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US 10,947,009 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
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims20
A utility assembly, comprising:
- at least a first utility module;
- at least a second utility module;
- and
- a coupling mechanism for readily detachably attaching the first and second utility modules, the coupling mechanism being configured between the first utility module and the second utility module, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises at one of a top face of the first utility module and a bottom face of the second utility module one or more depressed locking locations each 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 one or more projecting portions each configured with a locking tongue disposed in register with the one or more depressed locking locations, and at least one spring-biased locking latch configured for normally projecting from a face of the respective first or second utility module and disposed in register with the at least one locking latch arresting location;
- wherein at a locked position, the bottom face of the second utility module at least partially rests over the top face of the first utility module, and the one or more locking tongues are arrested by the corresponding one or more locking ribs, and the at least one locking latch is arrested by a corresponding at least one locking latch arresting location and is snap locked in the at least one locking latch arresting location, thereby preventing sliding displacement between the first utility module and the second utility module, and 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.
3 more elements
A mobile carrier unit, comprising:
- at least one carrier engagement surface compatible for interlocking engagement in a detachable manner with a first engagement surface of a utility module;
- wherein the carrier engagement surface includes (i) one or more depressed locking locations each configured with a locking rib and at least one locking latch arresting location, configured for engagement with the first engagement surface of a utility module that includes at least one downwardly spring biased locking latch and one or more projecting portions, each of the one or more projecting portions being configured with a locking tongue, or (ii) at least one downwardly spring biased locking latch and one or more projecting portions each configured with a locking tongue for engagement with the first engagement surface of a utility module that includes one or more depressed locking locations, each of the one more depressed locking locations configured with a locking rib and at least one locking latch arresting location.
An interface coupling module, comprising:
- at least one engagement surface, compatible for interlocking engagement in a detachable manner with a first engagement surface of a utility module;
- wherein the interface coupling module includes an engagement surface having (i) one or more depressed locking locations each configured with a locking rib and at least one locking latch arresting location, configured for engagement with the first engagement surface of a utility module that comprises at least one downwardly spring biased locking latch and one or more projecting portions, each projecting portion being configured with a locking tongue, or (ii) at least one downwardly spring biased locking latch and one or more projecting portions each configured with a locking tongue for engagement with the first engagement surface of a utility module that comprises one or more depressed locking locations, each depressed locking locations configured with a locking rib and at least one locking latch arresting location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.