Abstract:
A lockable tie down strap used to secure various loads to a variety of support surfaces, such as a vehicle, a boat, a pallet, a shelf, a tray, a cage, or the like. The lockable tie down strap has one loose end that is secured in a key-operated locking member to prevent theft, and is preferably constructed of a tubular webbing with steel cables running through the body of the webbing to prevent cutting of the strap, and thereby more securely hold a load by the strap. The strap may also be provided with loose ends having openings or a hook at the ends, for use with a roof rack or a wire cage to hold equipment or a flexible load in position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to tie down devices, and, more particularly, to an improved lockable, tie down strap for hard-to-lock down loads, having no locking passage or element therein. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     When storing or transporting valuable items or loads in or on boats, pallets, racks, shelves, vehicles, or the like, the item or load is often secured in place by a bungie cord, rope, strap, or the like. In addition, if the item or load is left unattended over a periods time, some type of locking mechanism, such as a cable lock or padlock, is used in an attempt to lock the item or load and prevent theft. Items or loads held in racks mounted on the tops of vehicles, such as surfboards and the like, are particularly susceptible to theft and should utilize some type of easily used and available locking tie down device, to prevent theft. 
     Many prior art locking systems and tie down devices are known. However, these known devices are not cost effective, nor are they particularly effective in providing security from theft for substantially all types of valuable items or loads. For example, many valuable items or loads do not have an opening or holding portion through which a cable or padlock can pass to lock down such item or load. Therefore, if a cable or lock is used to restrain an item or load, the item or load may be easily removed or stolen by merely loosening or shifting the cable or lock. Therefore, specifically designed locking assemblies, which are only designed to work with special fittings or the like, must be used if particular equipment or loads are to be locked down. These specifically designed locking assemblies tend to be expensive and complicated, and limited in use. 
     For example, it can be difficult to effectively lock a canoe, inflatable raft, kayak, small boat, surfboard, water skis or windsurfing equipment and the like, to a roof rack of a vehicle, without using such complicated, expensive tie down systems or racks with built-in locking arrangements. The known locking systems for racks or other holding assemblies are often inconvenient and/or hard to use. Therefore, persons in a hurry, or who are not handy, tend to forego engaging such locking devices or systems, and merely loosely tie down valuable items or loads, such as water sports equipment. As a result, such items are often lost, stolen, or used without permission. 
     Examples of known prior art locking devices and tie down systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. D365,236 to Stockwell, 715,948 to Beveridge, 3,831,976 to Iden, Sr., 4,340,376 to Williams, 4,526,125 to Bain, Jr., 4,685,315 to Comolli, 4,712,394 to Bull, 4,860,408 to Johnson, 4,918,790 to Cirket et al., 4,938,040 to Humphreys, Jr., 4,951,365 to Loyd, 5,095,722 to Chapmond et al., 5,193,368 to Ling, 5,387,183 to Jones, 5,243,710 to Craycroft, 5,582,044 to Bolich and 5,706,680 to Wroble. These prior art devices and locking systems use different types of straps, which may be secured by easily taken apart hook and loop systems, buckles, or the like. Some of these devices or systems may have locks inserted in openings therein. Additionally, these known prior art patents disclose specifically designed locking devices for surfboards, kayaks and the like, which are limited in use since they must pass through openings in the item to be protected, or clamped to a portion of the equipment, such as to a fin of a surfboard. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,315 to Comolli shows a strap lock to hold suitcases, bags or the like together. This strap includes a lock that is used to lock the strap after the strap is wrapped around a bag. The lock must be opened before the strap may be removed from the suitcase or bag. However, neither Comolli nor any of the above-mentioned prior art locking systems and/or tie downs are adaptable to be used to easily and quickly hold and lock various size items and loads to a vehicle, or other support system, to prevent theft. Furthermore, none of the known prior art suggests the provision of strengthening means in the tie down strap itself. 
     Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a lockable tie down strap, adapted to be used with substantially any load, and which includes reinforcing elements in the strap. Furthermore, there exists a need for a tie down strap having a high strength cam-type lockable holding buckle, attached to a reinforced strap, which is used to lock down loads and which may not be removed without destroying the high-strength lock and/or cutting the reinforced tie down straps. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved and simplified lockable tie down strap. It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an improved lockable tie down strap having a reinforcing means within the strap. It is a still more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved lockable tie down strap, which includes a high-strength lock that is simple in construction and in use, but which provides an effective securing and locking means for securing a load to a supporting surface. It is yet another particular object of the present invention to provide an improved lockable tie down strap having a key-operated, high-strength locking system in a cam-operated buckle having means therein to hold and lock a loose end of the tie down strap in a position cinched around a load. And, it is still another particular object of the present invention to provide a method for strapping down and securing loads in a locked position on a supporting surface, such as a roof rack, a shelf, or the like. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by providing a lockable, tie down strap having a separate reinforcing means in the strap, together with a locking cam-operated buckle secured to the reinforced strap to lock down substantially any size or shaped load to substantially any supporting surface. The present invention also provides a method of tying down and locking a load to substantially any holding surface, by utilizing a reinforced nylon, polyester, polypropelene, and the like, tubular webbing and a steel, cam-lockable buckle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a partial top plan view of a tie down strap and cam-operated, lockable buckle of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a vehicle, supporting a kayak thereon, and utilizing a plurality of lockable tie down straps of the present invention to secure the kayak to a roof rack of the vehicle; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of a surfboard secured to an adjustable roof rack, by a third embodiment of a lockable tie down strap of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged, partial sectional side view of FIG. 4, showing one of the lockable tie down straps holding the kayak in position; 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a cargo tray, having a load, such as a sports bag, held therein and secured in position by a pair of lockable tie down straps of the present invention, inserted through the tray and around the tray supporting elements; and 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide for an improved, easy to assemble and use high strength, lockable tie down strap, generally indicated by the numeral  10 . 
     Turning now to the drawings, there shown are various embodiments of a lockable tie down strap of the present invention, illustrating its use as a multi-purpose utility strap for securing various sized and shaped items or loads to a boat, pallet, shelf, vehicle, or the like. The locking tie down straps of the present invention may be used to save time in securing and locking in position, items including, but not limited to, canoes, kayaks, small boats, rafts, surfboards, water skis, wake boards, wind surfboards, backpacks, luggage, sleeping bags, duffel bags, coolers, tents, dinghies, small boats to davits, batteries, fuel tanks, water toys, boat covers, boat to trailer, lumber, pipe, windows, ladders, tool chests, crates, trunks, televisions, stereo equipment and computers. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 1-4 and  6 , the lockable tie down strap  10  is shown as being comprised of a buckle  12  and an elongated strap  14  secured at first and second ends  16 ,  18  in the buckle  12 . The first end  16  of the strap  14  is permanently held around a pin  20  at one end of the buckle  12 , by securing the strap  14  together at  22 , as by sewing or stitching. The second or loose end  18  of the strap  14  is inserted in and threaded around a second pin  24 , at another or second end of the buckle  12 . The end  18  is cinched or pulled to a desired tension or tightness around a load, and then locked in place in the buckle  12  by a gripping, locking, or serrated end  26  of a cam-operated element  28 , as described more fully below. The buckle and its components are preferably made from a high strength material, such as steel, or the like. The tie down strap  14  is preferably reinforced by means  30 , such as a flat metal wire braid, held in a plastic-coated strap. Or, preferably, the tie down strap  14  is made from a regular belting material, such as a textile, nylon, polyester, polypropelene, or the like, to make a tubular webbing, with a plurality of metal strands  30 , made from steel, or the like, held or woven into the material, to add greater tensile strength. The reinforcing material  30  prevents cutting of the strap material  14  from the buckle  12  by a knife or other cutting implement, to greatly improve its theft resistance. 
     As best shown in FIG. 2, the steel buckle  12  includes the reinforced strap  14  permanently coupled to the first end  20 , with the other or loose end  18  inserted and releasably held around the pin  24 . A key operated lock  34  is mounted in the cam-operated portion  28 , between two side plates  35 , and is movable to an open position, in the direction of the arrow  36  (see FIG.  1 ), when a key is inserted therein and turned, so as to turn a locking plate  37  to release it from a further locking plate held within a locking compartment  32 , defined by the side plates  35  and a bottom plate  38 . Upon being unlocked, the end  18  of strap  14  may be released from the serrated gripping or locking end  26  of the cam element  28  by pressing on a handle or tongue end  40  so as to rotate the cam element  28 , in the direction of the arrow  41 , against the bias of a spring  42 , held in compartment  32  around a pin  44 . The cam element  28  is rotatably mounted in the locking compartment  32 , on a pivot  46 . 
