Post strap fitting

Claim 1

A cargo strap end fitting for securing a strap to an elongated plate load rail member having front and back parallel planar faces and formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely elongated rectangular slots; the end fitting comprising in combination: a. an elongated solid post member having; 1. a solid, cylindrical body portion adapted for slidably receiving a strap loop in close fitting encirclement permitting repositioning of said strap upon pivoting movement of said strap, and having a diameter substantially less than the width of said rail slot so that the center line of said post member and the center line of said strap loop coiNcide with the center line of said load rail; 2. a head portion formed on an end of said body portion and being formed with a transverse slot opening to the sides and end of said head portion wherein the bottom wall of said slot is adapted for axial abutting registration with the top edge of said rectangular rail slot and the slot has parallel spaced sidewalls adapted for sliding interlocking engagement with the front and back faces of said load rail; 3. shoulder means formed on said body adjacent the distal end of said body portion for retaining a spring means; 4. the distance between the top surface of said head portion and the distal end of said body portion being greater than the length of said rail slot and the distance between the bottom wall of said slot and the distal end of said body portion is substantially equal to but less than the length of said rail slot; 5. a sleeve engaging stop means formed on said post member adjacent the distal end; b. a sleeve cap having; 1. an axial bore for slidably receiving and engaging the distal portion of said post member having a first portion engaging the lower edge of said rectangular rail slot and a second position releasing said sleeve cap and post member from said load rail, by application of finger pressure to said sleeve cap; 2. stop means formed on an end of said cap for engaging said stop means formed on said post preventing separation of said cap from said post member; 3. a transverse slot having bottom and parallel side walls formed in the distal end of said cap and opening to the sides and end for releasably receiving the bottom edge of said load rail slot in abutting relation with the bottom wall of said slot and the slot side walls are in sliding interlocking engagement with the front and back faces of said load rail; 4. a spring shoulder formed within the bore on said sleeve cap; c. a spring encircling said post member and engaging said shoulder means on said body and said spring retainer shoulder on said sleeve cap and urging said sleeve cap toward said first position of said sleeve cap; d. said groove in said post member head and said groove in said sleeve cap being in parallel alignment when in engagement with the top and bottom edges of said slot in said load rail to permit sliding of said fitting along the longitudinal axis of said load rail within said slots; and e. said post member and said sleeve cap presenting a low profile with minimum protrusion from said front and rear faces of said load rail.