Claims
- 1. A clamp mechanism including a pair of jaws and threaded rod members extending through said jaws,barrel nut means rotatably mounted in each of said jaws, said barrel nut means including body formations forming bores and on which ‘quarter-turn’ means are formed in the bores, and slidable assembly means mounted to said jaws for actuating said barrel nut means whereby said ‘quarter-turn’ means engage and disengage said rod members thereby locking and unlocking said threaded rod members.
- 2. The clamp mechanism of claim 1 whereinsaid slidable assembly means comprises ramp means by which said ‘quarter-turn’ means engages and disengages from said threaded rod members.
- 3. The clamp mechanism of claim 2 whereinsaid slidable assembly means includes members having bases slidably mounted along said jaws, said ramp means included in said slidably mounted members and by actuation of which said ‘quarter-turn’ means engages and disengages from said threaded rod members.
- 4. The clamp mechanism of claim 3 whereinsaid ramp means comprises slotted means extending from said bases upwardly through said slidably mounted members, and means for connecting said barrel nut means to said slotted means.
- 5. The clamp mechanism of claim 4 whereinsaid connecting means comprises a bolt-and-washer arrangement extending through said slotted means and fixed to said barrel nut means.
- 6. The clamp mechanism of claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 4 or claim 5 includingmeans for maintaining equality of opening and closing from a midpoint for said pair of jaws from and to one another along said threaded rod members.
- 7. The clamp mechanism of claim 6 whereinsaid maintaining means comprises spirally-wound rod means offset from the plane of and extending through said pair of jaws in the same directions as said threaded rod members, and means for joining together said rod means and threaded rod members at the mid-point.
- 8. The clamp mechanism of claim 7 whereinsaid joining means comprises rigid means mounted at the mid-point for said threaded rod members and rod means, said threaded rod members and rod means extending through and to each side of said rigid means, the points of said threaded rod members and rod means at said rigid means remaining the same in operation of said clamp mechanism.
- 9. The clamp mechanism of claim 8 includingradiating conically-configured slots in said jaws, said rigid means including hole means about said threaded rod members and rod means whereby angular motion for either or both of said jaws is effected through said conical-like slots in the unlocked mode of said jaws to said threaded rod members by rotation of the barrel nuts in said barrel nut means.
- 10. The clamp mechanism of claim 9 whereinsaid threaded rod members comprise a pair of threaded rods, each of said threaded rods having a sense of threads different than the other and extending in opposing directions from the mid-point.
- 11. The clamp mechanism of claim 1 whereinsaid pair of jaws include slideways, said sliding assembly means comprising sliding members having siderails seated in said slideways, slot means formed in said siderails, pin means seated in hollow openings in each of said jaws exteriorly of its slideways, said pin means operatively connected to said slot means, whereby the sliding of said sliding assembly along said slot means engages and disengages said ‘quarter-turn’ means with said threaded rod members.
- 12. The clamp mechanism of claim 11 includingcover means for retaining said sliding members to said pair of jaws.
- 13. The clamp mechanism of claim 11 or claim 12 includingmeans for maintaining equality of opening and closing from a midpoint for said pair of jaws from and to one another along said threaded rod members.
- 14. The clamp mechanism of claim 13 whereinsaid maintaining means comprises spirally-wound rod means offset from the plane of and extending through said pair of jaws in the same directions as said threaded rod members, and means for joining together said rod means and threaded rod members at the mid-point.
- 15. The clamp mechanism of claim 14 whereinsaid joining means comprises rigid means mounted at the mid-point for said threaded rod members and rod means, said threaded rod members and rod means extending through and to each side of said rigid means, the points of said threaded rod members and rod means at said rigid means remaining the same in operation of the invention.
- 16. The claim mechanism of claim 15 includingradiating conically-configured slot in said jaws, said rigid means including hole means about said threaded rod members and rod means whereby angular motion for either or both of said jaws is effected through said conical-like slots in the unlocked mode of said jaws to said threaded rod members by rotation of the barrel nuts in said barrel nut means.
- 17. The clamp mechanism of claim 16 whereinsaid threaded rod members comprise a pair of threaded rods, each of said threaded rods having a sense of threads different than the other and extending in opposing directions from the mid-point.
- 18. The clamp mechanism of claim 1 includingmeans for maintaining equality of opening and closing from a midpoint for said pair of jaws from and to one another along said threaded rod members, and means on said maintaining means for preventing said jaws from exiting from said mechanism.
