FR2780328A1 - Support element, particularly for baby feeding chair - Google Patents

Abstract

The clamping device acts on an object (12) and consists of a fixed element, which carries an external thread, and a rotating mobile element (2), which carries a mating internal thread. The mobile element is thus designed to be displaced along the thread, by rotation, into the support position, where a support surface (23) is in contact with the object. The mobile element is provided with the means to allow the element to be split longitudinally to allow it to be separated from the thread and thus displaced along the thread without the rotation.

Description

1 2780328

  The present invention relates to a clamping device of the clamp type for clamping an object. It generally comprises a support element fixed relative to the object to be tightened and tightening means similar to those of a clamp comprising a fixed member and a member

  rotary mobile in threaded engagement on the fixed member.

  This clamping device according to the invention is applicable to many technical fields but more particularly to a table chair for children which has just been fixed to the table top to seat the child on.

  Table. In the following description, it will often be

  refers to such a children's table chair although the present invention may have other applications. In this particular area of children's table chairs, there are already many models that can be attached to the table top. All these chairs include two arms in the extension of the armrests of the chair, which extend over the table top and generally come into contact with the latter via a non-slip pad. On the other hand, these chairs are provided with a clamping device often in the form of a second pair of arms which cooperates with the upper arms by contact under the table top. There are versions in which the lower arms are pivotally mounted around a fixed axis and the end of these pivoting arms can be brought into contact with the underside of the table top and locked in this position using a locking system located at the back of the back of the chair where the two lower arms meet to form a sort of stirrup. According to another version, the lower arms can be provided with a

  system similar to that of a conventional clamp,

  that is to say operating by rotation of an element which comes into abutment below the table top approximately at level o rest the upper arms on this same table. The tightening

2 2780328

  is then carried out in a conventional manner by turning the movable element fully so that the table top is jammed

  between the upper arms and the clamping system screw.

  A classic version provides a system in all points similar to that of a clamp, the lower arms being provided with a vertical threaded rod on which an internally threaded sleeve is mounted so as to be able to turn on this rod towards and away from the underside of the table top depending on the direction of rotation of the sleeve. In a more elaborate version, the threaded rod on which the sleeve is mounted has a lower joint which allows the clamping system to be pivoted by about 90, so that it is not necessary to completely unscrew the sleeve to be able to remove the chair from the table since the clamping device can be folded down to 90, which allows the chair to be released easily. This latest version of table chair is significantly advantageous with regard to the removal of the chair. However, its installation is still complicated and laborious since it is necessary to roughly adjust the height of the sleeve before the installation of the chair on the table top. Indeed, in order to be able to return the clamping device to its vertical position by pivoting around the lower articulation, it is necessary that the distance between the lower arm and the underside of the table top is greater than the height of the clamping device . Therefore, to be sure that the clamping device can be put in its vertical position, without abutment against the underside of the table top, users screw the sleeve to the maximum, that is to say in its most lower to be sure the device

  clamp can be returned to its active vertical position.

  It often follows a long clamping operation until the stop end of the sleeve comes into contact with the underside of the table top. Consequently, the installation operation is relatively complicated and time-consuming. The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by defining a clamping device, applicable to a children's table chair but not only, the clamping operation of which can be carried out very quickly whatever the thickness of

the object to be clamped.

  To do this, the present invention provides a clamping device for clamping an object, said device comprising a support element fixed relative to said object and clamping means, said clamping means comprising a fixed member and a movable member rotating in threaded grip on the fixed member, said movable member being thus displaceable towards and away from the support element according to the direction of rotation of the mobile member, and comprising a support surface intended to come into contact with said object, the clamping means comprising means for interrupting the threaded connection between the fixed member and the movable member to allow the movable member to move translatively without rotation on itself to the fixed member. The rotary movable member can thus be brought into contact with the underside of the object to be clamped or completely disengaged from it without performing a rotation but simply a translation which is easier to perform and takes less time. During a clamping operation of a table top, for example, the rotary movable member is brought in translation relative to the fixed member upwards until its bearing surface comes into contact with the under the table top. Then, it suffices to rotate the movable member on itself around the fixed member, which has the effect of causing it to rise again by a certain distance which ensures a strong clamping of the table top . Consequently, in the present invention, the rotation is not used to move the movable member from its rest position until contact with the plate, but simply to ensure a sufficient clamping force to prevent the device from being able to be removed even in force from the table top. The whole operation which consists in bringing the bearing surface into contact with the plate is effected by a simple upward translation which can only be made possible by means of interruption of the threaded grip between the member.

fixed and the movable member.

