Vehicle positioning and restraint apparatus

Claim 2

A positioning and restraint apparatus for securing a vehicle to the floor portion of a carrier, comprising a pair of laterally spaced parallel trackS for the wheels of said vehicle, three elongated guide rails fixed to said floor portion between said tracks along axes parallel to the longitudinal axes of said tracks, each of said guide rails adapted to slidably receive a tie-down device fixed to said vehicle for restraining the vehicle from movement in a vertical direction, a latch mechanism fixed to the floor portion and located in axial alignment with one of said guide rails for restraining the associated tie-down device from movement along the longitudinal axis of said one of said guide rails when the vehicle is in a predetermined position on said floor portion, said latch mechanism including a hand-operated lever supported at one end for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis and formed with stop means adapted to trap said tie-down device and prevent movement thereof along said longitudinal axis.

Claim 3

A positioning and restraint apparatus for securing a vehicle to the floor portion of a carrier, comprising a pair of laterally spaced parallel tracks for the wheels of said vehicle, three elongated guide rails fixed to said floor portion between said tracks, each of said guide rails adapted to slidably receive a tie-down device fixed to said vehicle for restraining the vehicle from movement in a vertical direction and terminating with a tapered section for drawing the vehicle downwardly toward the floor portion, a latch mechanism located at one end of one of said guide rails for restraining the associated tie-down device from movement along the longitudinal axis of said one of said guide rails when the vehicle is in a predetermined position on said floor portion, said latch mechanism including a hand-operated lever supported at one end for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis and formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced stop sections which are adapted to overlie said guide rail and trap said tie-down device to prevent movement thereof along said longitudinal axis.

Claim 4

A positioning and restraint apparatus for securing a vehicle to the floor portion of a carrier, comprising a pair of laterally spaced parallel tracks for the wheels of said vehicle, three elongated guide rails fixed to said floor portion between said tracks, each of said guide rails adapted to slidably receive a tie-down device fixed to said vehicle for restraining the vehicle from movement in a vertical direction and terminating with a tapered section for drawing the vehicle downwardly toward the floor portion, a latch mechanism located at one end of one of said guide rails for restraining the associated tie-down device from movement along the longitudinal axis of said one of said guide rails when the vehicle is in a predetermined position on said floor portion, said latch mechanism including a hand-operated lever supported at one end for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis and formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced stop sections which are adapted to overlie said guide rail and trap said tie-down device to prevent movement thereof along said longitudinal axis.

Claim 5

A container for shipping vehicles, the container having an open end and a plurality of vertically spaced floor portions enclosed by a pair of side walls, an end wall and a roof, each of said floor portions being located in a substantially horizontal plane and having positioning and restraint means for securing a vehicle thereto, a pair of laterally spaced parallel tracks on said floor portion for accommodating the wheels of said vehicle, said positioning and restraint means comprising three elongated guide rails fixed to each of said floor portions between said tracks along axes parallel to the longitudinal axes of said tracks, each of said guide rails being C-shaped in cross section and adapted to slidably receive a T-shaped tie-down device fixed to said vehicle for restraining the vehicle from movement in a vertical direction, a latch mechanism secured to said floor portion and located at one end of one of said guide rails for restraining one of said tie-down devices from movement along the longitudinal axis of said one of said tracks, said latch mechanism including a hand-operated lever accessible from said open end of the container and supported for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis, said lever being formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced stop sections adapted to overlie said track and trap said tie-down device to prevent movement thereof along said longitudinal axis.

Claim 6

A container for shipping vehicles, the container having an open end and a plurality of vertically spaced floor portions enclosed by a pair of side walls, an end wall and a roof, each of said floor portions being located in a substantially horizontal plane and having positioning and restraint means for securing a vehicle thereto, a pair of laterally spaced parallel tracks on said floor portion for accommodating the wheels of said vehicle, said positioning and restraint means comprising three elongated guide rails fixed to each of said floor portions between said tracks along axes parallel to the longitudinal axes of said tracks, each of said guide rails being C-shaped in cross section and adapted to slidably receive a T-shaped tie-down device fixed to said vehicle for restraining the vehicle from movement in a vertical direction, a latch mechanism secured to said floor portion and located at one end of one of said guide rails for restraining one of said tie-down devices from movement along the longitudinal axis of said one of said tracks, said latch mechanism including a hand-operated lever accessible from said open end of the container and supported for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis, said lever being formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced stop sections adapted to overlie said track and trap said tie-down device to prevent movement thereof along said longitudinal axis.