Patent ID: 9487154
Filing Date: 2016-11-08
CPC Classification: A47B,B60R

Claim Text:
1. A modular mounting system that permits a user to removably mount equipment, said system comprising: a mounting base presenting an exposed receiving surface that is generally accessible by the user; a removable member removably attached relative to the receiving surface in a supporting position, with the removable member being shiftable relative to the receiving surface into and out of the supporting position; and a latch device shiftably mounted to the mounting base to shift into latching engagement with the removable member when the removable member is in the supporting position, with the latch device restricting movement of the removable member out of the supporting position, said mounting base presenting a chamber that receives the latch device, said mounting base including an elongated platform that presents the receiving surface, with the platform at least partly defining the chamber, said latch device being mounted so as to move in a plane generally parallel to the receiving surface, said latch device being spaced below the receiving surface so that the receiving surface substantially covers the latch device, said latch device including a pair of opposed latch fingers pivotally mounted to the mounting base and pivotal in the plane into and out of latching engagement with the removable member and cooperatively capturing the removable member when in latching engagement therewith, said latch device including a shiftable link that interconnects the fingers and is linearly slidable along the plane in a latching direction to shift the fingers toward each other and in an opposite unlatching direction to shift the fingers away from each other, said link slidably engaging the fingers when sliding in the latching direction to urge the fingers into latching engagement with the removable member, said link slidably engaging the fingers when sliding in the unlatching direction to urge the fingers out of latching engagement with the removable member.