Patent Grant
7699297
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a clamp that varies and/or increases the force applied to a clamped object and varies the speed of clamping an object.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Bar clamps for clamping objects into position are well known in the art. In recent years, advances have been made in bar clamps that enable them to be operated by a single hand. An example of such a bar clamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,722 which discloses a trigger mechanism to move a movable clamping jaw toward a fixed clamping jaw. The movable clamping jaw is attached to a moving bar.
Spreading clamps that are operable by a single hand are also well known, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,134. Again, the movable jaw is attached to a bar.
In bar clamps and spreading clamps similar to those disclosed above, it may take a large number of strokes of the trigger mechanism to move a clamping jaw against an object. Accordingly, it may take a significant amount of time to clamp an object.
In clamps and spreading clamps similar to those disclosed above, it might be difficult to generate sufficient clamping forces on an object.
In clamps and spreading clamps similar to those disclosed above it also may be difficult to fine-tune the clamping pressure once the clamping jaw contacts the object to be clamped.
One aspect of the present invention regards a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached, a clamp body having a slot through which the support element passes and a handle grip attached to the clamp body. A trigger handle is pivotably mounted to the clamp body and a trigger handle reinforcement is attached to the trigger handle and a driving lever that is movable to a first position where the driving lever engages the support element and causes the support element to move relative to the clamp body and wherein pivoting of the trigger handle causes the trigger handle reinforcement to pivot and engage the driving lever.
A second aspect of the present invention regards a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached, a clamp body having a slot through which the support element passes, a handle grip attached to the clamp body and a trigger handle pivotably mounted to the clamp body. A driving lever that is movable to a first position where the driving lever engages the support element and causes the support element to move relative to the clamp body and a discriminating structure engaging the driving lever and the trigger handle, wherein the discriminating structure varies incremental motion of the support element as a function of a load encountered by the support element by having an effective lever arm of the trigger handle be varied by a fulcrum point that moves into contact or out of contact with the trigger handle based on the load.
A third aspect of the present invention regards a method of operating a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached and a trigger handle pivotably mounted to a clamp body. The method includes actuating the trigger handle causing the first clamping jaw to experience incremental motion and varying the incremental motion as a function of a load encountered by the support element by varying an effective lever arm of the trigger handle by moving a fulcrum point into contact or out of contact with the trigger handle based on the load.
A fourth aspect of the present invention regards a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached, a clamp body having a slot through which the support element passes, a handle grip attached to the clamp body and a trigger handle pivotably mounted to the clamp body. A trigger handle reinforcement is attached to the trigger handle, a driving lever that is movable to a first position where the driving lever engages the support element and causes the support element to move relative to the clamp body and first and second braking levers.
A fifth aspect of the present invention regards a method of operating a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached, a trigger handle pivotably mounted to a clamp body and a braking system attached to the clamp body. The method includes applying a first load to the support element and reducing a portion, but not all, of the applied load by actuating the braking system so that the support element encounters a second load.
A sixth aspect of the present invention regards a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached, a clamp body having a slot through which the support element passes, a handle grip attached to the clamp body and a trigger handle pivotably mounted to the clamp body about an axis. A driving lever is movable to a first position where the driving lever engages the support element and causes the support element to move relative to the clamp body. A power bar is attached to the driving lever and the trigger handle, wherein the power bar is attached to the trigger handle to establish a fulcrum to transfer power during pivoting of the trigger handle to the driving lever.
A seventh aspect of the present invention regards a clamp that includes a first clamping jaw, a support element to which the first clamping jaw is attached, a clamp body having a slot through which the support element passes, a handle grip attached to the clamp body and a trigger handle pivotably mounted to the clamp body about an axis, wherein the trigger handle defines a first lever. A second lever is pivotably attached to the handle grip at a first pivot point and pivotably attached to the trigger handle at a second pivot point. A driving lever that is movable to a first position where the driving lever engages the support element and causes the support element to move relative to the clamp body and wherein, upon a force being applied to the trigger handle, the first lever is moved towards the second lever thereby moving the driving lever and the support element.
