# US 2021/0276471 A1 · Controlling attachment of equipment to a vehicle deck

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2021/0276471 A1
- Document ID: US20210276471A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/192,242
- Filed: 2021-03-04
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06
- Assignees: Howe & Howe Inc.
- Applicants: Howe and Howe Inc.
- Inventors: Forrest Joel Tripp
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276471A1

## CPC

- B60P 1/02: with parallel up-and-down movement of load supporting or containing element (in combination with tipping B60P1/34; devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes, movable on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/06 {; suspensions with electronic levelling control during loading or unloading B60G17/0157})
- B60T 7/10: Disposition of hand control
- A62C 27/00: Fire-fighting land vehicles
- A62C 31/00: Delivery of fire-extinguishing material (pumps F04; {suction or pressure} hoses, {joints or couplings therefor} F16L)
- A62C 31/005: {using nozzles}
- B25J 5/005: {mounted on endless tracks or belts}
- B25J 11/008: {Manipulators for service tasks}
- B60K 13/02: concerning intake
- B60P 3/00: Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects (ambulances or other vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00; hearses A61G21/00; fire-fighting land vehicles A62C27/00; refuse-collecting vehicles B65F3/00, B65F7/00; snow-removing vehicles E01H; armoured or armed vehicles F41H7/00; self-propelled mine-clearing vehicles F41H11/16)
- B60T 7/12: for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger {(limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00)}
- B62D 21/09: Means for mounting load bearing surfaces
- B62D 55/06: with tracks without ground wheels
- F02M 35/10242: {Devices or means connected to or integrated into air intakes; Air intakes combined with other engine or vehicle parts (filters F02M35/02; silencers F02M35/12 and F02M35/14; air coolers F02B29/04; heaters F02M31/00; air storage tanks F02B21/00; compressors F02B33/00; sensors F02M35/10373)}
- F02M 35/104: Intake manifolds
- F16D 65/28: arranged apart from the brake
- B60P 3/16: for carrying mixed concrete, e.g. having rotatable drums {(concrete-mixing apparatus specially adapted for being mounted on vehicles with provision for mixing during transport B28C5/42)}
- F16D 2121/16: for releasing a normally applied brake
- B60P: VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS (vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00)
- B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- A62C: FIRE-FIGHTING (fire-extinguishing compositions, use of chemical substances in extinguishing fires A62D1/00; spraying, applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05; alarm arrangements G08B, e.g. fire alarms actuated by smoke or gases G08B17/10)
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F16D: COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES

## Abstract

Techniques control attachment of equipment to a vehicle deck. Such techniques involve positioning an equipment base that serves as a base of the equipment on the vehicle deck. Such techniques further involve extending a latching mechanism of the equipment base to provide a first latching width that captures the equipment base between a set of deck clamps and a deck jamb mounted to the vehicle deck to fasten the equipment to the vehicle deck. Such techniques further involve contracting the latching mechanism to provide the equipment base with a second latching width that enables the equipment base to escape from the set of deck clamps and the deck jamb mounted to the vehicle deck to unfasten the equipment from the vehicle deck.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle chassis constructed and arranged to move over terrain;
a vehicle deck supported by the vehicle chassis; and
a latching assembly that attaches equipment to the vehicle deck, the latching assembly including:
a set of deck clamps that mounts to a set of clamp locations on the vehicle deck,
a deck jamb that mounts to a jamb location on the vehicle deck, and
an equipment base that serves as a base of the equipment, the equipment base providing a latching mechanism that extends to provide the equipment base with a first latching width that captures the equipment base between the set of deck clamps and the deck jamb and contracts to provide the equipment base with a second latching width that enables the equipment base to escape from the set of deck clamps and the deck jamb.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A vehicle as in claim 1 wherein the equipment base includes:
a base member,
a latching member, and
a lever constructed and arranged to transition between a first orientation and a second orientation relative to the base member, the lever and the latching member forming the latching mechanism which positions the latching member and the base member (i) in a first configuration that provides the first latching width when the lever is in the first orientation relative to the base member and (ii) in a second configuration that provides the second latching width when the lever is in the second orientation relative to the base member.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A vehicle as in claim 2 wherein the vehicle deck provides a horizontal surface; and
wherein the lever pivots about an axis that is parallel to the horizontal surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

