1. A vehicle floor cover retention system, comprising:
a vehicle floor cover for installation in a vehicle foot well, the vehicle floor cover having a general lower surface, at least one socket formed into the general lower surface and having a closed ceiling spaced upwardly from the general lower surface, at least one sidewall of the socket extending by a predetermined depth from the general lower surface to the ceiling, the socket having a top socket diameter at the ceiling and a bottom socket diameter at the general lower surface such that the top socket diameter is less than the bottom socket diameter; and
for each socket, a respective retention device disposed to upwardly extend from the vehicle foot well and having a free end, a body of the retention device having at least one upstanding sidewall, a depth of the sidewall of the socket being preselected to be more than or equal to a height of the sidewall of the retention device body as measured from a general surface of the vehicle foot well to the free end of the retention device body, the device having a greatest diameter that is less than the top and bottom socket diameters;
the socket adapted to receive the retention device when the floor cover is placed in the vehicle foot well, the sidewall of the retention device presenting a physical stop to the sidewall of the socket to mitigate lateral movement of the vehicle floor cover within the vehicle foot well.
2. A vehicle floor cover retention system, comprising:
a vehicle floor cover for installation in a vehicle foot well, the vehicle floor cover having a general lower surface, at least one socket formed into the general lower surface and having a closed ceiling spaced upwardly from the general lower surface, at least one sidewall of the socket extending by a predetermined depth from the general lower surface to the ceiling; and
for each socket, a respective adapter disposed to upwardly extend from the vehicle foot well and having a free end, a body of the adapter having at least one upstanding sidewall, a depth of the sidewall of the socket being preselected to be more than or equal to a height of the sidewall of the adapter body as measured from a general surface of the vehicle foot well to the free end of the adapter body;
the socket adapted to receive the adapter when the floor cover is placed in the vehicle foot well, the sidewall of the adapter presenting a physical stop to the sidewall of the socket to mitigate lateral movement of the vehicle floor cover within the vehicle foot well; and
a connector adapted to affix the adapter to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehicle floor mat retention device installed by the original equipment manufacturer in the vehicle foot well.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the connector of the adapter is formed by a cavity disposed to be radially interior to the sidewall of the adapter body, the cavity sized to house an enlarged head of an OEM vehicle floor mat retention post, a lower end of the cavity defined by an engagement ridge, the engagement ridge extending radially inwardly from a general inner sidewall of the cavity and adapted to receive a shaft of the OEM vehicle floor mat retention post, the shaft extending between the vehicle foot well surface and the enlarged head.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the adapter is formed as two separate pieces which are brought together around the OEM retention post to affix the adapter to the OEM retention post.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the adapter is formed as first and second pieces hinged to each other at the sidewall of the adapter body, the first and second pieces hingedly closed on each other around the OEM floor mat retention post to affix the adapter to the OEM retention post.
6. The system of claim 3, wherein the enlarged head of the OEM retention post is a hook which is asymmetrical around an axis of the post, the adapter body having an axis, the engagement ridge defining an access hole extending from the axis of the adapter body to the general inner sidewall of the cavity in the adapter body but angularly extending only through a portion of the bottom of the adapter body cavity, the adapter adapted to be twisted about the axis such that the hook of the OEM retention post is above the engagement ridge.
7. The system of claim 2, wherein the connector has a shaft which extends downwardly on an axis of the adapter body, the shaft having an end remote from the adapter body, an elongate bar joined to the last said end and horizontally extending form the axis in opposite directions, the elongate bar adapted to be received through a slot formed in the vehicle foot well and into a cavity below the slot, the retention device rotated to fasten the retention device to the vehicle foot well.
8. The system of claim 2, wherein the connector has a shaft which extends downwardly on an axis of the retention device body and which terminates in an enlarged end, the shaft being axially split into two parts, the parts being capable of elastic deformation toward the axis, the connector adapted to being inserted through a hole in the vehicle foot well and into a cavity disposed below the hole, the parts of the enlarged end of the shaft elastically deforming toward the axis as the enlarged end is inserted through the hole and springing radially outwardly once the enlarged end is in the last said cavity to thereby connect the adapter to the vehicle foot well.
9. The system of claim 2, wherein the sidewall of the body of the retention device generally conforms to a surface of rotation around a body axis, plural angularly spaced-apart depressions being formed in the sidewall of the body to provide purchase points for a thumb and at least one finger of a human hand so that a user may manually twist the retention device about its body axis.
