Supports – Pipe or cable – Brackets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-18
2001-12-04
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Pipe or cable
Brackets
C248S074200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325336
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a clamp for assembly and mounting of a set of tubes used on equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to clamps used for bundling lengths of rigid hydraulic tubing before mounting to the equipment to hold the tubes together while they are clamped to a mounting surface, without having to individually hold the tubes while clamping.
Skid steer loaders use bundles of hydraulic tubing for routing fluid to and from hydraulic cylinders on the equipment. Combinations of two or three adjacent tubes are required to route the fluid from the hydraulic pump to cylinders on the outer ends of the boom. Mounting the tubes to the skid steer loader such that the preset bends and couplings are positioned correctly can be very cumbersome and difficult, especially with long lengths of tubing. Assembling the tubes together with a clamp prior to mounting allows the assembler to organize and pre-position the tubes relative to each other. Without preassembly of the tubes, the tubes must be mounted with individual clamps or a combination of clamping devices or fasteners necessary to hold the tubes together inside the tubing clamp. Space and cost restrictions often do not allow for individual tubing clamps. Additional fasteners and clamping devices further complicate and add cost to the tube mounting procedure. Thus, preassembly of the tubes using a single, snap-fitting clamp is advantageous for efficiency and manageability when mounting bundles of hydraulic tubing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a clamp for bundling a plurality of hydraulic tubes before mounting them on equipment. The bundled tubes are clamped to equipment that uses the tubes for routing pressurized fluid to and from hydraulic cylinders. Each clamp effects its tube holding function without the use of fasteners or other clamping devices.
A clamp of the present invention is made of flexible, resilient material, such as a plastic, preferably a polyamide, with part cylindrical recessed areas formed to support two or three cylindrically shaped tubes that extend along longitudinal axes of the recessed areas and snap-fit into place. The recessed areas are preferably symmetrically centered about a central axis in the clamp where a hole is cut to receive a fastener for attaching the tubing clamp to a mounting surface. The recessed areas are open to the exterior and the opening faces the mounting surface when the tubing and clamp are installed. The design of the recessed area creates a resilient arm portion that cooperates with a base and can be bent to enlarge the opening to permit inserting the tubes into the recessed area and then released to provide the necessary clamping forces to hold the tubes in the clamp body.
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Clark Equipment Company
King Anita
Szumny Jon A.
Westman Champlin & Kelly P.A.
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