Turntable tie-down winch

Claim 2

In a tie-down apparatus for tying lading to freight vehicles and in combination with a channel recessed in the deck of the vehicle and having retainer flanges extending inwardly from the tops of the sides of said channel having inwardly opening inwardly opening notches spaced therealong, a tie-down winch including a pair of parallel vertical side frame members, means connecting said side frame members together at the lower ends thereof and having a depending portion forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, a winch block rotatably mounted between said side frame members and having a flexible tie-down connected thereto, an elongated base for said side frame members having retainer portions extending beneath said flanges and having lugs spaced therealong for engagement with said notches, to retain said tie-down winch from movement along said channel, locking means mounted at opposite ends of said base to extend over said retainer portions to engage the tops of said flanges, said base having a central open portion having a wall portion converging from the bottom of said base toward the top thereof, said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together extending within and rotatably mounted in said central open portion of said base and having a diverging portion generally conforming to said converging open portion of said base and retaining said tie-down winch to said base, and means on said converging wall portion of said central open portion of said Base and on said diverging wall portion of said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together, having interengagement with each other to lock said tie-down winch from turning movement about a vertical axis upon the taking up of tension on said flexible tie-down, and movable out of interengagement to accommodate free adjustable movement of said winch about said vertical axis, upon the release of tension on said flexible tie-down.

Claim 3

In a tie-down apparatus for tying lading to freight vehicles and in combination with a channel recessed in the deck of the vehicle and having retainer flanges extending inwardly from the tops of the sides of said channel having inwardly opening inwardly opening notches spaced therealong, a tie-down winch including a pair of parallel vertical side frame members, means connecting said side frame members together at the lower ends thereof and having a depending portion forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, a winch block rotatably mounted between said side frame members and having a flexible tie-down connected thereto, an elongated base for said side frame members having retainer portions extending beneath said flanges and having lugs spaced therealong for engagement with said notches, to retain said tie-down winch from movement along said channel, locking means mounted at opposite ends of said base to extend over said retainer portions to engage the tops of said flanges, said base having a central open portion having a wall portion converging from the bottom of said base toward the top thereof, said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together extending within and rotatably mounted in said central open portion of said base and having a diverging portion generally conforming to said converging open portion of said base and retaining said tie-down winch to said base, and means on said converging wall portion of said central open portion of said Base and on said diverging wall portion of said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together, having interengagement with each other to lock said tie-down winch from turning movement about a vertical axis upon the taking up of tension on said flexible tie-down, and movable out of interengagement to accommodate free adjustable movement of said winch about said vertical axis, upon the release of tension on said flexible tie-down.

Claim 4

In a tie-down apparatus for tying lading to freight vehicles and in combination with a channel recessed in the deck of the vehicle and having retainer flanges extending inwardly from the tops of the sides of said channel having inwardly opening inwardly opening notches spaced therealong, a tie-down winch including a pair of parallel vertical side frame members, means connecting said side frame members together at the lower ends thereof and having a depending portion forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, a winch block rotatably mounted between said side frame members and having a flexible tie-down connected thereto, an elongated base for said side frame members having retainer portions extending beneath said flanges and having lugs spaced therealong for engagement with said notches, to retain said tie-down winch from movement along said channel, locking means mounted at opposite ends of said base to extend over said retainer portions to engage the tops of said flanges, said base having a central open portion having a wall portion converging from the bottom of said base toward the top thereof, said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together extending within and rotatably mounted in said central open portion of said base and having a diverging portion generally conforming to said converging open portion of said base and retaining said tie-down winch to said base, and means on said converging wall portion of said central open portion of said Base and on said diverging wall portion of said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together, having interengagement with each other to lock said tie-down winch from turning movement about a vertical axis upon the taking up of tension on said flexible tie-down, and movable out of interengagement to accommodate free adjustable movement of said winch about said vertical axis, upon the release of tension on said flexible tie-down.

