Clamp with recess to receive and secure articles
AssigneeAero Northwest Design & Manufactuirng, Inc.
InventorKrystave Saeter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamp assembly to be mounted to a structure, for example a tubular structure such as a vehicle roll bar, is disclosed. The clamp assembly includes a recess to receive and secure an article relative to the structure. The clamp assembly includes a first clamp portion and a second clamp portion. The first clamp portion is securable to the second clamp portion such that the structure is captured between the first inner clamping surface and the second inner clamping surface. The first clamp portion defines a recess, which extends through an outer surface of the first clamp portion and terminates at a base surface of the first clamp portion that is positioned between the outer surface and the first inner clamping surface.
Claims26
A clamp assembly to be mounted to a structure, the clamp assembly comprising:
- a first clamp portion including a first inner clamping surface and an outer surface, the first clamp portion defining a recess, which extends through the outer surface in a first direction and terminates at a base surface of the first clamp portion, the base surface positioned between the outer surface and the first inner clamping surface with respect to the first direction, wherein the recess defines a first width within a plane defined by the first direction and a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the first width measured at the outer surface and in the second direction, the recess defines a second width within the plane at a location between the outer surface and the base surface, the second width measured in the second direction, and the second width being greater than the first width;
- and
- a second clamp portion including a second inner clamping surface,
- wherein the first clamp portion is securable to the second clamp portion such that the structure is captured between the first inner clamping surface and the second inner clamping surface.
A method of mounting a clamp assembly to a structure, the method comprising:
- positioning a first clamp portion of the clamp assembly relative to a second clamp portion of the clamp assembly such that:
- both a first inner clamping surface of the first clamp portion and a second inner clamping surface of the second clamp portion abut the structure;
- a first fastener receiving aperture defined by the first clamp portion is aligned with a second fastener receiving aperture defined by the second clamp portion along a first direction;
- and
- a recess defined by the first clamp portion extends through an outer surface of the first clamp portion in the first direction and terminates at a base surface of the first clamp portion, the base surface positioned between the outer surface and the first inner clamping surface with respect to the first direction, wherein the recess defines a first width at the outer surface and a second width at a location between the outer surface and the base surface, both the first width and the second width being measured in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and the second width being greater than the first width;
- and
- inserting a fastener through one of the first fastener receiving aperture and the second fastener receiving aperture and into the other of the first fastener receiving aperture and the second fastener receiving aperture, thereby simultaneously fixing the relative positions of the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion and securing the clamp assembly relative to the structure.
A method of securing an article to a tubular structure, the method comprising:
- positioning a first clamp portion of the clamp assembly relative to a second clamp portion of the clamp assembly such that both a first inner clamping surface of the first clamp portion and a second inner clamping surface of the second clamp portion abut the tubular structure;
- simultaneously fixing the relative positions of the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion and securing the clamp assembly relative to the tubular structure;
- inserting a portion of the article through a first portion of a recess defined by the first clamp portion by advancing the article in a first direction, wherein the recess extends through an outer surface of the first clamp portion in the first direction and terminates at a base surface of the first clamp portion, the base surface positioned between the outer surface and the first inner clamping surface with respect to the first direction;
- and
- aligning the portion of the article with a second portion of the recess that the portion of the article does not fit through with respect to the first direction, thereby trapping the portion of the article within the recess.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.