Clamping holder

Details Clamping holder Clamping holder

2000-01-14

2001-10-23

King, Anita (Department: 3632)

Supports

Brackets

Specially mounted or attached

C248S229240, C248S443000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06305654

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a clamping holder with an arrangement of a first leg and a second leg which are formed in such a way that they can be moved towards one another and with adjusting means acting upon at least one of the legs, the activation of these means enabling a movement of the legs towards one another so that objects can be locked in position.
b) Description of the Related Art
Clamping holders of the preceding type are known. They are used, for example, to clamp the arms of instrument microphones to musical instruments. They are constructed, for example, as a holding clip, wherein the adjusting means have a defined spring stiffness (pretensioning) that is determined by material and manufacture and by means of which the legs are pressed together. These known clamping holders are disadvantageous in that the cross section of the material to be clamped is predetermined. Further, if used incorrectly, there is the risk of mechanical damage when engaging parts with delicate surfaces. The object to be clamped can only be axially displaced or rotated while in the clamped state under frictional engagement, which increases mechanical wear.
Clamping holders constructed as holding clips with bore holes in their legs are also known. A first bore hole in one of the legs is threaded. The diameter of a second bore hole in the other of the two legs is slightly greater than the diameter of the first bore hole. The adjusting means of a known clamping holder of this type are formed by an adjusting screw with a continuous thread engaging in the thread of the first bore hole. The adjusting screw is guided through the second bore hole with a small amount of play. A head of the adjusting screw rests on the outside of that leg of the clamping holder provided with the second bore hole.
A clamping holder of this known type is changed from the opened position to the closed position by tightening the adjusting screw. Screwing in the adjusting screw causes the leg provided with the second bore hole to be carried along by the head of the adjusting screw and moved into the closed position. An object which is arranged between the legs for clamping is held by frictional engagement by the clamping holder when the adjusting screw is tightened.
An object which is clamped in this known type of clamping holder is released from the clamping holder by unscrewing the adjusting screw. The movability of the leg with the second bore hole in the intermediate space between the head of the adjusting screw and a position in contact with the leg with the first bore hole is increased corresponding to the releasing rotational movement. Provided the clamping holder has been opened, the object arranged between the legs can be removed from the clamping holder.
In practice it happens, for example, that an object clamped between the legs of a known clamping holder sticks to the legs. In this case, releasing the adjusting screw of a clamping holder holding an object in such a manner will not result in a movement of the leg with the second bore hole. In this situation, a user might suspect that the adjusting screw has not been unscrewed far enough to release the object. However, as a result of further unscrewing of the adjusting screw from the first bore hole, the adjusting screw will lose its hold in the clamping holder and will be released by the clamping holder and, for example, fall to the floor where it can get lost.
There is also the danger that a user of this clamping holder who is possibly in a hurry may not open the legs sufficiently when turning the adjusting screw, so that the surface of the object to be inserted between the legs or to be removed from the holder is damaged by rough contact with the legs. Frequent use of the known clamping holder for clamping an object, particularly if this object has a sensitive surface, can result in damage to the surface of the object by scratching and/or deformation.
There is an additional risk of deformation of an object held by a known clamping holder by the fact that a user may tighten the adjusting screw so much that the object is dented by the legs, for example.
A further disadvantage of the known clamping holders consists in that the object to be held by such a clamping holder can be precisely positioned only with difficulty because the legs of the clamping holder do not hold the object when in the open position so that, when placing between the legs, the object is practically free to move between the legs. Tightening the adjusting screw locks the object firmly between the legs, so that a slight adjustment or turning of the object between the legs can no longer be made as it is now connected with the legs in frictional engagement.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of the invention to provide a clamping holder that can be positioned as precisely as possible, that causes a minimum of wear, avoids damaging a delicate surface of the object to be clamped, and has adjusting means permitting easy opening of the clamping holder, wherein the adjusting means are safely fastened to the clamping holder.
This object is met according to the invention for the clamping holder mentioned above through the arrangement of means which cancel the locking effect and hold the adjusting means on the clamping holder.
The invention realizes a clamping holder in which the adjusting means are fastened to the clamping holder on principle. In particular, the clamping holder according to the invention is gentle on the surface of an object to be held between the legs and thus minimizes mechanical wear. An additional advantage of the clamping holder according to the invention lies in the increased user-friendliness and operability compared to known clamping holders.
Insofar as the adjusting means comprise an adjusting screw, the means for canceling the locking of the clamping holder comprise an undercut or groove provided in the adjusting screw. A pressing force exerted by the legs against the object to be clamped is substantially determined by an axial force of the adjusting screw. The adjusting screw engages in at least one thread of the clamping holder so that it is connected with one of the two legs of the clamping holder. The thread is located either in one of the two bore holes or a nut is received at one of the legs, for example, in a recess provided for this purpose in the outside of the leg. Such an arrangement is especially advantageous when the legs of the clamping holder are made of plastic having properties less suitable for a thread than those of metal. The portion having the groove is bigger than the thread so that, within certain limits of the angle of aperture of the legs, the thread is completely overlapped by the groove, the thread function is inactivated and the contact pressing force is minimized. This is due to the fact that the adjusting screw is freely displaceable within the interval of the difference in length between the groove and thickness of the internal thread and can no longer exert any axial forces.
The two legs of the clamping holder are preferably connected with one another in a springing manner at one end, which has the advantage that the orientation of the legs relative to one another is predetermined with the exception of an angle of aperture, which facilitates handling of the clamping holder for the user. Even when the legs are in the open position, an inherent springing force advantageously causes a slight pressing force to be exerted against the surface of the object to be clamped, so that the object to be clamped is engaged to a certain extent before the set screw has been tightened. It is possible for the user to change the way the object to be clamped is positioned between the legs which press against one another slightly. After the object has been definitively positioned between the legs, the user closes the clamping holder firmly by tightening the adjusting screw.
One embodiment form of the clamping holder according to the invention is intended for receiving a microphone arm

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