Locking grounding clamp
AssigneeQuanta Associates, L.P.
InventorsPhillip Howard Quaedvlieg, David Karl Wabnegger, Janos Csaba Toth, Daniel Neil O'Connell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A grounding clamp includes a safety lock-out which locks the operation of the clamp in the absence of a hot-stick. A clamping member cooperates with a frame having an arm, and is selectively biasable by a user to translate the clamping member relative to the frame to clamp a conductor between the clamping member and arm. The lock-out cooperates with the clamping member to prevent the translation of the clamping member unless in the presence of an insulating tool such as a hot-stick.
Claims20
A grounding clamp having a safety lock-out cooperating with a hot-stick, the clamp mountable onto the hot-stick and comprising:
- a frame and a clamping member defining a capture cavity and an opening, said opening providing access into said cavity for a conductor to be captured in said cavity,
- said clamping member cooperating with said frame and selectively biasable by a user between an unclamped position wherein said clamping member is retracted to open the cavity and opening and a clamped position wherein the cavity and opening are closed so that the conductor is clamped against said frame by said clamping member when the conductor is positioned in said cavity,
- a lock-out mounted on said frame, said lock-out adapted to lock movement of said clamping member in the absence of the hot-stick so as to prevent movement of said clamping member relative to said frame, and to unlock said clamping member to allow movement of said clamping member relative to said frame when in proximity to the hot-stick,
- whereby, when said frame is mounted on the hot-stick, the clamping member is moveable to clamp a conductor positioned in the cavity.
A grounding method using a grounding clamp having a safety lock-out cooperating with a hot-stick, the clamp mountable onto the hot-stick, the method comprising:
- a) providing a frame and a clamping member defining a capture cavity and an opening, said opening providing access into said cavity for a conductor to be captured in said cavity, said clamping member cooperating with said frame and selectively biasable by a user between an unclamped position wherein said clamping member is retracted to open the cavity and opening and a clamped position wherein the cavity and opening are closed so that the conductor is clamped against said frame by said clamping member when the conductor is positioned in said cavity,
- b) providing a lock-out mounted on said frame, said lock-out adapted to lock said clamping member in the absence of the hot-stick to prevent movement of said clamping member relative to said frame, and to unlock said clamping member to allow movement of said clamping member in the presence of the hot-stick,
- c) mounting the frame onto the hot-stick, so as to unlock the lock-out whereby the clamping member is movable to clamp a conductor positioned in the cavity,
- d) positioning the conductor in the cavity;
- and,
- e) rotating the hot-stick with a twisting motion about its length so as to translate the first clamping member into its clamped position thereby clamping the conductor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.