US 11,629,804 B1Granted

Asymmetric clamp for joining sanitary fittings

OwnerLawrence George Morano, III, Andrew Neal Gilje +3inventors

InventorsLawrence George Morano, III, Andrew Neal Gilje, John Hobson Cooling, Jr., Martin Kim Mund, Kevin Russell Leiter

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Abstract

A clamp with two segments and a process for applying a first clamp segment to a pair of flanges for adjacent fluid flow elements so that the first clamp segment is retained by the pair of flanges after application. Steps including 1) aligning a first flange with a second flange to form the pair of flanges; and 2) elastically deforming the first clamp segment to capture into the first clamp segment an arc of more than 180 degrees of the pair of flanges with the arc being sufficiently more than 180 degrees that after capture of the pair of flanges that the first clamp segment cannot be disengaged from the pair of flanges without application of sufficient force to elastically deform the first clamp segment to expand sufficiently to allow removal of the pair of flanges. Otherwise the first clamp segment is retained.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A clamp for use in a fluid flow system to hold a pair of flanges and a gasket in compression, the clamp comprising:

a first clamp segment comprising:
a first hinge portion at a first hinge end;
a first locking portion at a first locking end;
a second clamp segment comprising:
a second hinge portion at a second hinge end;
a second locking portion at a second locking end;
the first hinge portion engaged with the second hinge portion to form a hinge connecting the first clamp segment to the second clamp segment;
the first locking portion and the second locking portion adapted to form a reversible locking engagement so that the clamp can be moved from an unlocked status to a locked status;
the first clamp segment is sized to allow a user to elastically deform to expand a first distance from the first hinge portion to the first locking portion to receive an arc of more than 180 degrees of perimeter of each of the pair of flanges;
and
wherein the arc is sufficiently more than 180 degrees of perimeter such that after receipt of more than 180 degrees of perimeter of the pair of flanges a removal force must be applied to elastically deform the first clamp segment to expand the first distance to allow for removal of the pair of flanges from the first clamp segment such that absent application of the removal force, the first clamp segment stays on the pair of flanges after release by the user;
wherein the clamp has:
a first set of teeth on a first side of the clamp for contacting a first flange in the pair of flanges;
a second set of teeth on a second side of the clamp, opposite the first side of the clamp, for contacting a second flange in the pair of flanges;
and
the teeth in the first set of teeth are circumferentially offset from the teeth in the second set of teeth so that when viewed axially:
the first set of teeth are in gaps between the second set of teeth;
and
the second set of teeth are in gaps between the first set of teeth.

16 more elements

A process for applying a clamp with a first clamp segment and a second clamp segment to a pair of flanges for adjacent fluid flow elements;

aligning a first flange with a second flange so that a centerline of the first flange is the centerline of the second flange to form the pair of flanges;
and
elastically deforming the first clamp segment and to capture into the first clamp segment an arc of more than 180 degrees of the pair of flanges;
the arc being sufficiently more than 180 degrees so that after capture of the arc of the pair of flanges, the first clamp segment cannot be disengaged from the pair of flanges without application of force to elastically deform the first clamp segment to expand sufficiently to allow a diameter of the pair of flanges to exit the first clamp segment while the first clamp segment is held in an elastically deformed state;
rotating the second clamp segment joined to the first clamp segment at a hinged connection so that additional portions of the pair of flanges are inserted into the second clamp segment;
and
forming a locked engagement of the first clamp segment to the second clamp segment using a first locking portion of the first clamp segment distal to the hinged connection and a second locking portion of the second clamp segment distal to the hinged connection;
wherein the first clamp segment has:
a first set of teeth on a first side of the first clamp segment for contacting a first flange in the pair of flanges;
a second set of teeth on a second side of the first clamp segment, opposite the first side of the first clamp segment, for contacting a second flange in the pair of flanges;
and
the teeth in the first set of teeth are circumferentially offset from the teeth in the second set of teeth so that when viewed axially:
the first set of teeth are in gaps between the second set of teeth;
and
the second set of teeth are in gaps between the first set of teeth.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.