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US 7,604,224 B2Granted
Motorized clamp
AssigneeThe Stanley Works
InventorsStephen Rowlay, John Alexander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bar clamp, including a bar; a first jaw movably coupled to the bar; a second jaw being movably coupled to the bar; and a motor configured to move the second jaw toward the first jaw. One of the first and second jaws including a drive lever that engages the bar and a trigger to move the drive lever and move the bar relative to the one of the first and second jaws.
Claims32
A bar clamp, comprising:
- a bar having a longitudinally extending recess therein;
- a first jaw movably coupled to said bar;
- a second jaw coupled to said bar for adjustable sliding movement relative to the bar between a plurality of locking positions relative to the bar;
- and
- a motor configured to move said second jaw toward said first jaw while said second jaw is in one of said locking positions, a portion of said motor positioned within and extending within said recess from the first jaw to the second jaw,
- said first jaw including a drive lever that engages said bar and a trigger to move said drive lever and move said bar relative to said first jaw, wherein the drive lever and trigger are positioned and arranged to mechanically convert a force applied to the trigger into a clamping force that tends to move the bar and second jaw toward the first jaw.
3 more elements
A method of using a bar clamp, comprising:
- sliding a first jaw relative to a bar to which the first jaw and a second jaw are slidably mounted so as to position the first jaw and second jaw on opposite sides of an item to be clamped;
- sliding the second jaw between a plurality of longitudinal locking positions along the bar, and locking the second jaw to the bar in a selected one of the plurality of longitudinal locking positions;
- while retaining the second jaw in the selected one of the plurality of longitudinal locking positions, activating a rotating element of a motor to provide a clamping force that moves the second jaw closer to the first jaw until the first and second jaws contact opposite sides of the item to be clamped, a portion of the motor extending within a recess in the bar from the first jaw to the second jaw;
- and
- activating a trigger to provide an increased clamping force of the first and second jaws against the sides of the item to be clamped, wherein the increased clamping force provided by the trigger is larger than the clamping force provided by the motor.
2 more elements
A bar clamp, comprising:
- a bar having a longitudinally extending recess;
- a first jaw movably coupled to said bar for sliding movement relative to the bar and second jaw;
- a second jaw coupled to said bar for adjustable sliding movement relative to the bar between a plurality of locking positions relative to the bar;
- a spring urging said first and second jaws toward each other, said spring being positioned within and extending within the recess from the first jaw to the second jaw, said spring being positioned and configured to urge said first and second jaws toward each other while the second jaw is in one of its locking positions;
- and
- a manual clamping mechanism comprising
- a manually actuable trigger, and
- a drive lever that engages the bar, the drive lever and trigger being positioned and arranged to mechanically convert a manual force applied to the trigger into a clamping force that tends to move the bar and second jaw toward the first jaw.
5 more elements
A method of using a bar clamp, comprising:
- sliding a first jaw relative to a bar to which the first jaw and a second jaw are slidably mounted so as to position the first jaw and second jaw on opposite sides of an item to be clamped;
- sliding the second jaw between a plurality of longitudinal locking positions along the bar, and locking the second jaw to the bar in a selected one of the plurality of longitudinal locking positions;
- permitting a spring force of a spring to move the second jaw closer to the first jaw until the first and second jaws contact opposite sides of the item to be clamped, a portion of the spring extending within a recess in the bar from the first jaw to the second jaw;
- and
- while retaining the second jaw in the selected one of the plurality of longitudinal locking positions, activating a trigger to provide an increased clamping force of the first and second jaws against the sides of the item to be clamped.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.