Pinching devices for flexible tubing are well known for use in the food and pharmaceutical industry for the temporary closure of fluid lines. Typically, pinching devices are used for specific sizes of tubing wherein most require the tubing to be inserted prior to connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,813 describes a pinching device that does not require the insertion of tubing through the device and that may be placed at various locations along fluid lines while actively in use. The pinching device is constructed with two members that pivot relative to each other to close and open on a flexible tubing with a locking nut assembly to lock the members in place.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved pinch clamp for flexible tubing.
It is another object of the invention to provide a pinch clamp for flexible tubing that can be made of a minimum number of parts.
It is another object of the invention to simplify the locking together of a pair of pivotal members of a pinch clamp.
It is another object of the invention to simplify the manufacture of a pinch clamp for flexible tubing.
Briefly, the invention provides a pinch clamp for flexible tubing that comprises a pair of jaw assemblies that are pivotally connected to each other to close on a flexible tubing and a locking assembly for securing the jaw assemblies in place.
A first jaw assembly is of one-piece construction having a pinching bar, a pivot at one end of the pinching bar and an arcuate recess in an opposite end of the pinching bar.
A second jaw assembly is of one-piece construction having a pinching bar opposite the pinching bar of the first jaw assembly for pinching a flexible tubing therebetween, a hook portion at one end of pinching bar received on the pivot of the first jaw assembly, a bifurcation at an opposite end of the pinching bar and a recessed seat in an upper surface at the same end.
The locking assembly includes two members, namely, a stud and a nut threaded on the stud.
The stud has a spherical base pivotally mounted on an end of the first jaw assembly opposite the end containing the pivot, an arcuate boss projecting from the spherical base into mating sliding relation with the arcuate recess of the first jaw assembly to limit pivoting of the base to a single plane, and a threaded stem extending from the spherical base and disposed in the bifurcation of the first jaw assembly.
The nut is threaded on the threaded stern of the stud and is seated within the recessed seat of the second jaw assembly to secure the threaded stern in the second jaw assembly.
The pinch clamp is thus constructed of four members, i.e. two one-piece jaw assemblies, a stud and a nut. As such, the cost, of manufacture is minimized.
In addition, the first jaw assembly is formed with a part spherical seat for slidably receiving the spherical base of the stud and a resilient lip or protruding detents partially encompassing the spherical base opposite the seat to retain the spherical base within the part spherical seat. To this end, the stud dimension is larger than the lip on the jaw assembly receiving the stud to permit the spherical base to be snap-fitted into the first jaw assembly. Dimensional accuracy is critical to enable both parts to be manufactured from similar materials while ensuring that the parts can properly secure together. This construction allows the stud to be installed in the jaw assembly after manufacture without the need for a pivot pin such as with the pinching device of U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,813.
The nut is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart projections on the underside for selectively fitting into similarly spaced apart depressions in the recessed seat during rotation of the nut on the stem of the stud to lock the nut against loosening while preventing overtightening.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
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The pair of jaw assemblies 11, 12 are pivotally connected to each other to close on a flexible tubing 15 and the locking assembly 13, 14 serves to secure the jaw assemblies 11, 12 together in place while pinching the flexible tubing 15.
Typically, the jaw assemblies 11, 12 are made of a plastic material and are constructed to function in a manner' as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,813.
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The pinching bar 16 of the lower jaw assembly 11 is formed at the end to receive the spherical base 23 of the stud 13 for pivoting relative to the lower jaw assembly in only one plane. To this end, as shown in
The part-spherically shaped end of the pinching bar 16 and floor 27 define a part spherical seat for slidably receiving the spherical base 23 of the stud 13.
When mounted in place, the spherical base 23 of the stud 13 is retained in the spherical seat by the non-concentric shape formed by the arcuate boss 24 and a resilient lip or protruding detents 34 while abutting the part-spherically shaped end of the pinching bar 16.
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The pair of jaw assemblies 11, 12 are constructed in a manner as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,813 such that the jaw assemblies 11, 12 interlock together to resist any side movement once seated in a closed position and are made of a resilient plastic material.
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The stud 13 is made of a similar plastic to the plastic of the lower jaw assembly 11 and upon assembly of the pinch clamp 10, the spherical base 23 of the stud 13 is snap-fitted passed the lip 34 into the part spherical seat of the lower jaw assembly 11.
The invention thus provide a pinch clamp for flexible tubing that can be made of a minimum number of parts, i.e. four parts rather than six parts as is the pinching device described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,813, while simplifying the manufacture of the pinch clamp.
In addition, the invention provides a locking assembly for a pair of pivotally connected jaw assemblies of a pinch clamp that simplifies the locking together of the jaw assemblies.
This is a Non-Provisional Patent Application end claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application 63/105,227 filed Oct. 24, 2020. This invention relates to a pinch clamp and more particularly to a pinch clamp for temporarily closing flexible tubing.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63105227 | Oct 2020 | US |