Dock Protector For Use With A Floating Dock

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a dock protector apparatus. The apparatus includes an elongated pipe and a flange. A floating dock includes at least one floating dock section coupled to mooring pipes secured to a river or lake bed. The mooring pipes are slidably coupled and to the dock section by pipe sleeve assemblies that enable the dock section to slide vertically along the mooring posts. A dock protector apparatus is inserted within an interior cavity of each mooring pipe. Under tidal surge conditions, the decking may reach a vertical position above a top end of the mooring posts. In order to present the deck section from becoming decoupled from the mooring posts, the dock protector apparatus extends upwardly and remains coupled to both the mooring posts and the dock section, thereby maintaining an essentially laterally-rigid mooring between the dock section and the mooring post.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for securing a floating dock section to a mooring post, the apparatus comprising:
 an elongated member having a longitudinal axis and configured to be slidably inserted within an interior cavity of the mooring post; and   a flange member affixed to the elongated member along the longitudinal axis and near a top end of the elongated member,   wherein the flange member is configured, upon reaching a top end of the mooring post, to prevent the further the insertion of the elongated member into the cavity of the mooring post beyond a predetermined length.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the flange member is affixed along the longitudinal axis approximately 4½ inches from the top end of the elongated member. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a cap member applied over the top end of the elongated member. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the cap member comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of vinyl plastics, foam plastics, silicone plastics, and rubber compounds. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the elongated member comprises a cylindrical pipe; and   the cap member is a vinyl end cap having an applied inner diameter of approximately 1¼ inches and having a length of approximately 4 inches.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated member comprises a cylindrical pipe. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the cylindrical pipe is a hollow steel pipe and the flange member is a ring-shaped, sheet steel stamping. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein each of the cylindrical pipe and the flange member are hot-dip galvanized. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the cylindrical pipe has an inner diameter of approximately 1 inch. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the flange has an outer diameter of approximately 3.5 inches 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the cylindrical pipe is approximately 60 inches in length. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the flange member is a 12 gauge sheet steel stamping. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the flange member is affixed to the cylindrical pipe as a welded member. 
     
     
         14 . A floating dock system comprising:
 at least one floating dock section including a frame, decking attached to an upper surface of the frame, and one or more floats coupled to an underside of the frame for floatably supporting the frame;   one or more mooring posts configured to be secured relative to a bed underlying a body of water;   one or more pipe sleeve assemblies each fixedly coupled to the floating dock section and slidably coupled to one of the one or more mooring posts, whereby the floating dock may be slidably movable along longitudinal axes of the one or more mooring posts according to a tidal condition of the body of water; and   one or more dock protector elements each including an elongated member having a longitudinal axis and a flange member affixed to the elongated member along the longitudinal axis and near a top end of the elongated member,   wherein a lower portion of the elongated member of each of the one or more dock protector elements is slidably inserted within an interior cavity of a corresponding one of the one or more mooring posts;   wherein while an upper surface of the decking of the dock section is at a first predetermined position below a top end of the one or more mooring posts, the elongated member of each dock protector reaches a maximally-inserted position in the cavity of the mooring post and the flange member abuts the top end of the mooring post, and   wherein while an upper surface of the decking of the dock section is at a second predetermined position above a top end of the one or more mooring posts, the elongated member of each dock protector is partially withdrawn from the maximally-inserted position and the flange member abuts the upper surface of the decking of the dock section.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the system maintains a laterally rigid coupling of the dock section to the mooring posts at each of the first and second predetermined positions. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more dock protector elements further comprises a cap member applied over the top end of the elongated member of the dock protector element. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more mooring posts and the elongated member of each of the one or more dock protector elements comprises a cylindrical pipe. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the cylindrical pipe of each elongated member is a hollow steel pipe and the flange member of each of the one or more dock protector elements is a ring-shaped, sheet steel stamping. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein each cylindrical pipe and flange member of the one or more dock protector elements are hot-dip galvanized. 
     
     
         20 . A method for securing a floating dock comprising at least one floating dock sections including a frame, decking attached to an upper surface of the frame, and one or more floats coupled to an underside of the frame for floatably supporting the frame, the method comprising the steps of:
 securing one or more mooring posts a bed underlying a body of water;   providing one or more pipe sleeve assemblies each fixedly coupled to the floating dock section and slidably coupled to one of the one or more mooring posts, whereby the floating dock may be slidably movable along longitudinal axes of the one or more mooring posts according to a tidal condition of the body of water; and   providing one or more dock protector elements each slidably inserted within an interior cavity of a corresponding one of the one or more mooring posts and including an elongated member having a longitudinal axis and a flange member affixed to the elongated member along the longitudinal axis and near a top end of the elongated member,   wherein while an upper surface of the decking of the dock section is at a first predetermined position below a top end of the one or more mooring posts, the elongated member of each dock protector reaches a maximally-inserted position in the cavity of the mooring post and the flange member abuts the top end of the mooring post,   wherein while an upper surface of the decking of the dock section is at a second predetermined position above a top end of the one or more mooring posts, the elongated member of each dock protector is partially withdrawn from the maximally-inserted position and the flange member abuts the upper surface of the decking of the dock section, and   whereby a laterally rigid coupling of the dock section to the one or more mooring posts is maintained at each of the first and second predetermined positions.