# US 10,308,160 B2 · Auto-rack railroad car vehicle restraint apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,308,160 B2 - Document ID: US10308160B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/286,137 - Filed: 2016-10-05 - Published: 2017-01-26 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2013-09-10 - Assignees: Standard Car Truck Company - Applicants: Standard Car Truck Company - Inventors: John D. Anderson; Walter J. Peach; Michael K. Burke - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308160B2 ## CPC - B60P 3/077: Wheel cradles, chocks, or wells - B60P 3/07: for carrying road vehicles - B60P 3/073: Vehicle retainers {(specially adapted for fixing semi-trailers on railway vehicles B61D45/004)} - B60P 3/075: for wheels, hubs, or axle shafts - B60P 3/08: Multilevel-deck construction carrying vehicles - B61D 3/00: Wagons or vans (tank wagons B61D5/00; hopper wagons B61D7/00; tipping wagons B61D9/00; mine cars B61D11/00; vehicles specially adapted for animal transportation B60P3/04; {container traffic B65G}) - B61D 3/16: adapted for carrying special loads - B61D 3/18: for vehicles {(vehicles adapted to carry other vehicles, in general, B60P3/06)} - B61D 3/187: {Details, e.g. bridges for floor connections} - B61D 3/188: {Wheel guides for the vehicles being carried} - B61D 45/00: Means or devices for securing or supporting the cargo, including protection against shocks (for vehicles in general B60P7/00) - B61D 45/001: {Devices for fixing to walls or floors} - B60P: VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS (vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00) - B61D: BODY DETAILS OR KINDS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES (vehicles in general B60; adaptation of vehicles to special systems B61B; underframes B61F) ## Abstract A vehicle restraint system for an auto-rack railroad car which includes an active chock and an anchor chock configured to co-act to secure a vehicle in the auto-rack railroad car. In various embodiments, each chock has a chock body including a substantially diamond shaped elongated tube which includes four integrally connected elongated walls. In various embodiments, for each chock, various components of that chock extend substantially along longitudinal axis that lie in the same or substantially the same vertical plane as the apex and trough of the substantially diamond shaped elongated tube of the chock body. The active and anchor chocks: (a) have a lower height than known commercially available vehicle restraints; (b) have a smaller width than known commercially available vehicle restraints; (c) position the strap and the torque tube closer to the tire of the wheel than any known commercially available vehicle restraints; (d) take up a smaller area of each safe zone adjacent to the wheel than known commercially available vehicle restraints; (e) provide a greater strength to size ratio than known commercially available vehicle restraints; and (f) are easy to operate, install, and remove. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An active wheel chock body of a vehicle restraint apparatus, said active wheel chock body comprising: a substantially diamond shaped elongated tube including a plurality of connected elongated walls, said elongated walls defining an elongated interior apex, an elongated interior trough below the apex, an elongated central area between the elongated interior apex and the elongated interior trough, said elongated central area being wider than the elongated interior apex and wider than the elongated interior trough, wherein a plurality of the elongated walls define a rail saddle receiving opening; and a rail saddle connected to a plurality of the elongated walls, wherein the rail saddle is positioned in the rail saddle receiving opening, wherein the rail saddle is configured to partially support a rail engager locking pin. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connected elongated walls each have a substantially same width. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connected elongated walls include four integrally connected elongated walls. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, which includes a transversely extending end wall connected to a plurality of the elongated walls. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, which includes a transversely extending intermediate wall connected to a plurality of the elongated walls. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, wherein the elongated walls have curved or radius intersecting corners. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, which includes a transversely extending intermediate wall connected to a plurality of the elongated walls, the transversely extending intermediate wall configured to partially support the rail engager locking pin. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, which includes a transversely extending intermediate wall connected to a plurality of the elongated walls, the transversely extending intermediate wall configured to at least partially support a rail engager locking pin. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The active wheel chock body of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elongated walls are integrally connected. ### Claim 10 An active wheel chock body of a vehicle restraint apparatus, said active wheel chock body comprising: a substantially diamond shaped elongated tube including a plurality of connected elongated walls, the elongated walls each having a substantially same width, the elongated walls defining a rail saddle receiving opening; a transversely extending end wall connected to a plurality of the elongated walls; a transversely extending intermediate wall connected to a plurality of the elongated walls; and an upside down U-shaped rail saddle positioned in the rail saddle receiving opening and connected to a plurality of the elongated walls. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The active wheel chock body of claim 10, wherein the elongated walls have curved or radius intersecting corners. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The active wheel chock body of claim 10, wherein the elongated walls are integrally connected. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The active wheel chock body of claim 10, wherein the plurality of connected elongated walls include four integrally connected elongated walls.