An eighth aspect of the present invention regards a trigger mechanism that includes a support element, a clamp body having a slot through which the support element passes and generally dividing the clamp body into an upper and a lower portion and a clamping jaw secured to the upper portion of the clamp body and a cushioning pad affixed to the clamping jaw. A handle grip is attached to the lower portion of the clamp body and a long lever straddles the support element, the long lever coming together at one end in a trigger handle and coming together at a generally opposite end in a pivot point and movably associated at the pivot point to the upper portion of the clamp body. A short lever having a first pivot point associated with the handle grip and a second pivot point associated with the long lever, the second pivot point generally located between the support element and the first clamping jaw. A power tab is insertable over the support element in a recess within the clamp body and biased against the short lever and a spring is insertable over the support element with the recess of the clamp body, the spring seated on the clamp body biasing the power tab against the short lever, wherein, upon a compression force being applied to the handle grip and trigger handles, the long lever is moved towards the short lever thereby exerting an opposing force against the spring moving the power tab along the support element so that upon release of the compression force the clamp is moved an infinitesimal distance along the support element.
A ninth aspect of the present invention regards a method for compressing an object that includes applying a compression force to a long lever at first pivot point so that the long lever is moved closer to a short lever and the angle between the long lever and short lever decreases and presenting an actuator point of the short lever to a power tab wherein the force applied to the long lever provides for the disengagement of the power tab with a support element and movement of the power tab along the support element in a direction opposite of the compression force, wherein the compression of an object contained between a plurality of jaws acted upon by the levers is finely tuned.
One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of reducing the time to move a clamping jaw against an object.
One or more aspects of the present invention provides the advantage of fine tuning the clamping pressure once the clamping jaw contacts the object to be clamped.
One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of increasing the clamping pressure applied to an object.
One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of incrementally decreasing the clamping force applied to an object.
One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of increasing the speed of clamping dependent on the load being applied.
The foregoing features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several figures, and in particular
As shown in
A trigger handle 118 is pivotably mounted to the body 112 above and between the slots 106 and 108. As shown in
Interposed between the upper arms 120 and 122 is a trigger handle reinforcement 128. As shown in
The bar 104 and clamping jaw 102 are incrementally moved toward the fixed clamping jaw 116 via the actuation of one or more driving levers 146. As shown in
When the trigger handle 118 pivots about axis P, the trigger handle reinforcement 128 pivots in unison with the trigger handle 118 since the trigger handle reinforcement 128 is attached to the trigger handle 118. As shown in
The bar 104 and clamping jaw 102 are incrementally moved toward the fixed clamping jaw 116 via the actuation of one or more driving levers 146. As shown in
The driving levers 146 are contained within side walls 154 of the trigger handle reinforcement 128. In addition, the trigger handle reinforcement 128 has an opening 156 that receives a proximal portion of the driving lever link 150. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The link mechanism 166 is biased forward by a biasing mechanism, such as spring 170, that has a distal end that engages a stop 172 formed in the clamping body 112 and a proximal end that engages a lower vertical face 174 of the link mechanism 166. Note that the spring 170 has a spring constant that is sufficient to push the trigger handle 118 to the neutral position shown in
As shown in
If a force is applied to the movable jaw 102 of
Incremental motion of the bar 104 and the attached movable jaw 102 toward the fixed jaw 116 is made possible by squeezing the trigger handle 118 one or more times in the direction indicated by the arrow 176. As schematically shown in
In one example, the spring 158 is chosen to have a spring constant and length so that when preloaded to a compressed state it does not further compress until a load of greater than the weight of the bar 104, such as five pounds, is encountered. In the case of light loads encountered by the movable jaw 102 that is below the threshold of approximately 5 lbs for compression of the spring 158, the trigger handle 118 is moved to the neutral position shown in
While the trigger handle 118 is at the neutral position, the spring 158 is at its normal preloaded compressed length so that the arms 157 of the driving lever link 150 engage the trigger handle reinforcement 128 directly and, thus, engage the trigger handle 118 indirectly as schematically shown in
When the trigger handle 118 is squeezed in the light load mode described above, the grooved portion 177 of the trigger handle 118 engages the arcuate shoulder 175 of the link mechanism 166 and pushes the link mechanism 166 rearwardly. The rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 causes the upper face 164 of the link mechanism 166 to engage the spring 158 and move the spring 158 rearwardly as well. However, since the load on the bar in the light load is slightly above 5 pounds, the rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 will be insufficient to overcome the spring 158 so that the spring 158 remains at its normal length during its rearward movement. As described previously, the driving lever link 150 is attached to spring 158 and so rearward movement of the spring 158 will result in rearward movement of driving lever link 150. Thus, the spring 158 joins the link mechanism 166 and driving lever link 150 tightly to one another so that they move in unison with one another. Accordingly, the driving lever link 150 and its arms 157 will move rearwardly with the rearward movement of the spring 158. The rearwardly moving arms 157 engage the driving levers 146 and move them and the engaged bar 104 rearwardly as well. As shown schematically in
As the trigger handle 118 is repeatedly squeezed, the movable jaw 102 approaches the fixed jaw 116 in an incremental manner. After a while, the object to be clamped will be engaged by both jaws 102 and 116. Continued squeezing of the trigger handle 118 causes the pressure or force exerted on the object and the jaws to increase.
