The invention pertains to ground clamps. More particularly, the invention pertains to such clamps as are used in the electrical utility industry as protective-grounding equipment.
Grounding assemblies including various forms of clamps, ferrules and interconnecting cables are often used as protective equipment for personnel working around electric power lines. C-type clamps are a known form of grounding clamp used for this purpose. One commercially available C-type clamp is available as a Salisbury 21074 2″ grounding clamp.
Known C-type clamps often have provisions for the installation of metal ball studs. For example, a Salisbury No. 21192 externally threaded ball stud can be passed through a hole in a C-type clamp and threaded onto a Salisbury 24082 internally threaded ball stud.
Know attachments of ball studs to clamps often use a round hole, which might be treaded, in the clamp. Alternately, the ball studs can be permanently attached by welding to the respective clamp.
While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.
A clamp which embodies the invention has a metal ground clamp with a hexagonal pocket with a thru hole formed in the rear section of the body's flange. The pocket will receive the base section of an internal, female, metal ball stud. The opposite side will accept a male metal ball stud which can feed through the hold and thread into the internal ball stud.
The clamp enables the female ball stud to seat into the body of the clamp, and be non-rotatable relative to the clamp, and the male ball stud to feed through from the opposite side of the clamp. The male ball stud provides a mechanism to tighten the studs to the clamp.
In one embodiment, a Salisbury internal ball stud such as No. 24082 can threadably engage a Salisbury ball stud No. 21191. The figures illustrate various aspects of embodiments of the invention. Section 4-4 illustrates the internal treaded engagement of the internal ball stud and the male ball stud. Section 3-3 illustrates the hexagonal shape of a portion of the body of the female ball stud.
With respect to
A multi-sided, hexagonal for example, socket or pocket 14b is formed in a region 12d of the center section 12c, best seen in
First and second ball studs, 20, 24 are carried by clamp 10. The ball studs 20, 24 threadably engage one another. In the disclosed embodiment, ball stud 20 has an exterior spherical end 20a, a cylindrical stem 20b and a multi-sided hexagonal collar 20c which slidably engages the depression 14b with the mating shape. The ball stud 20 carries internal threads 20d.
The ball stud 24 carries external threads 24d which rotatably engage the internal threads 20d trapping or, sandwiching, the clamp 10 therebetween. The ball stud 24 carries an external collar 24c which slidably engages exterior surface 18 of the region 12c as the two studs 20, 24 are rotated toward one another. As the ball stud 24 is rotated toward stud 20, the frame portion 12c blocks rotation of the stud 20 due to the interaction between depression 14b and the exterior collar 20c thereby providing a locked together assembly of the clamp 10 and studs 20, 24.
Those of skill in the art will understand that neither the exact shape of the clamp, nor of the ball studs, nor threads, are limitations of the invention. It will be understood that other types of connections between the ball studs can come within the spirit and scope of the invention.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Oct. 5, 2009 of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/248,579 entitled, “Ball Contact Stud Ground Clamp”. The '579 application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110081810 A1 | Apr 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61248579 | Oct 2009 | US |