10-24. (canceled)
25. A vehicle floor cover retention system, comprising:
a vehicle floor cover for installation in a substantially carpeted vehicle foot well, the vehicle floor cover having a general lower surface, at least one socket formed into the general lower surface and having a closed ceiling spaced upwardly from the general lower surface, at least one sidewall of the socket extending by a predetermined depth from the general lower surface to the ceiling;
for each socket, a respective affixationretention device;
a substantially plate-shaped handgrip member of the affixationretention device formed around an axis to be substantially orthogonal thereto, a noncircular handgrip margin of the handgrip member radially spaced from the axis, the handgrip member having a lower face and an upper face;
a vehicle floor cover retention member of the affixationretention device upstanding from the upper face of the handgrip member and sized to be received in a respective socket, the retention member disposed on the axis, a largest radius orthogonal to the axis of the vehicle floor cover retention member being smaller than a smallest radius orthogonal to the axis of the handgrip member; and
a carpet affixation member of the affixationretention device downwardly depending from the lower surface of the handgrip member, the carpet affixation member formed around the axis and adapted to be twisted into carpeting of the vehicle foot well in a predetermined rotational direction by action of the human hand on the handgrip surface of the handgrip member.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein a body of the vehicle floor cover retention member has a free end upwardly spaced from the upper face of the handgrip member and at least one upstanding sidewall extending between the upper face of the handgrip member and the free end of the retention member, a depth of the sidewall of the socket being preselected to be more than or equal to a height of the sidewall of the retention member; and
the sidewall of the retention member presenting a physical stop to the sidewall of the socket to mitigate lateral movement of the vehicle floor cover within the vehicle foot well.
27. The system of claim 25, and further including a post integrally formed with the handgrip member on the axis to upwardly vertically extend from the upper surface of the handgrip member, a sidewall of the post having an enlargement, the vehicle floor cover retention member being annular and adapted to snap-fit over the enlargement on the post of the handgrip member.
28. The system of claim 25, wherein the handgrip member has a metal plate and a plastic portion overmolded onto the metal plate, the carpet affixation member of the device comprising at least one tine integrally formed with and downwardly depending from the metal plate.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the affixation member includes a plurality of tines angularly spaced from each other and integrally formed with and downwardly extending from the metal plate on roughly helical paths.
30. The system of claim 27, wherein a center of the post and the handgrip member are hollow and define an axial passage, the handgrip member further having a metal plate, at least one tine of the vehicle carpet affixation member integrally formed with and downwardly depending from the metal plate, a noncircular central orifice formed in the plate on the axis and adapted to receive a tool introduced through the axial passage for turning the device in the predetermined rotational direction.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein the noncircular central orifice of the metal plate is adapted to receive an Allen wrench.
32. A device for fastening an object to a carpeted floor of a vehicle, comprising:
a substantially flat handgrip member formed around an axis and having a noncircular handgrip margin radially spaced from the axis, the handgrip member having a lower face which in use faces the carpeted floor of the vehicle;
at least one carpet affixation member joined to the flat handgrip member and downwardly depending therefrom, the carpet affixation member adapted to be twisted into the carpeted floor of the vehicle in a predetermined rotational direction around the axis; and
at least one anti-backout wedge formed on the lower face of the handgrip member to downwardly depend therefrom, the wedge having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the leading edge of the wedge being angularly spaced relative to the axis from the trailing edge of the wedge in the predetermined rotational direction, the trailing edge having a first depth measured from the lower face of the handgrip member, the leading edge having a second depth measured from the lower face of the handgrip member, the first depth being greater than the second depth such that, once the carpet affixation member has been twisted into the carpeted floor of the vehicle, the wedge will resist any torque on the device in a direction opposite the predetermined rotational direction.
33. The device of claim 32, wherein the handgrip member includes a metal plate and a plastic portion overmolded onto the metal plate, at least one tine of the carpet affixation member integrally formed with and downwardly extending from the plate in a roughly helical path.
34. The device of claim 33, wherein said at least one anti-backout wedge and the plastic portion of the handgrip member are integrally molded of plastic.
35. The device of claim 32, wherein the second depth is zero.
36. The device of claim 33, wherein the carpet affixation member includes a plurality of tines angularly spaced apart from each other relative to the axis and extending downwardly from the lower face of the handgrip member on roughly helical paths.
37. The device of claim 32, wherein a plurality of anti-backout wedges are disposed on the lower face to be angularly spaced apart from each other relative to the axis.