A vehicle as in claim 2 wherein the base member defines a set of protrusions;
wherein the latching member defines a plunger tip;
wherein the set of protrusions and the plunger tip are separated by the first latching width when the lever is in the first orientation relative to the base member; and
wherein the set of protrusions and the plunger tip are separated by the second latching width when the lever is in the second orientation relative to the base member.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

A vehicle as in claim 2 wherein the base member extends laterally to continuously contact the vehicle deck to support the equipment when the lever is in the first orientation relative to the base member to latch the base member to the vehicle deck.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

A vehicle as in claim 2 wherein the vehicle deck defines a pattern of holes;
wherein each deck clamp includes a flat portion defining a set of holes to align with at least one hole of the pattern of holes defined by the vehicle deck to enable hardware to fasten that deck clamp to the vehicle deck; and
wherein the deck jamb includes a flat portion defining a set of holes to align with at least one hole of the pattern of holes defined by the vehicle deck to enable hardware to fasten the deck jamb to the vehicle deck.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

A vehicle as in claim 6 wherein each deck clamp further includes a hook portion coupled with the flat portion of that deck clamp;
wherein the deck jamb further includes a stop portion coupled with the flat portion of the deck jamb; and
wherein the hook portion of each deck clamp defines a groove that is separated from the stop portion of the deck jamb by the first latching width.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A vehicle as in claim 7 wherein the stop portion of the deck jamb defines an orifice that receives a plunger tip at an end of the latching member.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

A vehicle as in claim 2 wherein the set of deck clamps includes a pair of deck clamps disposed on the vehicle deck adjacent an end of the vehicle; and
wherein the deck jamb is disposed on the vehicle deck adjacent another end of the vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A vehicle as in claim 9 wherein the latching assembly further includes:
a second pair of deck clamps disposed on the vehicle deck at a mid-region between the ends of the vehicle; and
wherein the base member defines multiple pairs of protrusions to engage the pair of deck clamps and the second pair of deck clamps.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A vehicle as in claim 1, further comprising:
a second latching assembly that attaches the equipment to the vehicle deck, the second latching assembly including:
a second set of deck clamps that mounts to a second set of clamp locations on the vehicle deck,
a second deck jamb that mounts to a second jamb location on the vehicle deck, and
a second equipment base that serves as a second base of the equipment, the second equipment base providing a second latching mechanism that extends to provide the second equipment base with the first latching width that captures the second equipment base between the second set of deck clamps and the second deck jamb and contracts to provide the second equipment base with the second latching width that enables the second equipment base to escape from the second set of deck clamps and the second deck jamb.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

A vehicle as in claim 11 wherein the equipment base is elongated in shape and extends along an equipment base axis;
wherein the second equipment base is elongated in shape and extends along a second equipment base axis; and
wherein the equipment base and the second equipment base are constructed and arranged to attach to the vehicle deck with the equipment base axis parallel to the second equipment base axis.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A vehicle as in claim 12 wherein the equipment includes a scissor lift; and
wherein the equipment base and the second equipment base forms a bottom of the scissor lift.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A vehicle as in claim 13 wherein the equipment further includes:
actuators coupled with the equipment bases, the actuators being constructed and arranged to control height of the scissor lift.

### Claim 15

A latching assembly for attaching equipment to a vehicle deck, the latching assembly comprising:
a set of deck clamps constructed and arranged to mount to a set of clamp locations on the vehicle deck;
a deck jamb constructed and arranged to mount to a jamb location on the vehicle deck; and
an equipment base constructed and arranged to serve as a base of the equipment, the equipment base providing a latching mechanism that, when the set of deck clamps mounts to the set of clamp locations on the vehicle deck and the deck jamb mounts to the jamb location on the vehicle deck, extends to provide the equipment base with a first latching width that captures the equipment base between the set of deck clamps and the deck jamb and contracts to provide the equipment base with a second latching width that enables the equipment base to escape from the set of deck clamps and the deck jamb.

### Claim 16

A method of controlling attachment of equipment to a vehicle deck, the method comprising:
positioning an equipment base that serves as a base of the equipment on the vehicle deck; and
extending a latching mechanism of the equipment base to provide a first latching width that captures the equipment base between a set of deck clamps and a deck jamb mounted to the vehicle deck; and
contracting the latching mechanism to provide the equipment base with a second latching width that enables the equipment base to escape from the set of deck clamps and the deck jamb mounted to the vehicle deck.