Abstract: Four cargo organizers may be formed into a cargo containment system using boards of one or two standard sizes of milled lumber and of varying lengths. To attach a board to a cargo organizer, a bottom of the board is placed on a sill that extends rearwardly of a cargo organizer wall. The board is rotated upwardly until its width is in a vertical position. Then, each of plural camming fingers is turned within a respective finger hole, the holes being selected by the user for the width of the board in question. An elongate blade of each camming finger helps affix the top of the board to a rear face of the organizer wall.

Abstract: A post of a trailer hitch step assembly has a front portion adapted for insertion into a standard square hollow trailer hitch receiver and a rear portion that closely fits to a socket formed in a step body of the assembly. The height of the step body is greater than the height of the post, permitting the post to be affixed to the step body with the aid of screws threading into threaded bores that upwardly extend from the socket ceiling. Planar facets of the rear portion of the post and of the socket coact to resist torsional forces imposed on the step body around any of three axes.

Abstract: Four cargo organizers may be formed into a cargo containment system using boards of one or two standard sizes of milled lumber and of varying lengths. To attach a board to a cargo organizer, a bottom of the board is placed on a sill that extends rearwardly of a cargo organizer wall. The board is rotated upwardly until its width is in a vertical position. Then, each of plural camming fingers is turned within a respective finger hole, the holes being selected by the user for the width of the board in question. An elongate blade of each camming finger helps affix the top of the board to a rear face of the organizer wall.

Abstract: A pet ramp system has a central pier and at least one ramp with an axle that is received in at least one axle receiver disposed near the top of the pier. The pier's axle receiver(s) permit installation of the ramp axle when the ramp is oriented at less than a predetermined angle from vertical, but the axle receiver(s) will not permit separation of the ramp from the pier when the ramp is lowered to any of a plurality of use positions that each are at more than the predetermined angle.

Abstract: Spaced-apart elongate ribs formed on a floor of an upper surface of a coaster have sidewalls that each have a concave curved surface extending upward from the floor, and a convex curved surface extending upward from an upper end of the concave curved surface to a top of the rib. A radius of the concave curved surface is larger than a height of the rib. A lower surface of the coaster has spaced-apart nibs having surfaces formed as surfaces of rotation, each of which downwardly extends from a general lower surface of the coaster body to a bottom of the nib. A sidewall of the nib has a concave curved surface that extends downwardly from the general surface, and a convex curved surface that extends downwardly from a lower end of the concave curved surface to the bottom of the nib. A radius of the concaved curved surface of the nib sidewall is greater than a height of the nib. The avoidance of crevasses, corners and channels in the coaster makes the coaster easier to keep clean.

Abstract: A hitch step assembly comprises a first shot component injection molded from a first polymer compound with a high flexural modulus and a second shot component injection molded from a second polymer compound having a lower flexural modulus relative to the first shot compound. A post and a step body core are molded from the first polymer compound. A shell of the step body is molded from the second polymer compound and is overmolded onto the step body core. The shell forms a compression zone that attenuates rear impact forces the hitch step encounters, thus offering some protection against rear impacts. The hitch step assembly exhibits satisfactory resistance to deflection and torsional bending about a hitch receiver axis when a force is applied on the top surface of the hitch step near its lateral ends.

Abstract: A pet ramp system has a central pier and at least one ramp with an axle that is received in an axle receiver disposed near the top of the pier. The axle is disposed inwardly, in both a fore and aft direction and in a transverse direction, from a base perimeter of the pier. The pier's axle receiver(s) permit installation of the ramp axle when the ramp is in a vertical orientation, but the receiver(s) will not permit separation of the ramp from the pier when in use.

Abstract: A hitch step assembly comprises a first shot component injection molded from a first polymer compound with a high flexural modulus and a second shot component injection molded from a second polymer compound having a relatively low Shore D hardness but high elastic compression. A post and a step body core are molded from the first polymer compound. A shell of the step body is molded from the second polymer compound and is overmolded on the step body core. The shell forms a compression zone that provides some protection against rear impacts. The hitch step assembly exhibits satisfactory resistance to torsion around the hitch receiver axis and deflection, even when a width of the step body exceeds 10.7 inches and the weight of a large man is placed on the top surface of the hitch step near its end.

Abstract: An improved pet barrier has first and second spaced-apart vertical poles and one or more horizontally oriented fences that are affixed to the poles. At least the top ends of the poles terminate in resilient, convexly curved feet. The feet have contact surfaces that are approximately hemitoroidal in shape. Each pole may have a tube and an elongate upright extending out of the tube and may have a coarse adjustment mechanism that permits the vertical insert to extend out of the top end of the tube by one of several preselected heights. Each pole may have a fine adjustment mechanism including a lead screw and a nut that rotates on a groove formed near the end of the pole tube. A fence clamp clamps upper and lower cross bars of the fence to the clamp using a single threaded fastener, the clamping action also affixing the fence to the pole.

Abstract: An improved pet barrier has first and second spaced-apart vertical poles and one or more horizontally oriented fences that are affixed to the poles. At least the top ends of the poles terminate in resilient, convexly curved feet. The feet have contact surfaces that are approximately hemitoroidal in shape. Each pole may have a tube and an elongate upright extending out of the tube and may have a coarse adjustment mechanism that permits the vertical insert to extend out of the top end of the tube by one of several preselected heights. Each pole may have a fine adjustment mechanism including a lead screw and a nut that rotates on a groove formed near the end of the pole tube. A fence clamp clamps upper and lower cross bars of the fence to the clamp using a single threaded fastener, the clamping action also affixing the fence to the pole.

Abstract: A top surface of an elevating stand of a pet feeding system defines bowl receptacles into which respective food and water bowls may be removably installed. A first zone of the top surface of the stand includes an upwardly convex ring that laterally surrounds a respective bowl receptacle. A second zone of the top surface of the stand laterally surrounds the first zone, except as interrupted by a finger notch. Each bowl has a peripheral lip with a lower surface formed as a downwardly concave ring that fits over the upwardly convex ring of the stand. An edge of the bowl rests on the second zone at a location below the upper limit of the convex ring. A base of the stand cooperates with upstanding ribs in an elastomeric mat to prevent lateral movement of the stand and to prevent rotation of the stand around the stand center.

Abstract: Spaced-apart elongate ribs formed on a floor of an upper surface of a coaster have sidewalls that each have a concave curved surface extending upward from the floor, and a convex curved surface extending upward from an upper end of the concave curved surface to a top of the rib. A radius of the concave curved surface is larger than a height of the rib. A lower surface of the coaster has spaced-apart nibs having surfaces formed as surfaces of rotation, each of which downwardly extends from a general lower surface of the coaster body to a bottom of the nib. A sidewall of the nib has a concave curved surface that extends downwardly from the general surface, and a convex curved surface that extends downwardly from a lower end of the concave curved surface to the bottom of the nib. A radius of the concaved curved surface of the nib sidewall is greater than a height of the nib. The avoidance of crevasses, corners and channels in the coaster makes the coaster easier to keep clean.