38. A device for retention of a mat or tray to a foot well of a vehicle, comprising:
a composite handgrip member formed around an axis and having a noncircular handgrip margin radially spaced from the axis, a lower face of the handgrip member substantially residing in a plane perpendicular to the axis and extending to the handgrip margin, the handgrip member including a metal plate and a plastic component overmolded around the metal plate to at least partially form the handgrip margin, a general lower surface of the metal plate partially constituting the lower face of the handgrip member, a lateral outer margin of the metal plate being radially inwardly spaced from the handgrip margin through at least some of the circumference of the handgrip margin;
at least one radially inwardly extending embayment formed in the plane adjacent the lateral outer margin of the metal plate and having an area, the metal plate not forming any portion of the lower face of the handgrip member within the area of the embayment, a lower surface of the plastic component forming the lower face of the handgrip member within the area of the embayment; and
a vehicle carpet affixation member of the device joined to and extending downwardly from the general lower surface of the handgrip member and adapted to be axially twisted into a carpeted surface of a vehicle foot well.
39. The device of claim 38, wherein multiple embayments are formed adjacent the lateral outer margin of the metal plate, the embayments being angularly spaced from each other relative to the axis.
40. The device of claim 39, wherein the embayments are distributed around the axis at equal angular intervals.
41. The device of claim 38, wherein the lower surface of the metal plate extends across the embayment and departs from the plane within the area of the embayment.
42. The device of claim 41, wherein within the area of the embayment, the plastic component is overmolded both on the lower surface of the metal plate and on the upper surface of the metal plate.
43. The device of claim 41, wherein the metal plate is formed from a workpiece of substantially uniform thickness and is stamped to create a hump that defines the embayment.
44. The device of claim 38, wherein the plastic component laterally surrounds the metal plate through 360 degrees relative to the axis.
45. The device of claim 38, wherein the vehicle carpet affixation member includes at least one process integrally formed with the metal plate.
46. The device of claim 45, wherein the process is a sharpened metal tine.
47. The device of claim 45, wherein the process is stamped from a workpiece of substantially uniform thickness, the workpiece also creating the metal plate.
48. The device of claim 45, wherein the vehicle carpet affixation member includes a plurality of angularly spaced apart processes downwardly extending from the lower face of the handgrip member.
49. The device of claim 38, and further including a vehicle floor cover retention member joined to and upwardly extending from the upper face of the handgrip member.
50. The device of claim 49, wherein the handgrip member includes a post upwardly extending along the axis of the device from the upper face of the handgrip member, the post having an enlargement, the vehicle floor cover retention member being annular and adapted to snap-fit over the enlargement on the post.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method comprising:
distributing ice-filled bags within an internal region defined by a temperature-controlled storage unit until a desired level of filling is reached;
providing an access door to the storage unit for allowing customers to remove one or more ice-filled bags from the internal region during or after filling of the internal region to the desired level of filling;
the step of distributing ice-filled bags comprising:
providing a first kicker assembly comprising a first basket;
disposing the first ice-filled bag in the first basket of the first kicker assembly;
searching a plurality of bag discharge areas within the internal region for a first available space in which to dispose the first ice-filled bag, the step of searching comprising monitoring fill levels in the bag discharge areas within the internal region using level measuring devices within the internal region to identify bag discharge areas with available space for receiving an ice-filled bag, whereby the searching takes into account customer removal of ice-filled bags from the internal region; and
disposing the first ice-filled bag in the first available space in the internal region, comprising:
discharging the first ice-filled bag from the first kicker assembly.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining whether the temperature-controlled storage unit is full of bags filled with ice after distributing the first ice-filled bag within the internal region defined by the temperature-controlled storage unit by monitoring with the level measuring devices to determine if all bag discharge areas are at the desired level of filling with bags of ice; and
if the temperature-controlled storage unit is not full of bags filled with ice after distributing the first ice-filled bag within the internal region defined by the temperature-controlled storage unit, then:
(a) filling another bag with ice to thereby produce a successive ice-filled bag;
(b) searching for an available space in the internal region in which to dispose the successive ice-filled bag by monitoring of fill levels in the bag discharge areas using the level measuring devices to locate a bag discharge area with available space;
(c) distributing the successive ice-filled bag in the located available space within the internal region defined by the temperature-controlled storage unit; and
(d) if the temperature-controlled storage unit is not at the desired degree of filling with bags filled with ice after distributing the successive ice-filled bag within the internal region defined by the temperature-controlled storage unit, then repeating steps (a) to (c) until the temperature-controlled storage unit reaches the desired degree of filling with bags filled with ice.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the same steps to distribute successive ice-filled bags in further available space in the internal region until the desired level of filling is reached, and continuing to monitor the fill levels in the bag discharge areas after the storage unit is at the desired level of filling to identify bag discharge areas with available space due to customer removal of ice-filled bags from the bag discharge areas.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
positioning the first basket in a start position for receiving ice-filled bags from a dispenser above the bag discharge areas
driving the support first basket to a selected first discharge position in which the first basket is located at a discharge position for discharging a bag into the bag discharge area having the first available space;
the step of discharging the first ice-filled bag from the first kicker assembly comprising transporting the first ice-filled bag off the first basket to drop into the first available space;
driving the first basket back to the start position; and
repeating the foregoing steps to drive the first basket to selected discharge positions and discharge ice-filled bags into successive selected bag discharge areas with available space in the internal region.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first basket has at least a first free edge and the step of transporting the first ice-filled bag off the first basket comprises conveying it over the first free edge.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first basket has opposite first and second free edges and some of the ice-filled bags are discharged over a first edge of the first basket and other ice-filled bags are discharged over a second edge of the first basket.
