GB2452946A

GB2452946A - Clamp for releasably securing a member to a rack

Info

Publication number: GB2452946A
Application number: GB0718323A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Darren William Corfield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-09-20
Filing date: 2007-09-20
Publication date: 2009-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 2027-09-20
Also published as: GB0718323D0; GB2452946B

Abstract

A clamp 10 for releasably securing a member (11, Fig 4) such as a ladder to a rack (12, Fig 4) such as a vehicle roof rack comprises a ribbed shaft 14 removably secured to rack (12, Fig 4) by fixing means 15, at least one arm 17 arranged on shaft 14 and extending transversely to it and a handle 25 coupled to shaft 14 with ratchet means 26 that causes arm 17 to move along shaft 14 to clamp member (11, Fig 4) to rack (12, Fig 4). There may be a stop 17a,17b at each end of arm 17, Fig 1A to prevent member (11, Fig 4) moving off arm 17. Ratchet 26 may be housed within handle 25 and comprise barbs 37a,37b in selective communication with ribbed wheel 26. Handle 25 may be freely mounted on axle 23a, upon which ribbed wheel 26 is mounted. Axle 23a may extend through ribbed wheel 26 and a second ribbed wheel 22a, which may engage with ribs 16 on shaft 14. Ratchet barbs 37a, 37b may be mounted to a bracket 31 that can pivot, and may be tapered on one side so that rocking of handle 25 about axle 23a causes ribbed wheel 26 to rotate in one direction only. Barbs 37a,37b may engage with wheel 26 to prevent rotation in respective directions. Clamp 10 may be lockable. A support rack comprising clamp 10 is also claimed.

Description

CLAMP

The present invention relates to a clamp, and particularly but not exclusively to a clamp for securing a ladder to a support rack of a vehicle.

In transporting elongate objects, such as ladders, which are too large to fit within a vehicle, it is common to place the ladders upon a rack or support arranged upon a roof of a vehicle and to subsequently secure the ladders to the rack with a rope or strap. However, tying the ladders to the rack with a rope or strap for transportation and then untying the ladders from the rack is a time consuming process In some cases this is not performed adequately and can lead to the ladder falling from the vehicle during transit.

Trades people typically leave ladders and other pieces of kit applicable to their profession tied upon the vehicle rack overnight. The ladders and other items, for example pipes, lengths of wood etc can be removed by simply untying them from the rack and are therefore susceptible to being stolen.

There is therefore a requirement for a clamp which permits ladders and other objects to be readily and securely locked to a vehicle rack.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a clamp for releasably securing at least one member to a rack, said clamp comprising a ribbed shaft removably secured to a said rack by fixing means, at least one arm arranged upon said shaft and extending substantially transversely to said shaft, said clamp further comprising a handle coupled to said shaft via ratchet means, such that operation of said handle causes said at least one arm to move along said shaft to clamp the at least one member to the rack.

The at least one arm preferably comprises a stop extending down from said arm at each end thereof, to prevent the at least one member from slipping out from beneath said arm The ratchet means is preferably housed within the handle and comprises a first and second barb in selective communication with at least one first ribbed wheel.

Preferably said handle comprises means for selecting which of said first and second barb is in communication with said first ribbed wheel. Preferably, said selecting means comprise biasing means for biasing said selected barb to said first ribbed wheel.

The handle preferably pivots about an axle upon which the at least one first ribbed wheel is mounted The axle extends through the handle and first ribbed wheel and further extends through at least one second ribbed wheel. Preferably, said at least one second ribbed wheel engages with the ribs on said ribbed shaft The at least one first and second ribbed wheels are preferably rigidly mounted to the axle and the handle is preferably freely mounted to said axle.

The first and second barbs are preferably tapered on one side thereof such that rocking of said handle about the axle causes the first ribbed wheel to rotate in one direction only. Preferably, said first and second barbs are mounted to a bracket which can pivot. The first and second barbs preferably comprise tapered sides which face each other Preferably, said first barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to cause said first ribbed wheel to rotate in a first direction only and said second barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to cause said first ribbed wheel to rotate in a second direction only.

Preferably, said first barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to prevent said first ribbed wheel from rotating in a second direction and said second barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to prevent said first ribbed wheel from rotating in a first direction only.

In this manner, upon rocking the handle about the axle the first barb causes the arm to move along said shaft in one direction and the second barb causes the arm to move along the shaft in the opposite direction.

Preferably said handle further comprises a formation for engaging with a complementary formation formed on said arm for locking said handle to said arm.

Preferably said formation comprises a first eyelet and said complementary formation comprises a second eyelet, said first and second eyelets capable of receiving a padlock for locking said handle to said arm.

Alternatively, the formation preferably comprises a locking member extending from said handle for engaging with a locking port on said arm Preferably, said locking port is key operated or comprises a combination type lock receiver.

Preferably said rack is a rack for a vehicle such as a roof rack.

Preferably said at least one member is at least one ladder.

Preferably said fixing means comprises hook means.

