Freight loading apparatus

Claim 1

A FREIGHT HOLDING DEVICE ADAPTED TO OCCUPY THE SPACE BETWEEN A LOAD OF FREIGHT AND THE WALL OF A FREIGHT CAR OR OTHER CONTAINER TO HOLD THE FREIGHT AGAINST THE OPPOSITE WALL COMPRISING, A HANGER MEMBER, MEANS SECURED TO SAID HANGER MEMBER FOR DETACHABLY SUPPORTING SAID HANGER MEMBER AT SELECTED POSITIONS TO A BELT RAIL SECURED TO SAID FIRST WALL, A SUPPORTING ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID HANGER MEMBER FOR ANGULAR ADJUSTMENT FROM A FULLY RETRACTED AND SUBSTANTIALLY NESTED POSITION TO A FULLY EXTENDED POSITION WITH RESPECT THERETO, AND AN ELONGATED THRUST MEMBER SECURED TO SAID SUPPORTING ARM ADJACENT THE FREE END THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE LOAD OF FREIGHT, SAID HANGER MEMBER AND SAID SUPPORTING ARM HAVING PLATE PORTIONS ONE OF WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY OVERLIES THE OTHER WHEN SAID ARM IS IN SAID FULLY RETRACTED POSITION AND IN WHICH THE EDGES THEREOF REMOTE FROM SAID MEANS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND WHICH PLATE PORTIONS ARE RELATIVELY MOVED TO REDUCE SAID OVERLYING RELATION AS SAID ARM IS PIVOTALLY MOVED TOWARD SAID FULLY EXTENDED POSITION IN WHICH POSITION SAID EDGES ARE ANGULARLY DISPOSED, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY INTERCONNECTING SAID PLATE PORTIONS AT A PLURALITY OF SELECTED POSITIONS OF ADJUSTMENT INTERMEDIATE SID FULLY RETRACTED AND FULLY EXTENDED POSITIONS.