Tie down assembly

• US 4,257,570 A
• Filed: 07/31/1978
• Issued: 03/24/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl M. Rasmussen
• Original Assignee: Carl M. Rasmussen
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Carl M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schultz, William H.
• Application Number:
  US05/929,373
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 248/119 R, 248/222.3, 248/222.4, 248/223.1, 248/223.2, 248/225.1, 248/500, 248/503, 248/506, 248/507, 248/680, 248/681, 52/23, 24/230 TC
• US Class Current: 248/503
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 7/0807 Attachment points

Abstract

A tie down assembly for use in securing one object to another, such as a camper to a truck, the tie down assembly including a specially configurated anchor member rigidly secured to a surface and having a head spaced from the surface by a diametrally reduced neck portion. A bracket member is provided with an interlock slot configurated to permit removable attachment of the bracket member to the anchor member only when the interlock slot in the bracket member is oriented in a predetermined complementary way with respect to the special configuration of the camper anchor. Once attached to the anchor member, the bracket member may be freely rotated with respect to the anchor member but can be removed only when properly aligned. The bracket member is provided with a coupling means to receive a camper tie down turnbuckle or the like and because the bracket is rotatable upon the anchor, the bracket will automatically assume direct alignment with the turnbuckle and cannot become inadvertently detached from the anchor member while the tensioning force is exerted through the coupling to the bracket.

Claims

1. A tie down assembly comprising in combination:

bracket means comprising a coupling portion, a base portion and an interlock means, the coupling portion being joined to the base portion at a bend forming an obtuse angle, the interlock means comprising an access port formed in the coupling portion and an elongated opening formed in the base portion, the elongated opening being joined at a first end to the access opening at said bend and terminating at a second end in a rotation surface, the elongated opening having a first pair of parallel longitudinal surfaces residing within a first pair of reference planes, the access port having a second pair of parallel longitudinal surfaces residing within a second pair of reference planes, the transverse dimension of the access port being larger than that of the corresponding dimension of the elongated opening; and

anchor means comprising a diametrally enlarged flanged head, a diametrally reduced neck and means for mounting the anchor means rigidly to a surface such that the flanged head is spaced from the surface a distance sufficient to allow the thickness of the bracket means to pass therebetween and a portion of the neck interposed therebetween, the flanged head configurated to present a first dimension slightly smaller, and at least one other dimension larger, than the distance between the second pair of reference planes, the neck being slightly smaller in diameter than the distance between the first pair of reference planes whereby the anchor means and the bracket means may be selectively engaged and disengaged by rotating the bracket means until the first pair of reference planes are aligned with the neck and the second pair of reference planes are aligned with the first dimension of the flanged head and by simple lateral movement of the aligned bracket means in a single plane, and whereby the bracket means may be rotated about the anchor means without inadvertent disengagement thereof after engagement is accomplished.

2. A tie down assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for spacing said flanged head from said surface comprises a collar secured to the neck with a portion of the neck interposed between the flanged head and the collar, the collar being spaced from the flanged head a distance just larger than the thickness of the bracket means.

3. A tie down assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said coupling portion is eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the bracket means about the anchor means and the alignment for disengagement is along the horizontal whereby, upon removal of a restraining force, the bracket means may rotate freely to a downward directed rest position without inadvertent disengagement.

4. A tie down assembly for attachment to a turnbuckle, said tie down assembly comprising in combination:

anchor means comprising an enlarged head having a dimension which is smaller in the generally vertical plane than in the generally horizontal plane; and

bracket means comprising a base portion and a coupling portion, the base portion being joined to the coupling portion at an obtuse angle and having a slotted interlock formed in the base portion and sized to receive the neck of the anchor means in movable relation, the slotted interlock communicating with an enlarged access opening in the coupling portion at its juncture with the base, said access opening admitting the enlarged head of the anchor means only by planar translation movement of the bracket means in the generally horizontal direction, and said coupling portion having an aperture positioned above said access opening such that attachment of said turnbuckle to said aperture will anchor the enlarged head of said anchor means within said slotted interlock of said base portion.