According to the second aspect of the invention, there is provided a support rack for a vehicle, said rack comprising at least two support rails for supporting at least one member upon said rack, said rack further comprising a clamp according to the first aspect for clamping said member to said rack.

The preferred embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure la is a perspective view of the clamp according to the first aspect of the invention in an unlocked position, Figure lb is a perspective view of the clamp according to the first aspect of the invention in a locked position, Figure 2 is an exploded view of the clamp of Figure la; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a ratchet means; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clamp and rack mounted to the roof of a vehicle.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a clamp 10 for releasably securing a member such as a ladder 11 to a rack 12 of a vehicle 13. The clamp 10 comprises a ribbed shaft 14 with a hook 15 arranged at one end thereof for engaging with the underside of rails 12a of said rack. The ribs 16 arranged upon said shaft 14 may comprise screw threads or a periodic variation in the shaft diameter arranged along its length.

The ladder his secured to the rack 12 by an arm 17 which extends substantiafly transversely to the ribbed shaft 14 and is arranged to move along the shaft 14 to clamp the ladder 11 between the rack 12 and the arm 17 The arm 17 comprises an elongate box section with an upstanding housing 18 arranged near its centre. At each end of the arm 17 extending from the underside thereof, there is provide a stop 1 7a, 1 7b which act to prevent the ladder from slipping out from between the rack 12 and arm 17 during transit.

Extending through the housing 18 and arm 17 there is provided a bore 19 for receiving the ribbed shaft 14. The bore 19 is provided with a sleeve 20 which acts to guide the arm 17 along the shaft 14. The sleeve 20 comprises a pair of windows 21 arranged opposite each other, to allow access to the ribbed shaft 14 from within the housing 18.

Arranged within the housing 18 at either side of the shaft 14 there is provided a ribbed drive wheel 22a, 22b, with each wheel 22 being rigidly mounted to an axle 23a, 23b which extends across the housing 18. Each of the ribbed drive wheels 22 engages with the ribbed shaft 14 through the windows 21 formed in the sleeve 20 such that rotation of the drive wheels 22 about their axle 23 causes the arm 17 to move with respect to the shaft 14.

The housing 18 further comprises a side window 24 through which extends a handle for controlling the movement of the arm 17 with respect to the shaft 14. The handle 25 is mounted at one end thereof to one axle 23a of the pair of axles 23 within the housing 18 and can rotate about the axle 23a. Arranged within the handle 25 and rigidly mounted to the same axle 23a there is provided a ratchet wheel 26 comprising a series of ribs 27, extending substantially transversely to the plane of the wheel, and arranged along the circumference of the wheel.

At the opposite end of the handle 25 there is provided a selector arm 27 pivotally mounted at its centre to the handle 25 The selector arm 27 extends substantially transversely to the long axis of the handle 25 with the free ends of the selector arm 27 extending out of a window 28 arranged in the sides of the handle casing so that the arm 27 can be manipulated by an operator Mounted to the selector arm 27 within the handle 25 and arranged either side of the selector arm pivot 29, there is provided a coupling arm 30 Each coupling arm 30 extends along the handle 25 from the selector arm 27 to a bracket 31 The bracket 31,s pivotally mounted to the handle 25 and arranged proximal to said ratchet wheel 26 The selector arm pivot 29 and bracket pivot 32 are arranged substantially along a centre line of the handle 25 and are coupled by said coupling arms 30, such that movement of the selector arm 27 about the selector arm pivot 29 causes a similar movement of the bracket 31 about the bracket pivot 32.

The bracket 31 comprises a rounded boss 33 at its centre extending rearwardly to the free end of the handle 25. The boss 33 is in contact with biasing means 34 also arranged within the handle 25, which biases the bracket 31 to rotate about the bracket pivot 32 towards a ratchet wheel 26. The direction of the rotation of the bracket 31 depends upon which side of the rounded boss 33 the biasing means 34 acts against. However, by manipulating the selector arm 27, the bracket 31 can be caused to rotate against the action of the biasing means 34 until the centre line of the boss 33 passes through the point at which the biasing means 34 acts, whereupon the biasing means 34 will force the bracket to rotate to its new position.

In the arrangement illustrated in figure 3, the biasing means comprises an armature 35 biased toward the boss by a spring 36, however, other forms of biasing are envisaged which will perform the desired effect.

The free ends of the bracket 31 are formed with a barb 37a, 37b, which are separately biased onto the ratchet wheel 26 in accordance with the positioning of the selector arm 27. Each barb 37 is tapered toward the centre of the bracket 31 such that the ratchet wheel 26 can rotate against the selected barb 37a in one direction by momentarily rotating the bracket 31 against the biasing means 34, but is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction since this would involve rotating the selector arm 27 in a direction which forces the selector arm 27 against the side of the window 28 in the handle 25. One barb 37a of the pair will act to prevent rotation of the ratchet wheel 26 in a first direction while enabling rotation of the ratchet wheel in a second direction, while the other barb 37b of the pair will act to prevent rotation of the ratchet wheel 26 in an second direction while enabling rotation of the ratchet wheel 26 in a first direction.

