Clamping device with flexible arm
AssigneeChristopher Louis La Mendola
InventorsChristopher Louis La Mendola, Paul Hatch, Kristian Buschmann, Kevin R. Lovell, Joseph R. Peters
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a clamping device with an attached arm in which the act of opening the clamp makes the arm flexible and the act of closing the clamp makes the arm rigid. By operating in this manner, the present invention may allow a worker to position the arm (while flexible) in any number of different and easily attainable positions while also allowing the worker to secure a workpiece and immobilize the arm in a single step. In another embodiment of the present invention the arm can be made flexible independently of opening the clamp.
Claims30
An apparatus for clamping an object, comprising:
- an arm;
- a cable disposed within the arm;
- a first handle attached to a first end of the arm, wherein the first handle receives a first end of the cable and the first handle includes a first gripping element;
- a second handle;
- a second gripping element;
- a pivot mechanism for mounting the first handle, the second handle and the second gripping element in a pivoting relationship relative to one another, wherein the second handle is configured to pivot relative to the first handle independently of the second gripping element for a first portion of a pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle and the second handle is configured to cause the second gripping element to pivot relative to the first handle along with the second handle for a second portion of the pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle;
- a first spring for biasing the cable received by the first handle in tension;
- and
- an actuating mechanism for applying force to the first spring to reduce the bias thereof and to reduce the tension in the cable;
- wherein movement of the second handle towards the first handle within the first portion of the pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle actuates the actuating mechanism to reduce the bias of the first spring and to reduce the tension in the cable without substantially changing the position of the second gripping element.
An apparatus for clamping an object, comprising:
- an arm;
- a cable disposed within the arm;
- a first handle attached to a first end of the arm, wherein the first handle receives a first end of the cable at a first end of the first handle and the first handle includes a first gripping element at a second end of the first handle;
- a second handle;
- a second gripping element;
- a pivot mechanism for mounting the first handle, the second handle and the second gripping element in a pivoting relationship relative to one another, wherein the second handle is configured to pivot relative to the first handle independently of the second gripping element for a first portion of the pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle and the second handle is configured to cause the second gripping element to pivot relative to the first handle along with the second handle for a second portion of the pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle;
- a first spring for biasing the cable received by the first handle in tension;
- and
- an actuating mechanism for applying force to the first spring to reduce the bias thereof and to reduce the tension in the cable;
- wherein movement of the second handle towards the first handle within the first portion of the pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle actuates the actuating mechanism to reduce the bias of the first spring and to reduce the tension in the cable without substantially changing the position of the second gripping element;
- wherein movement of the second handle towards the first handle for the second portion of the pivot distance that the second handle can move relative to the first handle causes the second gripping element to pivot open relative to the first gripping element;
- and
- wherein the arm is substantially inflexible when the first spring biases the cable in tension and the arm is flexible when the tension in the cable is reduced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.