Claim 5

A tie-down apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the portion depending from said side frame members has a neck portion between said side frame members and said diverging portion, accommodating relative vertical movement between said side frame members and said base, and accommodating rotation of said side frame members relative to said base upon the release of tension on said flexible tie-down.

Claim 6

A tie-down apparatus in accordance to claim 2, wherein the converging portion of said open portion of said base is frusto-conical, wherein the diverging portion of said depending portion is frusto-conical at the same general angle of said converging portion, and wherein said converging and diverging frusto-conical portions have interengaging portions have interengagement with each other to retain said side frame members and winch block from rotation relative to said base as tension is taken up on said flexible tie-down.

Claim 7

The tie-down apparatus of claim 2, wherein the converging and diverging wall portions of said base and said depending portion are frusto-conical, wherein the means on said converging and diverging wall portions for locking said tie-down winch from turning movement about a vertical axis comprises a plurality of teeth extending about said wall portions for at least a portion of the circumference thereof, wherein said diverging wall portion is spaced beneath the bottoms of said side frame members a distance sufficient to bring said teeth out of mesh and accommodate rotation of said boss and side frame members relative to said base about the axis of said boss, and wherein said flexible tie-down brings said teeth into locking engagement with each other upon the taking up of tension on said flexible tie-down.

Claim 8

The tie-down apparatus of claim 4, wherein said teeth are generally in the form of internal and external bevel gear teeth and are moved into meshing engagement with each other upon upward movement of said winch block relative to said base.

Claim 9

The tie-down apparatus of claim 4, wherein said teeth are generally in the form of internal and external gear teeth, and wherein one of said frusto-conical wall portions has teeth extending for a portion of the frusto-conical surface thereof to provide a plane frusto-conical surface extending from said teeth and to thereby provide the clearance to enable said teeth to drop out of mesh upon the release of said flexible tie-down.

Claim 10

The flexible tie-down of claim 1, wherein the locking means at opposite ends of said base includes a locking member pivotally mounted at each end of said base having camming surfaces camming said locking means to retracted positions, by engagement of said camming surfaces with said retainer flanges upon vertical movement of said tie-down apparatus relative to said channel into an elevated operative position, and wherein the locking members are biased to extend over said retainer flanges and lock said tie-down apparatus in its elevated operative position in said channel upon engagement of said lugs with said notches.

Claim 11

The tie-down apparatus of claim 7, wherein spring means are provided to bias said locking members to extend over said retaining portions, and wherein each locking member has a stop thereon limiting outward movement of said locking member relative to said base.

Claim 12

The tie-down of claim 7, wherein said side frame members are spaced above said base when said flexible tie-down members is under tension, and whereiN the spacing between said side frame members and said base is such as to prevent the release of said lugs from said notches when said side frame members are pivoted in angular relation with respect to said base, to rest on said retainer flanges, whereby said side frame members must extend parallel to said base and said locking members must be held in released positions to lower said base to the bottom of said channel, to adjustably move said tie-down apparatus along said channel.

Claim 13

A turntable tie-down apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein the spring means biasing each of said locking members outwardly of said side frame members comprises an individual torsion spring, wherein pins depend from said base adjacent opposite ends thereof, and wherein said torsion springs are each mounted on one of said pins and each have one fixed leg and an opposite leg having operative connection with an associated locking member. The tie-down winch of claim 7, wherein the locking means at opposite ends of the base are spring biased to extend outwardly of said side frame members, to rest on the tops of said retainer flanges of said channel and provide self-locking members locking said winch in elevated positions in said channel, to accommodate said lugs to hold said winch from movement longitudinally of said channel in all positions of said winch block relative to said base.

