Clamp
OwnerMartin Wiersmainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamp includes a band and a tensioner. The tensioner includes a fixed mount coupled to the band, a screw housing engaged with the fixed mount, and a screw received in the screw housing. The screw housing and the screw can move relative to the fixed mount between an engaged position and a disengaged position. When a portion of the band including a plurality of slots is positioned between the fixed mount and the screw housing, a thread of the screw is received in the plurality of slots when the screw housing and the screw are in the engaged position but is spaced apart from the plurality of slots when the screw housing and the screw are in the disengaged position.
Claims16
A clamp comprising:
- a band including a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a plurality of slots spaced apart from one another between the first and second ends, and
- a tensioner comprising:
- a fixed mount including (i) a base panel coupled to the first end of the band, the base panel including opposing first and second sides, (ii) a first flange coupled to the first side of the base panel and formed to include a first guide channel having a first height, and (iii) a second flange coupled to the second side of the base panel and formed to include a second guide channel having a second height, wherein the first height of the first guide channel is a smallest distance between an upper edge of the first guide channel and a lower edge of the first guide channel, and wherein the second height of the second guide channel is a smallest distance between an upper edge of the second guide channel and a lower edge of the second guide channel,
- a screw housing arranged above the base panel and between the first and second flanges of the fixed mount, the screw housing including a first wing that is received in the first guide channel and a second wing that is received in the second guide channel, the first wing having a first length measured parallel to the upper and lower edges of the first and second guide channels that is greater than the first height, the second wing having a second length measured parallel to the upper and lower edges of the first and second guide channels that is greater than the second height, and
- a screw received in the screw housing,
- wherein the screw housing and the screw can move relative to the fixed mount between (i) an engaged position in which the first wing is positioned at a lower end of the first guide channel and the second wing is positioned at a lower end of the second guide channel and (ii) a disengaged position in which the first wing is positioned at an upper end of the first guide channel and the second wing is positioned at an upper end of the second guide channel,
- wherein, when a portion of the band including the plurality of slots is positioned between the fixed mount and the screw housing, a thread of the screw is (i) received in the plurality of slots when the screw housing and the screw are in the engaged position and (ii) spaced apart from the plurality of slots when the screw housing and the screw are in the disengaged position, and
- wherein at least one of the first and second wings includes a locator tab that engages the fixed mount in the engaged position to block rotation of the screw housing and the screw about an axis that is perpendicular to the screw rotation axis during twisting of the screw to tighten the band.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.