WO2009050247A1

WO2009050247A1 - Clamp

Info

Publication number: WO2009050247A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/063990
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Dean; Andrew Wills
Original assignee: Colebrook Bosson Saunders Products Ltd
Priority date: 2007-10-18
Filing date: 2008-10-16
Publication date: 2009-04-23
Also published as: GB0720383D0; GB2453764A

Abstract

A clamp for mounting a component (10) to an uptight (12) having a channel (13) formed therein, the clamp comprising a main body (20) with an upright engaging face (22), a clamping member (25) extending from the engaging face (22) locatable in said channel (13) with the upright engaging face (22) against the upright (12), and a clamping mechanism operable to partially retract said clamping member (25) into the main body (20) so that co-operating faces on the clamping member (25) and the upright (12) engage to clamp the component (10) to said post (12) or planar surface.

Description

Clamp

Description

The present invention relates to a clamp for mounting a component to an upright having a channel formed therein. In particular, the invention relates to a clamp having means for securely mounting a beam or member extending laterally from an upstanding post or upright.

A number of systems are in widespread use in offices and other working environments for fixedly mounting LCD screens and other office equipment, such as lamps and dividers, so that they are supported above a desk or table. One such system includes what has commonly become known as a "tool-bar system". This generally comprises a pair of upstanding posts, extending from a desk, and a "tool- bar" member which extends laterally between the pair of upstanding posts and is fixedly mounted thereto. Various office related equipment such as monitors and stationary holders may then be attached to the lateral supporting member extending between the posts.

A conventional arrangement is shown in Figure 1 and comprises a pair of upstanding posts 1 (only one shown) with a plurality of circumferential recesses 2 spaced along the length of the post, parallel to each other. The lateral supporting member 3 comprises a cylindrical collar connector portion 4 through which the post 1 extends and the collar portion 3 is supported on the post by an O-ring 5 seated in one of the circumferential recesses 2. Generally, each post 1 is mounted to a desk 6 by means of a mounting clamp 7 and extends therefrom to an exposed end 8, located distally from the mounting clamp 7, onto which the cylindrical collar portion is slid.

Recently, there has been a trend towards using bench systems in offices and other working environments. Bench systems provide a long, continuous work surface which is not subdivided into individual desks. This system is advantageous in a working environment because it provides a modular and flexible workspace which may be divided up and utilised as required, dependent on the number of users and changing circumstances, and is not limited by the size of individual desks or workstations. Therefore, there is a need to provide a system that may be utilised with a bench system. A disadvantage of existing systems, such as the one shown in Figure 1, is that additional support posts cannot be provided to support the lateral supporting member, and so the lateral supporting member may not be able to support all the weight of office related equipment attached thereto.

One solution is to provide a central post from which lateral supporting members extend in opposite directions. However, a disadvantage of this solution is that adjacent lateral supporting members must be disposed at differing heights, because each cylindrical collar connector portion extends around the post and so the collar connector portions must be positioned above each other on the post. However, components mounted to the lateral supporting member will then be positioned at differing heights which is detrimental to the aesthetic appearance of the system. Additionally, to remove a lateral supporting member positioned lower on a post to an adjacent one, then it is necessary to remove the upper lateral supporting member first.

A further solution is to locate a pair of centrally located upstanding posts adjacent to each other and then mount lateral supporting members to each adjacent post to extend in opposing directions. However, this requires the use of additional posts and means that a gap is provided in the system run between the two posts.

With present systems it is also advantageous to be able to mount other components to the upstanding posts. Although it is possible to mount more than one component using conventional means, wherein the connector portion extends around the post, it is necessary to remove components proximate to the exposed end first to access components mounted below. Furthermore, it is difficult to reposition a lateral supporting member or another component on the post, because the cylindrical collar connector portion must be lifted and then O-ring manoeuvred individually. Therefore, a further problem with conventional systems is that they are difficult to attach and release easily and quickly. The present invention seeks to provide a clamp for mounting a component to an upright having a channel formed therein that overcomes or substantially alleviates the problems with conventional systems referred to above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a clamp for mounting a component to an upright having a channel formed therein, the clamp comprising a main body with an upright engaging face, a clamping member extending from the engaging face locatable in said channel with the upright engaging face against the upright, and a clamping mechanism operable to partially retract said clamping member into the main body so that co-operating faces on the clamping member and the upright engage to clamp the component to said upright.

Preferably, the faces on the clamping member comprise a pair of angled walls for locating in the channel to he substantially parallel to a pair of side walls of the channel that converge towards a mouth of the channel.

Conveniently, the clamping member is wedge-shaped for mounting in a correspondingly wedge-shaped channel so that the wedge-shaped portion dovetails with the channel

Preferably, the clamping member is movable along a first direction and the clamping member further comprises a first surface inclined relative to the first direction, the clamping mechanism further comprising a co-operating portion disposed in the main body having a second inclined surface that co-operates with the first inclined surface of the clamping member such that, when the co-operating portion is moved in a second direction, the second inclined face acts upon the first inclined face to draw the clamping member in the first direction such that the clamping member retracts into the body.

The clamping member may further comprise an aperture formed therethrough and a wall of the aperture may form the first inclined face, the cooperating portion extending into the aperture such that the first and second inclined surfaces cooperate.

