Utility assembly and coupling mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427382-B2
Application number	US-202017064371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2020
Priority date	May 2, 2016
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coupling platform for a stackable utility module configured to engage male couplers on an adjacent utility module comprising:
a panel;
a plurality of female couplers coupled to the panel, the plurality of female couplers each comprising a pair of locking ribs, two sidewalls and a depressed locking location, the pair of locking ribs extending above the depressed locking location and substantially parallel to a sliding path, wherein the male couplers of the adjacent utility module are configured to be engaged below the pair of locking ribs of the plurality of female couplers, wherein each of the female couplers comprises a back wall that extends from each of the two sidewalls and between the two sidewalls, and each of the female couplers comprises a front wall opposite the back wall that extends from each of the two sidewalls and between the two sidewalls, wherein a first rib of the pair of locking ribs extends from the back wall in a first direction towards a front of the panel and from a first sidewall of the two sidewalls, and a second rib of the pair of locking ribs extends from the back wall and from a second sidewall of the two sidewalls;
a latch recess defined by the panel and located on the panel in front of the plurality of female couplers, the latch recess configured to receive a latch from the adjacent utility module; and
a plurality of mounting apertures defined by the panel, the plurality of mounting apertures configured to receive a fastener to secure the panel to a surface.

2. The coupling platform of claim 1 , wherein the first rib extends a first distance from the first sidewall and the first rib extends a second distance from the back wall that is more than twice as far as the first distance.

3. The coupling platform of claim 1 , the panel comprising a top face from which the one or more female couplers extend, wherein the depressed locking locations of the one or more female couplers comprise at least 50% of an area of the top face.

4. The coupling platform of claim 1 , wherein the one or more female couplers are arranged along a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns perpendicular to the plurality of rows, each row comprises two or more female couplers and each column comprises two or more female couplers, wherein each of the plurality of columns are parallel to the first direction.

5. The coupling platform of claim 1 , wherein for each locking rib, an upper surface of the locking rib is parallel to and faces away from a lower surface of the locking rib.

6. The coupling platform of claim 1 , wherein the coupling platform defines a surface of the depressed locking location.

7. The coupling platform of claim 1 , wherein the latching recess is centrally located on the panel in front of the plurality of female couplers.

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp
• Keter Plastic Ltd

Inventors

• Brunner Yaron
• Squiers Grant T
• Hoppe Christopher S
• Hyma Steven W

Classifications

• A45C13/02

  Interior fittings; Means, {e.g. inserts,} for holding and packing articles · CPC title

• B25H3/028

  by sliding extraction from within a common frame · CPC title

• A45F3/10

  Pack-frames carried on the body · CPC title

• B65D21/0228

  Containers joined together by screw-, bayonet-, snap-fit or the like, (B65D21/0211, B65D21/0231 take precedence) · CPC title

• B25H3/02 Primary

  Boxes · CPC title