Patent Abstract:
A fastener assembly secures loads to a track in a truck bed and is retainable within a track slot of the track. The fastener assembly may include a retainer adapted to fit at least partly within a track slot and a rotatable handle operating on the retainer, the rotatable handle being rotatable between at least an engagement position and a release position. A pressure applicator is positioned between the track and the rotatable handle, the pressure applicator having a bottom surface for applying a pressure on a top surface of the track in response to the position of the rotatable handle. The pressure applicator includes at least one projection projecting from an interior region of the bottom surface and adapted to engage a positioning scallop of the track.

Full Description:
CORRESPONDING RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/734,678, filed Dec. 15, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,377, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, which is continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/336,033 filed on Jan. 3, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,531, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Additionally, the present application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 09/874,979 filed on Jun. 7, 2001, and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/109,051 filed on Mar. 29, 2002 by Mark D. Snyder et al., which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to fasteners for securing loads to a track, and more particularly, to adjustable fasteners for securing loads to a track mounted in or near a truck bed. 
   2. Background of the Invention 
   Fasteners for securing loads to framing, tracks, and channels have been commercially available for some time. Some conventional fasteners used in automotive track applications will be briefly described below. 
   Conventional track fasteners have been designed to be removable and/or relocateable along a track slot length. Many of these conventional track fasteners employ a rotatable locking base portion that engages locking teeth inside the track slot or on a locking mechanism to securely retain the fastener within the track slot, and to facilitate relocation along the track slot length. These devices, however, can be difficult to install and use, which detracts from their desirability in consumer environments such as original equipment manufactured (OEM) vehicles such as pickup trucks, mini-vans, sport-utility vehicles or other vehicles. Often, conventional track fasteners can only be loaded from an end of the track slot, because their design does not facilitate top down loading, and are thus difficult to replace if broken. Also problematic, many of these fasteners have limited load capacities, such as fasteners available on roof racks, and are thus unsuitable for applications such as truck beds and cargo areas where heavier loads are placed. 
   Other conventional track fasteners (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,410,298, 4,784,552, and Re. 36,681, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety) have been designed with a center through bolt to apply pressure between a top plate mounted above the track slot and a base plate mounted within the track slot. The bolt can be tightened to clamp the fastener in place, thereby securely retaining the fastener within the track slot, or loosened to allow relocation along the track slot length. Clamp styled fasteners are often used to temporarily attach rails to the top side of a truck bed for tonneau covers and the like, and generally allow relocation along the length of the track slot. These devices, however, often require a user to have a wrench to loosen or tighten the bolt, which detracts from their ease of use. 
   Thus, a need exists for an improved track slot fastening device. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to overcoming or at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above and other problems in the prior art. 
   According to embodiments of the invention described below, there is provided a fastener assembly for securing loads to a track, the fastener assembly being retainable within a track slot of the track. The fastener assembly may include a retainer adapted to fit at least partly within a track slot and a rotatable handle operating on the retainer, the rotatable handle being rotatable between at least an engagement position and a release position. A pressure applicator is positioned between the track and the rotatable handle, the pressure applicator having a bottom surface for applying a pressure on a top surface of the track in response to the position of the rotatable handle. The pressure applicator includes at least one projection projecting from an interior region of the bottom surface and adapted to engage a positioning scallop of the track. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a fastener assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the fastener assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the fastener assembly of  FIG. 1  mounted on a track slot with the track slot cut in a mid-region to show an interface between the fastener assembly and the track slot; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a shaft coupled to a retainer according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of a rotatable handle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of the rotatable handle of  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the fastener assembly of  FIG. 1  viewed from plane VII-VII; 
       FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the fastener assembly of  FIG. 1  viewed from plane IIX-IIX; 
       FIG. 9  is a sectional view of a fastener assembly with ramped or angled portions according to another embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 10  is a partial sectional view of the fastener assembly of  FIG. 9  viewed from plane X-X. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
   The following description of the present invention will describe implementations of the present invention in reference to a track slot used in a truck bed. One such implementation is described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/874,979 filed Jun. 7, 2001, by Michael D. Anderson et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Additional improvements and variations are described in the aforementioned corresponding related applications. Other implementations are also contemplated, as would be readily apparent to one of skill in the art after reading this disclosure. 
   It should be appreciated that the term track slot as used in the present specification refers to the entire internal volume of the track. Hence, track slot includes the space substantially between two upper inwardly protruding portions at the top of the track, and the volume underneath the protruding portions to a bottom surface of the track. It should also be appreciated that the term load as used in the present specification refers to a force applied to a fastener assembly by an object secured thereto. This load may include, for example, a horizontal force acting substantially along a plane of a vehicle body, a vertical force acting upwards and away from the aforementioned plane of the vehicle body, or a combination of the two. 
   A fastener assembly  1000  retainable within a track slot  605  of a track  600  according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 through 8 . The fastener assembly  1000  includes a rotatable handle  1010 , such as a thumb-wheel, which is shown best in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The rotatable handle  1010  is disposed within an outer tie down  1011  for securing loads to the fastener assembly  1000 . The rotatable handle  1010  is operably connected to a retainer  1050  by way of a shaft  1020 . Retainer  1050  is configured to function in conjunction with a pressure plate  1040  to apply a mechanical clamping force on the track  600  when in an engaged or locked configuration. 
