Patent ID: 8465236

Claim:
A tie-down assembly to be mounted in a deck portion to secure an object to the deck portion, the tie-down assembly comprising: a frame; a pair of ratchet subassemblies, each said ratchet subassembly comprising: an elongate ratchet body to which a selected one of two straps is attachable; a ratchet head secured to the ratchet body, the ratchet head and the ratchet body being coaxial relative to an axis thereof; each of the ratchet bodies being mounted in the frame to permit rotation thereof about the axis thereof respectively in a predetermined rotary direction to tighten the selected one of the straps attached thereto, for securing the object to the deck portion; each ratchet subassembly additionally comprising a pawl, for preventing rotation of the ratchet head engageable therewith about the axis thereof in a direction opposite to the predetermined rotary direction; and each of the ratchet bodies being rotatable in the same predetermined rotary direction to tighten the selected one of the straps attached thereto respectively; in each ratchet subassembly, the pawl being movable between: an engaged position, in which the pawl engages the ratchet head to prevent rotation thereof in the direction opposite to the predetermined rotary direction, and in which the pawl permits rotation of the ratchet head in the predetermined rotary direction; a disengaged position, in which the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet head to permit rotation thereof in the direction opposite to the predetermined rotary direction, for loosening the selected one of the straps attached to the ratchet body to which the ratchet head is secured; the pawl being urged to rotate at least partially upwardly to the engaged position; and the pawl being movable from the engaged position to the disengaged position by engaging an engagement portion of the pawl with a bar positioned between the engagement portion and a locating part of the tie-down assembly, to lever the pawl to the disengaged position.