BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to tie down locking devices that ensure that the drain plug is either inserted or removed from a boat as needed. More specifically, the present invention relates to tie down locking devices that include a locking mechanism requiring a drain plug to operate.

While the structure and design of the drain and drain plug on a boat is simple, these components serve an important purpose in the functioning of a boat. After the user has finished boating and removes the boat from the water, any water that has entered the hull is drained by lifting the bow of the boat and angling the boat downwards toward the stern with the drain plug removed. This angling positions the drain at the lowermost point. Prior to placing the boat into the water, the drain plug must be inserted into and secured within the drain to prevent water from flowing into the hull. When the boat is being used, water inevitably seeps into the hull through the seal around the drain plug, through valves and various pump cartridge holders, or the bilge pump within the hull. Therefore drainage of the hull is a necessary step in storing and maintaining the boat.

It is not uncommon for boaters to accidentally forget to remove the drain plug after boating and/or insert the drain plug back into the drain prior to boating. Even the most experienced boaters can easily skip these steps. When the drain plug is not removed after use, the boat is weighed down significantly by excess water in the hull. This creates difficulty for transportation and leads to cleanliness and other maintenance problems. When the boater forgets to insert the drain plug before placing the boat in the water, the hull immediately begins to fill with water when the boat is placed on the water without the boater realizing the problem until it is too late. Flooding of the hull leads to costly repairs.

One common method that boaters use to help remind them to remove/insert the drain plug is to attach the drain plug to the transom strap by a string or strap. The transom or tie down strap is durable, high-strength belt that is used to attach the boat to a trailer. Once the boat is mounted on the trailer, a first end of the transom strap is secured to the stern of the boat and a second end of the transom strap is secured directly to the trailer. The transom strap is then pulled taut in order to restrict movement of the boat on the trailer. The drain plug is located in the transom of the boat stern, so securing the drain plug to the transom strap serves as a reminder to position the drain plug as needed. The downside of this reminder is that boaters may see the drain plug and still easily overlook the step of positioning it in place. Although it makes the drain plug more convenient, it does not guarantee use of the drain plug.

Accordingly, there is a need for a device that allows the watercraft to be secured to the trailer only if the drain plug is appropriately removed/inserted, as described herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To meet the needs described above and others, the present disclosure provides a tie down locking device including an aperture for receiving a drain plug, wherein the drain plug must be positioned within the aperture in order for the tie down locking device to move into a locked position.

By requiring installation of a drain plug in the tie down locking device in order for the transom or tie down strap to function, the boater must give attention to the positioning of the drain plug, minimizing the chances that the boater will neglect to remove the drain plug when loading the trailer and/or to insert the drain plug when preparing to boat.

In a first embodiment, the tie down locking device is a ratchet strap having a ratchet assembly that includes a locking mechanism. The ratchet assembly is secured to a surface on the loading platform such as a trailer, and an attachment mechanism on the end of the strap is secured to the boat or object being secured to the loading platform. The ratchet assembly allows the user to tighten the strap by actuating the ratchet handle. The ratchet handle moves between an uppermost locking position, where the strap freely rotates about the axle of the ratchet assembly, and a lowermost locked position, which locks the strap into position relative to the axle.

The locking mechanism on the ratchet assembly includes a first pin that locks the handle in the uppermost locked position when the drain plug is removed from the locking mechanism and a second pin that restricts movement of the handle so that it rotates about the axle but cannot reach the uppermost locked position when the drain plug is inserted into the locking mechanism.

The first pin moves through a throughhole in the handle to obstruct movement of the handle. The second pin moves into a groove in the handle to limit the rotation of the handle about the axle. A member extends across a pivoting structure between the first and second pins, and a spring around the second pin biases the member into position. Placing a drain plug into an aperture adjacent to the second pin compresses the second pin into the groove.

When the boat is loaded onto the trailer and the ratchet strap is tightened about the axle of the ratchet assembly, the ratchet handle is positioned in a locked lowermost position. The drain plug may be stored in the aperture during transport.

When the user arrives as his destination and wants to remove the boat from the trailer, the drain plug in the aperture restricts movement of the handle such that the handle cannot reach the locked uppermost position, which would allow the strap to fully loosen and move freely about the axle. Once the drain plug is removed, the handle can be moved into the locked uppermost position, where the first pin automatically locks the handle into place.

The handle can move out of the uppermost locked position only when the drain plug is positioned back into the locking device once it is time to load the boat onto the trailer again. After the user has finished boating, he removes the drain plug from the boat and loads the boat onto the trailer. After he tightens the strap, he stores the drain plug in the aperture during transportation.

In a second embodiment, the tie down locking device includes first and second plates that cooperate together to move between an open position and a closed position. The plates are secured together using bolts that allows for movement of the first plate relative to the second along the planar surfaces. A spring is positioned between first and second spring protrusions on each of the first and second plates to urge the plates apart.

The front plate includes a slotted cavity toward an upper end thereof that angles toward an upper right corner. The slotted cavity includes an opening along a perimeter of the front plate. The rear plate includes a centrally-located rounded cavity defined by a bulbous corner toward an upper end thereof. The rear plate includes an opening along the perimeter below the bulbous corner connected to the rounded opening. In the open position, the front plate is positioned against the rear plate such that the opening of the front plate is aligned with the opening of the second plate. In this position, the aligned openings of the front and rear plate, respectively, can receive a structure such as a hook on a transom of a boat.

Each of the front and rear plate includes an aperture for receiving a drain plug. When the front and rear plates are in the closed position, the apertures are aligned and the drain plug must be inserted through the apertures in order for the plates to maintain a locked position. When the drain plug is removed, the spring biases the front plate downwardly into the open position, allowing the structure to be released from the aligned openings. The apertures are no longer aligned.

During use, the user loads the boat on the trailer and locks the transom strap onto the transom of the boat using the locking device. The user must remove the drain plug from the boat and insert it into the locking device in order for the locking device to work. Once the user is ready to take the boat off of the trailer, the user must remove the drain plug from the locking device in order to open the locking device and remove the transom strap from the boat. The user is reminded to insert the drain plug in the boat as he unloads the boat from the trailer.

An object of the invention is to provide a locking mechanism requires the use of a drain plug in order to operate the locking device so that the user is forced to remove or insert the drain plug on the boat.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the solutions provided herein will be recognized by those skilled in the art based on the following detail description and claims, as well as the accompanying drawings, and/or may be learned by production or operation of the examples provided herein.

