Anchor plate for pick-up truck box

Abstract

An anchor plate attached to a base wall of a recess in a sidewall or inner surface of a tail gate. The anchor plate includes a connection wall that defines an E-clip opening or receptacle. A tie-down bar is attached to or formed as a part of the connection wall.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An anchoring system for securing objects to a pick-up truck box, the anchoring system comprising:
 an exterior surface of the truck box that defines a recessed pocket including a base wall; and   an anchor plate having a connection wall spaced from the base wall and defining a receptacle for a tie down clip and a mounting flange attached to the base wall.   
     
     
         2 . The anchoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the receptacle includes a pair of elongated E-track slots that are separated by a tie-down bar. 
     
     
         3 . The anchoring system of  claim 2 , wherein the pair of elongated E-track slots are elongated in a vertical direction and wherein the tie-down bar extends in the vertical direction and is intermediate the elongated pair of E-track slots. 
     
     
         4 . The anchoring system of  claim 2 , wherein the tie-down bar is a metal rod attached to the connection wall of the anchor plate. 
     
     
         5 . The truck box of  claim 2 , wherein the tie-down bar is an integrally formed portion of the anchor plate that extends across the E-track slots. 
     
     
         6 . The anchoring system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a protrusion on an inner surface of the wall opposite the recessed pocket; and 
 a reinforcing brace attached to the wall and contacting the protrusion on the inner surface of the wall. 
 
     
     
         7 . The anchoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the receptacle includes a tie down bar extending across the receptacle that includes a first lip and a second lip that are adapted to receive an E-track clip oriented perpendicularly to the tie down bar. 
     
     
         8 . The anchoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface is a sidewall of the truck box. 
     
     
         9 . The anchoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface is a floor of the truck box. 
     
     
         10 . The anchoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface is an inner wall of a tail gate of a truck. 
     
     
         11 . The anchoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the connection wall defines a pair of openings elongated in a vertical direction relative to a truck box floor and horizontally separated by a tie-down bar spaced from the base.