Supports – Pipe or cable – Brackets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-01
2001-04-03
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Pipe or cable
Brackets
C248S049000, C248S074300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209827
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1.) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamp device.
(2.) Description of the Related Art
In the conventional art, an electric wire bundle clamp has been widely used for fixing a bundle of wired electric cables to a board, such as a chassis or a panel of an electronic appliance. Two patents in the conventional art are U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,171 issued Sep. 2, 1986 to Kazuhiro Matsui and U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,896 issued Apr. 3, 1984 to Kazuhiro Matsui. In the former patent disclosed is a method of attaching the electric wire bundle to the board using an adhesive tape. In the latter patent a pair of elastic engaging pieces are formed on a tip end of a support formed on the lower portion of the electric wire bundle clamp and the engaging pieces are then inserted in a fixing hole formed in the board to attach the clamp to the board, where the elastic engaging pieces can be expanded/opened in opposite directions.
In the method of using the adhesive tape, once the electric wire bundle clamp is attached to the board, it cannot be easily detached. Therefore, the method cannot be used if the clamp needs to be repeatedly attached/detached.
Moreover, in the method of using the elastic engaging pieces, the elastic engaging pieces protrude from the underside of the board. These protruded portions inhibit the miniaturization of an electronic apparatus to which the board is attached. When the elastic engaging pieces are merely inserted to the fixing hole formed in the board, the support can be rotated around the fixing hole. Therefore, the electric wire bundle clamp cannot be firmly fixed, and the direction of the electric wire bundle cannot be defined. Furthermore, when the electric wire bundle clamp is detached from the board, the pair of elastic engaging pieces need to be held and closed with a jig before being disengaged from the fixing hole. This detaching operation must be performed from the underside of the board, thus making working conditions difficult. In addition, when the elastic engaging pieces are just inserted to the fixing hole formed in the board, the electric wire bundle clamp tends to fall by a force applied to the bundle of electric wires.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Wherefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a clamp device which slightly protrudes from the underside of a board when firmly attached to the board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a clamp device that is both easily attachable and detachable from the board.
To attain those and other objects, the present invention provides a clamp device having a base. Protruding from the underside of the base is a leg portion, of which extending from the leg portion's tip end is an engaging protruding piece. This engaging protruding piece extends in parallel with the underside of the base. Additionally, extending from the base is a pressing wing portion, which has protruding from an underside an engagement protrusion and from a topside a protruding portion that extends above the base. The protruding portion is placed between the leg portion and the engagement protrusion. It is to be appreciated that the engaging protruding piece and the pressing wing portion are preferably arranged substantially vertical to each other.
To fix the clamp device of the present invention to a board the leg portion, having the engaging protruding piece, is inserted in a hole made in a board having a thickness corresponding to a distance between the base and the leg portion. The engaging protruding piece, being inserted through a notch made around the hole in the board, engages an underside of the board when rotating the clamp. The clamp device is rotated until the engagement protrusion engages in an engagement hole made in the board. As such, with the engagement protrusion engaged in the engagement hole, the portion of the board around the hole being held between the base and the engaging protruding piece, and the tip end of the pressing wing portion abutting and pressing on a topside of the board, the clamp device is firmly fixed to the board.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1802964 (1931-04-01), Brady
patent: 2541828 (1951-02-01), Peck
patent: 3015869 (1962-01-01), Rapata
patent: 4131258 (1978-12-01), Okuda et al.
patent: 4262394 (1981-04-01), Wright
patent: 4422222 (1983-12-01), Notoya
patent: 4439896 (1984-04-01), Matsui
patent: 4470178 (1984-09-01), Matsui
patent: 4564163 (1986-01-01), Barnett
patent: 4609171 (1986-09-01), Matsui
patent: 4677714 (1987-07-01), Wright
patent: 5368261 (1994-11-01), Caveney et al.
patent: 5601260 (1997-02-01), Shinohara et al.
patent: 6116804 (2000-09-01), Mehta
patent: 57-58921 (1982-04-01), None
Davis & Bujold P.L.L.C.
King Anita M.
Kitagawa Industries Co., Ltd.
Morrison N.
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