US3018995A - Combined lading strap anchor and floor rack holder - Google Patents

Description

1962 G. F. OAKLEY 3,018,995

COMBINED LADING STRAP ANCHOR AND FLOOR RACK HOLDER Filed Jan. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Gilbert f. flaklgy BY W fliiorneys INVENTOR.

G. F. OAKLEY Jan. 30, 1962 COMBINED LADING STRAP ANCHOR AND FLOOR RACK HOLDER Filed Jan. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 61'! bar? FUa/zley United States Patent Q Filed Jan. 12, 1959, Sell. No. 7ss,420 1 Claim. (31. ass-294 This invention relates to combined lading strap anchors and floor rack holders, and more particularly to an assembly having an integral base portion which includes a lading strap anchor and serves as a support for a movable hook element adapted to use for positioning floor racks and the like in vehicles such as railway refrigerator cars.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a lading strap anchor having an integral extension at one side thereof which serves as a support for a hook element that normally gravitates to an out-of-the-way position and which is movable to an extending position for holding engagement with floor racks.

As another object, this invention has within its purview the provision of a unitary structure embodying a lading strap anchor and a support for a movable hook-type floor rack holder, which support includes a pocket in which the floor rack holder normally hangs, and which floor rack holder is readily accessible and movable to a position in which it projects from the support.

My invention further comprehends a combined lading strap anchor and movable floor rack holder embodying three operating parts which are normally separable and subject to quick and easy assembly and which are retained in assembled relationship for use by the structure to which the assembly is secured.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description and the several views of the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing the adaptation of a preferred embodiment of my combined lading strap anchor and floor rack holder to the wall structure of a vehicle, such as a refrigerator car;

FIG. 2 is a top sectional view of the structure depicted in FIG. 1, wherein the section is taken substantially on a line Z-2 of FIG. 1 and in the direction indicated by arrows;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end sectional view wherein the section is taken substantially as indicated by a line 3-3 and accompanying arrows in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end sectional view wherein the section is taken substantially on a line 44 of FIG. 1 and in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a portion of the structure of my combined lading strap anchor and floor rack holder in holding engagement with one type of a floor rack; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end sectional view taken substantially at a position indicated by a line 6--6 in FIG. 1 and in the direction of the arrows.

In the exemplary embodiment of this invention which is depicted in the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes, a combined lading strap anchor and floor rack holder 10 is shown in an application to the wall of a vehicle, such as a refrigerator car, which includes wood stringers 12 which form a structural portion of the car wall and extend longitudinally of the car. In the wall structure illustrated, lining boards 13 provide the inner lining and surface of the car wall. In the illustrated structure, the lining boards 13. extend vertically of the wall and across the horizontal stringers 12, to which they are secured.

The combined lading strap anchor and floor rack holder which is illustrated herein includes an integrally formed 3,018,?) Patented Jan. 30, 1962 metal body structure 14 of generally rectangular shape and having an over-all thickness corresponding to that of the lining boards 13, so that it is adapted to mounting in substantially flush relationship to the lining boards. At one side of the front face of the body structure 14, an opening 15 extends through the body from front to rear, so that when mounted against the surface of a supporting structural member, such as the stringer 12, the opening 15 is closed at the back surface of the body structure to provide a recessed pocket of generally rectangular shape. An anchor post or tongue 16 is integral with the body structure and extends downwardly from the top of the opening 15 over the lateral mid-portion of the opening with its front surface substantially flush with the front surface of the body structure and its rear surface spaced from the rear surface of the body structure to afford space for the engagement of a looped lading strap therewith for anchoring purposes. Although the anchor post or tongue 16 may extend across the opening 15, the lower end thereof, in the structure disclosed, is spaced from the lower surface of the opening 15, so that a looped lading strap anchor may be engaged with the anchor post or tongue from the lower end. After being connected thereto, the looped lading strap will be retained in its engaged relationship on the anchor post or tongue 16 by engagement with the lower surface of the opening 15. Preferably, the opening 15 has side surfaces 17 and 18 which diverge forwardly toward the front face of the body structure to provide a wider opening at the front of the body structure and limit the tendency to effect any abrupt bends in a lading strap which is anchored to the post.

Above and below the mid-portion of the opening 15, in the illustrated lading strap anchor and floor rack holder, recesses 19 and 20 are provided, which recesses are adjoined by substantially concentric bores 22 and 23 which extend through the body structure and receive fastening means, such as bolts 24 for securing the body structure firmly and tightly against the surface of the structural member, such as the stringer 12, upon which the body structure is mounted. Nuts 25 which are threaded onto the bolts 24 for holding the body structure in place fit within the recesses 19 and 20 with sufficient space around the nuts for the use of a suitable wrench for tightening the nuts. With this arrangement of parts, the body structure is firmly and securely anchored to the supporting structure at positions closely adjacent the lading strap anchor, so that forces applied thereto through an anchored lading strap are transmitted quite directly to the supporting structure.

