Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
1995-12-29
2003-01-14
Bryant, David P. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S559000, C269S088000, C269S166000, C269S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06505391
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of making a multipurpose clamping device designed for holding objects while preventing damage thereto, such a device and its use.
PRIOR ART
Among the clamping tools including two jaws, of which one can slide along a straight guide piece, some of them are totally lacking forcible pressing means, such as screws, eccentrics, springs, hydraulic means or the like. Thus Ralph K. Coffman has filed in 1945 a patent application to get the U.S. Pat. No. 2,510,077 which discloses such a tool Coffman's tool is characterized in that said guide piece comprises several (three on the drawings) parallel and distinct cylindrical rods distributed along the jaws depth, and said jaws are equipped at one of their ends with cork pads facing each other. On the other hand, small bars at each of their ends laterally link the rods to each other, the central rod being tied to these small bars. Therefore said jaws are kept imprisoned between these said small end bars. It seems that Coffman was utterly convinced that could the jaws lock by friction on the guide piece, should this guide include several rods and these rods be automatically bent for clamping. Consequently could the jaws be parallel to each other for clamping, should these ones be leaning towards each other at rest, on the cork pads side, by an acute angle.
No more he seemed to be familiar with the clamp for décor molding, called “presse-marteau” or “hammer-press”, such it has been disclosed page 107, FIG. 257, in Lombard & Masviel's book, entitled “Cours de Technologie” Band 1 (for wood) and published by Dunod & Pinat in 1907in Paris. This “hammer-press” which belongs to the kind of clamping tools mentioned at the beginning of this prior art review also locks by friction, but its guide piece comprises only one rod and its jaws are essentially parallel to each other at rest. This “hammer-press” is also found, always offered made of wood (generally of hornbeam wood), in many commercial hardware catalogs. For example, it can be found in the 1910 catalog of “Charbonnel et Fils” based in Thiviers, Dordogne, France FIG. 378 of 40th plate). It can be also found in the 1924 catalog of “Etablissements F. Guitel and Etienne réunis” based in Saint-Martin street in Paris (see FIG. 2592 nof page 232). It can be as well found in the 1927 catalog of the “Forge Royale” based in Faubourg Saint-Martin street in Paris (see FIG. 306 of 32nd plate). In these catalogs, the hammer-press is presented with a guide piece comprising only one cylindrical rod and with one of the jaws fixed at one end of said rod. In addition in these catalogs, the jaws of the hammer-press are shown without any pad, made of cork or something else. But said jaws are equipped at their farthest end from the rod in front of the other jaw with a place, where a pad could be precisely bonded on. And in 1948, the same “hammer-press” is shown (see pages 27 Fillet & Combe based in Bourgouin (Isère, France). Henri Trillat has become familiar with the “hammer-press” equipped with cork pads, before becoming teacher of technical education in 1932, as he was an employee in cabinetmaking workshops (as a foreman for furniture manufacturing, at the end). Therefore, he has taught this clamp to his students from 1932. Numerous “hammer-presses” with cork pads can be found in old cabinetmaking workshops in France. A distinctive feature of the “hammer-press”, such as it is represented in Trillat's book, is that the straight rod supporting the jaws is circular, whereas in the aforementioned commercial catalogues, the rod is systematically shown with a rectangular section. And this “hammer-press” is hand clamped, as Trillat states it page 83, this time in sight of
figure 31
of a revision of his first work, entitled “Technologie Générale et de Spécialité en Menuiserie Ebénisterie” (“General and Special Technology for Joinery and Cabinetwork) and published by Dunod, Paris, in 1959. This “hammer-press” can be quite compared to the clamps that have been disclosed later on in the patent applications filed by Ditto in May 1981 (to get the U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,100 ) and fled by Pappas in November 1984 (PCTIUS85/00420 application). The only exception is that the guide piece in Ditto and in Pappas appears to be parted in two parallel straight rods. Pappas considers however, at the two thirds of the page 3 of his application, that the guide piece of the jaws might be made up of only one rod. Both are claiming a clamping tool comprising two jaws and a straight guide piece. One of said jaws is fixed to one end of said guide piece. The other jaw can run along said guide piece parallel to said first jaw and remaining parallel thereto at rest. Each of said two jaws is provided at a distance from said guide piece, as it is for Trillat's “hammer-press”, with an elastic cork-type pad facing the other jaw.
SUMMARY AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is distinct from the prior art evoked before in what it consists in replacing by a substantially elastic buffer any cork pad such as the one which can be found on a jaw of Trillat's “hammer-press”.
Therefore, the new clamp can conform to difficult shapes unlike what cannot do prior art clamps like the one of Coffman, or like the “hammer-press”. Thus, a clamping device equipped according to the present invention comprises:
a cylindrical support part, such as a rod or a tube, with a section circular or not, and
two arms each arm including a transverse hole and at least one of these arms carrying an elastic buffer secured thereto, said buffer having a contact face for contacting any object to be clamped and having under its contact face a thickness large enough so that said buffer acts as a compression spring when said buffer contacts said object, and being resilient enough such that said contact face can flex and pivot to substantially conform to the surface of said object. Said support part is disposed within said transverse holes of said arms such that at least one of said arms is movable along said support part. And said buffer is disposed at a distance from said support part with its contact face approximately at a right angle to said support part.
One at least of said two arms being movable means that one arm (the other one) might be fixed But in combination to the replacement of cork pads by substantially elastic buffers, the two arms can be selected both movable along said support and fit for being easily slipped outwards thereof and inwards again. That gives the “hammer-press” new and considerable possibilities and turns said press into a versatile tool Indeed not only the new “hammer-press ” according to the present invention can be used as a clamp conforming to difficult shapes, but also, when the arms are reversed on the support part, as a spreader to press against a nook sides. And when said arms are moreover fit to be turned around it into at least two directions and other such arms are added on same support part, one gets an overlapping clamp, which is a new kind of clamp with four arms providing a spectacularly sturdy and stable clamping. And with other pairs of arms added on said support part that gives various types of ample multiple helping hands. By joining two support parts end to end with a coupler of the electrical connector type and by positioning at least one of the arms on each of said two support parts, the maximum opening is considerably extended. Such connectors, when they are multiple, make possible a parallel coupling of the rods to build multi-contact vices or to perform multidirectional clamping by bending electrical connector bars (of which the coating is usually make out of a supple plastic material). Therefore a device according to the invention can be obtained by the global method comprising the following steps of:
providing a cylindrical support part, such as a rod or a tube, with a section circular or not,
providing two arms, each arm including a transverse hole and at least one of these arms carrying an elastic buffer secured thereto, said bu
LandOfFree
Process for making a versatile clamping device designed to... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Process for making a versatile clamping device designed to..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Process for making a versatile clamping device designed to... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3007414