Back to results
US 5,692,734 AGranted
Clamp structure
AssigneeAmerican Tool Companies, Inc.
InventorRobert Aldredge, Sr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamp structure that has a jaw mounted on a shaft with the clamping face of the jaw facing along the direction of the shaft and offset from it applies clamping force to a work piece when a cam that is part of the clamp structure is moved by an actuator from a free position to a clamping position. The cam is connected to the shaft and has a cam surface that applies force to a follower in opposition to a biasing spring when the actuator is so moved, and a mounting device holds the shaft between the follower and the spring.
Claims102
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a clamp shaft extending along a longitudinal direction;
- (b) a jaw mounted on the shaft and comprising a clamping face laterally offset a predetermined distance from the shaft and facing in a first direction parallel to the shaft;
- (c) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (d) a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the sham, between free and clamping positions;
- (e) a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved there by in response to movement of the cam;
- (f) a mounting structure to hold the shaft;
- (g) a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position to stress the resilient member to urge the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece;
- and
- (h) a second jaw having a channel to receive said clamp shaft so as to mount said second jaw to said clamp shaft, wherein said channel has a shape that prevents substantial translational movement of said second jaw in a direction other than along said longitudinal direction.
6 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a pipe having a longitudinal axis and a pre-determined external diameter;
- (b) a first jaw mounted on the pipe and comprising a first clamping face laterally offset a pre-determined distance from the axis and facing in a first direction parallel to the pipe;
- (c) a second jaw comprising:
- (i) a front surface facing the first jaw and a rear surface facing away from the first jaw,
- (ii) a channel to receive the pipe, the channel having cross-sectional dimensions enough larger than the external diameter of an extension portion of the pipe to allow the second jaw to be moved longitudinally to selected positions along the pipe,
- (iii) a second clamping face facing the first clamping face and laterally offset from the axis in a certain direction by a distance substantially equal to the predetermined distance, the channel having a greater width in the certain direction than the diameter of the pipe, whereby the second jaw can be rocked to a limited extent about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pipe and to the certain direction,
- (iv) a first locking surface along one side of the channel remote from the second clamping face and adjacent the front surface of the second jaw, and
- (v) a second locking surface along the opposite side of the channel from the first locking surface and adjacent the rear surface of the second jaw, whereby pressure on the second clamping face rocks the first and second locking surfaces against opposite sides of the pipe and locks the second jaw into a fixed position along the pipe;
- (d) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (e) a connector that movably connects the cam to the pipe;
- (f) a cam follower between the cam surface and the first jaw;
- (g) a cam actuator which moves the cam surface from a first position to a second position to shift the location of the pipe longitudinally from a free position to a clamping position to draw the second clamping face toward the first clamping face and against a work piece to rock the first and second locking surfaces against opposite sides of the pipe to lock the second jaw in fixed engagement with the pipe and against the work piece;
- (h) a first resilient member engaging the pipe to urge the pipe toward the free position to move the second clamping face away from the work piece when the cam actuator moves the cam surface from the second position back to the first position.
10 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a clamp shaft;
- (b) a jaw mounted on the shaft and comprising:
- (i) a front clamping face facing in a first direction parallel to the shaft;
- (ii) a rear surface facing in the opposite direction, and
- (iii) a channel extending through the jaw and having one end at the front surface and a second end at the rear surface, the shaft extending into the second end of the channel and terminating in the jaw, whereby one end of the shaft is within the jaw, the one end of the jaw comprising an attachment to attach an extension shaft thereto to extend out through the front surface.
- (c) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (d) a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the shaft, between free and clamping positions;
- (e) a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved thereby in response to movement of the cam;
- (f) a mounting structure to hold the shaft and
- (g) a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position to urge the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece.
7 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a clamp shaft;
- (b) a jaw mounted on the shaft and comprising a clamping face laterally offset a predetermined distance from the shaft;
- (c) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (d) a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the shaft, between free and clamping positions;
- (e) a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved thereby in response to movement of the cam;
- (f) a mounting structure to hold the shaft so that the shaft is aligned along a longitudinal direction;
- (g) a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position by urging the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece;
- and
- (h) a second jaw having a channel to receive said clamp shaft so as to mount said second jaw to said clamp shaft, wherein said channel has a shape that prevents substantial translational movement of said second jaw in a direction other than along said longitudinal direction.
6 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a clamp shaft;
- (b) a jaw mounted on the shaft and comprising a clamping face laterally offset a predetermined distance from the shaft;
- (c) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (d) a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the shaft, between free and clamping positions;
- (e) a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved thereby in response to movement of the cam;
- (f) a mounting structure to hold the shaft so that the shaft is aligned along a longitudinal direction;
- (g) a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position by urging the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece;
- wherein the jaw has a front surface, and rear surface, and a channel extending through the jaw and having one end at the front surface and a second end at the rear surface, the shaft extending into the second end of the channel and terminating in the jaw, whereby one end of the shaft is within the jaw, the one end of the jaw comprising an attachment to attach an extension shaft thereto to extend out through the front surface.