At the other side of the body structure from the opening 15, and in spaced relationship to the opening, a recessed pocket 26 of generally rectangular shape is provided. At the lateral mid-portion of the top of the recessed pocket 26, an opening 27 of generally rectangular shape extends through the base structure. This opening adjoins the top of the recessed pocket and extends upwardly therefrom. The opening 27, and as will be more fully explained, a hook type floor rack holder 28 is sus pended for swinging movements relative to the base structure. The floor rack holder 28, in the disclosed structure, is of inverted substantially T-shape, with a stem portion 29 and a cross bar portion 30 at the lower end thereof. At the end opposite the cross bar portion 30, the section of the stem portion 29 is somewhat enlarged and an opening 32 is provided therein. The depth of the recessed pocket 26 and the thickness of the floor rack holder are so related that when the floor rack holder hangs in its normal retracted position, to which it gravitates when not in use, the floor rack holder is entirely within the recessed pocket and the opening 27, and does not project beyond the front face of the body structure. To provide some additional support for the combined lading strap anchor and floor rack'holder at the position of the floor rack holder and to further anchor the body structure to the supporting structure at that position, fastening means, such as a screw 33 extends through a back wall 34- of the recessed pocket and into the wood stringer 12.

Above the recessed pocket 26, another recessed pocket 35 opens rearwardly of the body structure 14. Between the recessed pockets 26 and 35 and atopposite sides of the opening 27, aligned partitions 36 and 37 separate the pockets and provide a support for means, such as a cross pin 38, which-extends through the opening 32 in thestem portion of the floor rack holder 28 to support the how rack holder for swinging movement relative to the body structure. Adjacent one end of the pin 33, an endsurface 39 of the recessed pocket 35 prevents lateral movement of the pin 38 to an extent suflicient to effect disengagement of the pin from the opening 32 in the stem of the floorrack holder. Adjacent the other end of the pin 38, a lug 40 which is integral with the partition 36 projects into the recessed pocket 35 to prevent sufiicient axial movement of the pin to effect separation of the pin from the opening in the stern portion of the floor rack holder. Above the opening 27, an integral partition 42 extends into the recessed opening 35 to limit upward'movement of the floor rack holder and pin to a position in which the pin could become separated from the opening in the floor rack holder.

The body structure 14, the floor rack holder 28 and the pin 38' are-substantially fabricated parts of the structural-combination which are left separate for assembly at the time of themounting of the structural combination on its-supporting structure in the vehicle. To effect the assembly-of the parts just prior to their being put in placeand secured against'the supporting structure, the stem portion 29 of the floor rack holder is thrust through the opening 27 in the body structure 14to a position such as that illustrated in dot and dash lines at 28a in FIG. 6. Intthe position 280, the pin 38 is readily inserted into the opening 32 in' the end of the stem portion of the floor rack holder and the stem portion is then retracted to a position in which the pin rests againstthepartitions 36 and-37. It may be readily understood that in use, when thebody structure is mounted against a supporting structure,qsuch as the stringer 12, the partitions 36, 37 and 42" and the. end surface 39 and lug 49, as well asthe surface of the mounting structure, preventdisengagement of the pin from the floor rack holder 28. In use, the floor rack holder normally gravitates to aposition in the recessed. pocket 26 anddoes not interfere with the use ofLth'e lading strap anchor. When the vehicle is not in use-for, hauling lading, the cleaning thereof is facilitated byraising the floor racks to positions adjacent the side walls of the. car. Such floor racks are normally hinged to the car structure adjacent the opposite side walls and aredivided along the longitudinal mid-line of the floor,

so that: they can be swung from'positions on the floor to positions in which they extend upwardly adjacent the opposite side walls. As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 5, some floor racks have slats 43 and 44 extending laterally of the car in spaced relationship to one another and slats 45 which extend longitudinally of the car in spaced relationship to one another. With the disclosed floor rack holder 28, the stem portion 29 of the floor rack holder extends between adjacent slats 43 and 44 when the floor rack holder is swung to a position extending outwardly from the front surface of the body structure, and the cross bar 35) of the floor rack holder engages the slats 43 and 4-4- to hold the floor rack in its raised position. It may be understood that the combined lading. strap anchors and floor rack holders of the type disclosed herein are positioned on the car Wall to accomplish such engagement of the floor rack holders with the floor racks when the floor racks are raised. Since the floor racks are only raised for cleaning purposes and the like when the car is not in use for hauling lading, there are no lading straps connected to the anchors during that period, which would interfere with the use and operation of the floor rack holders or the ease of access thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a combined lading strap anchor and floor rack holder, the combination comprising a substantially T- shaped floor rack holder of predetermined thickness having a stem portion with a cross bar portion extending laterally of one end of the stem portion and a hole in the other end thereof, said hole having an axis substantially parallel to the cross bar portion of the floor. rack holder, a base having a front face with a recessed pocket therein which has top and bottom ends and opens forwardly of the front face, said recessed pocket having a depth substantially equal to the, thickness of thefloor rack holder, said base having an opening therein ad joining and extending upwardly from-the top of the midportion of the recessed pocket and of a size for receiving the'stem portion of the floor rack holder, said'stem portion projecting through said opening with the cross bar portion extending laterally of the bottom end of the recessed pocket opposite the opening, and means comprising a pin extending through said hole in the stem and engaging the base on opposite sides of said opening and at opposite ends of the pin for supporting the floor rack holder for swinging movement relative to the base between positions in which the stem and cross bar are in said recessed pocket and in which the stem projects outwardly from the front face of the base.

References Cited in'the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,226,042 Zane Dec. 24, 1940 2,291,472 Johnston July 28, 1942 2,632,409 Nelson ,et a1 .Mar. 24, 1953 2,856,865 Reynolds et al Oct. 21, 1958

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