Interlocking weight system for vehicle cargo compartments

A traction enhancing interlocking weight system for use in the cargo compartment of a vehicle, said cargo compartment having a length, a width, and a height, said interlocking weight system comprising:

• a plurality of plates, each said plate having a height, a width, and a length, said height being substantially less than said width and said length, each plate having a pair of opposing side edges and a pair of opposing end edges;
• means associated with each said plate for engagingly and removably interlocking said plate with a like one of said plates when said plate and said like plate are positioned in close confronting contact along an adjacent pair of said side edges or said end edges of the plate and the like plate, to interconnect said plurality of plates in an array, said array having a length and a width less than the length and the width of the cargo compartment, whereby the plates may be arranged and interconnected in the array within the cargo compartment so as to provide additional traction weight for the vehicle;
• the width of each said plate being measured between the opposing side edges, and each said plate having a front end edge and a back end edge, the length of each said plate being measured between said front edge and said back end edge, each said plate further including a top surface and a bottom surface, the height of each plate being measured between said top surface and said bottom surface;
• and
• wherein the means for interlocking the plate with the like plates comprises:
• a tongue member extending from and connected to the front edge of the plate, said tongue member extending generally downwardly from the top surface of the plate and separated from the front edge of the plate by a gap, said tongue member having a height measured from the top surface of the plate, and the gap having a width and a depth measured from the bottom surface of the plate;
• and
• a channel defined by and extending along the rear edge of the like plate, said channel having a recessed portion having a depth generally equal to or greater than the height of the tongue member, and a rear wall member extending generally upwardly from the bottom surface of the like plate generally adjacent to the rear edge of the like plate and the recessed portion, the rear wall having a height measured from the top surface of the like plate generally less than or equal to the width of the gap, whereby the tongue member of the plate may be engagingly and removably received within the recessed portion of the channel of the like plate, and the rear wall of the like plate received within the gap of the plate.

A traction enhancing interlocking weight system for use in the cargo compartment of a vehicle, said cargo compartment having a length, a width, and a height, said interlocking weight system comprising:

• a plurality of plates, each said plate having a height, a width, and a length, said height being substantially less than said width and said length, each plate having a pair of opposing side edges and a pair of opposing end edges;
• means associated with each said plate for engagingly and removably interlocking said plate with a like one of said plates when said plate and said like plate are positioned in close confronting contact along an adjacent pair of said side edges or said end edges of the plate and the like plate, to interconnect said plurality of plates in an array, said array having a length and a width less than the length and the width of the cargo compartment, whereby the plates may be arranged and interconnected in the array within the cargo compartment so as to provide additional traction weight for the vehicle;
• the width of each said plate being measured between the opposing side edges, and each said plate having a front end edge and a back end edge, the length of each said plate being measured between said front edge and said back end edge, each said plate further including a top surface and a bottom surface, the height of each plate being measured between said top surface and said bottom surface;
• and
• wherein the means for interlocking each of the plates with the like plates comprises:
• a plurality of flange members, each said flange member extending from and connected to one of the opposing side edges of the plate and being spaced apart from the corresponding side edge of the plate by a groove;
• and
• a plurality of second flange members, each said second flange member extending from and connected to one of the opposing side edges of the like plate and being spaced apart from the corresponding side edge of the like plate by a second groove, whereby one of the flange members of the plate may be engagingly and removably received within the second groove of the like plate and the second flange member of the like plate may be engagingly and removably received within the groove of the plate to interlock the plate and the like plate.

A traction enhancing interlocking weight system for use in the cargo compartment of a vehicle, said cargo compartment having a length, a width, and a height, said interlocking weight system comprising:

• a plurality of plates, each said plate having a height, a width, and a length, said height being substantially less than said width and said length, each plate having a pair of opposing side edges and a pair of opposing end edges;
• means associated with each said plate for engagingly and removably interlocking said plate with a like one of said plates when said plate and said like plate are positioned in close confronting contact along an adjacent pair of said side edges or said end edges of the plate and the like plate, to interconnect said plurality of plates in an array, said array having a length and a width less than the length and the width of the cargo compartment, whereby the plates may be arranged and interconnected in the array within the cargo compartment so as to provide additional traction weight for the vehicle;
• the width of each said plate being measured between the opposing side edges, and each said plate having a front end edge and a back end edge, the length of each said plate being measured between said front edge and said back end edge, each said plate further including a top surface and a bottom surface, the height of each plate being measured between said top surface and said bottom surface;
• wherein the means for interlocking each of the plates with the like plates comprises:
• a plurality of notches, at least one of said notches being defined by the plate and having a portion defined by and recessed from the top surface of the plate and further defining a bore extending at least partially through the plate, and at least one of said notches being defined by the like plate and having a portion defined by and recessed from the top surface of the like plate and further defining a bore extending at least partially through the like plate;
• and
• a plurality of coupling pins, each coupling pin having a first depending leg segment and a second depending leg segment and a central bridge portion extending between and connected to said first and said second leg segments, whereby the first leg segment of one of the coupling pins may be engagingly and removably received within the bore of the notch defined by the plate, and the second leg segment of the coupling pin may be engagingly and removably received within the bore of the notch defined by the like plate, such that the central bridge of the coupling pin extends between the plate and the like plate to thereby interconnect the plate to the like plate.

A traction enhancing interlocking weight system for use in the cargo compartment of a vehicle, said cargo compartment having a length, a width, and a height, said interlocking weight system comprising:

• a plurality of plates, each said plate having a height, a width, and a length, said height being substantially less than said width and said length, each plate having a pair of opposing side edges and a pair of opposing end edges;
• means associated with each said plate for engagingly and removably interlocking said plate with a like one of said plates when said plate and said like plate are positioned in close confronting contact along an adjacent pair of said side edges or said end edges of the plate and the like plate, to interconnect said plurality of plates in an array, said array having a length and a width less than the length and the width of the cargo compartment, whereby the plates may be arranged and interconnected in the array within the cargo compartment so as to provide additional traction weight for the vehicle;
• the width of each said plate being measured between the opposing side edges, and each said plate having a front end edge and a back end edge, the length of each said plate being measured between said front edge and said back end edge, each said plate further including a top surface and a bottom surface, the height of each plate being measured between said top surface and said bottom surface;
• and
• wherein the opposing side edges, front edge, and rear edge of each plate each define a path, the path of the front edge of the plate being generally the same as the path of the rear edge of the like plate, the path of rear edge of the plate being generally the same as the path of the front edge of the like plate, and the path of a first one of the side edges of the plate being generally the same as the path of the first one of the side edges of the like plate and the path of a second one of the side edges of the like plate, each path defining one or more concave regions and one or more convex regions such that the rear edge of the plate may be slidingly and removably engaged by the front edge of the like plate, the front edge of the plate may be slidingly and removably engaged by the rear edge of the like plate, said first one of the side edges of the plate may be slidingly and removably engaged by said first one of the side edges of the like plate, and said second one of the side edges of the plate may be slidingly and removably engaged by said second one of the side edges of the like plate.