Patent Application
20220323984
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The disclosure relates to clamp devices and more particularly pertains to a new clamp device for servicing sprinkler heads. The device includes a pair of curved jaws that form a circle when the curved jaws are in a closed position. In this way the curved jaws can conform to a stem of a sprinkler head. Additionally, the curved jaws inhibit the stem from being retracted when the sprinkler head is turned on to facilitate servicing the sprinkler head.
The prior art relates to clamp devices including a variety of sprinkler removal tools for servicing sprinkler heads. Additionally, the prior art discloses a variety of installation tools for installing a sprinkler head onto an underground sprinkler line.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a clamp that has a pair of curved jaws. Each of the curved jaws curves toward each other such that the pair of curved jaws defines a circle when the clamp is biased into a closed position. In this way the curved jaws can encircle a stem of a sprinkler head. Each of the curved jaws rests against a housing of the sprinkler head when the curved jaws are positioned around the stem of the sprinkler head. A head of the sprinkler head abuts each of the curved jaws when the stem retracts into the housing to retain the head in an exposed position for servicing.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the curved jaws 14 has a rear end 20 and a front end 22, and each of the curved jaws 14 is concavely arcuate between the front end 22 and the rear end 20. Each of the curved jaws 14 has a top surface 24 extending between the front end 22 and the rear end 20, and each of the curved jaws 14 has a bottom surface 26 extending between the front end 22 and the rear end 20. The front end 22 of each of the curved jaws 14 is spaced apart from each other when the clamp 12 is in the closed position.
Each of the curved jaws 14 includes a lobe 28 that extends laterally away from the rear end 20. The lobe 28 on each of the curved jaws 14 pivotally engages each other for pivotally retaining the curved jaws 14 together. The clamp 12 includes a pair of levers 30 each extending away from the rear end 20 of a respective one of the curved jaws 14. The pair of levers 30 angles away from each other when the clamp 12 is in the closed position. In this way the levers 30 can be squeezed together by a user to urge the clamp 12 into an open position. The front end 22 of each of the curved jaws 14 is urged away from each other when the levers 30 are squeezed together. In this way the curved jaws 14 can be positioned around the stem 16 of the sprinkler head 18.
Each of the levers 30 has a first surface 32 and the first surface 32 of each of the levers 30 is directed toward each other. The first surface 32 of each of the levers 30 has a well 34 extending inwardly into the first surface 32 and the well 34 extends from the lobe 28 on the respective curved jaw toward a distal end 36 of the levers 30. The bottom surface 26 of each of the curved jaws 14 rests against a top side 38 of a housing 40 of the sprinkler head 18 when the curved jaws 14 are positioned around the stem 16 of the sprinkler head 18. Moreover, a head 42 of the sprinkler head 18 abuts the top surface 24 of each of the curved jaws 14 when the stem 16 retracts into the housing 40. In this way the head 42 is retained in an exposed position for servicing the sprinkler head 18.
A pin 44 extends through the lobe 28 on each of the curved jaws 14 for pivotally coupling the lobe 28 on each of the curved jaws 14 together. A biasing member 46 is integrated into the clamp 12 and the biasing member 46 is positioned around the pin 44. The biasing member 46 including a pair of legs 48 that is each positioned in the well 34 in the first surface 32 of a respective one of the levers 30. Moreover, the legs 48 are biased away from each other thereby facilitating the clamp 12 to be biased into the closed position. The legs 48 are compressible toward each other thereby facilitating the clamp 12 to be urged into the open position.
In use, the sprinkler head 18 is turned on and the clamp 12 is positioned around the stem 16 of the sprinkler head 18. In this way the stem 16 is inhibited from retracting in the housing 40 when the sprinkler head 18 is turned off. Thus, the stem 16 and the head 42 remain exposed to facilitate inspection and service to be performed. As is most clearly shown in
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
