GB2029490A

GB2029490A - Clamp

Info

Publication number: GB2029490A
Application number: GB7835822A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MCDOWALL K
Current assignee: MCDOWALL K
Priority date: 1978-09-06
Filing date: 1978-09-06
Publication date: 1980-03-19
Also published as: GB2029490B

Abstract

A clamp has first and second jaw portions 1, 2 in spaced apart relationship, each portion having a jaw face 3 and, at the end remote from the jaw face, a part-cylindrical face 4 with its cylindrical axis parallel to the plane of the jaw face, and means for moving said jaw portions together and apart. The jaw faces can grip a panel or the like and the part-cylindrical faces can grip a hinge pin. The clamp is especially useful for positioning and holding display panels. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved clamp This invention concerns a new clamp, especially suitable for use in the clamping of display panels.

It is well known in the fields of displays and exhibitions to position and support large panels on which are mounted artwork, photographs, samples etcetera, in a way designed to make maximum impact on the public. A variety of systems have been designed, including the "structural" systems which use expensive heavy gauge aluminium extrusions with framed panels, which yield a rigid semipermanent display area which is perhaps rather inflexible. Other systems can be termed "post and panel", in which round or square section posts act as supports for panels which are clamped or otherwise fixed thereon. Such "post and panel" systems are cheaper than the "structural" systems and offer a certain amount of greater flexibility in ease of assembly and dismantling and some systems marketed offer the ability to position adjacent panels at varying angles.However, it is highly desirable that clamp units should be able to cope with panels of a wide variety of different materials and different thicknesses. Some commercial systems endeavour to cope with different panel thicknesses by having gripping inserts with slots of a variety of sizes to receive the panel edges. Such a system is described in British Patent No. 1 320689. It is thus necessary for each user to stock a number of inserts and it is relatively easy for the inserts to drop out during assembly or dismantling.

The present invention is intended to give a highly flexible clamp system ideally suited to display systems, capable of clamping panels of different thicknesses at continuously variable angles.

The present invention provides a clamp having first and second jaw portions in spaced apart relationship, each portion having a jaw face and at the end remote therefrom a partcylindrical face with its cylindrical axis parallel to the plane of the jaw face and means for moving said jaw portions together and apart whereby the jaw faces may be brought together to grip a panel or the like therebetween and to bring the part-cylindrical faces together to enable them to grip a hinge member.

A preferred embodiment of the invention includes a sleeve-member retained between the part-circular faces, which sleeve member has a bore adapted to accept a hinge pin.

More preferably, the hinge pin and the corresponding bore are not circular, but are eliptical, or provided with faces, e.g. hexagonal or square, since this has been found to prevent slippage between the sleeve member and the pin. Preferably, the part-circular faces are biased together, for example by a spring metal clip, to enable them to loosely grip or contact the hinge member.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a clamp according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a side view in the direction of arrow A of the clamp of Fig. 1.

The clamp has two identical jaw portions 1, 2, conveniently made of aluminium or alloy extrusion, and each jaw portion has a jaw face 3 and a part-cylindrical face 4. A bore 5 extends through each jaw portion, intersecting cross-bores 6. Rotatably positioned within each cross bore are pins 7 a and 7 b. Pin 7a has a threaded cross bore and pin 7b has an unthreaded cross bore, enabling bolt 8 to pass through bores 5, through pin 7 b and engage pin 7a Bolt 8 is suitably provided with a head which accepts an allen key.

Mounted between the part-cylindrical faces 4 is a bobbin-shaped sleeve member 9 conveniently of plastics, e.g. nylon, with a hexagonal bore, and the part-cylindrical faces are biased against the sleeve member by a spring steel clip 10.

It is desirable that the jaw faces 3 are capable of firmly gripping a smooth-faced panel, and they may be provided with serrations to act as teeth, but preferably they are provided with facings 11. The facings 11 are suitably of natural or synthetic rubber or plastics material, e.g. plasticised PVC, and may be provided with corrugations as shown. Conveniently, the facings are retained on the jaw faces by bonding with an adhesive and/or with a mechanical joint such as a dove-tail joint. It is preferred to extend the facings or part of the facings towards the part-cylindrical faces, so that they assist in locating the bolt 8 and help keep the clamp as a firm unit.

It will be seen that a hexagonal hinge pin can be fitted into the bore in sleeve member 9, preferably the pin is an interference fit to prevent it falling out during operation as described hereafter. A variety of lengths of hinge pin may provide special effects in displaying panels using the clamps of the invention. A pin of length double that of the bore in the sleeve member will enable two adjacent panels to be joined and hinged to any desired angle, a triple length pin will enable three panels to be clamped and hinged about the common hinge axis, etcetera. When the clamps are positioned towards the bottom of panels, the pin may extend to adjacent the floor or ground and be provided with an internally threaded sleeve into which an adjustable foot may be screwed.

In use, a desired unit is assembled, for example from a double length pin and two clamps. The jaw faces of one clamp are placed on either side of a display panel and the bolt 8 is tightened until the jaw faces firmly hold the panel. Further tightening of bolt 8, acts to clamp part-cylindrical faces 4 onto the sleeve member and rotation of the clamp is prevented. The second clamp is then roughly positioned, a panel clamped into position, then the panel may be moved relative to the other to the final desired position. Final tightening of the bolt of the second clamp provides a rigidly locked unit.

Although it is the general rule that the jaw faces will grip a panel before it grips the hinge member, if a thin panel is used, theclamp will grip the hinge member first.

The clamps of the invention offer a flexibility of angular adjustment never before achieved in commercially marketed units, bounded only by interference of adjacent panels or in fact by aesthetic considerations.

Assembly is simple and quick and the clamps are readily re-used.

Since in the preferred embodiment, pins 7a and 7bdo not extend to the ends of the cross-bores 6, each clamp can also serve as a support for accessories which clip into the recesses remaining. Thus, for example, a spotlight fitting may be clipped into the recesses on one side, while the recesses on the other side may locate a bracket for a shelf unit.

While the clamp of the invention has been described with especial reference to use for display panels, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such use and may find application in other constructional uses.

Claims

1. A clamp having first and second jaw portions in spaced apart relationship, each portion having a planar jaw face and at the end remote therefrom a part-cylindrical face with its cylindrical axis parallel to the plane of the jaw face and means for moving said jaw portions together and apart whereby the jaw faces may be brought together to grip a panel or the like therebetween and to bring the partcylindrical faces together to enable them to grip a hinge member.

2. A clamp according to claim 1, compris- ing also a sleeve member retained between the part-cylindrical faces, which sleeve member has a bore adapted to accept a hinge pin.

3. A clamp according to claim 2, wherein the bore is elliptical or provided with faces.

4. A clamp according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the part-cylindrical faces are biased together.

5. A clamp according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.