Freight bracing apparatus

Claim 1

AN ELONGATED CROSSBAR ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN A RAILROAD CAR OR THE LIKE BETWEEN SPACED PARALLEL SUPPORTS PROVIDED THEREIN AND ENGAGE FREIGHT CARRIED IN SAID CAR, SAID CROSSBAR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BAR BODY, MEANS AT EACH END OF SAID BAR BODY FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING SAID CROSSBAR TO SAID SUPPORTS IN A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS SPACED THEREALONG, SAID BAR BODY INCLUDING A FIRST ELONGATED BODY SECTION CARRYING SAID MEANS AT EACH END AND WHICH IS HELD BY SAID MEANS AGAINST MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTS WHEN SAID MEANS IS CONNECTED THERETO, SAID FIRST BODY SECTION BEING COMPRISED OF TWO OPPOSITELY FACING ELONGATED CHANNELS, MEANS AFFIXING THE WEBS OF SAID CHANNELS TOGETHER AT SPACED LONGITUDINAL POSITIONS TO DEFINE AN ELONGATED SLOT THEREBETWEEN AND A FREIGHT ENGAGING MEMBER AFFIXED TO ADJACENT FLANGES OF SAID CHANNELS AT ONE SIDE THEREOF FOR ENGAGING FREIGHT, A SECOND ELONGATED BODY SECTION DISPOSED IN SIDE BY SIDE PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID FIRST BODY SECTION AND HAVING A FREIGHT ENGAGING MEMBER, MEANS MOUNTING SAID SECOND BODY SECTION ON SAID FIRST BODY SECTION FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY THEREOF FROM A FULLY RETRACTED POSITION TO A FULLY EXTENDED POSITION FOR SELECTIVELY VARYING THE EFFECTIVE THICKNESS OF SAID BAR AND THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FREIGHT ENGAGING MEMBERS, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED PORTION OF SAID SECOND BODY SECTION SLIDABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID SLOT BETWEEN THE WEBS OF SAID CHANNELS, BIASING MEANS SUPPORTED FOR MOVEMENT BY ONE OF SAID SECTIONS AND ENGAGING THE OTHER OF SAID SECTIONS, SAID BIASING MEANS BEING AUTOMATICALLY MOVABLE FROM A WITHDRAWN POSITION TO A FULLY ADVANCED POSITION FOR URGING SAID SECOND BODY SECTION FROM SAID FULLY RETRACTED POSITION TOWARD SAID FULLY EXTENDED POSITION, SAID BIASING MEANS PROVIDED A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS FORCE FOR URGING SAID SECOND BODY SECTION TOWARD SAID FULLY EXTENDED POSITION, AND LOCKING MEANS FOR PRECLUDING MOVEMENT OF SAID BIASING MEANS TOWARD ITS WITHDRAWN POSITION FOR PRECLUDING RETURN MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND BODY SECTION TOWARD ITS FULLY RETRACTED POSITION.