     Turning now to FIGS. 3,  4  and  6 , there shown is a vehicle  48  having roof racks  50  with a kayak  52  secured thereon by a pair of lockable tie down straps  10  of the present invention wrapped around the roof rack. A second embodiment of the lockable tie down strap is shown at  39 , for use in locking the front of the kayak  52  to a bumper  43  of the vehicle  48 . The lockable tie down strap  39  includes a first looped end strap  45 , secured to a buckle  12  and hooked or looped over one end of the kayak  52 . A second strap  47  is removably secured by a free end  49  in the lock  12 , and a hook end  51 , hooked on the bumper  43 . 
     Each of the reinforced straps  14 , used to tie down the kayak  52 , have the buckles  12  and free ends  18  passed under opposite ends of each of the racks  50 . The buckles  12  and free ends  18  are then pulled to the top of the kayak  52 , with the free ends  18  further passing under the other end of each rack  50 , on the opposite side of the kayak. The free ends  18  are then brought back to the top of the kayak where the loose ends  18  are inserted into the buckles  12 . The buckles  12  are locked by their key-operated locks  34 , after the loose ends  18  have been inserted and pulled taught where they are securely held in position by cooperating ends  26  of cam elements  28 . 
     Turning now to FIG. 5, there shown is a third embodiment of the lockable tie down strap of the present invention, generally indicated by the numeral  54 . In this embodiment, the tie down  54  is shown being used to lock a surfboard  56  in a specially designed locking roof rack  58 , of a type well known to those skilled in the art. The locking tie down strap  54  is comprised of two separate straps  60  and  61 . The first strap  60  is secured to pin  20  in lock  12 , in the same manner as described above with regard to the first end of the strap  14 . The outer end of the strap  60 , away from the buckle  12 , includes a plurality of openings  62  formed therein, similar to the holes formed in a belt worn around the waist of an individual. One of these openings  62  is inserted and held in a holder, such as a locking end  63  of a first slidable element  64  mounted on the rack  58 . The second strap  61 , includes an exterior end, having at least one opening  66  therein. This opening  66  is placed over a further holder or locking end  63  of a second movable or slidable end  64  of the roof rack  58 . An inner or loose end  68  of the second strap  61  is inserted around pin  24  in buckle  12 , pulled to a tight position, where it is held by end  26 , and the tie down strap  54  then locked in place by locking the locking member  34  in buckle  12 , as discussed above. It is to be understood that at least two lockable tie down straps  54  will be used to lock a surfboard, or the like, in place. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, there shown is a pair of lockable tie down straps  10  of the present invention used to secured a flexible load  70 , such as a duffel or sports bags, to an open carrying rack or pallet  72 . The rack or pallet  72  includes an open wire cage  74  and a pair of supporting members  76 , such as vehicle roof racks or pallet supports. As best shown in FIG. 8, the reinforced straps  14  are wrapped around the load  70 , through the wire cage  74 , with one of the straps passing around both supporting members  76 , and the other strap wrapped around the bottom of the wire cage. Both straps are then wrapped around the load  70 , with the loose ends  18  inserted around pins  24 , and cinched or tightened to the desired position, so as to hold the load  70  firmly in place. Each buckle  12  is then locked, as described above, so as to keep the reinforced straps  14  tightly cinched around the load  70 , and, therefore, maintain the load  70  locked to the rack/pallet  72 . 
     The lockable tie down straps  10 ,  39 ,  54  of the present invention solve the long-standing problem of securing various items or loads on vehicles, or the like, in a simple and secure manner, by utilizing one or more lockable tie down straps, which tie down straps are easily attached to and/or removed from around substantially any size or shape load. These lockable tie down straps are versatile, and save time and expense in safely securing equipment, or other loads, to vehicle racks, pallets, shelves, or the like. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.