  According to a first embodiment, the fixed member or the movable member comprises at least one segment of thread engaged with a thread formed respectively by the movable member or the fixed member, the interrupting means comprising means d '' spacing allowing to release said at least one segment of thread respectively the

  threading of the movable member from its grip with the fixed member.

  Advantageously, the movable member comprises two substantially complementary thread segments engaged with the fixed member, the spacing means making it possible to separate the two segments from one another so as to release its grip with the member fixed. The two complementary thread segments can be in the form of a nut split into two equal parts which enclose a threaded rod. the spacing means then have the function of temporarily moving the two half-nuts away from the threaded rod so that the movable member can be moved vertically on the threaded rod without interference from the

  mutual threads of the movable member and the threaded rod.

  According to another practical embodiment, the fixed member or the movable member comprises at least one segment of thread engaged with a thread formed respectively by the movable member or the fixed member, the interruption means comprise a recess longitudinal formed in the thread of the fixed member respectively of the movable member in which said thread segment of the movable member respectively of the fixed member is movable so as to slide therein. In this version, the translational movement of the movable member on the fixed member is only possible when the thread segment has been brought by rotation of the movable member in alignment with the recess longitudinally which defines a translation rail. Since the longitudinal recess cuts the thread, the rotation tightening operation can only be carried out on one revolution. In order not to fall back into the longitudinal recess after a rotation of one revolution, the recess is provided with a longitudinal stopper closing the access to the threads of the thread in the direction of rotation moving the movable member away from the element. fixed. This longitudinal stop therefore fulfills a double function, namely that of maximum tightening stop at the end of rotation and of initial stop preventing access to the thread of the thread in reverse rotation. The meaning of

  rotation for tightening is thus imposed.

  According to another characteristic, the threads of the thread and / or the thread segments are each provided with an access ramp facilitating the engagement of said thread segment in

threading.

  According to a more practical aspect, the fixed element and the fixed member form part of the same rigid structure substantially in the shape of a U. In the case of a table chair for children, this rigid structure constitutes the structure of the chair on which the seat and the backrest are mounted According to a practical embodiment, the fixed member is in the form of a rod oriented towards the fixed element and of a net segment in the form of at least a tooth, the movable member being in the form of a sleeve mounted on the rod and provided with an internal thread interrupted longitudinally by a recess in which said at least one tooth can be housed and move longitudinally therein. According to another characteristic linked to the manufacture of the device, the sleeve is formed from two snap-on complementary parts each defining a semi-cylindrical section. The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings which give by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings: - Figure la is an overall view of a clamping device according to the invention in the maximum open position, that is to say with its movable member screwed fully; - Figure lb is a view of the lower part of Figure la with the fixed member in the intermediate position, that is to say partially unscrewed; - Figure lc is a view similar to that of Figure lb with the movable member fully unscrewed, that is to say in the maximum clamping position; - Figure ld is a view of the lower part of Figure la with the movable member removed thus revealing the fixed member; Figure le is a horizontal sectional view along line A-A of Figure ld; - Figure 2a is an enlarged view of a component of the movable member; - Figure 2b is a side view of the part shown in Figure 2a; - Figure 2c is a horizontal sectional view through a movable member consisting of two parts as shown in Figures 2a and 2b during assembly; and - Figure 2d is an enlarged view showing a detail of embodiment at the threaded socket between the

rod and movable member.

  The clamping device used to illustrate the present invention and shown in the attached figures is more particularly suitable for fixing a table chair for children to a table top. In FIG. 1 a, only the part of the table chair defining the clamping device to the table top has been shown. This part is formed by a rigid structure, for example made from welded metal tubes, which also defines the structure of the chair on which the seat and the back are mounted. On the part of this structure shown in FIG. 1a, one can see a substantially U-shaped stirrup designated by the reference numeral 1 as a whole. This stirrup 1 comprises an upper arm 11 which ends in a sleeve 12, preferably in a flexible material such as a rubber or an elastomer defining a bearing surface 13 directed downwards and intended to come into friction contact

  tight with the top of the table top not shown.

  On the other hand, the stirrup 10 has a second arm 14 extending substantially parallel to the arm 11 on which

  the actual clamping means are mounted.

  The free end of the arm 14 has not been shown in the figures, but the latter extends beyond the end of the arm 11 as far as contact with the underside of the table top to provide a point d support, which in cooperation with the support surface 13 of the arm 11 keeps the chair

  horizontally at the table top.

