Patent ID: 7503736

Claim:
A retractable tie-down assembly including an assembly frame, a spool with a spool axis rotatably mounted on the assembly frame and rotatable in a pay out direction and a retracting direction, at least one ratchet wheel on ends of the spool, the ratchet wheel including ratchet teeth on the ratchet wheel, a strap adapted to be wound on and unwound from said spool with one end attached thereto, a ratcheting handle on a handle frame pivotably connected to the assembly frame and configured to optionally engage said ratchet wheel to rotate said spool in said retracting direction, the improvement comprising, the tie-down assembly configurable between a ratchet configuration and a pay out configuration, in which (a) in the ratchet configuration, the handle includes a pawl under spring bias toward continuous engagement of the pawl with said ratchet wheel such that when the handle alone is lifted, the handle and ratchet wheel cooperating to ratchet said spool to rotate in said retracting direction, and a rotation lock mounted to said assembly frame adapted to lock said ratchet wheel against rotation in said pay out direction by engaging the ratchet wheel, wherein said rotation lock remains in a locking position when said handle is movable to ratchet said ratchet wheel, the rotation lock being under spring bias toward the locking position therein allowing the ratchet wheel to rotate in said retracting direction but preventing the ratchet wheel from rotating in said pay out direction, and (b) in the pay out configuration, said handle is moved downward out of the ratchet configuration effecting a withdrawal of the pawl from engagement with the ratchet wheel and a withdrawal of the rotation lock from engagement with the ratchet wheel, and further comprising a rotation brake pivotably mounted to said assembly frame and urged against the ratchet wheel under a spring bias resulting in a frictional engagement between the ratchet wheel and the rotation brake sufficient to prevent rotation of the ratchet wheel in the retracting direction while allowing the ratchet wheel to rotate in the pay out direction under frictional resistance of the rotation brake.