GB2286031A

GB2286031A - Clamp for partition panels

Info

Publication number: GB2286031A
Application number: GB9401521A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Horace Stanley Ernest Liberty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-01-27
Filing date: 1994-01-27
Publication date: 1995-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-27
Also published as: GB9401521D0; GB2286031B

Abstract

A clamp (10) for holding partitioning panels (31) in a desired array relative to each other, the clamp comprising an elongated polygonal body (11) having an elongated clamping jaw (12) mounted thereon on each side of the body (11) for transverse movement relative to the body, each clamping jaw having two clamping surfaces (13) which are engagable with a portion of the panel (31) which is clamped between respective jaw clamping surfaces (13) on adjacent clamping jaws. <IMAGE>

Description

A Clamp Field This invention relates to clamps for holding at least two objects having flattened portions in a desired array relative to each other, and in particular to clamps for holding sheet material components together.

Background of Invention Display boards and partition boards in use may be assembled into self supporting structures. Typically the boards are manufactured by individual manufacturers who provide their own design clamps and/or brackets for assembly of various structures.

It is not uncommon for the boards of a particular manufacturer to be assembled together only by use of particular clamps and brackets also supplied only by that manufacturer.

The present invention provides a clamp, in particular a multi-way clamp that is simple in construction and can be used with different sheet materials which are of variable thickness.

According to the invention there is provided a clamp for holding at least two objects having flattened portions in a desired array relative to each other, the clamp comprising an elongate body having at least one elongate clamping jaw mounted thereon for transverse movement relative to the body, the clamping jaw having two clamping surfaces thereon each of which is engagable with a respective flattened portion which is clamped between the respective jaw clamping surface and an opposed clamping surface on either the body or an adjacent further clamping jaw.

Preferably the body has a polygonal cross-section, conveniently a square cross-section, and a respective clamping jaw is mounted on each side of the body with the portions of flattened material being clamped between opposed clamping surfaces on adjacent clamping jaws.

Each clamping jaw is resiliently loaded, preferably by springs, away from the body, and is slideably mounted on at least one strut supported on the body.

These clamps are preferably used for making an assembly of sheet material, preferably display or partition boards which are held together in a desired self supporting configuration.

Drawinas The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a clamp according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a clamping jaw as is used in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the body of the clamp as used in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an assembly of boards to form a self supporting display stand, Figs. 6 - 8 show different applications of the clamp for securing different numbers of boards together, and Fig. 9 shows a multi-way clamp for a three-way arrangement of boards With reference to Figures 1 to 4, of the drawing, there is disclosed a mult-way clamp 10 for securing together sheet material in a self supporting structure. The clamp may also be used for securing together items which have a flattened portion onto which the clamp can locate.

The clamp 10 comprises a central elongated body 11 having a substantially square transverse cross-section. At least one clamping jaw 12 is mounted on each of the sides of the square section body 11. Each clamping jaw has two elongate longitudinally extending clamping surfaces 13 thereon which in use are engagable with a flattened portion 14 (see Figs. 5 - 7) of a component 31 to be held between pairs of adjacent clamping jaws 12.

Other polygonal cross-sections may be possible depending upon the number of clamping jaws required, for example and as shown in Fig. 9 , to hold three boards in an equiangularly spaced array the body 11 could have a hexagonal cross-section with three clamping jaws arranged one on each alternate face of the hexagonal body.

The jaws 12 are dumbbell shaped with a central longitudinal groove 21 extending along the length of each jaw on the outer face 14 thereof ( outer with respect to the body 11). The end portions 20 of each jaw 12 have a trapezium shaped transverse cross-section with clamping surfaces 13 thereon. The two end portions are linked by a narrowed portion 22.

The jaws 12, shown in Figs. 1 - 4, each have a cross section basically in the shape of a trapezium with the parallel sides 14, 15 being substantially parallel to the sides of the body 11 with the shorter side 15 being adjacent the body. The clamping surface 13 make an angle of about 45O to the parallel sides 14, 15 so that opposed clamping surfaces for example 13A, 13B on adjacent clamping jaws 12A, 12B form variable width gaps 16 with parallel clamping faces. The gaps 16 radiate out from the body 11 at substantially 90 degree intervals. With respect to the embodiment in Fig.9 the intervals will be 120 degrees.

The four clamping jaws 12 when mounted on the body 11 therefore form four sets of opposed jaw surfaces 13 which are orthogonally arranged allowing boards to be held in an orthogonal configuration.

