System, method, and apparatus for clamping
AssigneeDEKA Products Limited Partnership
InventorsLarry B. Gray, Thomas A. Friedrich, Erik N. Sabin, John M. Kerwin, Richard J. Lanigan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamp includes a housing, a fixed gripper, a moveable gripper, a driven member, and an actuator. The housing includes first and second tracks. The fixed gripper is coupled to the housing. The driven member is configured to slide within the first and second tracks of the housing. The moveable gripper is operatively coupled to the driven member. The actuator is configured to move the driven member towards a first position to thereby move the moveable gripper towards the fixed gripper. The actuator is further configured to move the driven member towards a second position to thereby move the moveable gripper away from the fixed gripper.
Claims13
A clamp, comprising:
- a housing including first and second tracks;
- a fixed gripper coupled to the housing;
- a driven member configured to slide within the first and second tracks of the housing;
- a moveable gripper operatively coupled to the driven member;
- an actuator configured to move the driven member towards a first position to thereby move the moveable gripper towards the fixed gripper, the actuator further configured to move the driven member towards a second position to thereby move the moveable gripper away from the fixed gripper, wherein the actuator is a handle pivotally coupled to the housing;
- and
- first and second linkages, wherein the first linkage is coupled to a first side of the handle and to a first side of the driven member, and the second linkage is coupled to a second side of the handle and to a second side of the driven member.
A clamp, comprising:
- a housing including first and second tracks;
- a fixed gripper coupled to the housing;
- a driven member configured to slide within the first and second tracks of the housing;
- a moveable gripper operatively coupled to the driven member;
- an actuator configured to move the driven member towards a first position to thereby move the moveable gripper towards the fixed gripper, the actuator further configured to move the driven member towards a second position to thereby move the moveable gripper away from the fixed gripper, wherein the actuator is a handle pivotally coupled to the housing;
- a first latching portion on the handle;
- and
- a second latching portion on the housing, wherein the first and second latching portions are configured to cooperate to releasably latch the handle to the housing.
A clamp comprising:
- a housing including first and second tracks;
- a fixed gripper coupled to the housing;
- a driven member configured to slide within the first and second tracks of the housing;
- a moveable gripper operatively coupled to the driven member;
- an actuator configured to move the driven member towards a first position to thereby move the moveable gripper towards the fixed gripper, the actuator further configured to move the driven member towards a second position to thereby move the moveable gripper away from the fixed gripper, wherein the actuator is a handle pivotally coupled to the housing;
- and
- an over-center linkage configured to bias the handle toward a closed position when the handle is actuated toward the closed position beyond a threshold, wherein the over-center linkage is further configured to bias the handle toward an open position when the handle is actuated toward the open position beyond the threshold.
A clamp, comprising:
- a housing including first and second tracks;
- a fixed gripper coupled to the housing;
- a driven member configured to slide within the first and second tracks of the housing;
- a moveable gripper operatively coupled to the driven member;
- an actuator configured to move the driven member towards a first position to thereby move the moveable gripper towards the fixed gripper, the actuator further configured to move the driven member towards a second position to thereby move the moveable gripper away from the fixed gripper;
- and
- a gripper sled slidably coupled to the driven member, wherein the driven member includes a stop member configured to prevent movement of the gripper sled relative to the driven member beyond a predetermined location of the driven member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.