Patent ID: 7578632
Filing Date: 2009-08-25
Classification: B29C,B29L,E06C,F16B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A blow molded plastic interconnect apparatus comprising: A. a first plastic component having a first wall, a first locking area, a receiving area, a second locking area, a second wall; the first locking area has (i) a first expansion angled lip sloped at an angle away from the first wall toward the second level and terminates at a third level, the third level is positioned between the first level and the second level, (ii) a first locking upper lip positioned (a) at the third level and (b) under the expansion angled lip and a portion of the first wall, and (iii) a first receiving lip having a concave surface that slopes to the receiving area; the second locking area has (i) a second expansion angled lip sloped at an angle away from the second wall toward the second level and terminates at the third level, the third level is positioned between the first level and the second level, (ii) a second locking upper lip positioned (a) at the third level and (b) under the second expansion angled lip and a portion of the second wall, and (iii) a second receiving lip having a concave surface that slopes to the receiving area; B. a second plastic component having a top surface, a bottom surface, a first connect area and a second connect area which are all one piece; the receiving area receives the bottom surface, the first locking area receives the first connect area and the second locking area receives the second connect area; the first connect area has a first driving expansion area having a first protruding conical shaped area separated from a second protruding conical shaped area by an angled sloped area, the first driving expansion area extends from the bottom surface to a middle level, the middle level is positioned immediately below the third level when the first connect area and the first locking area are joined together, a first locking lower lip positioned at the middle level and positioned over portions of the first driving expansion area, a first step receiving area extends from the second locking lower lip to the top surface; the second connect area has a second driving expansion area, the second driving expansion area has a convex surface that slopes from the bottom surface to the middle level, the middle level is positioned immediately below the third level when the second connect area and the second locking area are joined together, a second locking lower lip positioned at the middle level and positioned over portions of the second driving expansion area, a second step receiving area that extends from the second locking lower lip to the top surface; wherein the first plastic component and the second plastic component are combined together by (A) forcing (a) the second driving expansion area against the second expansion angled lip which forces the second expansion angled lip to uniformly move away from the first wall, (b) the first driving expansion area against the first expansion angled lip which forces the first expansion angled lip that contacts the protruding conical shaped areas to move further away from the second wall than the section of the first expansion angled lip that contacts the angled slope area, and (B) having the first expansion angled lip revert to its original position after the entire first driving expansion area passes the first expansion angled lip and the second expansion angled lip revert to its original position after the entire second driving expansion area passes the second expansion angled lip.