In the case where the pressure on the movable clamping jaw 102 is increased to above the threshold for further compression of the spring 158 such as in the range from greater than 5 lbs to approximately 500 lbs for the example above, the bar clamp 100 is transformed so that the movable jaw 102 is moved incrementally in small increments and at higher pressures and forces. This mode of movement is schematically shown in
When the trigger handle 118 is squeezed in the heavy load mode described above, the grooved portion 177 of the trigger handle 118 engages the arcuate shoulder 175 of the link mechanism 166 and pushes the link mechanism 166 rearwardly. The rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 causes the upper face 164 of the link mechanism 166 to engage the spring 158 and move the spring 158 rearwardly so that both the spring 158 and the upper face 164 separate from the rear driving lever 146. Since the load on the bar is above 5 pounds, the rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 is sufficient to overcome the spring 158 so that the spring 158 is compressed in length during its rearward movement. The compressed spring 158 will maintain having the link mechanism 150 and arms 157 engage the trigger handle reinforcement 128 directly and the trigger handle 118 throughout the squeezing of the trigger handle 118. As shown schematically in
Note that in the embodiments shown in
When the trigger handle 118 is squeezed in the light load mode described above, the grooved portion 177 of the trigger handle 118 engages the arcuate shoulder 175 of the link mechanism 166 and pushes the link mechanism 166 rearwardly. The rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 causes the upper face 164 of the link mechanism 166 to engage the spring 158′ and move the spring 158′ rearwardly as well. However, since the load on the bar in the light load is slightly above 5 pounds, the rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 will be insufficient to overcome the spring 158′ so that the spring 158′ remains at its normal length during its rearward movement. Thus, the spring 158′ joins the link mechanism 166 and driving lever link 150 tightly to one another so that they move in unison with one another. Accordingly, the driving lever link 150 and its arms 157 will move rearwardly with the rearward movement of the spring 158′. The rearwardly moving arms 157 engage the driving levers 146 and move them and the engaged bar 104 rearwardly as well. The rearward movement of the arms 157 results in the disengagement of contact between the arms 157 and the trigger handle reinforcement 128 and thus the trigger handle 118. Thus, during its actuation the trigger handle 118 has a large lever arm L that promotes large incremental coarse movement. The lever arm extends from the pivot point P to where the grooved portion 177 of the trigger handle 118 engages the arcuate shoulder 175.
As the trigger handle 118 is repeatedly squeezed, the movable jaw 102 approaches the fixed jaw 116 in an incremental manner. Continued squeezing of the trigger handle 118 causes the pressure or force exerted on the object and the jaws to increase.
In the case where the pressure on the movable clamping jaw 102 is increased to above the threshold for expansion of the spring 158′ such as in the range from greater than 5 lbs to approximately 500 lbs for the example above, the bar clamp 100 is transformed so that the movable jaw 102 is moved incrementally in small increments and at higher pressures and forces. When the trigger handle 118 is at the neutral position via the engagement of the arcuate shoulder 175 of the link mechanism 166 with the grooved portion 177 of the trigger handle 118, the spring 158′ is at its normal length so that the arms 157 of the driving lever link 150 engage the trigger handle reinforcement directly and, thus, engage the trigger handle 118 indirectly. Note that the arms 157 also engage the front driving lever 146 as well.
When the trigger handle 118 is squeezed in the heavy load mode described above, the grooved portion 177 of the trigger handle 118 engages the arcuate shoulder 175 of the link mechanism 166 and pushes the link mechanism 166 rearwardly. The rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 causes the upper face 164 of the link mechanism 166 to engage the spring 158′ and move the spring 158′ rearwardly so that both the spring 158′ and the upper face 164 separate from the rear driving lever 146. Since the load on the bar is above 5 pounds, the rearward movement of the link mechanism 166 is sufficient to overcome the spring 158′ so that the spring 158′ is further expanded in length during its rearward movement. The expanded spring 158′ will maintain having the link mechanism 150 and arms 157 engage the trigger handle reinforcement 128 directly and the trigger handle 118 throughout the squeezing of the trigger handle 118. Thus, during its actuation the trigger handle 118 has a smaller lever arm L′ that promotes small incremental movement. The lever arm L′ has a length of approximately 0.6″ that extends from the point P to the point Q where the arms 157 indirectly engages the trigger handle 118 via trigger handle reinforcement 128. The end result is that the driving levers 146 undergo a finer movement of smaller increments than in the light load mode and at the same time the pressure/clamping forces exerted on the object are increased due to the presence of a greater mechanical advantage.
