Low profile rod clamp
AssigneeSolus Industrial Innovations, LLC
InventorStuart J. Ledingham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low profile rod clamp comprises two halves having semi-circular channels for receiving a support rod. When the two halves of the clamp are fastened together, the outer surfaces of the rods are in contact. The positioning of the two rods adjacent one another and with surface-to-surface contact results in increased friction and the highest possible load resistance. The clamp provides the ability to raise or lower the support rods in a vertical direction, while also allowing for rotation and the ability to move the rods in a horizontal direction as well.
Claims12
A conveyor system comprising:
- a guide rail;
- a first support rod having the guide rail mounted to a distal end thereof;
- a second support rod being mounted to a conveyor structure;
- a clamp comprising a first body having a channel with a longitudinal axis, the channel being configured to receive one of the rods, the first body having a shape of a parallelogram in which adjacent edges are not perpendicular;
- the clamp further comprising a second body adapted to be clamped to the first body to rigidly support the first and second support rods against loads applied at the guide rail, the rods being supported by the clamp in a perpendicular orientation relative to one another.
A conveyor system comprising:
- a conveyor frame adapted to support and guide a conveyor element along a conveyor path;
- a plurality of vertical support rods mounted to said conveyor frame along said conveyor path;
- a plurality of horizontal support rods clamped to said vertical support rods along said conveyor path, said horizontal support rods supporting said guide rails at a plurality of locations along said conveyor path;
- a plurality of clamps clamping said horizontal support rods on said vertical support rods, each of said clamps comprising:
- a first body having a channel with a longitudinal axis, the channel surrounding a horizontal or vertical rod, the first body having a shape of a parallelogram in which adjacent edges are not perpendicular;
- the clamps further comprising a second body with a channel surrounding a rod clamped to the first body such that the support rods are sandwiched between the first and second bodies and are rigidly supported against loads applied at the guide rail.
A method of assembling a conveyor structure in which a first support rod is held substantially perpendicular to a second support rod, the method comprising:
- providing first and second clamp halves, each half comprising a channel having a longitudinal axis, the clamp halves further comprising flat portions extending laterally from each side of the channel, each of the flat portions having a hole therethrough, wherein a hole is located proximate to each of the two ends of the channel along a line which forms an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the channel;
- mounting a first support rod in a substantially vertical orientation relative to a conveyor structure;
- placing the channel of the first clamp half around the first support rod;
- placing a second support rod in the channel of the second clamp half;
- orienting the second support rod to be perpendicular to the first support rod, and clamping the first and second clamp halves to one another such that the flat portions of the first clamp half engage the second support rod, and the flat portions of the second clamp half engage the first support rod such that the second support rod is rigidly held in a substantially horizontal plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.