Patent Application
20130074294
The present invention relates to a clamp apparatus for detachably connecting a table cover to a skirt adjacent to the edges of a table.
Table covers are used on a variety of types of tables such as dining tables, banquet tables, and speaker stands, for example. It is often necessary to remove them, as when they get soiled or wrinkled. However, at the same time they need to be retained in place especially in applications where they are subjected to various outside influences such as wind in an outside environment, movement about a banquet hall, on a veranda or in outside restaurants. Also, for table covers that have or consist only of a separate overhanging skirt portion, a way to easily detachably connect them to the table is necessary.
Heretofore, clips connectable to the edge of a table were provided with grommets that snapped into sockets in a strip of material sewn onto table skirts. However, these devices required that clips be precisely located on the table to match the locations of sockets on the skirt. This is often cumbersome and difficult to do. Moreover, as table top thicknesses vary, different clip sizes would be needed which could also be unnecessarily cumbersome when dealing with the various sizes.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means for attaching a table cover and/or the skirting to a table with an easy to use clamping apparatus that can adjustably fit various table sizes.
The present invention addresses the above-described deficiencies and others. Specifically, the present invention provides a clamp apparatus for quickly and easily attaching table cover and skirting to a table. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, easy to manufacture clamping device. In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is disclosed a clamping apparatus that is adjustable and can fit various table thicknesses with a design that is universal and can accommodate the thicknesses of different table tops. In accordance with yet another object of the invention is disclosed a variably adjusting clamping device that is easy to use and may be reusable.
In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the drawings, in which:
The novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of use, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following disclosure considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
As used herein, the term “comprises” refers to a part or parts of a whole, but does not exclude other parts. That is, the term “comprises” is open language that requires the presence of the recited element or structure or its equivalent, but does not exclude the presence of other elements or structures. The term “comprises” has the same meaning and is interchangeable with the terms “includes” and “has”. The term set has the meaning of one or more of said element. Furthermore, any use of the term “or” as used herein is generally intended to mean “and/or” unless otherwise indicated. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted, where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.
Referring now to the figures,
Referring again to
The inner side of the rod 30 is serrated with an array of serrations, grooves, notches, or the like, 35, which frictionally and mechanically engage the distal end of the trigger 42d such that the slide jaw 40 may be adjustably moved upward along the length of the rod 30 and may also be maintained in a fixed position once the slide jaw 40 is adjacent the table's edge 50. The serrations 35 provide the frictional engagement for placement of the trigger 42. The spring 41 operatively engages both said slide jaw 40 and said trigger 42 due to compression forces generated by the coil turns of the spring center 41c.
The second leg of the spring 41s is pressed against the underside of the slide jaw 40 for aiding in providing upward and downward mobility of said slide jaw 40. The slide jaw 40 has a recessed portion having a groove or recess 46 which at least partially surrounds said rod 30 for facilitating translational movement of the slide jaw 40 with relation to the rod 30 along a longitudinal axis of said rod 30. The spring 41 may be coupled to the trigger 42 and slide jaw 40 by known bonding and/or attaching means well known to an artisan of skill in the art.
The fixed jaw 10, fastening means 20, and the rod 30 are all integrally connected by either a bonding means known in the art, such as for example, chemical bonding via epoxies, or the like and/or a mechanical bonding such as manufacturing molding process well known in the art. The fastening means 20 has at least two sides wherein a first side is connected to the fixed jaw 10 and rod 30 and a second side providing attachment means 25 for connecting to a table cover. The attachment means 25 may be a hook and loop fastening mechanism such as a Velcro strip (as depicted in
In each of the embodiments, the AJC 100 may be sized and dimensioned to fit about varying sizes of tables. In some embodiments, however, the approximate length of the AJC 100 may be about 2-5 inches and having a width in the range of 0.5 to 1 inch wide ad weighing less than 6 ounces, depending on materials. The upper fixed jaw 10, slide jaw 40, fastening means 20, and the rod 30 may be comprised of any suitable, light weight plastic, such as for example, acetyl, polypropylene, nylon, ABS, high density polystyrene, impact modified polypropylene, and/or combinations thereof. The attachment means 25 and the fastening means 20 may be of the same width of the rod 30 and fixed jaw 10; and moreover, the width of the rod 30 is the same as the fixed jaw 10. The upper fixed jaw 10 may be the same size and dimension as the slide jaw 40.
It is to be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application. Thus, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances, some features of embodiments of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth.
Therefore, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the instant disclosure.
The foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
