Patent ID: 7878743

Claim:
A load bar system for supporting articles above a body surface of a motor vehicle, said system comprising: a pair of support rails fixedly secured generally parallel to one another to a pair of spaced apart body portions of said motor vehicle; a pair of adjustably positionable tie-down assemblies secured to said support rails, a first one of said tie-down assemblies being secured to an associated first one of said pair of support rails, and a second one of said tie-down assemblies being secured to an associated second one of said pair of support rails; each of said tie-down assemblies including a release member and an operatively coupled locking element movable between locked and unlocked positions, relative to its associated said support rail, in accordance with movement of said release member, and being able to accept an external cord-like fastening element for releasable attachment thereto; and a load bar assembly releasably secured to said tie-down assemblies for supporting articles thereon, the load bar assembly being detachable from the tie-down assemblies without the need for external tools, while the tie-down assemblies remain secured to the support rails and available for use.