Apparatus suitable for securing an article under a vehicle

An apparatus suitable for securing an article exerting a force away from the apparatus and secured to a support article by a resilient support member, said apparatus comprising:

• a stationary bracket connected to a support article, said stationary bracket including a retaining formation;
• an outer member including a passageway for the resilient support member to pass through, an inner seating surface, a wall having an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface, and at least one slot-like formation extending through said wall between said inner and said outer wall surface;
• an inner member having an end surface, said inner member being connected to the resilient support member and telescopingly received within said outer member;
• a spring positioned between said inner seating surface of said outer member and said end surface of said inner member for biasing the inner and outer members with respect to one another;
• and
• a catch member in connection with said inner member, wherein said catch member includes at least one outwardly biased member designed to selectively pass through said slot-like formation and to engage said retaining formation should the resilient member structurally fail.

A method for securing an article connected by a support member to a support article, including the steps of:

• providing an apparatus including (i) a stationary bracket connected to a support article, said stationary bracket including a retaining formation;
• (ii) an outer member including a passageway for the resilient support member to pass through, an inner seating surface, a wall having an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface, and at least one slot-like formation extending through said wall between said inner and said outer wall surface;
• (iii) an inner member having an end surface, said inner member being connected to the resilient support member and telescopingly received within said outer member;
• (iv) a spring positioned in a compressed configuration between said inner seating surface of said outer member and said end surface of said inner member for biasing the inner and outer members with respect to one another;
• and (v) a catch member in connection with said inner member, wherein said catch member includes at least one outwardly biased member designed to selectively pass through said slot-like formation;
• and,
• at least partially decompressing the spring upon the disconnection of said support member so as to at least partially force said catch member into position relative to said slot-like formation whereby said outwardly biased member extends through said slot-like formation and engages said stationary bracket.