Clamping Device

Many different types of article clamps are known but they all suffer from one or more serious disadvantages such as being complicated and difficult to operate, expensive and diffcult to manufacture, or inoperative for their intended use. Accordingly, a simple and inexpensive and easy to operate clamping device is needed.

The clamping device of this invention involves basically four components and is capable of clamping almost any article of any shape or size and may be operated in a matter of moments. A hollow tube contains a longitudinally movable adjustment member having a line-engaging V-shaped means on its inner end while a manually operable stop on the outer end of the tube threadably engages the outer end of the adjustment member to move the adjustment member longitudinally. The line-engaging means includes a pair of V-shaped openings adapted to be in alignment with openings in opposite sidewalls of the tube to receive the opposite ends of the line which are pulled tight about the article to be clamped and upon the adjustment member being retracted or moved outwardly in the tube the line portions in the V-shaped openings are forced into locking engagement therein by the pressure applied by the inside wall of the tubular member.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the clamping device of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a reduced in scale perspective view of the clamping device in use for clamping an article.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 in FIG. 5.

The clamping device of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10 and is shown to include an elongated hollow tubular member 12 in which an elongated adjustment member 14 is positioned for longitudinal movement in response to operation of a manually operable stop member 16 having an inner end in locking engagement with a line 18.

It is seen in FIG. 2 that the adjustment member 14 has a V-shaped inner end 20 formed from rod material. A second rod element 22 bisects the V-shaped end forming two oppositely disposed V-shaped openings 24 and 26. The rod 22 is suitably connected to the adjustment member and as shown extends through the member 14 and has an outer threaded end 26 engaged by a nut 28 on the outer face of the stop 16. A washer 30 is provided between the nut 28 and the outer face of the stop 16.

A slot 32 is formed in the inner end of the adjustment member 14 and receives laterally extending portions 34 and 36 of the rod element 20 adjacent the rod 22.

The tubular member 12 includes an inner wall surface 38 having oppositely disposed longitudinally extending grooves 40 which receive the outer edges of the V-shaped rod member 20, as seen in FIG. 2.

The inner end 42 of the hollow tubular member 14 has oppositely disposed openings 50 from which elongated slots 52 extend toward the inner end 42.

In operation the adjustment member 14 is positioned within the tube 12 such that the V-shaped openings 24 and 26 are aligned with the enlarged openings 50 to receive the opposite ends 60 and 62 of the line 18 whereupon these ends are pulled all the way through and then pulled tight such that the line 18 will snugly embrace an article 70 being clamped, as seen in FIG. 5. When the line is pulled tight about the article it is positioned in the elongated slots 52 which are aligned with the narrow ends of the V-shaped openings 24 and 26 which lockingly engage opposite ends of the line thereby holding the line tight around the article until the adjustment member 14 is operated. The manually operable stop 16 is then rotated to retract the adjustment member 14, as seen in FIG. 5, whereupon the line is pulled into the tube and outwardly with the inside face 38 of the tube locking the line in the V-shaped openings 24 and 26 at the vertex inner end. The inner end 42 presses against the article 70 being clamped and could be provided with any suitable saddle member to matingly engage the article being clamped. Disengagement of the clamping device from the article 70 is easily accomplished by simply reversing the procedure which occurs when the manually operable stop 16 is rotated in the opposite direction or counterclockwise thereby allowing the adjustable member 14 to be moved to the inner end of the tube whereupon the line ends 60 and 62 may be pulled outwardly and allowed to loosen about the article 70.