- 19. The clamp mechanism of claim 18 whereinsaid preventing means is at least one nut secured to an end of said maintaining means.
- 20. A clamp mechanism including a pair of jaws and threaded rod members extending through said jaws, said jaws including radiating conically-configured slots,barrel nut means rotatably mounted in each of said jaws, said barrel nut means having barrel nuts and including body formations forming bores and on which ‘quarter-turn’ means are formed in the bores, means for maintaining equality of opening and closing from a midpoint in said clamp mechanism for said pair of jaws from and to one another along said threaded rod members, and means for depressing said barrel nut means fixed to said barrel nut means whereby said jaws disengage from said threaded rod members upon depressing said depressing means and engage said threaded rod members upon releasing said depressing means..
- 21. The clamp mechanism of claim 20 whereinsaid depressing means comprises a depressible handle means, said barrel nut means including spring means below said barrel nuts that are rotatably mounted in said jaws and against which the depressing action of said handle means disengages said jaws from said threaded rod members.
- 22. The clamp mechanism of claim 20 whereinsaid maintaining means comprises spirally-wound rod means offset from the plane of and extending through said pair of jaws in the same directions as said threaded rod members, and means for joining together said rod means and threaded rod members at the mid-point.
- 23. The clamp mechanism of claim 22 whereinsaid joining means comprises rigid means mounted at the mid-point for said threaded rod members and rod means, said threaded rod members and rod means extending through and to each side of said rigid means, the points of said threaded rod members and rod means at said rigid means remaining the same in operation of said clamp mechanism.
- 24. The claim mechanism of claim 23 includingradiating conically-configured slot in said jaws, said rigid means including hole means about said threaded rod members and rod means whereby angular motion for either or both of said jaws is effected through said conical-like slots in the unlocked mode of said jaws to said threaded rod members by rotation of the barrel nuts in said barrel nut means.
- 25. The clamp mechanism of claim 24 whereinsaid threaded rod members comprise a pair of threaded rods, each of said threaded rods having a sense of threads different than the other and extending in opposing directions from such mid-point.
- 26. The clamp mechanism of claim 20 whereinsaid pair of jaws include slideways, said assembly means comprising sliding members having siderails seated in said slideways, slot means formed in said siderails, pin means seated in hollow openings in each of said jaws exteriorly of its slideways, said pin means operatively connected to said slot means, whereby the sliding of said assembly along said slot means engages and disengages said ‘quarter-turn’ means with said threaded rod members.
- 27. A clamp mechanism comprisinga pair of jaws and threaded rod members extending through said jaws, rotatably mounted means in each of said jaws, and slidable assembly means mounted to said jaws for advancing and retracting said rotatably mounted means thereby respectively locking and unlocking at least one of said threaded rod members to and from at least one of said pair of jaws.
- 28. The clamp mechanism of claim 27 whereinsaid rotatably mounted means comprises barrel nut means in each of said jaws, said barrel nut means including body formations forming bores and on which ‘quarter-turn’ means are formed in the bores, said slidable assembly means when activated respectively advancing and retracting said barrel nut means to and from said threaded rod members.
- 29. The clamp mechanism of claim 28 includingmeans for maintaining equality of opening and closing from a midpoint for said pair of jaws from and to one another along said threaded rod members.
- 30. The clamp mechanism of claim 29 whereinsaid maintaining means comprises spirally-wound rod means offset from the plane of and extending through said pair of jaws in the same directions as said threaded rod members, and means for joining together said rod means and threaded rod members at such mid-point.
- 31. The clamp mechanism of claim 30 whereinsaid joining means comprises rigid means mounted at such mid-point for said threaded rod members and said rod means, said threaded rod members and rod means extending through and to each side of said rigid means, the points of said threaded rod members and rod means at said rigid means remaining the same in operation of the invention.
- 32. The claim mechanism of claim 31 includingradiating conically-configured slot in said jaws, said rigid means including hole means about said threaded rod members and rod means whereby angular motion for either or both of said jaws is effected through said conical-like slots in the unlocked mode of said jaws to said threaded rod members by rotation of the barrel nuts in said barrel nut means.
Parent Case Info
This invention is related to but not limited to provisional applications U.S. Ser. Nos. 60/209,619, filed Jun. 6, 2000 and 60/252,155, filed Nov. 22, 2000 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Provisional Applications (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/209619 |
Jun 2000 |
US |
|
60/252155 |
Nov 2000 |
US |