Joints and connections – Rod side to plate or side – Connected by double clamp
Utility Patent
1998-11-03
2001-01-02
Kim, Harry C. (Department: 3629)
Joints and connections
Rod side to plate or side
Connected by double clamp
C403S400000, C182S179100
Utility Patent
active
06168345
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to couplers and especially, but not exclusively to scaffold couplers, of a kind including at least one pair of jaws that involves an over-centre mechanism for clamping the jaws onto a respective tube or other element.
Scaffold couplers of the above-specified kind are known from Applicant's GB-A-2240135, and couplers of this known form have been found to function very satisfactorily in meeting established scaffolding performance and safety standards. However, such standards require large external loads to be withstood by the coupler throughout a significantly-wide tolerance range for the circumference of the clamped tube. Although the known form of coupler has a capacity to adapt to tube circumference and shape, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a coupler of improved form in this respect.
According to the present invention there is provided a coupler of said above-specified kind, wherein the over-centre mechanism involves two members that are hinged together via a coiled spring as hinge-pin such as to enable resilient displacement between the two members at the hinge within the over-centre action.
Although the invention is especially applicable to scaffold couplers it may be applied to couplers of other forms where clamping action is required between a pair of jaws.
The coiled spring may be of spirally-coiled steel or other resilient strip to have a substantially cylindrical form. More especially, the coiled spring may have the characteristic that it coils up resiliently more tightly within itself under the load applied transversely of it within the hinge, such that the reduction of its diameter as it becomes more tightly coiled is substantially linearly related to the magnitude of the load until it acts as a solid shear pin.
The two members may have finger-lugs that are interleaved with one another at the hinge. Transverse bores of the respective finger-lugs may be substantially aligned with one another, and the coiled spring may then extend axially through the aligned bores as hinge-pin.
The over-centre mechanism may involve a lever that is angularly displaceable for actuating the mechanism to close and clamp the jaws onto said element, means for establishing a first effective hinge connection with the actuating lever, means for establishing a second effective hinge connection between the lever and one of the jaws via the coiled spring as hinge-pin, and means for establishing a third effective hinge connection with the other jaw, displacement of the said lever for actuating the mechanism as aforesaid causing the second hinge connection to be moved into alignment with the first and third hinge connections against a resilient bias that is at least partly due to the coiled spring, and to snap through such alignment and be retained there with the jaws clamped onto said element.
The mechanism as specified in the preceding paragraph may take a form in which the third effective hinge connection is established by a selectively disengageable connection between the said other jaw and a linking member that is hinged by the said first hinge connection to the actuating lever, and in which the said displacement of the actuating lever acts via the said disengageable connection to pull the two jaws towards one another so as to close and clamp them more tightly onto said element as said second hinge connection moves into said alignment.
The jaws may be defined in two separate, jaw-defining parts that are hinged directly together by means of a discrete hinge connection, but alternatively may be defined in a unitary structure in which relative movement of the jaws is achieved by flexing within that structure. Each jaw may be of a shape to conform to the surface of the element clamped, over a substantial part of that surface. Moreover, one of the jaws may be defined by a clamping surface that subtends more than 180 degrees and involves resilience to enable that jaw to be snapped onto the element for initial retention prior to actuation of the lever mechanism to close the jaws and effect clamping. Grip of the jaws may be enhanced by providing them with friction surfacing.
The coupler may involve two pairs of jaws, and in this respect the two pairs of jaws may have a fixed orientation with respect to one another for engaging and clamping to respective tubes or other elements that cross one another and are to be held together by the coupler at a fixed angle, for example at right angles, to one another. Alternatively, the two pairs of jaws may be mounted in the coupler for swivelling relative one to the other; the swivelling may be restricted to a specific angular range, or may be unrestricted. Furthermore, the two pairs of jaws may be aligned side by side with one another to provide a sleeve coupler for coupling tubes or other elements together end to end.
According to a feature of the present invention there is provided a scaffold coupler wherein a base member and a closure member have opposed cylindrically-concave surfaces to define a pair of jaws for gripping a tube or other scaffolding element, the closure member being hinged to the base member for movement of the closure member towards the base member in closing the jaws upon said element, and wherein the coupler includes an over-centre lever mechanism that is actuable to close and clamp the jaws onto said element and involves a hand lever that is hinged to the closure member via a hinge-pin formed by a coiled spring, and a hook member that is hinged to the hand lever and is adapted to engage with a lip or other projection on the base member, the mechanism being actuated to bring about clamping by turning the hand lever about its hinge with the closure member, while the hook member is engaged with the lip or other projection.
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Davis and Bujold
Kim Harry C.
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