US 11,547,950 B2Granted

Resettable breakaway apparatus

OwnerDanny Linn Michaelsinventor

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Abstract

A resettable breakaway apparatus may include: a housing having an aperture. A plunger may extend through the aperture, and the plunger may be movably coupled to the housing. The plunger may have a plunger head, and the plunger head may be movable between a first position, in which the plunger head is relatively farther from the housing, and a second position, in which the plunger head is relatively closer to the housing. A tensioner may tension or compress the plunger head in the first position. The apparatus may further include a receiver having a receiver head. The housing may be coupled to a first object and the receiver may be coupled to a second object, and the apparatus may be configured to removably couple the objects together by engaging the plunger head with the receiver head so that the plunger head may be positioned between the first and second position.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A resettable breakaway apparatus for removably coupling a first object to a second object, the apparatus comprising:

a housing having a first end and a second end, the housing coupled to the first object;
an aperture disposed in the first end of the housing;
a plunger extending through the aperture, the plunger movably coupled to the housing, the plunger having a plunger head with a curved plunger protruding surface, and the plunger head movable between a first position, in which the plunger head is relatively farther from the housing, and a second position, in which the plunger head is relatively closer to the housing, wherein the first position and second position are in an axis of plunger movement;
a tensioner configured to tension the plunger head in the first position with an amount of force;
and
a receiver coupled to the second object, the receiver having a receiver head and a receiver base, and the receiver head having a cured receiver depressed surface, wherein the first object is coupled to the second object solely by placing the curved plunger protruding surface of the plunger head in contact with the curved receiver depressed surface of the receiver head so that the plunger head is between the first position and second position and so that the curved plunger protruding surface is tensioned against the curved receiver depressed surface via the tensioner, and wherein contact between the curved plunger protruding surface and the curved receiver depressed surface is the only contact between the plunger and receiver.

3 more elements

A resettable breakaway apparatus having a cross beam and a cross beam support, the apparatus configured to removably couple the cross beam to the cross beam support, and the apparatus comprising:

a housing having a cavity, a first end, and a second end, the housing coupled to a first object, and the first object selected from the cross beam and cross beam support;
an aperture disposed in the first end of the housing;
a plunger extending through the aperture, the plunger movably coupled to the housing, the plunger having a plunger head with a curved plunger depressed surface, and the plunger head movable between a first position, in which the plunger head is relatively farther from the housing, and a second position, in which the plunger head is relatively closer to the housing;
a tensioner configured to tension the plunger head in the first position with an amount of force, the tensioner positioned fully within the cavity of the housing;
a tensioner head located within the cavity of the housing so that the tensioner is positioned between the plunger and the tensioner head, the tensioner head configured to control the amount of force that the tensioner applies to the plunger head;
and
a receiver having a receiver head and a receiver base, the receiver coupled to a second object, the second object selected from the cross beam and cross beam support and the second object not being the first object, wherein the receiver head has a curved receiver protruding surface, wherein the first object is coupled to the second object solely by placing the curved plunger depressed surface of the plunder head in contact with the curved receiver protruding surface of the receiver head so that the plunger head is between the first position and second position and so that the curved plunger depressed surface is tensioned against the curved receiver protruding surface via the tensioner, and wherein contact between the curved plunger depressed surface and the curved receiver protruding surface is the only contact between the plunger and receiver.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.