Patent ID: 8763209

Claim:
A ratchet buckle and strap assembly comprising: a strap; and a ratchet buckle, the ratchet buckle comprising: a passageway configured to slidably receive the strap, the passageway having a front portion and a rear portion; a pawl constructed and arranged to engage the strap and prevent movement of the strap in a direction from the rear portion toward the front portion, while allowing movement of the strap in a direction from the front portion toward the rear portion of the passageway, the pawl being positioned below the passageway; and a drive actuator constructed and arranged to engage the strap and feed the strap through the passageway from the front portion toward the rear portion of the passageway, the drive actuator being positioned above the passageway; wherein the strap has a plurality of first teeth on a first side configured to coact with the pawl, and a plurality of separate second teeth on a second side opposite the first side configured to coact with the drive actuator.