal to the depth of the grooves 36 of the lowermost eye lug 24A. Nut 40 is first slipped in position on the lowermost lug 24A with the top parts 54 of the flanges 50 engaging the respective grooves 36 of the lug 24A. The sliding arrangement has preferably a friction fit so that the nut may be held in register with the eye 26 of the lug 24A. Then it is a simple matter to assemble four adjacent floating units 22 with four eye lugs in superposed position as shown in FIG. 3 and then to insert from above the bolt 38 and screw said bolt within the nut 40 which is not only held in position underneath the dock but is also held against rotation during screwing of the bolt. Screwing of the bolt is achieved with a suitable tool engaging the spaced holes 56 formed at the top surface of the bolt head 42 because the top parts 54 of the flanges 50 do not protrude above the top surface of the lowermost lug but are preferably flush with the same, the lowermost lug with the nut forms a full size surface for resisting the downward pressure of the remaining lugs when a load rests on the units associated with the lugs 24.

The floating units 22 may be assembled to form a dock of any size and/or shape. The exposed sides of the assembled units have exposed lugs 24 or 24A which may be used to attach bumpers and/or cleats as shown at 58 and 60 respectively. These bumpers and cleats are adapted to be secured either to one lug at a corner of the dock or to two superposed lugs 24, or 24 and 24A at the junction of two adjacent floating units 22 by means of standard nuts 62. The bumpers and cleats are of a hollow construction and moulded of synthetic resin but the bumpers 58 have a somewhat flexible wall and are designed to be filled with gas under pressure through a one-way valve 64 of conventional construction located at the bottom end of the bumper.

Bumper 58 has an enlarged head 66 and a co-axial pin or spindle 72. One half portion of the head 66 is of generally frusto-conical shape as shown at 67 downwardly followed by a cylindrical half portion 68. Portions 67 and 68 of the bumper are adapted to fit the corresponding surface portions 30 and 32 at the corners of two adjacent floating units 22. The other half portion of the head 66 indicated at 70 is of generally half-cylindrical shape having a diameter corresponding to the maximum diameter of the head 66. This cylindrical half portion 70 is adapted to protrude from the side edge of the dock. The bumper has a spindle 72, the top portion of which is provided with longitudinal equally radially spaced ridges 74, adapted to have a sliding fit with the notches 28 of the eye 26 of any one of the lugs 24 and 24A. The lower portion of the spindle 72 is threaded as shown at 76 to be screwed within the nut 62. A one-way valve 64 is fitted within the free end of the spindle 72. The bumper once inserted through one or two lugs at a corner of the dock or along the sides of the dock is held against rotation by the ridges 74 which engage the notches 28 and therefore it is a simple matter to screw the nut 62 by means of a suitable tool such as a wrench because these nuts are accessible along the sides of the dock.

The cleats 60 have a head 78 in the form of a cleat with a lower cylindrical wall 80 adapted to fit against the cylindrical surface portions 32 at the corners of the floating units 22. A cleat is further provided with a spindle 72, ridges 74 and threaded portion 76 as for the bumpers 58 and are therefore secured to the lugs in the same manner as the bumpers.