Technical and constructional arrangement introduced in a floating dock and its respective modules

Description

1 / 10 “TECHNICAL AND CONSTRUCTIONAL ARRANGEMENT INTRODUCED IN FLOATING DOCK AND RESPECTIVE MODULES” INTRODUCTION 001 This Utility Model Patent Description Report concerns the Technical and Constructive Arrangement Introduced in a Floating Dock and its Respective Modules, hereinafter referred to as the Floating Dock and its respective Modules, which, according to its development, corresponds to a floating structure with variable dimensions according to the project or request, which follows the change in water level and keeps its vessel safe and well accommodated, being used in marinas and nautical clubs located on the seashore, beaches, rivers, dams and lakes, serving as a mooring and anchorage for boats and nautical vehicles, as well as the embarkation and disembarkation of people, and even as a floating bridge, public works and services on the water. 002 According to its design and development, the Floating Dock and its respective Modules are formed by a floating block; a fixing pin; mooring rings; and a side nozzle equipped with a sealing plug. It is worth highlighting that it is preferably manufactured from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) due to its corrosion resistance, low weight, and long service life, making it especially effective in harsh marine environments. FIELD OF APPLICATION 003 The field of application of this Floating Dock and its respective Modules refers to the nautical, safety and emergency areas, being widely used, through and after the joining of several modules, in seas, rivers, dams and lakes. OBJECTIVES 004 Among the main objectives of this Floating Dock and its respective Modules, the most notable is its function as a platform for the embarkation and disembarkation of people in seas, rivers, and reservoirs. Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 6 / 22 2 / 10 and lakes, pier for mooring and anchoring of boats and nautical vehicles and also as floating bridges for the passage of people and vehicles in addition to a platform. PROBLEMS TO SOLVE 005 As is generally known among technicians in the field, fixed docks in marinas and other locations are permanent structures designed to facilitate access and anchoring of vessels in specific areas. They are generally constructed with durable materials, such as concrete, steel, or treated wood, and are fixed to the bottom of the body of water, offering good stability. 006 Up to the present moment, fixed piers built in riverbeds or at sea are used, ideal for areas with little tidal variation, which consist of: - Pile pier, which consists of an elevated platform supported by piles driven into the bottom of the body of water; - Rockfill quay, which uses stones or other solid materials to create a stable structure; - Precast concrete pier, which uses concrete components manufactured off-site and assembled on-site; - Floating bridges: These are typically formed by barges tied together and consist of a bridge that floats on the water, supported by the barges. 007 Fixed docks present a number of problems or disadvantages, among which we highlight: - Expensive and time-consuming to build due to the fixed foundation; - Difficulty adapting to significant changes in water levels, such as extreme tides; Despite their robustness, regular maintenance is essential to ensure safety and functionality. Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 7 / 22 3 / 10 STATE OF THE ART 008 With a view to utilizing this Floating Dock and its respective Modules, which has its own development characteristics, prior art searches were conducted in the INPI Database and the following documents were found: - BR 20 2013 013345-6 published on 01 / 19 / 2016 under the title “IMPROVEMENT INTRODUCED IN MODULAR FLOATING PLATFORM”, which comprises a platform formed from modules consisting of a floating hub, a “V” hub, an extended “V” hub, a wide fender, and a perforated hub. The floating hub has chamfers at its vertices that, in the upper sections, project spherical recesses in the central sections of the hitch handles, which have circular holes projecting oblong locking holes on their axes. The upper face has a threaded fastening system, and secondary hitch handles are positioned on the hitch handles of the floating hub. These handles are located at the central and upper rear ends of the lateral prisms of the “V” hub and the extended “V” hub, which centrally describe planes, the upper face of which has... relief, with the wide fender consisting of a rectangular body that has attachment handles in the central rear section and on the sides,The aforementioned perforated cube is formed by a quadrangular ring, whose vertices project from chamfers equipped with engagement handles provided with circular holes, which project oblong locking holes on their axes, the locking pins being constituted by long main connecting shafts formed by a shaft, whose lower ends project chamfers above the locking rods, said upper shafts have an abruptly increased diameter forming plugs provided with spherical protrusions followed by heads, whose upper faces are equipped with threads, the locking pins being inserted into the engagement rods, said platform also has the following connection elements: short edge fixing and cover disc nut. - BR 20 2019 016134-0 published on 02 / 17 / 2021 under Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 8 / 22 4 / 10 The title “SELF-ADJUSTING FLOATING DOCK” stands out as equipment formed by a set of floating modules, intended for the mooring or docking of small vessels. It is conceived in Floating Modules (01), through which the other components are interconnected; the Guardrail (02) is installed using the existing holes in the Floating Modules. For connecting the floating modules, there is the Central Shaft (1.3). The Tire-fenders (1.1) are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the vessel's hull, being fixed by the Shaft-fender (1.2), through which the Cables (1.4) are passed, which join the Masses (1.5), whose main function is to force the Floating Modules to mold to the hulls of the vessels. To position and cushion the final displacement of the vessel, the Fender (03) was positioned.The Sliding Guide Platform (05) which, as the name suggests, slides along the Stair railings (04), as the water level changes for boarding / disembarking. