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US 10,703,534 B2Granted
Utility assembly and coupling mechanism
AssigneesKeter Plastic Ltd., Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
InventorsYaron Brunner, Grant T. Squiers, Christopher S. Hoppe, Steven W. Hyma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure concerns a coupling mechanism for detachably attaching two or more utility modules to one another, utility assembles, mobile carriers and other attachable modules and articles.
Claims18
A coupling mechanism configured for readily detachably attaching a first utility module to a second utility module, the coupling mechanism comprising:
- a female coupler at a face of one of the first utility module and the second utility module, the female coupler having a depressed locking location configured with a depressed surface, at least two sidewalls, and at least two locking ribs extending along a sliding path, and having an open edge facing in a first direction, wherein the at least two locking ribs extend substantially parallel to the sliding path;
- a male coupler at a face of the other one of the first utility module and the second utility module, the male coupler having a projecting locking location disposed in register with the depressed locking location and configured with at least one locking tongue extending along the sliding path at a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and configured for arresting engagement at a space between the at least two locking ribs and depressed surface;
- and
- at least one locking member for arresting the first utility module with respect to the second utility module and preventing sliding displacement along the sliding path,
- wherein the at least two locking ribs extend at side edges of the depressed locking location and extend above the depressed surface and spaced from a bottom end of the at least two sidewalls.
2 more elements
A coupling mechanism configured for readily detachably attaching a first utility module to a second utility module, the coupling mechanism comprising:
- a female coupler at a face of one of the first utility module and the second utility module, the female coupler having a depressed locking location configured with at least one locking rib extending above a depressed surface and along a sliding path, and having an open edge facing in a first direction, wherein the at least one locking rib extends substantially parallel to the sliding path;
- a male coupler at a face of the other one of the first utility module and the second utility module, the male coupler having a projecting locking location disposed in register with the depressed locking location and configured with at least one locking tongue extending along the sliding path at a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and configured for arresting engagement at a space between the locking rib and depressed surface;
- and
- at least one locking member for arresting the first utility module with respect to the second utility module and preventing sliding displacement along the sliding path,
- wherein the female coupler includes two locking ribs that each extend at a respective side edge of two neighboring depressed locking locations, the locking ribs disposed substantially parallel to the sliding path.
2 more elements
A coupling mechanism for a utility assembly that comprises at least a first utility module and at least a second utility module, the coupling mechanism being configured between the first utility module and the second utility module;
- one of a top face of the first utility module and a bottom face of the second utility module includes at least one depressed locking location configured with a locking rib, and at least one locking latch arresting location;
- and the other one of the top face of the first utility module and a bottom face of the second utility module includes at least one projecting portion with a locking tongue disposed in register with the at least one depressed locking location, and at least one locking latch disposed in register with the at least one locking latch arresting location;
- and wherein at a locked position the bottom face at least partially rests over the top face, and the at least one projecting tongue is arrested by the corresponding at least one locking rib and the at least one locking latch is arrested by corresponding at least one locking latch arresting location, and further wherein disengaging the second utility module from the first utility module is facilitated by disengaging the at least one locking latch from the at least one locking latch arresting location, such that engaging the first and second utility modules into the locked position is provided by sliding the second utility module with respect to the first utility module along a sliding path defined by at least one of the at least one locking rib and the at least one locking tongue, wherein the at least one locking latch is spring biased and configured for normally projecting from a face of the respective first or second utility module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.