Shields or seals to shelter an area underneath a dock leveler

Abstract

Example dock levelers with a pivotal deck and a translating lip having weather shields for sheltering an area underneath the deck are disclosed herein. An example method disclosed herein includes selectively providing a weather shield by performing at least one of joining or separating a main shield segment and a secondary shield segment to provide, respectively, a first weather shield having a first size or a second weather shield having a second size, where the first size being larger than the second size, and where the first weather shield includes the main shield segment and the secondary shield segment, and the second weather shield includes the main shield segment without the secondary shield segment. The method also includes installing at least one of the first weather shield or the second weather shield underneath the deck.

1 . Installation of a weather shield at a loading dock having a dock leveler that includes a deck overlying a pit defined by a wall extending between a ground surface of the loading dock and a platform, a method comprising:
 Selectively providing a weather shield by performing at least one of joining or separating a main shield segment and a secondary shield segment to provide, respectively, a first weather shield having a first size or a second weather shield having a second size, the first size being larger than the second size, the first weather shield including the main shield segment and the secondary shield segment, the second weather shield including the main shield segment without the secondary shield segment; and   installing at least one of the first weather shield or the second weather shield underneath the deck.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein performing at least one of joining or separating the main shield segment and the secondary shield segment comprises using a touch-and-hold fastener between the main shield segment and the secondary shield segment. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 attaching a sealing strip selectively to at least one of the main shield segment or the secondary shield segment; and   positioning the sealing strip in sliding seal contact with at least one of the wall or the dock leveler.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein attaching the sealing strip selectively to at least one of the main shield segment or the secondary shield segment comprises using a touch-and-hold fastener between the sealing strip and at least one of the main shield segment or the secondary shield segment. 
     
     
         5 . A weather shield for use at a loading dock comprising:
 a first weather shield having a first dimensional profile, the first weather shield including a first sheet; and   a second weather shield comprising a second sheet removably coupled to the first sheet to provide a second dimensional profile, the first dimensional profile being smaller than the second dimensional profile.   
     
     
         6 . The weather shield of  claim 5 , further comprising a fastener to removably couple the first sheet and the second sheet. 
     
     
         7 . The weather shield of  claim 6 , wherein the fastener comprises a hook-and-loop fastener. 
     
     
         8 . The weather shield of  claim 5 , further comprising a third sheet coupled to at least one of the first sheet or the second sheet to provide a third weather shield having a third dimensional profile, the third dimensional profile being greater than the first dimensional profile and the second dimensional profile. 
     
     
         9 . The weather shield of  claim 8 , wherein the third weather shield includes the first sheet, the second sheet and the third sheet, the third sheet being removably coupled to the second sheet or the first sheet. 
     
     
         10 . The weather shield of  claim 9 , further comprising a first fastener to removably couple the first sheet and the second sheet and a second fastener to removably couple the third sheet to at least one of the first sheet or the second sheet. 
     
     
         11 . The weather shield of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second fasteners comprise hook-and-loop fasteners. 
     
     
         12 . The weather shield of  claim 5 , further comprising a seal coupled to at least one of the first sheet or the second sheet. 
     
     
         13 . The weather shield of  claim 5 , wherein a first edge of the second sheet is removably coupled to a first edge of the first sheet when the first sheet and the second sheet define the second weather shield. 
     
     
         14 . The weather shield of  claim 13 , further comprising a first seal attached to a second side edge of the first sheet and a second seal attached to a second side edge of the second sheet such that the first seal and the second seal define perimeter side edges of the second weather shield when the second sheet is coupled to the first sheet. 
     
     
         15 . The weather shield of  claim 5 , wherein the first dimensional profile comprises a first width wide enough to seal a first gap underneath a first deck of a dock leveler and the second dimensional profile comprises a second width different than the first width and wide enough to seal a second gap underneath a second deck of a second dock leveler different from the first dock leveler. 
     
     
         16 . A size-adjustable weather shield assembly for use with a dock leveler comprising:
 a common shield segment to define a first weather shield having a first size; and   a first shield segment removably coupled to the common shield to provide a second weather shield having a second size when the first shield segment is coupled to the common shield segment, the second size being larger than the first size.   
     
     
         17 . The size-adjustable weather shield assembly of  claim 16 , further comprising a seal strip removably coupled to at least one of the common shield segment or the first shield segment. 
     
     
         18 . The size-adjustable weather shield assembly of  claim 16 , further comprising a second shield segment removably coupled to at least one of the common shield segment or the first shield segment, wherein the common shield segment, the first shield segment and the second shield segment provide a third weather shield having a third size when the second shield segment is coupled to the at least one of the common shield segment or the first shield segment. 
     
     
         19 . The size-adjustable weather shield assembly of  claim 18 , wherein a first edge of the first shield segment is removably coupled to the common shield segment and the second shield segment is removably coupled to a second edge of the first shield segment opposite the first edge. 
     
     
         20 . The size-adjustable weather shield assembly of  claim 19 , further comprising a first seal strip removably coupled to the second shield segment. 
     
     
         21 . The size-adjustable weather shield assembly of  claim 20 , further comprising a second seal strip permanently coupled to a first edge of the common shield segment.