Tie-down cleat for a moving vehicle

Abstract

A tie-down cleat removably secured at the vehicle's license plate area with the same screw used for securing the license plate. The cleat serves as an attachment point for a rope, etc. that is being used to maintain a vehicle's trunk lid or cargo hatch door in a substantially fixed unlatched position with respect to the vehicle when the trunk or cargo area is overfilled or otherwise preventing the lid or door from being latched and in a fully closed position. In another embodiment the cleat is provided with a slot for insertion of a top license plate portion for securing the cleat, with or without attachment also by the license plate screw. The slot can also be sized to receive the top of a vehicle window for securing the cleat at the vehicle window to serve as rope attachment points for securing an item to the vehicle's roof.

1 . A tie-down cleat removably secured at a license plate area of a motor vehicle with a same screw used for securing a license plate to the vehicle for use as an attachment point for a rope, twine, cord or cable that is being used to maintain a vehicle's trunk lid or cargo hatch door in a substantially fixed unlatched position with respect to the vehicle when said trunk or cargo area is overfilled or otherwise preventing the lid or door from being latched and in a fully closed position, comprising:
 a base having a first end and a second end and an aperture extending therethrough from a top side to a bottom side, said aperture size to correspond to a size of a license plate screw receiving aperture of a vehicle;   a first flange member having a first end permanently attached at the first end of said base and extending upward and outward from the top side of said base; and   a second flange member having a first end permanently attached at the second end of said base and extending upward and outward from the top side of said base;   wherein said first flange member and said second flange member provide a securing point for a rope, twine, cord or cable used to maintain a substantially fixed unlatched position of a vehicle trunk lid or cargo hatch door when a trunk or cargo area of the vehicle is overfilled or otherwise preventing the lid or door from being latched and in a normal fully closed position.   
     
     
         2 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 1  wherein said first flange member and said second flange member are monolithically formed with said base. 
     
     
         3 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 1  further comprising a protrusion extending outward from the bottom side of the base and adapted for position within a license plate aperture when said tie-down cleat is properly secured to the vehicle at a license plate area. 
     
     
         4 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 1  wherein when said base is secured to the vehicle said base aperture, the license plate screw receiving aperture of a vehicle and a license plate aperture are aligned with each other to permit a license plate screw to be inserted in all three apertures. 
     
     
         5 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 1  further including an intermediate portion disposed between said first flange member and said second flange member, said intermediate portion along with said first flange member, said second flange member and said base defining, a passageway. 
     
     
         6 . A vehicle secured tie-down cleat for providing an attachment point on a vehicle for a rope, cord or cable, comprising:
 a base having a bottom portion and a top portion and a slot defined between said bottom portion and said top portion, said top portion having a first end and a second end;   a first flange member having a first end permanently attached at the first end of said base top portion and extending upward and outward from a top surface of said base top portion; and   a second flange member having a first end permanently attached at the second end of said base top portion and extending upward and outward from the top surface of said base top portion.   
     
     
         7 . The vehicle secured tie-down cleat of  claim 6  wherein said base having a substantially inverted J shape with said base bottom portion extending longer in length as compared to base top portion. 
     
     
         8 . The vehicle secured tie-down cleat of  claim 6  wherein said slot sized to snugly receive a portion of a top edge of a vehicle license plate, wherein said cleat is used as an attachment point for a rope, twine, cord or cable that is being used to maintain a vehicle's trunk lid or cargo hatch door in a substantially fixed unlatched position with respect to the vehicle when said trunk or cargo area is overfilled or otherwise preventing the lid or door from being latched and in a fully closed position; wherein said first flange member and said second flange member provide a securing point for the rope, twine, cord or cable. 
     
     
         9 . The vehicle secured tie-down cleat of  claim 6  wherein said slot sized to snugly receive a portion of a top edge of a vehicle window wherein said cleat is used as an attachment point for a rope, cord or cable that is being used to secure an item to the vehicle's roof. 
     
