ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,374,831, issued on July 29, was assigned to Zonit Structured Solutions LLC (Boulder, Colo.).
"Frictional locking receptacle with programmable release" was invented by Steve Chapel (Iliff, Colo.) and William Pachoud (Boulder, Colo.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method and apparatus for securing an electrical connection formed by a mating structure including prongs of a male assembly and receptacles of a female assembly are provided. In certain embodiments, the electrical connection can be secured by frictional engagement between the plug and receptacle housings. This can be accomplished by forcing a wedge into an interface between the ...