5 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a pipe having a longitudinal axis and a pre-determined external diameter;
- (b) a first jaw mounted on the pipe and comprising a first clamping face laterally offset a pre-determined distance from the axis;
- (c) a second jaw comprising:
- (i) a front surface facing the first jaw and a rear surface facing away from the first jaw,
- (ii) a channel to receive the pipe, the channel having cross-sectional dimensions enough larger than the external diameter of an extension portion of the pipe to allow the second jaw to be moved longitudinally to selected positions along the pipe,
- (iii) a second clamping face laterally offset from the axis in a certain direction by a distance substantially equal to the predetermined distance, the channel having a greater width in the certain direction than the diameter of the pipe, whereby the second jaw can be rocked to a limited extent about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pipe and to the certain direction,
- (iv) a first locking surface along one side of the channel remote from the second clamping face and adjacent the front surface of the second jaw, and
- (v) a second locking surface along the opposite side of the channel from the first locking surface and adjacent the rear surface of the second jaw, whereby pressure on the second clamping face rocks the first and second locking surfaces against opposite sides of the pipe and locks the second jaw into a fixed position along the pipe;
- (d) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (e) a connector that movably connects the cam to the pipe;
- (f) a cam follower between the cam surface and the first jaw;
- (g) a cam actuator which moves the cam surface from a first position to a second position to shift the location of the pipe longitudinally from a free position to a clamping position to draw the second clamping face toward the first clamping face and against a work piece to rock the first and second locking surfaces against opposite sides of the pipe to lock the second jaw in fixed engagement with the pipe and against the work piece;
- (h) a first resilient member engaging the pipe to urge the pipe toward the free position to move the second clamping face away from the work piece when the cam actuating means moves the cam surface from the second position back to the first position.
10 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a clamp shaft;
- (b) a jaw mounted on the shaft and comprising:
- (i) a front clamping face;
- (ii) a rear surface facing away from said front clamping face, and
- (iii) a channel extending through the jaw and having one end at the front surface and a second end at the rear surface, the shaft extending into the second end of the channel and terminating in the jaw, whereby one end of the shaft is within the jaw, the one end of the jaw comprising an attachment to attach an extension shaft thereto to extend out through the front surface;
- (c) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (d) a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the shaft, between free and clamping positions;
- (e) a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved thereby in response to movement of the cam;
- (f) a mounting structure to hold the shaft so that the shaft is aligned along a longitudinal direction;
- and
- (h) a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position by urging the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece.
8 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- (a) a clamp shaft;
- (b) a first jaw movably mounted on the shaft and comprising a clamping face;
- (c) a second jaw comprising:
- (i) a second clamping face;
- (ii) a channel to receive said clamp shaft;
- (iii) a first locking surface along one side of the channel remote from the second clamping face;
- and
- (iv) a second locking surface along the opposite side of the channel from the first locking surface, whereby pressure on the second clamping face rocks the first and second locking surfaces against opposite sides of the clamp shaft and locks the second jaw into a fixed position along the clamp shaft;
- (d) a cam comprising a cam surface;
- (e) a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the shaft, between free and clamping positions;
- (f) a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved thereby in response to movement of the cam;
- and
- (g) a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position by urging the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece.
10 more elements
A clamp structure comprising:
- a clamp shaft aligned along an axis;
- a jaw movably mounted on the shaft and comprising a clamping face laterally offset a predetermined distance from the shaft, said jaw rotating about said axis and moving along said axis;
- said jaw further comprising a frictional element compressively engaging said clamp shaft and said jaw so as to produce a frictional force which prevents said jaw from rotating about said axis and simultaneously allows said clamp shaft to rotate about said axis.
A clamp structure comprising:
- a clamp shaft aligned along an axis;
- a jaw movably mounted on the shaft and comprising a clamping face laterally offset a predetermined distance from the shaft, said jaw rotating about said axis and moving along said axis;
- a cam comprising a cam surface;
- a connector connecting the cam to the shaft to allow the cam to move, relative to the shaft, between free and clamping positions;
- a cam follower operatively connected to the cam surface to be moved thereby in response to movement of the cam;
- a cam actuator to move the cam surface from a first position to a second position by urging the clamping face toward a clamping position to exert pressure on a work piece;
- and
- a second jaw having a channel to receive said clamp shaft so as to mount said second jaw to said clamp shaft, wherein said channel has a shape that prevents substantial translational movement of said second jaw in a direction other than along said axis.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.