The four clamping jaws 12 are slidably mounted on the respective sides of the body 11 by means of struts 24 which in this case, but not necessarily, comprise bolts. Each jaw 12 is mounted on its respective side of the body 11 by two longitudinally spaced bolts 24 which pass through longitudinally spaced cylindrical bores 25 located one in each end portion 20 of the respective jaw 12 within the central groove 21.

Pairs of opposite jaws 12A, 12C, and 12B, 12D, are mounted on bolts 24 which pass slidably through co-operating transverse bores 27 in the body 11 (see Fig. 3), so that each bolt forms a link between opposite jaws of adjustable effective length. The bores 27B for one pair of opposed jaws 12B, 12D, being longitudinally off-set from the bores 27A for the other pair of opposed jaws 12A, 12C and being normal thereto.

The bolts 24 have co-operating nuts 28 thereon also accommodated within a respective groove 21 on a jaw 12 , the sides of which prevent the nuts 28 from turning. The bolts 24 and nuts 28 provide an adjustable length strut allowing the jaws to be tightened or loosed for clamping into, or release from, flat parallel surfaces on boards or other components located between opposed jaw surfaces on adjacent jaws 12.

Alternatively, each jaw 12 can be mounted to the body 11 by bolts which screw into the body , or onto studs also mounted in the body with nuts being screwed onto the studs.

The jaws 12 are biased away from the body by resilient means such as compression springs 29 or leaf springs ( not shown ). The compression springs 29 are arranged concentrically of the bolts 24 so that the jaws automatically release from a clamped component when the bolts 24 are screwed out of the respective nuts 28. The balance between the opposed springs 29 around a single bolt extending between opposite jaws 12a,12c, or 12b, 12d helps maintains the jaws 12 at equal distances from body 11 during changes in the effective lengths of the bolts.

A typically self supporting structure is shown in Fig. 5 in which two clamps 10 each hold four display panels 31, in an orthogonal arrangement radiating outwardly from each clamp. A further four clamps 10A serve to hold the two sets of display boards one above the other, with a horizontal shelf 32 being located between pairs of adjacent boards.

In this arrangement the boards 31 will be held in each clamp 10 as shown in Fig. 5 with the bolts 24 being utilised to tightened the clamping surfaces 13 onto the boards 31. The bolts are of sufficient length to allow the clamp to be use with materials of different thicknesses.

The clamps 10 can be used for holding from two to four boards or panels in a desired configuration relative to each other, as is shown for example in Figs. 5 - 7. When boards are omitted from a space 16 between adjacent jaws 12, it will be necessary to insert a spacer 33 therein in order to maintain an even distribution of clamping load on the boards held in the clamp.

The Clamp components can be formed from metals , or engineering polymers such as nylon or acetal resins, or even various woods.

Claims

1. A clamp for holding at least two objects having flattened portions in a desired array relative to each other, the clamp comprising an elongate body having at least one elongate clamping jaw mounted thereon for transverse movement relative to the body, the clamping jaw having two clamping surfaces thereon each of which is engagable with a respective flattened portion which is clamped between the respective jaw clamping surface and an opposed clamping surface on either the body or an adjacent further clamping jaw.

2. A clamp as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the clamp body has a polygonal cross-section with clamping jaw being mounted on sides of the polygonal body, with said portions being clamped between opposed clamping surfaces on adjacent clamping jaws.

3. A clamp as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a respective clamping jaw is mounted on each side of the polygonal body.

4. A clamp as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the clamp body has a square cross-section and there are four clamping jaws mounted one on each side of the body.

5. A clamp as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the or each clamping jaw is resiliently biased away from the body.

6. A clamp as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, when each jaw is slideably mounted on at least one strut supported on the body.

7. A clamp as claimed in Claim 6, when dependant upon Claim 4, wherein pairs of opposite jaws are slideably mounted on a single strut which passes transversely through the body and the two opposite jaws.

8. A clamp as claimed in Claim 7, wherein each strut is in the form of a nut and bolt which passes slideably through the opposite jaws and the body, the effective lengths of the strut being adjustable by movement of the nut along the bolt.

9. An assembly comprising a plurality of components of sheet material wherein the sheets of material are held in a desired array relative to each other by clamps as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8.

10. An assembly of display boards and/or partition boards which are held together in a desired configuration by clamps as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8.

11. A clamp for holding at least two sheet material components in a desired array relative to each other, wherein the clamp is substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1-4 Or Fig. 9 of the accompanying drawings.