In either embodiment using the spring 158 or spring 158′, the link mechanism 166 includes a horizontal leg 159 that bears against the bottom wall of the clamp body 112 that forms the slot 108 as shown in
Note that when the braking levers 146 and the trigger handle 118 are not manually engaged and a force is applied to the movable jaw 102 of
Compression of the spring 189 by pressing on the braking levers 178 and 180 in the direction of the arrow 176, allows withdrawal of the bar 104 and movable jaw 102 away from the fixed jaw 116. This force results in the ends of the braking levers 178 and 180 being approximately perpendicular with respect to the direction of intended motion of the bar 104. Then the bar 104 is free to slide in either direction through the openings 182, 184 in the braking levers 178, 180.
When heavy loads ranging up to 500 lbs are applied to the bar 104 and the braking levers 178 and 180 engage the bar 104, the top edges A and C of the openings of the braking levers 178 and 180 are loaded equally with respect to each other as shown in
In order to easily release an object from the clamp 100 that is being subjected to heavy loads, the rear braking lever 180 is pulled to a vertical position where the edges A and B no longer engage the bar 104, as shown in
Note that the bar 104 has a rectangular cross-section. Of course, the bar 104 may have other cross-sectional shapes, such as a square, a circle, or a triangle. The openings in the driving levers 146 and the braking levers 178 and 180 are shaped to accommodate the cross-sectional shape of the bar 104 to provide proper binding interference with the bar 104.
The bar 104 has a pair of circular openings formed at either end. Cylindrical stop elements 193 and 195 are inserted into and permanently attached within the circular openings so that the stop elements 193 and 195 extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bar 104. The stop element 193 is used to attach the movable jaw 102 in the manner described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/036,360, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As the movable jaw 102 is moved away from the fixed jaw 116, the stop element 195 nears the rear of the slot 108. Upon reaching the rear of the slot 108, the ends of the stop element 195 contact the clamping body 112 outside of the slot 108. Thus, the stop element 195 prevents the movable jaw 102 from moving further away from the fixed jaw 116.
The bar clamp 100 of
As described above, the clamps 100 of
As shown in
The bar 204 and clamping jaw 202 are incrementally moved toward the fixed clamping jaw 216 via the actuation of one or more driving levers 246. The driving levers 246 are suspended on the bar 204, which passes through lower holes formed in the driving levers 246. In addition, a power connecting bar 250 passes through upper holes formed in the driving levers 246 and is attached to the driving levers 246. Each driving lever 246 is identical in shape with a rectangular-like shape and is made of a resilient material, such as steel. The power connecting bar 250 is rectangular in shape, made of a resilient material and is inserted into a slot formed in the trigger handle 218 so as to be attached thereto.
As shown in
As shown in
Incremental motion of the bar 204 and the attached movable jaw 202 toward the fixed jaw 216 is made possible by squeezing the trigger handle 218 one or more times in the direction indicated by the arrow 276. Squeezing causes the power connecting bar 250 to push the driving levers 246 away from the fixed jaw 216. Since the edges of the openings of the driving levers 246 bind on the bar 204 when moving away from the fixed jaw 216, the driving levers 246 pull the bar 204 and the jaw 202 toward the fixed jaw 216. The power connecting bar 250 is attached to the trigger handle 218 near the pivot axis P handle to establish a fulcrum near the axis P that transfers power during pivoting of the trigger handle 218 towards the driving levers 246. The fulcrum is established above the handle grip 214 where the power connecting bar 250 contacts the trigger handle 218. Note that the angle of the power connecting bar 250 and its interface with the driving levers 246 causes almost immediate engaging and moving of the bar 204 upon moving the trigger handle 218, and the leverage force applied to the driving levers is significantly higher than in prior bar clamps, due to the location of the power connecting bar 204 close to the pivot axis P of the trigger handle 218. The large lever arm of the trigger handle 218 is therefore working with the small lever arm at the attachment of power connecting bar 250 to trigger handle 218 to create a great mechanical advantage. Unlike the clamp 100 of
After the trigger handle 218 is fully squeezed to a closed position shown in
As the trigger handle 218 is repeatedly squeezed, the movable jaw 202 approaches the fixed jaw 216 in an incremental manner. After a while, the object to be clamped will be engaged by both jaws 202 and 216.