  Consequently, it is not the clamping means which make it possible to maintain the table chair on the table top but these two support points formed by the two

  ends of the arms 11 and 14 of the chair structure.

  In the example shown, the arm 14 is connected to the arm 11

  by a section of tube 10 welded to the arm 11.

  The clamping action is exerted by the displacement of a movable member, designated as a whole digital 2 on the

  drawings, in the direction of the bearing surface 13 of the arm 11.

  This movable member 2 has an external gripping surface 20 suitable for the hand and an upper bearing surface 23 extending substantially parallel to that 13 of the arm 11. The clamping action is therefore carried out between these two surfaces. support 13 and 23, the surface 13 being fixed relative to the table top while the surface 23 is capable of moving vertically to come into contact with the underside of the table and perform the tightening. To allow the movable member 2 to move up, it is crossed vertically by a threaded bore more visible in Figures 2a and 2c. The internal wall of this bore is therefore provided with threads of thread 25. This movable member 2 is mounted on a rod 15 which is welded to the arm 14 and extends vertically, that is to say perpendicular to the arm 11 and 14. This rod 15 therefore constitutes a fixed member integral with the structure 10 of the table chair. The rod 15 is provided according to the invention with thread segments 16, four in number in FIG. 1d, which is in the form of teeth as can be seen in FIG. By thread segment is meant any profile capable of engaging with a continuous thread, a tooth indeed constituting a section of thread. The number of teeth present on the rod 15 may even be limited to 1. These teeth or thread segments 16 come into engagement with the threads of the internal thread 25 formed in the through bore of the movable member 2. Thus, by rotation of the movable member 2, it is caused to move on the rod 15 up or down depending on the direction of rotation that is applied to the movable member 2. It is easy to understand that a clamping action can be carried out by driving the movable member 2 in rotation anticlockwise to bring the upper bearing surface 23 of the movable member 2 into tight friction contact against the

under the table top.

  According to the invention, these clamping means constituted by the cooperation of the movable member 2 and the rod 15 are provided with means for interrupting the threaded grip so as to be able to move the movable member 2 by vertical translation without rotation on itself upwards or towards the rod on the rod 15. It is thus possible to quickly bring the upper surface 23 of the movable member 2 into contact with the

  under the table top without rotating.

  In its embodiment shown in Figures 2a, 2b and 2c, these means for interrupting the threaded grip are in the form of a longitudinal recess 21 which extends over the height of the movable member 2 while crossing the

  thread 25 as can be seen in Figures 2a and 2c.

  This recess 21 locally interrupts the thread 25 so that at this location, the teeth 16 of the rod 15 are not in threaded engagement with the movable member 2. Consequently, when the teeth 16 are housed in this recess longitudinally 21 , the movable member 2 can be moved

  translatively without rotation on itself on the rod 15.

  It is thus easy to bring the bearing surface 23 of the movable member 2 into contact with the underside of the table top simply by mounting it vertically with one hand. Then, it suffices to turn the movable member 2 on itself to engage the teeth 16 inside the thread 25 of the movable member 2 and to end the rotation until sufficient tightening is achieved. It is thus very easy and very fast to fix a table chair

for children at a table top.

  According to an additional characteristic, the recess 21 is provided on one side with a longitudinal stop 26 visible in FIGS. 2a and 2c which block access to the threads of the thread in the direction of rotation moving the movable member away from the surface opposite support 13 of the arm 11. This longitudinal stop 26 extends over the entire thread 25 and may be in the form of a flange against which the teeth 16 can come into abutment at the end of tightening, in order to prevent the teeth 16 from falling back into the recess 21 after a complete tightening turn. Of course, the tightening operation must be carried out as much as possible on one rotation of the movable member. One can for example provide a thread 25 having a pitch of 7 mm per rotation. Indeed, such a height (7 mmrn) is largely sufficient to ensure a strong tightening. In addition to its stop function at the end of rotation, the longitudinal stop flange 26 also imposes a direction of rotation for tightening by preventing the teeth 16 from entering the thread 25

  by rotating clockwise.

  According to another aspect of the invention shown in FIG. 2d, the start of the threads of the thread 25 which are adjacent to the recess 25 and / or the left edges of the teeth 16 are each provided with an access ramp 27 resp. 17 facilitating the engagement of the teeth 16 so that one is assured of being able to rotate the movable member when it is in

  contact from below the table top.

