INTERCHANGEABLE PLUG-IN MODULAR APPLIANCE UNIT SYSTEM

• US 3,858,091 A
• Filed: 09/06/1972
• Issued: 12/31/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas A. Wilkinson
• Original Assignee: Thomas A. Wilkinson
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaefer, Robert K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/286,772
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 317/11R,11CB,117,118,120 312/297 339/32
• US Class Current: 361/724
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/828 Mounting or fastening exchangeable modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/36 with withdrawable units
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A selective appliance is inserted into a chamber provided within a hollow frame having an opening through which the appliance is received and with the front of the appliance visually and manually accessible at the frame opening. Insertion of the appliance automatically effects releasable selective operating electrical connection. Releasable retaining means hold the appliance in the frame. Mounting of the frame may be at a convenient location in which the appliance or any selected one of a number of appliances may be most useful, such as under the dash of an automobile for access to the automobile driver or a seat companion, in a pleasure boat under a dash panel or in a cabin, in a residential building, and the like.

Claims

1. In a plug-in modular appliance unit system:

a mount having a forwardly opening appliance-receiving chamber therein;

means on the mount by which it is attached to a supporting structure;

a plurality of separate and individual modular utility appliance units each of which has a housing providing a storage space therein and a front end wall provided with an access opening into the space, each housing carrying at least one electrical device accessible at the front of the unit for performing a utilitarian function;

said modular appliance unit housings being selectively and interchangeably received in said chamber by pushing the selected unit rearwardly through the opening into the mount chamber;

means on said mount and on said unit housings to stop inward movement of the selected unit into the mount chamber with the front end wall of the selected unit visually and manually accessible at the mount chamber opening so that access can be had into said storage space within the selected unit and access can be had to said electrical device of the selected unit;

a plurality of separable electrical connectors carried by said mount within said chamber, certain of said connectors being electrically connected with a power source and other of the connectors being connected with at least one selected electrical utility device located outside of said mount;

each of said units carrying separable electrical connectors which are oriented in a pattern in accordance with the individual functions of that unit;

the separable electrical connectors of each of the units including certain ones for connection with the power source separable connectors of the mount carried connectors for energizing the electrical device of the unit;

at least certain of the units having additional separable connectors engageable in arming relation selectively with said mount carried connectors connected with a selected outside electrical utility device; and

the separable connectors of the selected unit received in the mount chamber effecting electrical connection with said mount carried power source connectors and selectively with those mount carried connectors which in addition match the individual pattern of the connectors carried by selected unit and thereby effecting electrical arming connection exclusively with only said outside electrical device connected with the selected mount carried connectors, and leaving other of the mount carried connectors unused until other of the units having different patterns of connectors for arming connection with other selected outside utility devices are selectively and interchangeably inserted into said mount chamber.

2. A system according to claim 1, comprising a bar mounted across the rear of said chamber and having opposite ends at opposite sides of said chamber, and a plurality of rows of the mount carried connectors mounted on said bar, said rows of connectors extending substantially from end to end of the bar, said unit carried connectors being located on the rear end of the units in alignment with the bar mounted connectors which are complementary thereto.

3. A system according to claim 2, said electrical connectors of the bar comprising jack sockets, the electrical connectors of the modular units comprising plugs received in said sockets, and terminals on said connectors on the bar receptive of electrical connectors of selected operating circuits.

4. A system according to claim 1, including a flexible roll-top type door for closing said opening, track means on said chamber mount wiThin said chamber adjacent to said chamber opening to guide said door between open and closed positions relative to said chamber opening and in front of the unit which is received in the chamber, said track means comprising respective vertical tracks at each side of said chamber opening, respective horizontal tracks at each side along the top of said chamber, stop means on the mount spaced inwardly adjacent to said verrtical track means, and positioning flange means at the front end of the unit which is received in said chamber engaging said stop means.

5. A system according to claim 1, including latching means comprising a pair of respective spring latches one of which is located adjacent to each end of the upper side of the face of each of the units and having laterally projecting detents engageable with keeper means on the mount, and inwardly depressible releasing plungers having outwardly projecting button ends digitally engageable to release the latch detents and requiring that both of the plungers be simultaneously releasably depressed to release both of said latches to free the unit from the mount.

6. A system according to claim 1, including spring biased unit-ejecting plunger means mounted in balanced relation on the mount at the inner end of said chamber and projecting forwardly away from the mount carried separable connectors, said plunger means being engaged and loaded by a portion on the rear end of the selected unit within the chamber pressing thereagainst for biasing the unit forwardly relative to said mount carried connectors and outwardly relative to said chamber, and latch means carried by the front walls of said units and engaging with the mount to retain the selected unit within said chamber against outward displacement due to the bias of said plunger means, said latch means being digitally operable to release the selected unit from the mount for outward ejection by the bias of said plunger means and to thereby effect separation of the electrical connectors on the selected unit from the mount carried connectors.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said plunger means comprise a pair of plungers respectively mounted adjacent to opposite lateral sides of the rear end of said chamber, and said latch means comprise a pair of latches mounted on the front walls of each of the units at respective opposite sides thereof and each of the latches having an individually digitally operable latch releasing member accessible at the front wall of the respective units and requiring simultaneous actuation to effect release of the selected unit from the mount.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said releasing members of the latches comprise spring biased plungers projecting outwardly from the front walls of the units and depressable inwardly to effect release of the latches.

