Cargo tie-down gripping anchor assembly

A tie-down anchor assembly comprising:

• locating means including a pair of generally parallel side portions, hinge pin means and having a transversely extending positioning projection;
• a pair of gripping means, each gripping means being pivotally mounted adjacent to a corresponding side portion of the locating means and having an edge portion operable to underlie the locating means while being spaced therefrom;
• and
• a pair of hook means cooperating with the locating means to define a guy-receiving opening above the locating means, each hook means carried by an upper portion of a corresponding gripping means,
• extending beyond the corresponding gripping means and toward the other gripping means,
• having a bearing surface, and
• operable to urge the corresponding edge portion toward the edge portion of the other gripping means in response to a force exerted by a guy against the bearing surface and operable to increase lateral force tending to move the edge portions together in response to an increase in the exerted force.

A method of anchoring a tie-down guy to a track having a laterally-extending rail portion and a plurality of spaced-apart openings in the rail portion comprising the steps of:

• providing a cable anchor assembly for a tie-down guy having gripping edges pivotally mounted for movement toward lateral engagement with a track below the rail portion and including an anchor positioning projection;
• longitudinally positioning the cable anchor assembly relative to the track by inserting the projection of the cable anchor assembly into one opening of the flange;
• d
• operably connecting a tie-down guy with the gripping edges of the cable anchor assembly to cause pivotal movement of the gripping edges into lateral engagement with the track below the rail portion when tension is applied to the tie-down guy;
• and,
• increasing lateral gripping engagement of the track by the gripping edges in response to increasing tension in the tie-down guy.

A cargo tie-down anchor comprising:

• a circularly cylindrical center body member having
• a transverse bore with a circularly cylindrical pin projecting outwardly therefrom for engaging a track, and
• a pair of longitudinal bores symmetrically spaced in a diametrical plane perpendicular to the transverse bore and having a hinge pin projecting outwardly from each end;
• a pair of members, each member having
• a body portion with an upper edge, a lower edge, and two ends,
• a pair of ears, each ear connected to a corresponding end of the body portion, extending generally perpendicularly therefrom, and having an opening in which one hinge pin is received to pivotally mount the body portion on the center body member,
• a serrated edge portion extending generally perpendicularly from the lower edge of the body portion in the same direction as the ears and spaced from the center body member to receive a track rail therebetween for lateral engagement below the rail portion thereof, and
• a hook connected to the upper edge of the body portion adjacent the midpoint thereof, generally perpendicularly extending on both sides of the plane of the body portion, extending beyond the upper edge of the body portion toward the other member, having a bearing surface and cooperating with other hook to define a guy-receiving opening in which a guy engages the bearing surface of each hook.