Hose clamp with parallel tightening and rapid release

An improved clamp apparatus for alternatively tightening and clamping, or loosening and releasing an object or objects to be confined, the apparatus comprising:

• a support base formed of plastic material;
• an elongated flexible band strap formed of the plastic material with grooves or teeth on an outer surface thereof attached at one end to said support base and having a tail portion insertable into and through said support base at another end, said support base engaging and retaining said flexible band strap when said tail portion of said flexible band strap is inserted through said support base, wherein said flexible band strap is guided through said support base, formed into a loop and secured in a finger tight constricted position within said support base;
• a grooved or toothed cylinder pinion gear positioned within said support base with grooves or teeth around a circumference matching grooves or teeth on the outer surface of said flexible band strap engaging and meshing with said flexible band strap;
• said grooved cylinder pinion gear being formed with a structure enabling a tool head to engage in a form-fitting manner, to allow the tool to rotate said pinion gear about an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the object or objects to be clamped and to index said flexible band forward in a loop-constricting direction, and
• a paw disposed to lock said pinion gear against a rotation allowing said flexible band to index backwards in a loop-releasing direction while allowing said pinion gear to be rotated for indexing said flexible band forward in the loop-constricting direction, and
• wherein said flexible band strap is advanced through said, support base reducing the diameter of said flexible band strap and resulting loop confining such as a hose from about an internally positioned collar or encircling a bundle of wires or tubes to be clamped or any other objects to be held in a confined position, said flexible band strap is held in a confined loop by means of a flexibly mounted levered paw acting as a ratchet upon said rotating grooved cylinder pinion gear rotation of said grooved cylinder pinion gear is accomplished by inserting an angled or straight flat sided lever or tool driven wrench into a matching flat sided cavity centered within the grooved cylinder pinion gear, manually swinging or rotating lever wrench into an operative position secure within the grooved cylinder pinion gear cavity;
• a locked down support base top spring loads a flexibly mounted levered paw with a paw tongue positioned at the extreme end of said flexibly mounted levered paw forcibly inserts tongue between each groove or tooth of said grooved cylinder pinion gear ramped side of paw tongue allows flexible levered paw to flex upward sliding over each tooth of said grooved cylinder pinion gear disengaging paw tongue from between the teeth of said grooved cylinder pinion gear allowing rotation of said grooved cylinder pinion gear, sliding said flexible band strap in a ever increasing constricting direction;
• preventing counter rotation of said rotating grooved cylinder pinion gear by means of said engaged paw tongue between each tooth having a flat side opposite ramped side of said paw tongue in parallel with the flat side of each grooved cylinder pinion gear groove or tooth, locking each groove or tooth against the flat side of paw tongue.

An improved clamp apparatus for alternatively tightening and clamping, or loosening and releasing an object or objects to be confined, the apparatus comprising:

• a support base formed of plastic material;
• an elongated flexible band strap formed of the plastic material with grooves or teeth on an outer surface thereof attached at one end to said support base and having a tail portion insertable into and through said support base at another end, said support base engaging and retaining said flexible band strap when said tail portion of said flexible band strap is inserted through said support base, wherein said flexible band strap is guided through said support base, formed into a loop and secured in a finger tight constricted position within said support base;
• a grooved or toothed cylinder pinion gear positioned within said support base with grooves or teeth around a circumference matching grooves or teeth on the outer surface of said flexible band strap engaging and meshing with said flexible band strap;
• said grooved cylinder pinion gear being formed with a structure enabling a tool head to engage in a form-fitting manner, to allow the tool to rotate said pinion gear about an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the object or objects to be clamped and to index said flexible band forward in a loop-constricting direction, and
• a paw disposed to lock said pinion gear against a rotation allowing said flexible band to index backwards in a loop-releasing direction while allowing said pinion gear to be rotated for indexing said flexible band forward in the loop-constricting direction;
• and
• wherein a mechanism to rapidly release said flexible band strap from a constricted position;
• urging a finger grip protruding from support base top causing hold down top lock to release from support, base lifting said support base top lifting said flexible levered paw attached to said support base top resultant disengagement of paw tongue from grooves or teeth of said grooved cylinder pinion gear wherein said flexible band strap slides freely in the opposite direction from a constricted position releasing objects clamped.

An improved clamp apparatus for alternatively tightening and clamping, or loosening and releasing an object or objects to be confined, the apparatus comprising:

• a support base formed of plastic material;
• an elongated flexible band strap formed of the plastic material with grooves or teeth on an outer surface thereof attached at one end to said support base and having a tail portion insertable into and through said support base at another end, said support base engaging and retaining said flexible band strap when said tail portion of said flexible band strap is inserted through said support base, wherein said flexible band strap is guided through said support base, formed into a loop and secured in a finger tight constricted position within said support base;
• a grooved or toothed cylinder pinion gear positioned within said support base with grooves or teeth around a circumference matching grooves or teeth on the outer surface of said flexible band strap engaging and meshing with said flexible band strap;
• said grooved cylinder pinion gear being formed with a structure enabling a tool head to engage in a form-fitting manner, to allow the tool to rotate said pinion gear about an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the object or objects to be clamped and to index said flexible band forward in a loop-constricting direction;
• and
• a paw disposed to lock said pinion gear against a rotation allowing said flexible band to index backwards in a loop-releasing direction while allowing said pinion gear to be rotated for indexing said flexible band forward in the loop-constricting direction;
• and
• wherein a mechanism to rapidly release said flexible band strap from a constricted position by means of urging upward a finger grip protruding from support base top causing hold down top lock to release from support base said support base top lifts by means of a flexible hinge attached to said support base top and said support base positioned opposite said hold down top lock.

A clamp apparatus, comprising:

• a grooved flexible band strap formed of a plastic material, said band strap defining a longitudinal direction and having a free end;
• a molded support base of plastic material contiguously and rigidly connected to said band strap at an end thereof opposite said free end, said molded support base having walls and openings formed therein through which said free end of said band strap is insertable and said band strap is movable in the longitudinal direction;
• a grooved cylinder pinion gear rotatably supported in said support base about an axis transversely to the longitudinal direction and having grooves or teeth extending transversely to the longitudinal direction and meshing with grooves or teeth formed on said molded band strap when said free end of said band strap is inserted in said support base;
• wherein a rotation of said pinion gear forces said flexible band in a forward direction to shorten a loop formed thereby and decrease a diameter thereof, or in an opposite direction to lengthen the loop and to increase a diameter thereof;
• a support base top configured to be placed onto and locked to said support base, said support base including a paw structure configured to engage in said grooves or teeth of said pinion gear to thereby lock said band strap against movement out of said support base while allowing a forward movement of said band strap caused by a rotation of said pinion gear, wherein said support base top is connected to said support base via a hinge, wherein said support base top is closed onto said support base by pivoting said support base top about said hinge and snapping said support base top into a locking relationship with said support base.