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS 009 The document BR 20 2013 013345-6 entitled ''IMPROVEMENT INTRODUCED IN MODULAR FLOATING PLATFORM'' comprises a platform (1) formed by several modules (2), highlighting the floating cube (3), the V-shaped cube (4), the extended V-shaped cube (5), the wide fender (6) and the perforated cube (7). 010 The floating hub (3), according to its conformation characteristics, is provided with chamfers (9) at its vertices (8) which, in the upper sections (10), project spherical recesses (11) and in the central sections (12) with engagement handles (13) provided with circular holes (14), which project oblong locking holes (16) on their axes (P), while on the upper face (17) there are threaded fixing holes (18), and on the engagement handles (13) of the floating hub (3) are positioned secondary engagement handles (19), arranged at the central rear (20) and upper (21) ends of the lateral prisms (22) of the V'' hub (4) and the extended V'' hub (5), which centrally describe flat segments (23), whose upper face (24) has a relief (25), and that the Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, p. 9 / 22 5 / 10 wide fender (6) consists of a rectangular body (26) that has in the rear section (27) central (28) and sides (29) engagement handles (30), highlighting that the perforated hub (7) is formed by a quadrangular ring (31), whose vertices (35) project from chamfers (32) equipped with engagement handles (33) provided with circular holes (34), which project on their axes (P) oblong locking holes (36), the locking pins (37) being constituted by main connecting axes long (38) and short (39) formed by an axis (40), whose lower ends (41) project chamfers (42) above which there are locking rods (43), said axis (40) has an abruptly increased diameter at the top forming plugs (44) provided with protrusions spherical (45) followed by heads (46), whose upper faces (47) are provided with threaded holes (48), the locking pins (37) being inserted into the coupling rods, said platform (I) also has the following connection elements,short edge fixing screw (49) and nut (50) cover disc (51)., 011 When comparing the Floating Dock and its respective Modules currently on display with the aforementioned prior art, it is observed that the aforementioned prior art possesses the following characteristics and components: - Each block is made up of four (04) main components, floating cube (3), V cube (4), extended V cube (5), wide defense (6) and hole cube (7). - Twenty (20) other components, these being: spherical recesses (11), engagement handles (13), circular holes (14), locking oblong holes (16), threaded fixing holes (18), secondary engagement handles (19), flat segments (23) to support a relief (25), engagement handles (30) provided in the wide guard (6), locking pins (37), long (38) and short (39) connection, locking rods (43), plugs (44), spherical protrusions (45), heads (46), threaded holes (48), short edge fixing screw (49), nut (50) and cover disc (51). 012 In contrast, the Floating Dock and its respective Modules are formed by only nine (09) components, being Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 10 / 22 6 / 10 of these, the float block; half float block; pin; bar; screw; nut; wedge; retaining pin and sealing plug, highlighting that the sealing plug is widely known as a "plug", and in this case is presented in two models, traditional with handle and external thread, already understood in the state of the art and new model with internal thread and head for screwing with a key. 013 In addition to the completely different design and layout, the use of nine components per block (compared to 29 components per block previously) reveals an updated design with savings in materials, labor, and operational efficiency. - Document BR 20 2019 016134-0, published on 02 / 17 / 2021 under the title "SELF-ADJUSTING FLOATING DOCK", describes a floating dock with completely different characteristics compared to the document currently under consideration. Therefore, we consider that the aforementioned prior art should be considered as a general state of the art, since it has no relevance to the present document. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 014 To obtain a complete and thorough visualization of the Floating Dock and its respective Modules, as discussed herein, please refer to the attached figures, which are referenced as follows: Figure 1: Represents a front perspective view of a module that is part of the assembly called the Floating Dock and its respective Modules; Figure 2: Corresponds to the top view of a module; Figure 3: Shows a side view of the fastening pin; Figure 4: Refers to a schematic perspective view of the sealing plug developed in this project, in this case shown with a socket for an Allen wrench; Figure 5: Illustrates a perspective view of the prior art sealing plug; Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 11 / 22 7 / 10 Figure 6: Schematically shows a pier whose platform is formed by eight modules. MODEL DESCRIPTION 015 As can be inferred from the drawings that accompany and form part of this report, the Floating Quay and its respective Modules, (1), was developed for use on the shores of seas, rivers, dams and lakes with the objective of serving as a mooring and anchorage for boats and nautical vehicles, as well as the embarkation and disembarkation of people, including as a floating bridge, highlighting that the dimensions of each quay are variable according to the needs of the future user. 016 In this way, the Floating Quay and respective Modules (1) is formed by a floating block (2); fixing pin (3); mooring rings (4), side nozzle (5) provided with a sealing plug (6). 