Note that squeezing the braking lever 278 in the direction of the arrow 276, allows withdrawal of the bar 204 and movable jaw 202 away from the fixed jaw 216. This squeezing results in the ends of the braking lever being perpendicular with the direction of intended motion of the bar 204. Then the bar 204 is free to slide in either direction through the openings in the braking lever 278.
Another embodiment of a clamp that varies the pressure applied to an object is shown in
As shown in
The bar 304 and clamping jaw 302 are incrementally moved toward the fixed clamping jaw 316 via the actuation of one or more driving levers 346. The driving levers 346 are suspended on the bar 304, which passes through lower holes formed in the driving levers 346. In addition, a power connecting bar 350 slidingly engages the trigger handle 318 by having a pin 351 of the power connecting bar 350 inserted into a slot 353 formed in the trigger handle 318. The slot 353 has a length that is greater than twice the diameter of the pin 351 and is generally positioned between the bar 304 and a top portion of the clamp body 312. The slot 353 and pin 351 define a second pivot axis P2. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Incremental motion of the bar 304 and the attached movable jaw 302 toward the fixed jaw 316 is made possible by squeezing the trigger handle 318 one or more times in the direction indicated by the arrow 376. Such squeezing causes the trigger handle 318 to pivot about axis P1.
Pivoting of the trigger handle 318 about axis P1 and continual compression pressure applied to the handle 318 brings the trigger handle 318 closer to the handle grip 312 and the power connecting bar 350. In addition, the pin 351 moves up the slot 353. The angle between the trigger handle 318 and the power connecting bar 350 decreases. The angle between an axis perpendicular to the pivot axis P3 and the power connecting bar 350 also decreases. During such incremental motion, a portion of trigger handle 318 extending from P1 to P2 is applied as a short lever to pin 351. A portion of power connecting bar 350 extending from P2 to P3 acts as a long lever to pin 351 while a portion of power connecting bar 350 extending from P3 to elbow 357 acts as a short lever on the driving levers 346. This compound leverage greatly increases mechanical advantage and significantly increases clamping forces.
The cooperation between the trigger handle 318 and the power connecting bar 350 causes the actuator protrusion 357 to engage the front driving lever 346 in a manner acting against the biasing force of the spring 358. Such engagement causes the driving levers 346 to move relative to the clamping body 312 away from the fixed jaw 316. Since the lower edges of the openings of the driving levers 346 engage the bar 304 during the engagement of protrusion 357, the movement of the driving levers 346 causes the bar 304 and jaw 302 to move towards the fixed jaw 316. It should be noted that through the force supplied against the driving levers 346 by the actuator protrusion 357, the front, upper surfaces of the driving levers 346 are moved in the opposite direction of the force indicated by arrow 376. The front, lower surfaces of the driving levers 346 move along the bar 304 in direction 376. The upper surfaces of the driving levers 346, having been moved along the bar 304, once the compression force in the direction of the arrow 376 is released, the spring 358 once again biases the driving levers 346 in the direction opposite of the arrow 376. In this manner, the driving levers 346 are incrementally advanced along the bar 304 thereby moving the movable clamp jaw 302 closer to the fixed clamp jaw 316. This incremental movement allows for careful, controlled pressure and greater pressure at the discretion of the user to be applied to any object contained within the fixed jaw 302 and movable jaw 316.
After the trigger handle 318 is fully squeezed to a closed position shown in
As the trigger handle 318 is repeatedly squeezed, the movable jaw 302 approaches the fixed jaw 316 in an incremental manner. After a while, the object to be clamped will be engaged by both jaws 302 and 316.
Note that squeezing the braking lever 378 in the direction of the arrow 376, allows withdrawal of the bar 304 and movable jaw 302 away from the fixed jaw 316. This squeezing results in the ends of the braking lever being perpendicular with the direction of intended motion of the bar 304. Then the bar 304 is free to slide in either direction through the openings in the braking lever 378.
The foregoing description is provided to illustrate the invention, and is not to be construed as a limitation. Numerous additions, substitutions and other changes can be made to the invention without departing from its scope as set forth in the appended claims.
Applicants claim, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), the benefit of priority of the filing date of Aug. 10, 2001 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/311,569, filed on the aforementioned date, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, and Applicants also claim, under 35 U.S.C. §§120 and 365, the benefit of priority of the filing date of Jul. 25, 2002 of a Patent Cooperation Treaty patent application, copy attached, Serial Number PCT/US02/23663, filed on the aforementioned date, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, wherein Patent Cooperation Treaty patent application Serial Number PCT/US02/23663, was published under PCT Article 21(2) in English.
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| PCT/US02/23663 | 7/25/2002 | WO | 00 | 8/5/2004 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO03/013793 | 2/20/2003 | WO | A |
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