Lever and fulcrum clamping assembly
AssigneePortex, Inc.
InventorThomas P. Stephens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a one-piece tubular clamping assembly formed from a plastic type material and comprising a first clamping arm engageable with a flange positioned on a second clamping arm to create a unique lever and fulcrum structure capable of securing one or more concentric tubular members in place or blocking a flow path through a tubular member. The present invention further comprises a novel locking mechanism for preventing accidental disengagement of the clamping assembly.
Claims12
A clamping assembly for fixedly enclosing at least one generally tubular member, comprising:
- first and second clamping arms each having a first end portion;
- said first end portions being attached to each other to allow for the relative pivotal motion of said clamping arms;
- a flange assembly including a neck portion attached to said first clamping arm and a head portion integrally attached to said neck portion, wherein said head portion is formed with a relatively greater cross-sectional size than said neck portion;
- a generally wedge-shaped assembly extending from said second clamping arm;
- and
- convexly-shaped surface means formed on a portion of said flange head and engagable with complementary concavely-shaped surface means formed on a portion of said wedge-shaped assembly as said second clamping arm is pivoted toward said first clamping arm, to frictionally retain at least one tubular member positioned between said clamping arms.
A clamping assembly according to claim 13, wherein said first end portion of said second clamping arm extends between said groove and the concavely-shaped surface means formed on said wedge assembly,
- whereby at least one tubular member positioned within said shallow groove is clampingly enclosed without impeding a flow path through the tubular member as said flange and wedge-shaped assemblies are brought into abutting engagement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.