US3131542A

US3131542A - Stabilizer for a floating dock

Info

Publication number: US3131542A
Application number: US68905A
Authority: US
Inventors: William L Koch
Original assignee: H Koch and Sons Co
Current assignee: H Koch and Sons Co
Priority date: 1960-11-14
Filing date: 1960-11-14
Publication date: 1964-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 1981-05-05

Description

W. L. KOCH STABILIZER FOR A FLOATING DOCK May 5, 1964 ATTORNEY @www Y May 5, 1964 w. L. KOCH 3,131,542

STABILIZER FOR A FLOATING DOCK 'Il I BW l. J v

ATTORNE Y United States Patent O 3,131,542 STABEZER EDR A FLQA'IlNG DOCK William L. Koch, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to H. Koch Sons, Corte Madera, Calif., a corporation of Salifornia Filed Nov. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 58,905 2 Claims. (Cl. 61-48) This invention refers to a stabilizer for a floating dock and the like.

A particular object of this invention is to provide a stabilizer for a floating dock which can maintain an elongated floating structure in a location or position yet permit the structure to rise and lower with the tides and waves.

Particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a submerged stabilizer for a floating dock of the type constructed of spaced iioats and spacer plates connected into a continuous floating deck, whereby this submerged stabilizer can hold the iioat in a location yet permit it to raise or lower with the water level.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well -as in the fdetails of the construction thereof 'without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specication, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said 'device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the eX- act details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. -l is a fragmental cross-sectional View of the stabilizers anchored in the bottom of the body of water holding the lloating structure in position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the stabilizer structures taken on the lines 2-2 of lFIG. l.

FIG. `3` is a top plan fview of the floating structure, the deck being partly broken away, showing the relative location of the stabilizers.

FIG. 4 is a fragmental bottom view illustrating the mounting of the top of the stabilizer `on the oating structure.

FIG. 5 is a fragmental sectional view of the mounting of the stabilizer, the section being taken substantially on lines 5--5 of FIG. 4.

rfhis floating structure, as herein illustrated, is made of a plunality of fiberglass floats 1 which are made of hollow waterproof fiberglass plastic shells completely enclosed so that the top pates 2 of the floats 1 form part of the walk or deck of the structure. The floats 1 are spaced by suitable spacer plates 3 between them and `are secured together and held by a suitable frame of longitudinal stringers 4 and cross-stringers 5, illustrated `diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 .and 3, to hold the structure together.

This floating structure may be made in any suitable size, shape, dimension or such strips in any overall arrangement to form a suitable deck.

The anchoring `of such structures in such a manner to hold them more or less accurately in location is of importance because they may be used as part of other structures where the constant spacing is 'of importance.

For this purpose the stabilizer means of the present illustration include a ballast base 6 which is suitably anchored or secured in the bottom 7 of the water body 8 on the surface 9 of which the oating structure floats. Inside of this `anchored ballast 6 is telescopingly guided a hollow lvertical tubular leg 11. The top of the leg 11 is 3,131,542 Patented May 5, 1964 provided with a head flange 12 which is then secured by suitable bolts 13 to la head plate 14. This head plate 14 is suitably secured in turn to cross bars 16 which latter in turn have their ends suitably secured, for instance by screws, to the frame bars 4 and 5 of the oating structure.

In the present illustration the ballast 6 is a pipe 17, the lower end of lwhich is closed preferably by a frusto-conical tip `18 so that it may be driven considerably below the mud level of the bottom '7. The upper portion of this pipe 17 projects -at a suitable distance above the bottom 7 so as to prevent interference by the mud with the relative movement of the parts. On this upper end of the pipe 17 is suitably iixed a rubber disc 19 the inner diameter of which fits tightly around the outer circumference of the telescopic tube 11 so as to wipe the latter during its reciprocation and thereby to reduce the possibility of its sticking in the pipe 17.

The top lof the tube 11 is open and the head plate 14 has a central hole 21 uncovered so as to provide a vent through which air can escape as the tube 11 telescopes into and out of the pipe 17. This hole 21 is spaced below the -deck plate 3 so as to provide suiiicient space for ventlng.

The stabilizers are spaced apart at suitable distances and it is not necessary to have the stabilizers close together because they do not contribute to the support of the structure but only for stabilizing the same in a location and to limit the movement or displacement of said float-ing structure only to vertical directions, and prevent lateral ydisplacement or floating away in either direction.

I claim:

1. In combination with a iloating deck on a body of water including spaced floats and `deck plate elements connecting said spaced lioats to form a continuous deck, a stabilizer structure comprising (a) spaced anchor elements lixedly secured to the bottom of said body of Water (b) a tubular element telescopingly supported on each anchor element (c) means on each tubular element securing the top of each tubular element to said floating deck between a pair of adjacent lloats (d) said tubular element being open at its top and bottom for freely Venting said tubular element during reciprocation (e) said anchor element consisting of a tube driven in the bottom of said body of water (i) said tubular element telcoping inside said tube (g) said securing means including a securing llange on the top of the tubular element (h) and a headplate secured to the underside of a deck lplate Iand having a venthole registering with the top of said tubular element (i) said flange being secured to said headplate.

2. The invention dened in claim 1, and

(j) a wiper flange secured to the top of each tube 'and surrounding the tubular element therein with suicient tightness to wipe the same during its reciprocation in opposite directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A FLOATING DECK ON A BODY OF WATER INCLUDING SPACED FLOATS AND DECK PLATE ELEMENTS CONNECTING SAID SPACED FLOATS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS DECK, A STABILIZER STRUCTURE COMPRISING (A) SPACED ANCHOR ELEMENTS FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID BODY OF WATER (B) A TUBULAR ELEMENT TELESCOPINGLY SUPPORTED ON EACH ANCHOR ELEMENT (C) MEANS ON EACH TUBULAR ELEMENT SECURING THE TOP OF EACH TUBULAR ELEMENT TO SAID FLOATING DECK BETWEEN A PAIR OF ADJACENT FLOATS (D) SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT BEING OPEN AT ITS TOP AND BOTTOM FOR FREELY VENTING SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT DURING RECIPROCATION (E) SAID ANCHOR ELEMENT CONSISTING OF A TUBE DRIVEN IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID BODY OF WATER (F) SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT TELESCOPING INSIDE SAID TUBE (G) SAID SECURING MEANS INCLUDING A SECURING FLANGE ON THE TOP OF THE TUBULAR ELEMENT (H) AND A HEADPLATE SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF A DECK PLATE AND HAVING A VENTHOLE REGISTERING WITH THE TOP OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT (I) SAID FLANGE BEING SECURED TO SAID HEADPLATE.