Vehicle tie down apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR ANCHORING AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES TO A TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE HAVING A SUPPORTING FLOOR, AN ELONGATED CHANNEL MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE SECURED FIXEDLY TO THE TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE FLOOR AND HAVING SPACED APART UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS AND INWARDLY DIRECTED OPPOSED SPACED INTERLOCK FLANGES PROVIDED WITH ALIGNED PAIRS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY SPACED NOTCHES IN THEIR FREE MARGINS, A RIGID ELONGATED ANCHOR MEMBER COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING SIDE WALLS RIGIDLY CONNECTED BY END BARS AND WITH THE SIDE WALLS SPACED TO FIT BETWEEN THE FACING EDGES OF SAID INTERLOCK FLANGES, SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID ANCHOR MEMBER HAVING LOWER MARGINAL ELONGATED OUTWARDLY PROJECTING ANCHORING FLANGES FREELY SPACED FROM SAID UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS OF THE CHANNEL AND OPPOSINGLY UNDERLYING THE INTERLOCK FLANGES, SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID ANCHOR MEMBER AND SAID ANCHORING FLANGES HAVING LOWER LIMITED AREA CONTACT PAD PORTIONS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE BASE OF THE CHANNEL FOR SLIDING THE ANCHOR MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE CHANNEL TO VARIOUS ADJUSTED POSITIONS, ALIGNED PAIRS OF ANCHORING LUGS EXTENDING INTEGRALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE RESPECTIVE SIDE WALLS OF SAID ANCHOR MEMBER AND UPWARDLY OF THE CONTIGUOUS ANCHORING FLANGES, AFFORDING REINFORCEMENT FOR THE ANCHORING FLANGES AND BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO AND SPACED IN CONFORMITY WITH SAID NOTCHES FOR ENGAGEMENT IN SAID NOTCHES TO ANCHOR THE ANCHOR MEMBER AGAINST LONGITUDINAL DISPLACEMENT FROM ADJUSTED POSITION RELATIVE TO THE CHANNEL, SAID ANCHORING FLANGES AND ANCHORING LUGS BEING OF A COMBINED HEIGHT LESS THAN THE SPACING OF SAID CHANNEL FLANGES FROM THE CHANNEL BASE SO AS TO PERMIT FREE LONGITUDINAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE ANCHOR MEMBER WHEN SAID PADS ENGAGE THE BASE OF THE CHANNEL, AND SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID ANCHOR MEMBER PROJECTING SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE INTERLOCK FLANGES, AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE ANCHOR MEMBER RELEASABLY ELEVATED IN ANCHORED RELATION OF THE LUGS IN SELECTED ONES OF THE INTERLOCK FLANGE NOTCHES, AND FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS ATTACHED TO THE ANCHOR MEMBER BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID ANCHOR MEMBER FOR CONNECTING THE SAME TO AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE TO BE ANCHORED.