     
         10 . The vehicle secured tie-down cleat of  claim 8  wherein said base bottom portion is substantially disposed between the vehicle license plate and an adjacent portion of the vehicle's body and a substantial portion of the base top portion is disposed over the vehicle license plate when said tie-down cleat is secured to the vehicle at a license plate area of the vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . The vehicle secured tie-down cleat of  claim 9  wherein said base bottom portion is substantially disposed within an internal passenger/driver compartment area of the vehicle and the base top portion is substantially disposed outside of the internal passenger/driver compartment area on an opposite side of the vehicle window when said tie-down cleat secured to the vehicle at a vehicle window area. 
     
     
         12 . The vehicle secured tie-down cleat of  claim 6  wherein said base bottom portion having a first aperture extending therethrough. 
     
     
         13 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 6  wherein said first flange member and said second flange member are monolithically formed with said base top portion. 
     
     
         14 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 12  wherein when said base is secured to the vehicle at said license plate area said base first aperture, a license plate screw receiving aperture of the vehicle and a license plate aperture are aligned with each other to permit a license plate screw to be inserted in all four apertures. 
     
     
         15 . The tie-down cleat of  claim 6  further including an intermediate portion disposed between said first flange member and said second flange member, said intermediate portion along with said first flange member, said second flange member and said base defining a passageway. 
     
     
         16 . A method for securing a vehicle trunk lid or cargo hatch door is a substantially fixed unlatched position with respect to the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) securing at least one cleat-like member to a vehicle, wherein the cleat-like member having a base and a first upwardly and outwardly flange portion located at a first end of the base and a second upwardly and outwardly flange portion located at an opposite second end of the base;   (b) securing a rope, twine, cord or cable to a truck lid or cargo hatch door of the vehicle; and   (c) securing the rope, twine, cord or cable to the cleat-like member.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein said base having an aperture extending therethrough and step (a) comprises the steps of:
 (a1)) aligning the base aperture with a license plate aperture and a license plate screw receiving aperture of the vehicle; and 
 (a2) disposing a license plate screw within the base aperture, license plate aperture and license plate screw receiving aperture. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein said base having a bottom portion and a top portion and defining a slot between the bottom portion and the top portion and step (a) comprises the steps of:
 (a1)) providing sufficient access to a space between a vehicle license plate and an adjacent portion of a vehicle body; 
 (a2) positioning a substantial portion of the base bottom portion within the space by inserting a portion of the top edge of the vehicle license plate within the slot; and 
 (a3) tightening one or more vehicle license plate screws to tighten the securement of the vehicle license plate to the adjacent portion of the vehicle and in turn safely securing said base bottom portion within the space between the vehicle license plate and the adjacent portion of the vehicle body. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said base bottom portion having an aperture extending therethrough and wherein steps (a2) comprising the steps of:
 (a2A) positioning a substantial portion of the base bottom portion within the space by inserting a portion of the top edge of the vehicle license plate within the slot; and 
 (a2B) aligning the base bottom portion aperture, a license plate aperture and a license plate screw receiving aperture of the vehicle's body with each other. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said step (a3) comprises the step of tightening a vehicle license plate screw inserted within the base bottom portion aperture, the license plate aperture and the license plate screw receiving aperture. 
     
     
         21 . A method for helping to secure an item to the roof of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) securing a first cleat-like member to a first vehicle window, wherein the cleat-like member having a base having a bottom portion and a top portion and defining a slot between said bottom portion and said top portion, said cleat-like member having a first upwardly and outwardly flange portion located at a first end of the base top portion and a second upwardly and outwardly flange portion located at an opposite second end of the base top portion, wherein a portion of the top edge of the vehicle is disposed within said slot and the vehicle window is in a substantially closed position to sandwich the cleat-like member between the vehicle window and an upper window frame associated with the vehicle window;   (b) securing a second cleat-like member having similar characteristics to said first cleat-like member to a second vehicle window located on an opposite side of the vehicle similar to how said first cleat-like member is secured to said first vehicle window;   (c) securing a rope, twine, cord or cable to said first cleat-like member;   (d) positioning the rope, twine, cord or cable over or through a part of an item to be secured to a vehicle roof; and   (c) securing the rope, twine, cord or cable to the second cleat-like member such that the securement of the rope, twine, cord or cable to the first and second cleat-like members is sufficient to help retain the item to the vehicle roof while the vehicle is moving.