9. In a plug-in modular appliance unit system:

a mount providing a hollow space therein serving as an appliance-housing chamber;

means on the mount for attaching it to a supporting structure;

means on said mount defining an appliance-receiving opening into said chamber;

a modular appliance unit releasably mounted in said chamber;

means releasably retaining the unit within said chamber;

said unit including electrical equipment;

means on the unit and on the mount providing electrical operating circuit connection for the unit;

a flexible roll-top type door for closing said opening into said chamber;

track means on said mount within said chamber adjacent to said opening guiding said door between open and closed position relative to said opening, said mount including a wall along the inner side of which the door extends in the open position;

said track means comprising respective vertical tracks at each side of said opening, and respective horizontal tracks at each side along said wall, said wall being at the top of said chamber;

stop means spaced inwardly relative to said vertical track means; and

positioning flange means at the front end of the unit;

the front-to-rear distance between said stop means and said vertical tracks being ample to effect insetting of said front end of the unit for closing of said door in front of said front end, spring biased unit-ejecting plunger means mounted in balanced relation on the mount at the inner end of said chamber and projecting toward said opening and away from said mount carried separable connectors, said plunger means further separating said mount and unit connectors.

10. In a plug-in modular appliance unit system:

a mount providing a hollow space therein serving as an appliance-housing chamber;

means on the mount by which it is attached to a supporting structure;

means on said mount defining an appliance-receiving opening into said chamber;

said chamber having an inner end;

a modular utility appliance unit received in said chamber by pushing through said opening and having an outer end visually and manually accessible at said opening and having an inner end within said chamber;

separable electrical connectors fixed on the inner end of said unit;

separable electrical connectors fixedly carried by the mount at the inner end of said chamber and to which the connectors on the unit are connectible by pushing the unit into the mount;

spring biased unit-ejecting plunger means mounted in balanced relation on the mount at the inner end of said chamber and projecting toward said opening and away from said mount carried separable connectors;

said plunger means being engaged and loaded by a portion on the inner end of the unit pressing thereagainst for biasing the unit outwardly relative to said mount carried connectors and outwardly relative to said opening;

said mount having means for guiding the unit within said chamber between said opening and said connectors on the mount; and

latch means carried by the outer end of said unit and engaging with the mount to retain the unit within said chamber against outward displacement due to the bias of said plunger means;

said latch means being digitally operable to release the unit from the mount for outward ejection by the bias of said plunger means and to thereby effect separation of said electrical connectors on said unit from the mount carried connectors, said plunger means further separating said mount and unit connectors.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said plunger means comprise a pair of plungers mounted adjacent to laterally opposite sides of the inner end of said chamber, and said latch means comprise respective latches generally aligned at the outer end of the unit with said plungers and having means requiring simultaneous actuation to release the unit from the mount.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said means of the latches comprise respective outwardly projecting spring biased plungers which must be pushed inwardly simultaneously to release the unit from the mount.

13. A method of attaining a selected utility function in a modular appliance unit system, comprising:

providing a mount having a forwardly opening appliance-receiving chamber therein;

attaching said mount in an operating position on a supporting structure;

providing on said mount within said chamber a plurality of separable electrical connectors;

connecting some of the mount carried connectors electrically with a power source;

connecting certain other of the mount carried connectors with electrical means other than said power source and located outside of said mount;

providing a plurality of separate and individual modular utility appliance units each having a housing providing a storage space therein and a front wall provided with an access opening into the space;

providing in each of the unit housings at least one electrical device accessible at the front of the unit and capable of performing a utilitarian function with respect to that unit;

providing on each of said units separable electrical connEctors which are oriented in a pattern in accordance with the individual functions of that unit;

selecting one of said units and inserting it into the mount chamber until the front wall of the selected unit is aligned with the opening from the chamber;

effecting electrical connection of separable connectors on the selected unit with the mount carried power source connectors; and

selectively effecting connection of additional separable connectors of the selected unit with those certain other mount carried connectors which match the individual pattern of the connectors carried by the selected unit, thereby effecting electrical arming connection exclusively with only the selected outside electrical device connected with the selected certain other mount carried connectors and leaving other of the mount carried connectors unused until other of the units having different patterns of connectors for arming connection with other selected outside utility devices are selectively and interchangeably inserted into said mount chamber.

14. A method according to claim 13, comprising removing said selected modular appliance unit from said chamber and thereby separating its connectors from the mount carried connectors, selecting another of the appliance units having a different pattern of separable electrical connectors, inserting said another selected unit into said chamber, and effecting separable connection of connectors carried by said another selected unit with the power source connectors of the mount and also effecting separable electrical connection of other of the connectors of said another selected unit with selected ones of the previously unused mount carried connectors for electrical arming connection with a different outside electrical utility device connected with said selected previously unused mount carried connectors.

15. A method according to claim 13, including during the pushing of the selected unit into the mount chamber pressing an inner end portion on the unit housing against spring biased ejection means carried by the mount at the inner end of said chamber, latching the unit in the mount to retain the unit within the chamber against outward displacement due to the bias of said biasing means, releasing said latching means and effecting outward ejection movement of the unit by force of said ejection means and thereby effecting separation of said electrical connectors on the unit from the mount carried connectors.