017 It is worth highlighting that each component module of the Floating Dock (1) is preferably manufactured in High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) due to its corrosion resistance, low weight and long service life, being especially effective in aggressive marine environments. 018 The floating module (2) is formed by a cube with an upper surface equipped with non-slip ribs (7), as well as vertical faces (F) equipped with vertical semicircular recesses (R), these recesses (R) being equipped with engagement rings (4), which are positioned halfway up the semicircular recesses (R), noting that in the four corners of each module (2), the vertex (V) has been vertically cut out for positioning the side nozzle (5) that will receive the sealing plug (6A) or (6B). 019 It is important to highlight that the side nozzle (5) is intended to allow the coupling of a hose for supplying the inside of each module with water from the same location where the module is installed, so that the weight of the water serves as ballast for each Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, p. 12 / 22 8 / 10 floating module (2), giving it stability and control of the depth of the dock when assembled. 020 The use of the sealing plug (6A), developed specifically for this dock module, is used when maintenance is carried out over longer periods, or when the dock operates sporadically, whereas the use of the other plug (6B) is more common when the dock is in continuous use and maintenance is carried out more frequently, since this one has a specific handle for its removal and in the current model (6A) it is necessary to use an Allen wrench or other suitable tool, for example, a Phillips screwdriver. 021 The floating module (2) is a piece designed to float on the surface of the water, which is joined to other modules by means of the rings (4) and fixing pins (3), allowing the formation of floating structures to facilitate access to vessels of different sizes without the need for a fixed structure anchored to the bottom of the body of water. 022 It is worth noting that, when larger structures are required, the floating modules (1) can be provided with a piled structure and equipped with a walkway. ADVANTAGES 023 The solution offered by the Floating Dock and its respective Modules concerns the use of floating docks formed by floating modules that are easy to install and remove, and can be moved, tied, and fixed with other modules as needed, allowing the assembly of docks or embarkation / disembarkation platforms or floating bridges of various sizes, offering greater flexibility compared to fixed docks and the documents reported in the state of the art. 024 With regard to floating bridges, the same characteristics apply as for docks, since they are easy to install and remove, and can be moved, tied and fixed with other modules. 025 Among the advantages, we can mention: Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 13 / 22 9 / 10 Available in various sizes to meet diverse usage needs; - The upper surface, the traffic surface, has a non-slip surface as it is equipped with grooves; - They allow for fastening to each other by means of engagement pins fixed in threaded rings available in the central part of semicircular recesses located in the central part of each lateral face; - When assembled, the structure can be fitted with rods and cords / handrails to form metal walkways; The structure has several rings for mooring boats or nautical vehicles; - Structure that is easy to transport to other locations; Low acquisition cost; - Long service life; Resistant to stress from anchoring small, medium, and large vessels. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT 026 Floating docks have replaced fixed or traditional docks, which are built directly on the ground or on the banks of bodies of water, since unlike fixed docks, floating docks are designed to float on the surface of the water, adapting to variations in tides and water level. This makes them especially useful in areas where there are large variations in water level, such as rivers, lakes and seas with significant tides. 027 It is worth highlighting that each module of the floating dock presented here is preferably manufactured from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), as this material is used due to its resistance to corrosion, low weight and long service life, being especially effective in aggressive marine environments. CONCLUSION Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, page 14 / 22 10 / 10 028 It is verified by all that has been described and illustrated that it is a Technical and Constructive Arrangement Introduced in Floating Quay and Respective Modules, (1), which fits perfectly within the norms that govern the Utility Model Patent due to filling an important gap existing in the market. Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, p. 15 / 22

Claims

1 / 1 CLAIM 1) “TECHNICAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE INTRODUCED IN FLOATING DOCK AND RESPECTIVE MODULES”, (1), developed to serve the nautical, safety and emergency area, being widely used to serve as a platform for embarking and disembarking people, in seas, dams, rivers and lakes, pier for mooring and anchoring of boats and nautical vehicles and also as floating bridges for the passage of people and vehicles in addition to the platform, this floating dock being formed floating block (2); fixing pin (3);mooring rings (4) and side nozzle (5) provided with sealing plug (6) which is characterized by having the float module (2) equipped with non-slip ribs (7) on its upper face and vertical faces (F) equipped with semicircular vertical recesses (R) provided with mooring rings (4), which are positioned halfway up the semicircular recesses (R), has a vertex (V) with a vertical cutout for positioning the side nozzle (5), where the sealing plug (6) is fixed.; Petition 870250012075, dated 02 / 13 / 2025, p. 16 / 22

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