In use, the ladder his placed upon the vehicle rack 12 and the ribbed shaft 14 is hooked under the rack 12 with the shaft 14 extending away from the rack 12 The arm 17 is then mounted to the shaft 14 by locating the shaft 14 within the bore 19 of the arm 17 until the first rib of the shaft 14 engages with the ribbed drive wheels 22.

The selector arm 17 is then adjusted to engage the appropriate barb 37b to the ratchet wheel, so that by rocking the handle 25 about the axle 23a to which it is mounted, the barb 37b causes the ratchet wheel 26 to rotate in a direction which causes the drive wheels 22 to correspondingly rotate and thus drive the arm 17 along the shaft 14 toward the ladder 17 to clamp the ladder 11 to the rack 12.

Once the ladder 11 has been suitably secured to the rack 12, the handle 25 is rotated toward the arm 17 so that the eyelet 38 formed within the handle 25 aligns with an eyelet 39 formed upon the arm 17. A padlock 40 or similar may then be inserted through the eyelets 38, 39 for locking the ladder 11 to the rack 12.

As an alternative to the eyelet 38, 39 and padlock 40 arrangement, the handle 25 may be formed with an extension (not shown) which extends toward the arm 17 and which is received within a locking port (not shown) arranged upon the arm 17. The locking port maybe key operated or of the combination lock type, for locking the handle 25 to the arm 17.

To release the ladder 11, the handle 25 is first unlocked from the arm 17 and the selector arm 27 is adjusted to present the second barb 37a to the ratchet wheel 26.

The handle 25 is then rocked about the axle 23a to move the arm 17 along the shaft 14 away from the ladder 11, so that the ladder 11 can be removed from the rack 12.

It is evident therefore that a clamp as hereinbefore described, provides a safe and reliable means for clamping a ladder or similar to a vehicle rack.

Claims

Claims 1 A clamp for releasably securing at least one member to a rack, said clamp comprising a ribbed shaft removably secured to a said rack by fixing means, at least one arm arranged upon said shaft and extending substantially transversely to said shaft, said clamp further comprising a handle coupled to said shaft via ratchet means, such that operation of said handle causes said at least one arm to move along said shaft to clamp the at least one member to the rack.
2. A clamp according to claim 1, further comprising a stop extending down from said arm at each end thereof, to prevent the at least one member from moving off said arm.
3. A clamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said ratchet means is housed within the handle and comprises a first and second barb in selective communication with at least one first ribbed wheel.
4. A clamp according to claim 3, wherein said handle comprises means for selecting which of said first and second barb is in communication with said first ribbed wheel. * ** * * I
5. A clamp according to claim 4, wherein said selecting means comprises biasing means for biasing said selected barb to said first ribbed wheel. *.** * . *
6. A clamp according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the handle pivots about an axle upon which the at least one first ribbed wheel is mounted. * *1 * * * ****
7. A clamp according to claim 6, wherein the axle extends through the handle and first ribbed wheel and further extends through at least one second ribbed wheel.
8. A clamp according to claim 7, wherein said at least one second ribbed wheel engages with the ribs on said ribbed shaft.
9. A clamp according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the at least one first and second ribbed wheels are rigidly mounted to the axle.
10. A clamp according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the handle is freely mounted to said axle.
11. A clamp according to any of claims 3 to 10, wherein the first and second barbs are tapered on one side thereof, such that rocking of said handle about the axle causes the first ribbed wheel to rotate in one direction only.
12. A clamp according to any of claims 3 to 11, wherein said first and second barbs are mounted to a bracket which can pivot.
13. A clamp according to any of claims 3 to 12, wherein the first and second barbs comprise tapered sides which face each other.
14. A clamp according to any of claims 3 to 13, wherein said first barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to cause said first ribbed wheel to rotate in a first direction only and said second barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to cause said first nbbed wheel to rotate in a second direction only.
15. A clamp according to any of claims 3 to 14, wherein said first barb engages * *. with said first ribbed wheel to prevent said first ribbed wheel from rotating in a second direction and said second barb engages with said first ribbed wheel to prevent said first ribbed wheel from rotating in a first direction. **.* * * S
16. A clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein said handle further S..

comprises a formation for engaging with a complementary formation formed on said : .. arm for locking said handle to said arm. *S*.

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17. A clamp according to claim 16, wherein said formation comprises a first eyelet and said complementary formation comprises a second eyelet, said first and second eyelets being capable of receiving a padlock for locking said handle to said arm.
18. A clamp according to claim 16, wherein the formation comprises a locking member extending from said handle for engaging with a locking port on said arm.
19. A clamp according to claim 18, wherein said locking port is key operated or comprises a combination type lock receiver.
20. A clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein said rack is a roof rack for a vehicle.
21. A clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein said at least one member comprises a ladder.
22. A clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein said fixing means comprises hook means.
23. A support rack for a vehicle, said rack comprising at least two support rails for supporting at least one member upon said rack, said rack further comprising a clamp according to any preceding claim for clamping said member to said rack.
24. A clamp substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
25. A support rack substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings. S.. * * S... S... * . .

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