US 12,128,720 B2
Hitches and connections for automated guided vehicle
Leung Man Shiu, Gaithersburg, MD (US); Edward F. Houston, Bristow, VA (US); Anthony B. Taylor, Stafford, VA (US); Tuyen Thanh Nguyen, Fairfax, VA (US); and Scott R. Bombaugh, Burke, VA (US)
Assigned to United States Postal Service, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by United States Postal Service, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Mar. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/191,386.
Application 17/814,810 is a division of application No. 16/903,705, filed on Jun. 17, 2020, granted, now 11,433,721, issued on Sep. 6, 2022.
Application 18/191,386 is a continuation of application No. 17/814,810, filed on Jul. 25, 2022, granted, now 11,623,482.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/862,896, filed on Jun. 18, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0226862 A1, Jul. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. B60D 1/52 (2006.01); B60D 1/14 (2006.01); B60D 1/00 (2006.01); B60D 1/48 (2006.01)
CPC B60D 1/52 (2013.01) [B60D 2001/001 (2013.01); B60D 2001/005 (2013.01); B60D 1/14 (2013.01); B60D 1/481 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of releasably coupling a tow hitch to a wire container, the method comprising:
positioning one or more primary flanges of the tow hitch around a first horizontal wire of the wire container; and
applying a force to the tow hitch such that one or more secondary flanges of the tow hitch snaps under a second horizontal wire of the wire container so that the second horizontal wire pushes against the one or more secondary flanges and the first horizontal wire pushes against the one or more primary flanges to releasably couple the tow hitch to the wire container with the tow hitch extending horizontally from a wall of the wire container.