Tie-down

Claim 1

A TIE-DOWN DEVICE FOR USE IN SECURING AN ITEM OF LADING ON A TRANSPORTING STRUCTURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, (A) TRACK MEANS HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED AXIS AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE TRANSPORTING STRUCTURE AND INCLUDING A FIRST AND A SECOND LATERALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED AND VERTICALLY EXTENDING FLANGE, (B) A FIRST AND A SECOND LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED LIP CARRIED BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND FLANGES RESPECTIVELY WITH EACH OF SAID LIPS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE FLANGE CARRYING THE SAME GENERALLY TOWARD THE FLANGE CARRYING THE OTHER OF SAID LIPS, (C) TIE-DOWN MEANS LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID TRACK MEANS AND INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND OPPOSED SIDE WALLS HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES, (D) MEANS FIXEDLY INTERCONNECTING SAID SIDE WALLS IN LATERALLY SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP, (E) AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID FIRST AND OF SAID SECOND SIDE WALLS PROJECTING BELOW THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LIPS RESPECTIVELY WHEREBY SAID LIPS ARE OPERATIVE TO INHIBIT VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID TIE-DOWN MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID TRACK MEANS, (F) A PLURALITY OF FIRST ENGAGING MEANS PROVIDED WITH SAID FIRST LIP AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED AT EQUAL DISTANCES, (G) SAID FIRST SIDE WALL HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTER SURFACE AND A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED AND LATERALLY EXTENDING SURFACES FACING IN OPPOSED LONGITUDINAL DIRECTIONS AND EACH BEING OPERATIVE AS SECOND ENGAGING MEANS, (H) THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS BEING AT A DISTANCE WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST ENGAGING MEANS WHEREBY EACH OF SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS MAY BE ALIGNED WITH ONE OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF ENGAGING MEANS, (I) A LOCKING MEMBER FOR SECURING SAID TIE-DOWN MEANS AGAINST LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID TRACK MEANS, (J) SAID LOCKING MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FIRST PORTION CARRIED BY SAID TIE-DOWN FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND A PAIR OF LOCKING MEANS PROJECTING THEREFROM IN LONGITUDINALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DISTANCE THEREBETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS, (K) SAID LOCKING MEMBER HAVING AN UNLOCKED POSITION WHEREIN ONE OF SAID LOCKING MEANS IS DISPOSED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS AND THE OTHER OF SAID LOCKING MEANS IS DISPOSED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER OF SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS AND HAVING A LOCKED POSITION WHEREIN SAID ONE LOCKING MEANS IS DISPOSED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ONE SECOND ENGAGING MEANS AND THE ONE OF SAID FIRST ENGAGING MEANS ALIGNED THEREWITH AND SAID OTHER LOCKING MEANS IS DISPOSED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OTHER ENGAGING MEANS AND THE ONE OF SAID FIRST ENGAGING MEANS ALIGNED THEREWITH, (L) SAID LOCKING MEANS IN ITS UNLOCKED POSITION BEING INOPERATIVE TO ENGAGE SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS AND BEING DISPOSED LATERALLY INWARDLY FROM THE LATERALLY OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL, (M) SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID LOCKING MEANS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AXIS TO MOVE SAID SECOND LOCKING MEANS BETWEEN SAID LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS, (N) SAID LOCKING MEMBER INCLUDING MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SAME, (O) AND A FLEXIBLE ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE ITEM OF LADING AND ENGAGED BY SAID TIE-DOWN WHEREBY THE ITEM OF LADING IS SECURED TO THE TRANSPORTING STRUCTURE.