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US 6,164,604 AGranted
Pipe clamps
AssigneeOatey Co.
InventorsCatherine Cirino, Roberto Rodriguez, Susan Geary
Life of this patent
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AssigneeOatey Co.
InventorsCatherine Cirino, Roberto Rodriguez, Susan Geary
Estimating the term…
A full or half clamp for supporting a pipe from a mounting surface includes a plastic body portion having an arcuate recess with an arcuate length in excess of 180.degree. and opposite ends that are relatively thin and flexible to facilitate snap fitting of a pipe into the recess. A pivotable arm is integrally connected to the body portion of the full clamp by a hinge formed by a notch in an outer wall of the body portion. The arm includes an arcuate recess forming a continuation of the recess in the body portion when the arm is moved into engagement with the body portion. A plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending plastic projections are provided on the inner wall of the recesses in both the body portion and arm for gripping the exterior surface of the pipe. One of the projections is located on the arm immediately adjacent the hinge to provide a well defined hinge line for the arm. The half clamp is desirably substantially identical in shape to the main body portion of the full clamp except that the hinge of the full clamp is eliminated from the half clamp, and the projection on the arm that is immediately adjacent the hinge of the full clamp is incorporated as part of the half clamp. This has the advantage that the same mold that is used to mold the full clamp can also be used to mold the half clamp simply by removing an insert that is used to form the hinge in the full clamp and by placing another insert in the mold to eliminate the portion of the arm beyond the projection immediately adjacent the hinge.
A pipe clamp for supporting a pipe from a mounting surface comprising a plastic body portion having an upstanding side terminating in a flat bottom, and an arcuate recess in said body portion having an arcuate length at least approximately 230.degree., said body portion having opposite ends at opposite ends of said recess that are relatively thin and flexible for ease of snap fitting a pipe into said recess, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending plastic projections on an inner arcuate wall of said recess for gripping an exterior surface of the pipe when inserted in said recess, one of said projections being located at each end of said recess to aid in preventing the clamp from becoming loosened around the pipe when inserted in said recess.
A pipe clamp for supporting a pipe from a mounting surface comprising a plastic body portion having an upstanding side terminating in a flat bottom, and an arcuate recess in said body portion having an arcuate length in excess of 180.degree., said body portion having opposite ends at opposite ends of said recess that are relatively thin and flexible for ease of snap fitting a pipe into said recess, a pivotable arm integrally connected to said body portion by a hinge formed by a notch in an outer wall of said body portion remote from said flat bottom, said arm being pivotable about said hinge away and toward said flat bottom for opening and closing said clamp around the pipe, said arm having an arcuate recess forming a continuation of said recess in said body portion when said arm is moved into engagement with said flat bottom, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending plastic projections on arcuate inner walls of said recesses in said body portion and said arm for gripping an exterior surface of the pipe when inserted in said clamp, one of said projections being located on said inner wall of said recess in said arm immediately adjacent said hinge to provide a well defined hinge line or flexure point between said arm and said body portion.
A full pipe clamp for supporting a pipe from a mounting surface comprising a plastic body portion having an upstanding side terminating in a flat bottom and an arcuate recess in said body portion having an arcuate length in excess of 180.degree., and an arm integrally connected to said body portion by a hinge formed by a notch in an outer wall of said body portion remote from said flat bottom, said arm being pivotable about said hinge away and toward said flat bottom for opening and closing said clamp around a pipe, said arm having an arcuate recess forming a continuation of said recess in said body portion when said arm is moved into engagement with said flat bottom, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending plastic projections on arcuate inner walls of said recesses in said body portion and said arm for gripping an exterior surface of the pipe when inserted in said clamp, one of said projections being located on said inner wall of said recess in said arm immediately adjacent said hinge to provide a well defined hinge line or flexure point between said arm and said body portion.
A pipe clamp for supporting a pipe from a mounting surface comprising a plastic body portion having an upstanding side terminating in a flat bottom, and an arcuate recess in said body portion having an arcuate length in excess of 180.degree., said body portion having opposite ends at opposite ends of said recess that are relatively thin and flexible for ease of snap fitting a pipe into said recess, one of said ends of said body portion being formed by the intersection of said flat bottom with an inner arcuate wall of said recess at an acute angle to increase the surface area of said flat bottom and provide a taper at one end to impart a greater flexibility to said one end, and a pivotable arm integrally connected to the other end of said body portion by a hinge formed by a notch in an outer wall of said body portion, said arm being pivotable about said hinge away and toward said flat bottom of said body portion for opening and closing said clamp around the pipe, said arm having an arcuate recess forming a continuation of said recess, in said body portion when said arm is moved into engagement with said flat bottom of said body portion.
A half clamp for supporting a pipe from a mounting surface comprising a plastic body portion having an upstanding side terminating in a flat bottom that is engageable with the mounting surface, and an arcuate recess in said body portion having an arcuate length of between approximately 230.degree. and 248.degree., said body portion having opposite ends at opposite ends of said recess that are relatively thin and flexible to facilitate snap fitting of a pipe into said recess, one of said ends of said body portion being formed by the intersection of said flat bottom with an arcuate inner wall of said recess at an acute angle to increase the surface area of said flat bottom and provide a taper at said one end to impart greater flexibility to said one end, and the other end of said body portion being tapered inwardly toward said inner wall of said recess to impart greater flexibility to said other end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending plastic projections on said inner wall of said recess for gripping an exterior surface of the pipe, one of said projections being located at each end of said recess to aid in preventing the clamp from becoming loosened around the pipe when the pipe is snap fitted into said recess.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.