Claim 14

In a tie-down apparatus for tying lading to freight vehicles and in combination with a channel recessed in the deck of the vehicle and having retainer flanges extending inwardly from opposite top sides of said channel having inwardly opening notches spaced therealong, a tie-down winch including a pair of parallel vertical side frame members, means connecting said side frame members together at the lower ends thereof and having a depending portion forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, a winch block rotatably mounted between said side frame members for movement about a vertical axis, having a flexible tie-down connected thereto, an elongated base for said side frame members having retainer portions extending beneath said flanges and having lugs spaced therealong for engagement with said notches, to retain said tie-down winch from movement along said channel, said base having a central open portion, and said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together extending within and rotatably mounted in said central open portion of said base and forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, said central open portion of said base having a converging wall portion at the lower end thereof, said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together having a diverging wall portion disposed beneath and generally conforming to said converging wall portion of said central open portion, and engaged therewith upon the taking up of tension on said flexible tie-down, locking means mounted at opposite ends of said base including a locking member mounted at each end of said base for movement to extend over said retainer flanges of said channel, to support said base and winch block on opposite retainer flanges, and said lugs being spaced along said retainer portions forwardly and rearwardly of said side frame members and extending upwardly of said retainer portions distances greater than the spacing between the top surfaces of said retainer portions and the bottom surfaces of said side frame members, to hold said lugs in locking engagement with said notches when said tie-down winch is turned about its vertical axis relative to said base, and to prevent movement of said base and tie-down winch along said channel except when said side frame members extend parallel to said base and said locking members are released to accommodate lowering of said base to the bottom of said channel, to enable said tie-down winch to be adjustably moved along said channel.

Claim 15

In a tie-down apparatus for tying lading to freight vehicles and in combination with a channel recessed in the deck of the vehicle and having retainer flanges extending inwardly from opposite top sides of said channel having inwardly opening notches spaced therealong, a tie-down winch including a pair of parallel vertical side frame members, means connecting said side frame members together at the lower ends thereof and having a depending portion forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, a winch block rotatably mounted between said side frame members for movement about a vertical axis, having a flexible tie-down connected thereto, an elongated base for said side frame members having retainer portions extending beneath said flanges and having lugs spaced therealong for engagement with said notches, to retain said tie-down winch from movement along said channel, said base having a central open portion, and said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together extending within and rotatably mounted in said central open portion of said base and forming a vertical pivot for said side frame members, said central open portion of said base having a converging wall portion at the lower end thereof, said depending portion of said means connecting said side frame members together having a diverging wall portion disposed beneath and generally conforming to said converging wall portion of said central open portion, and engaged therewith upon the taking up of tension on said flexible tie-down, locking means mounted at opposite ends of said base including a locking member mounted at each end of said base for movement to extend over said retainer flanges of said channel, to support said base and winch block on opposite retainer flanges, and said lugs being spaced along said retainer portions forwardly and rearwardly of said side frame members and extending upwardly of said retainer portions distances greater than the spacing between the top surfaces of said retainer portions and the bottom surfaces of said side frame members, to hold said lugs in locking engagement with said notches when said tie-down winch is turned about its vertical axis relative to said base, and to prevent movement of said base and tie-down winch along said channel except when said side frame members extend parallel to said base and said locking members are released to accommodate lowering of said base to the bottom of said channel, to enable said tie-down winch to be adjustably moved along said channel.

Claim 16

The tie-down winch of claim 12, wherein said converging and diverging wall portions are frusto-conical and are spaced from each other when said winch block is turned relative to said base and said side frame members rest on said channel, and wherein said frusto-conical wall portions are brought into engagement with each other when said flexible tie-down is connected with a load and is under tension.

Claim 17

The tie-down winch of claim 13, wherein said locking members are pivotally mounted on said base at each end thereof, for movement about axes extending longitudinally of said base to position said locking members to support said base and tie-down winch on opposite retainer flanges of said channel, and wherein each locking member has a camming face camming the locking member inwardly by engagement with the retainer flanges of the channel upon lifting movement of the winch block relative to the base of the channel.