Fail-safe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam

A failsafe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam, comprising a frame having proximate and a remote sides on substantially opposite sides of said frame and formed with a passageway, extending between said proximate and remote sides, for receiving a line and generally defining a cleat center line along which a line can move along a first line releasing direction from said proximate to said remote sides and a line pulling direction from said remote to said proximate sides;

• attaching means for attaching said frame to a support surface;
• cam means on said frame on one side of said passageway and having a line engaging portion, said cam means being movable between a line releasing position and a line locking position, the line engaging portion including a first engaging portion normally spaced a distance Δ from the line to form a clearance gap in the line releasing position and a second engaging portion bridging said clearance gap a distance equal to at least Δ for arresting the line and preventing movement of the line in the line releasing direction;
• a pusher on said frame on an opposite side of said passageway in relation to said cam means for applying a force on the line in the direction of said cam means for urging the line across said clearance gap said distance Δ into contact with said first engaging portion only when tension in said line on said proximate side is less relative to the tension in the line at said remote side, continued contact between the line and the line engaging portion causing said second engaging portion of said cam means to bridge said distance Δ while said cam means moves from said releasing to said locking positions until a tension is applied by the user to the line on the proximate side that at least equals the tension at said remote side;
• cam biasing means tending to urge said cam means to disengage from the line;
• pusher biasing means normally tending to move the line across said gap into contact with said cam while permitting the line to return to said passageway out of contact with said cam means when sufficient tension is applied by the user off said cleat center line to create a force component to offset the pushing force created by said pusher biasing means thereby promote unlocking of the line and allow the line to move in said first line releasing direction;
• and cam means disabling means selectively interposed between the line and said cam means to prevent engagement between said cam means and the line when it is desired to freely move the line in the line releasing direction without being arrested by said cam means independently of the position of said pusher.