The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 02, 2024
Filed:
Dec. 10, 2021
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota, JP;
Kunihiro Iwamoto, Nagakute, JP;
Yuta Itozawa, Nagoya, JP;
Hirotaka Komura, Tokyo, JP;
Yutaro Takagi, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshiaki Nakamoto, Nisshin, JP;
Junya Ota, Tokyo, JP;
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota, JP;
Abstract
A rack includes: a casing; M (an integer not less than three) pairs of supports that are provided inside the casing so as to extend in a depth direction and arrayed at regular intervals in a predetermined direction (a height direction or a left-right direction); and a lock mechanism. The rack can house all returnable containers of one or more prespecified sizes along the respective pairs of supports. The lock mechanism includes N (an integer not less than two and meeting N<M≤2−1) shafts that are movable in the predetermined direction. Branches are provided on the shafts such that a combination of engagement and disengagement between the branches and holes provided in protrusions of the returnable container is different in each of the returnable containers housed on the respective M pairs of supports.