  According to a practical manufacturing method, the movable member 2 can be formed from two complementary parts 22 and 22 ′, for example produced by molding plastic material. As can be seen in FIG. 2c, these two parts 22 and 22 ′ have a cross section substantially in the form of a half-cylinder with an external gripping wall facilitating its rotation and a hollow interior forming a threaded semi-cylindrical surface 25. The two parts 22 and 22 'are not exactly identical, since one of the parts 22 comprises the flange of

  longitudinal stop 26 while the other is free.

  The assembly of the two parts 22 and 22 ′ can be done by snap-fastening by means of a snap-on system which implements a head 28 to be forcefully inserted into a snap-fastening housing 29 provided in the opposite part as can be

see it in Figure 2c.

  A complete clamping operation will now be described with reference to Figures la, lb and lc. In the initial state, it is preferable for the movable member 2 to be pushed all the way onto the rod 15 so that its lower end comes into contact with the arm 14. In this position shown in FIG. 1 a, the spacing between the two l 2780328 surfaces 13 and 23 is maximum which allows easy installation of the device on a table top. Once the table top (not shown) is inserted into the U-shaped bracket 1, and the bearing surface 13 is in contact with the top of the table top, the movable member 2 is rotated on itself to bring the teeth 16 inside the recess 21. It is then possible to reassemble the movable member 2 until its upper bearing surface 23 comes into contact with the underside of the table top. Finally, it suffices to rotate the movable member 2 anticlockwise so that the teeth 16 mesh inside the thread 25 which has the effect of moving the movable member 2 to measure that

  teeth 16 are introduced inside the threads 25.

  When it is no longer possible to turn the movable member 2 to

  by hand, sufficient tightening is achieved.

Claims (10)

Claims   1.- Clamping device for clamping an object, said device comprising a fixed support element (12) relative to said object and clamping means (15, 2), said clamping means comprising a fixed member (15) and a movable rotary member (2) in threaded engagement on the fixed member (15), said movable member (2) being thus movable towards and away from the support element (12) according to the direction of rotation of the movable member, and comprising a bearing surface (23) intended to come into contact with said object, characterized in that the clamping means comprise means for interrupting (21) the threaded connection between the fixed member (15 ) and the movable member (2) to allow the movable member to move translatively without rotation on itself to the fixed organ.   2. A clamping device according to claim 1, in which the fixed member (15) or the movable member (2) comprises at least one segment of thread (16) engaged with a thread (25) formed respectively by the movable member (2) or the fixed member (15), the interruption means comprising spacing means making it possible to release said at least one segment of thread (16) respectively the thread (25) of   the movable member (2) from its engagement with the fixed member (15).   3. A clamping device according to claim 2, in which the movable member comprises two substantially complementary thread segments engaged with the fixed member, the spacing means making it possible to separate the two segments from one of the other so as to release his hold with the fixed organ.   4. A clamping device according to claim 1, in which the fixed member (15) or the movable member (2) comprises at least one thread segment (16) engaged with a thread (25) formed respectively by the movable member (2) or the fixed member (15), the interruption means comprise a longitudinal recess (21) formed in the thread (25) of the fixed member (15) respectively of the movable member (2 ) wherein said thread segment (16) of the movable member (2) respectively of the fixed member (15) is movable so as to slide therein. 5. A clamping device according to claim 4, in which the recess (21) is provided with a longitudinal stop (26) closing off access to the threads of the thread (25) in the direction of rotation moving the movable member away. of the element fixed.   6. A clamping device according to claim 5, in which the threads of the thread (25) and / or the thread segments (16) are each provided with an access ramp (27) facilitating the engagement of said segment of net (16) in the thread (25).   7. A clamping device according to claim 2, in which the fixed element (12) and the fixed member (15) are part of the same rigid structure (10) substantially in the shape of a U. 8.- Clamping device according to any one of   previous claims, wherein the fixed member is   has the form of a rod (15) oriented towards the fixed element (12) and of a thread segment in the form of at least one tooth (16), the movable member (2) being under the form of a sleeve mounted on the rod (15) and provided with an internal thread (25) interrupted longitudinally by a recess (21) in which said at least one tooth (16)   can be housed and moved longitudinally.   9. A clamping device according to claim 8, in which the sleeve is formed from two complementary parts.   (22, 22 ') snapped each defining a semi-section   cylindrical. 10.- Children's table chair comprising a clamping device according to any one of   previous claims, to fix the chair to a table top. * * *