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US 10,273,996 B2Granted
Clamp for sanitary fitting
AssigneeNordson Corporation
InventorsCarl T. Whitaker, Bruce Williams, Ravikumar Narayanan, Francis J. Lombardi, III, Kenneth R. Davis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamp for sanitary fittings includes a clamp body formed of a first arcuate member and a second arcuate member movable about a hinge assembly from an open configuration to a closed, latched configuration. The hinge assembly detachably couples the first arcuate member to the second arcuate member. The hinge assembly includes an arcuate finger extending from an end of the first arcuate member, a pin-receiving recess formed within the arcuate finger, and a post formed on an end of the second arcuate member. Upon assembly, the arcuate finger cradles around the post and the post fits within the pin-receiving recess.
Claims22
A method of using a clamp, the clamp comprising:
- a first arcuate member defining an internal channel along an inner diameter thereof and an arcuate finger extending from a second end thereof, the arcuate finger defining a pin receiving recess;
- a second arcuate member defining an internal channel along an inner diameter thereof, a post integrally formed on a second end thereof, and a fourth stop face adjacent the post;
- a hinge assembly consisting of the arcuate finger and the post detachably coupling the first arcuate member to the second arcuate member, the hinge assembly enabling relative rotation between the first and the second arcuate members from an open position to a closed position;
- a latch finger extending from an end of one of the first arcuate member and the second arcuate member opposite the end forming the hinge assembly;
- an engagement structure extending from an end of the other of the first arcuate member and the second arcuate member opposite the end forming the hinge assembly and configured to engage with the latch finger to lock the clamp in the closed position;
- a first tie loop adjacent the latch finger;
- and
- a second tie loop adjacent the engagement structure,
- the method comprising:
- inserting circular flange structures of two sanitary fittings into the internal channel of the first arcuate member in the open position of the clamp;
- and
- rotating at least one of the first and the second arcuate members relative to each other about the hinge assembly into the closed position such that the circular flange structures of each of the sanitary fittings are received within the internal channel of the second arcuate member by sliding the arcuate finger around the post between the post and the fourth stop face whereby an outer edge of the arcuate finger is configured to slide along the fourth stop face while the pin receiving recess slides about the post,
- wherein in the closed position, a first stop face of the first arcuate member and a second stop face of the second arcuate member abut, and a third stop face of the first arcuate member adjacent the hinge assembly and the fourth stop face of the second arcuate member adjacent the hinge assembly abut, to form a circular closure retaining the circular flange structures of each of the sanitary fittings completely within the internal channels to provide a circular seal.
10 more elements
A method of using a clamp, the clamp comprising:
- a first arcuate member defining an internal channel along an inner diameter thereof and an arcuate finger extending from a second end thereof, the arcuate finger defining a pin receiving recess;
- a second arcuate member defining an internal channel along an inner diameter thereof, a post integrally formed on a second end thereof, and a fourth stop face adjacent the post;
- a hinge assembly consisting of the arcuate finger and the post detachably coupling the first arcuate member to the second arcuate member, the hinge assembly enabling relative rotation between the first and the second arcuate members from an open position to a closed position;
- a latch finger extending from an end of one of the first arcuate member and the second arcuate member opposite the end forming the hinge assembly;
- an engagement structure extending from an end of the other of the first arcuate member and the second arcuate member opposite the end forming the hinge assembly and configured to engage with the latch finger to lock the clamp in the closed position;
- and
- a locking ridge formed on an outer edge of the arcuate finger and the locking ridge interfaces with a boundary edge defining a boundary of the fourth stop face,
- the method comprising:
- inserting circular flange structures of two sanitary fittings into the internal channel of the first arcuate member in the open position of the clamp;
- and
- rotating at least one of the first and the second arcuate members relative to each other about the hinge assembly into the closed position such that the circular flange structures of each of the sanitary fittings are received within the internal channel of the second arcuate member by sliding the arcuate finger around the post between the post and the fourth stop face whereby an outer edge of the arcuate finger is configured to slide along the fourth stop face while the pin receiving recess slides about the post,
- impeding further rotation of the first arcuate member with respect to the second arcuate member in a first direction once the locking ridge passes the boundary edge during the sliding in a second direction
- wherein in the closed position, a first stop face of the first arcuate member and a second stop face of the second arcuate member abut, and a third stop face of the first arcuate member adjacent the hinge assembly and the fourth stop face of the second arcuate member adjacent the hinge assembly abut, to form a circular closure retaining the circular flange structures of each of the sanitary fittings completely within the internal channels to provide a circular seal.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.