Removable Chain Attachment Insert
AssigneeCurt Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorCurtis M. Bowe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chain attachment insert has a body with a flat underside, and provides an open loop chain attachment for receiving a chain or hook in a socket in the bed of a truck. A T-bolt portion of the chain attachment insert is received in the socket. A hole through the body extends parallel to the axis of rotation defined by the T-bolt portion, and an interference peg is vertically slidable into the hole after rotation of the chain attachment insert relative to the socket. The interference peg then rests with a portion of the interference peg in the socket to interfere with and prevent the chain attachment insert from rotating relative to the socket. A lock secures the interference peg within the hole in the body.
Claims20
A chain attachment insert comprising:
- a T-bolt head having a length which is greater than its width, so as to fit in a socket in a bed of a pickup truck;
- a neck above the T-bolt head, the neck defining an axis of rotation for the chain attachment insert while the chain attachment insert is in the socket;
- a body above the neck and being wider than the neck, the body having a flat underside normal to the axis of rotation, such that when the flat underside extends horizontally the axis of rotation extends vertically, the body providing an open loop chain attachment for receiving a chain or hook;
- a hole through the body extending parallel to the axis of rotation, offset from the neck but located within a cylinder defined by the length of the T-bolt head about the axis of rotation, the body having a top edge around the hole;
- an interference peg insertable through the hole in a vertical slide direction, the interference peg having a shoulder which, when contacting the top edge of the body around the vertically extending hole, supports the interference peg at an elevation such that a portion of the interference peg resides in the socket adjacent the neck to interfere with and prevent the chain attachment insert from rotating relative to the socket;
- the interference peg being separable from the body by sliding in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation;
- and
- a lock for securing the interference peg within the hole in the body.
A method of using a chain attachment insert in a socket in a bed of a pickup truck, the socket having a length which is greater than its width, the method comprising:
- dropping a T-bolt head and neck of a chain attachment insert into the socket, the T-bolt head having a length which is greater than its width, so as to fit in the socket, the neck defining an axis of rotation for the chain attachment insert while the chain attachment insert is in the socket, the chain attachment insert having a body above the neck and being wider than the neck, the body having a flat underside normal to the axis of rotation such that, when the flat underside extends horizontally the axis of rotation extends vertically, the body providing an open loop chain attachment for receiving a chain or hook, the body having a throughhole extending parallel to the axis of rotation, offset from the neck but located within a cylinder defined by the length of the T-bolt head about the axis of rotation, the body having a top edge around the throughhole;
- rotating the chain attachment insert 90° about its axis of rotation;
- inserting an interference peg through the throughhole in a vertical slide direction, the interference peg having a shoulder, such that the shoulder of the interference peg contacts the top edge of the body around the vertically extending throughhole to support the interference peg at an elevation such that a portion of the interference peg resides in the socket adjacent the neck to interfere with and prevent the chain attachment insert from rotating relative to the socket;
- and
- attaching a lock to elevationally secure the interference peg within the hole in the body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.