   According to the first embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 2 , a plurality of projections  1090  are configured to extend from a bottom surface  1041  of pressure plate  1040 . Preferably, the projections  1090  extend from a region located generally in the interior of the bottom surface  1041  of pressure plate  1040 . In this configuration, the projections  1090  may be spaced from one or both of the ends  1042  and  1044  of pressure plate  1040  and from one or both of sides  1046  and  1048  of pressure plate  1040 , or a plurality of combinations thereof. It can be appreciated that spacing the projections  1090  an approximately equal distance on opposite sides of shaft  1020  will ensure an equal load distribution across the bottom surface of the pressure plate  1040 . Preferably, projections  1090  are positioned in a configuration shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   The projections  1090  may include four periphery portions  1091  formed in a shape conforming to that of scallops  1095  in track  600  to promote engagement therebetween and slot guide portions  1093  to further assist in positioning the fitting in the track. A clearance may also be provided to facilitate ingress and egress of the projections  1090 . In the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1 to 8 , the scallops are in the shape of a portion of a circle having a radius of about 5 mm (such as 5.37 mm) and thus each of the four periphery portions  1091  are in the shape of a portion of a circle having a radius of about 5 mm. In this particular embodiment, the non-scalloped portion of the top of the track slot is about 21 mm wide (such as 21.45 mm) and thus portions  1093  on each projection  1090  are spaced apart about 21 mm. In this particular embodiment, the centers of curvature of adjacent scallops are about 40 mm apart and thus the centers of curvature of the portions  1091  are about 40 mm apart. Other variations are also plausible, as will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure. For example, the scallops and periphery portions can have other arc-shaped geometries in addition to circular geometries. Projections  1090  are illustrated to project from pressure plate  1040  at an angle of 90° from the bottom surface  1041 . However, it is contemplated that the projections  1090  may extend at a variety of angles to increase engagement with corresponding scallops  1095 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 5 through 8 , the rotatable handle  1010  may be formed of a multi-piece or multi-section construction. By way of example, the rotatable handle  1010  may include a top  1012  including a threaded nut  1014 , for translating the threaded portion  1025  of shaft  1020 , and a washer  1016  which prevents rotation and rocking of shaft  1020 . This multi-piece or multi-section construction allows the rotatable handle  1010  to be easily assembled and manufactured. Also, shown in  FIG. 8  are fasteners  1013 , which hold the tie-down portion  1011  to pressure plate  1040  and a clip  1015  which retains the shaft  1020  to the rest of the fitting. 
   In order to insert the fastener assembly  1000  in track  600 , the longitudinal axis of the fastener assembly  1000  is initially placed transverse to the longitudinal axis of the track  600 . Next, the retainer  1050  is positioned such that the longer axis is oriented parallel to and above the slot. The retainer  1050  is then placed in the longitudinally extending slot  605  of the track  600 . The fastener assembly  1000  is then rotated 90° in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, thus aligning with track  600  so that the retainer  1050  is also rotated 90°. In this manner, the fastener assembly  1000  can be inserted in track  600  in a top-down method and easily secured to the track  600 . 
   To secure fastener assembly  1000  to track  600 , the fastener assembly  1000  is first inserted in the track  600 , as described above. Next, the fastener assembly  1000  is placed along the track  600  such that projections  1090  engage corresponding scallops  1095  formed in the track  600 . The rotatable handle  1010  is then rotated clockwise about a central axis defined by shaft  1020 , which in turn rotates a central threaded portion  1014  of the rotatable handle  1010 . Rotation of the rotatable handle  1010  operates to translate the threaded portion  1025  of shaft  1020 , thereby translating shaft  1020  relative to rotatable handle  1010 . As the shaft  1020  is translated the retainer  1050 , which is coupled to the shaft  1020 , contacts a lower surface  610  of a flange  615  formed on the track  600 . The retainer  1050  and pressure plate  1040  combine to exert a clamping force on the track  600 , thereby retaining the fastener assembly  1000  in a secured position on track  600 . In this manner, the fastener assembly  1000  can be securely coupled to the track  600  in a plurality of locations along the track  600  for fastening loads thereto. 
   A fastener assembly  400  retainable within a track slot of a track  110  according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . A portion of  FIG. 9  viewed from plane X-X is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 10 . The fastener assembly  400  according to this embodiment includes a rotatable handle  410 , such as a thumb-wheel, within an outer tie down  411  for securing loads to the fastener assembly  400 . The rotatable handle  410  operates retainer  450  via shaft  420 . A spring  430  is provided in a space between the rotatable handle  410  and a pressure plate  440 , such that the spring  430  applies a vertical force on a pin  443  with respect to the pressure plate  440 . The pressure plate  440  is secured to the tie down  411  by screws  435 . 
   To operate the fastener assembly  400 , the rotatable handle  410  includes an angled running surface  445  interfacing pin  443 . As the rotatable handle  410  is rotated between a locked position and a released position, the angled running surface  445  vertically displaces the pin  443  which is coupled to the retainer  450  by shaft  420 . The rotatable handle  410  is limited in vertical displacement due to intersecting a portion of the outer tie down  411 . 
   The interface between the angled running surface  445  and the pin  443  may be formed to prevent overtightening of the fastener assembly  400  and to default to a tightened condition during partial tightening of the rotatable handle  410 . By way of example, the angled running surface  445  may include a notch (not shown) for receiving the pin  443  at a loosened state near the top of the angled running surface  445 . If an operator only partially loosens the fastener assembly  400 , thereby not engaging the notch, the spring  430  forces the pin  443  to slide down the angled running surface  445  into a tightened or engaged position. To prevent overtightening, the spring  430  is configured to apply the maximum retention force on the retainer  450  when the pin  443  is at the bottom of the angled running surface  445 . Therefore, overtightening may be prevented and default engagement may be achieved by the present invention. 
   The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. For example, other types of retainers such as nuts or other fasteners may be used. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined with reference to the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1