US Patent Issued to Columbia Insurance on March 31 for "Concealed structural connector" (Minnesota Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 31 -- United States Patent no. 12,590,453, issued on March 31, was assigned to Columbia Insurance Co. (Omaha, Neb.).

"Concealed structural connector" was invented by Steven Brekke (Lakeville, Minn.) and Trent Kortenbusch (St. Paul, Minn.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A concealed connector for connecting a first structural component to a second structural component includes a connection portion and a connection plate. The connection portion attaches to the second structural component. The connection plate attaches to the first structural component. The connection plate is coupled to the connection portion and extends into a slot in the first structural component. The co...