7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first basket comprises a slide platform having opposite free edges and the step of conveying the first ice-filled bag off the first basket comprises pushing the first ice-filled bag off the platform and over a selected free edge with a pusher device.
8. The method of claim 4, further comprising periodically detecting the degree of filling in each bag discharge area, comparing the degrees of filling, and selecting successive bag discharge areas into which ice-filled bags are successively discharged based on the available storage space in each bag discharge area so as to produce leveling of the stacks of ice-filled bags in adjacent bag discharge areas.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein discharge into the bag discharge areas follows a predetermined sequence including all bag discharge areas when the detected degree of filling in all bag discharge areas is less than a predetermined degree of filling.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein discharge of ice-filled bags when one or more bag discharge areas are at the predetermined degree of filling follows a predetermined sequence of discharging ice-filled bags into successive selected bag discharge areas which are detected to have a degree of filling less than the predetermined degree of filling.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein dispensing of ice-filled bags onto the first basket is suspended when the filling degree in all bag discharge areas is at the predetermined degree of filling and is re-started when the filling degree reaches a predetermined value less than the predetermined degree of filling.
12. The method of claim 4, wherein the first basket is associated with a conveyor unit and the step of driving the support first basket comprises driving the first basket along a conveyor path to the selected discharge position, the conveyor unit being configured to define discharge positions corresponding to each bag discharge area in the internal region.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the conveyor path is a longitudinal path and the first basket is driven back and forth in a longitudinal path above the storage area.
14. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system comprising:
a temperature-controlled storage unit having an internal region for storage and dispensing of bags containing ice, the internal region having a plurality of bag discharge areas for receiving bags;
the storage unit having an access door allowing access to the internal region for customer retrieval of one or more bags containing ice from the storage unit;
a distributor comprising a first kicker assembly having a basket, the distributor being configured to distribute ice-filled bags within the internal region of the temperature-controlled storage unit;
a dispenser unit which is configured to supply ice-filled bags to the basket of the first kicker assembly;
a plurality of level measuring devices configured to monitor fill levels in a plurality of bag discharge areas within the internal region to identify one or more bag discharge areas with available space in the internal region in which to discharge ice-filled bags; and
the distributor further comprising a discharge device configured to discharge ice-containing bags from the first kicker assembly in selected discharge areas in the internal region identified as having available space.
15. The system of claim 14,
wherein the distributor comprises a conveyor located above the internal region in the storage unit and including the first kicker assembly, the conveyor configured to drive the basket back and forth along a conveyor path above the discharge areas between a start position to receive an ice-filled bag from the dispenser unit and a plurality of different discharge positions corresponding to different bag discharge areas in the internal region;
a controller is associated with the conveyor and discharge device and configured to actuate the conveyor to drive the basket back and forth from the start position to selected discharge positions corresponding to successive selected discharge areas on receipt of successive ice-filled bags onto the basket and to activate the discharge device to drive each ice-filled bag off the basket into the respective storage position on arrival at the selected discharge position;
the level measuring devices associated with the respective discharge areas having outputs in communication with the controller; and
the controller being configured to monitor the outputs of the level measuring devices during and after customer removal of ice-filled bags from the internal region and to control the conveyor to drive the basket into discharge positions corresponding to selected discharge areas which have available space.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the basket comprises a platform configured to support a single ice-filled bag during transport, the platform having at least one free edge, and the discharge device is configured to drive ice-filled bags off at least said one free edge into different discharge areas.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the platform has opposite first and second free edges and the discharge device is configured to selectively drive ice-filled bags off the first or second free edges into different discharge areas.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the discharge device comprises at least one pusher device movable between an extended position in the path of an ice-filled bag on the platform as the platform is driven along the longitudinal drive path and a retracted position out of the path of an ice-filled bag, the pusher device in the extended position being configured to engage the ice-filled bag to push it off the platform in a direction opposite to the drive direction of the platform.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the discharge device comprises a pair of spaced pusher devices.
20. The system of claim 15, wherein the internal region has at least four different discharge areas for receiving stacked ice-filled bags.