Conveniently, the aperture is conically shaped to form the first inclined aperture and the cooperating portion comprises a respective conically shaped portion.

The second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction.

Preferably, the clamping mechanism further comprises an elastic member acting on the clamping member to bias the first inclined surface towards the second inclined surface.

The clamping means may further comprise a shaft having a threaded portion, and the co-operating portion may further include a threaded hole such that the threaded portion of the shaft extends therein and is threadingly engaged therewith.

In a preferred embodiment, the shaft is mounted within the main body for rotation about the second axis and the main body comprises a shaft retaining means to constrain the shaft from moving in an axial direction relative to the body.

Preferably, the shaft retaining means comprises a shaft retaining member located in a slot in the main body which is mounted on the shaft to prevent movement of the shaft along the second axis relative to the main body.

Conveniently, cooperating portion retaining means constrain the co-operating element from rotation about the second axis.

The co-operating element retaining means may comprise a further co-operating surface locatable against an opposing surface on the main body.

Preferably, a mounting pad disposed on the upright engaging face.

In one embodiment, the upright is an upstanding post. According to the present invention there is also provided a system comprising a pair of uprights and a laterally extending member mountable to the pair of uprights by means of a pair of clamps.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a system in accordance with the prior art; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a clamp in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention which is shown mounting a lateral supporting member to an upstanding post;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a pair of clamps in accordance with the present invention which are shown mounting a lateral supporting member to a pair of upstanding posts;

FIGURE 4 is another perspective view of the clamp shown in Figure 2;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view of the clamp shown in Figure 2;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the clamp shown in Figure 2 showing the clamping member in an extended position; FIGURE 7 is another sectional view of the clamp shown in Figure 2 showing the clamping member in a retracted position; and

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a continuous system arrangement comprising a plurality of clamps shown in Figure 2 which are shown mounted to a plurality of upstanding posts;

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 2 a system 9 comprising a lateral supporting member 10 and a clamping portion 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 9 is mounted by means of the clamping portion 11 to a cylindrically shaped, vertical support post 12 which may be upstanding from a desk or other horizontal surface (not shown), or mounted to a wall or the like by means of a clamp (not shown). The support post 12 shown in Figure 2 is conventional and comprises a cylindrical tube having a plurality of longitudinal channels 13 formed in its outer surface 14, the channels 13 being spaced diametrically opposite each other and extending along the length of the post 12. Although four channels 13a,13b,13c,13d are shown formed in the post 12, it will be appreciated that any number of channels 13 may be formed therein. The post 12 is mounted to a surface or the like (not shown) by means of a mounting clamp (not shown), mounted to the post 12 proximate to one end thereof, and each of the longitudinal channels 13 is open at an end 15 distal to the mounting clamp (not shown), such that the clamping portion 11 is locatable therein, as will be explained in detail below.

Each channel 13 formed in the post 12 includes a base 19a, a mouth 19b, and side walls 19c (refer to Figures 2 and 6) that taper from the base 19a towards the mouth 19b so that the width of the mouth 19b extending between the side walls 19c is less than the width of the base 19a extending between the side walls 19c, for reasons that will become apparent hereinafter.

In an alternative embodiment, the support post 12 may be replaced by a upright (not shown) having at least one channel formed in its outer surface (not shown).

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the system 9 comprises a lateral supporting member 10 and clamping portions l la,llb fixedly attached at opposite ends 16,17 of the lateral supporting member 10 to form end caps, such that they are mountable to corresponding posts 12a,12b. A longitudinal channel 18 is formed in the lateral supporting member 10 and extends along the lateral supporting member 10 between the opposite ends 16,17 thereof. The clamping portions l la,l lb are permanently attached to the lateral supporting member 10 by conventional means, and so no further detailed description of this will be given herein.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, it can be seen that the clamping portion 11 of the lateral supporting member 10 comprises a main body 20 with a rear face 21 mounted to the lateral supporting member 10 wherein the opposing side forms a post engaging face 22. In this exemplary embodiment, the post engaging face 22 is concave along one axis and an elongate recess 23 is formed centrally through the post engaging face 22 extending along the said axis. A depression 22a is formed in the post engaging face 22 such that a first raised area 22b is formed around the edge of the post engaging face 22 and a second raised area 22c is formed along the edge of the elongate recess 23 such that a mounting pad 24 is located therein which extends substantially across the post engaging face 22. A clamping member 25 extends from the elongate recess 23, perpendicularly from the post engaging face 22. A pair of side faces 26,27 ^', together with upper and lower faces 28,29, extend between the post engaging face 22 and the rear face 21 to define the main body 20.

A first cylindrical hole 31 is formed through one of the side faces 26 and a corresponding second cylindrical hole 32 is formed through the opposing side face 27 (refer to Figure 3) such that their respective central axes are aligned with each other. The second cylindrical hole 32 has a larger radius than the first cylindrical hole 31 and has a flattened portion 33 (refer to Figure 3), for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter. A locking bolt 34 and a conical wedge 35 are disposed in the respective first and second cylindrical holes 31 ,32

Referring now to Figures 4 to 7, an exploded view of the clamping portion 11 , comprising the main body 20, the mounting pad 24, the clamping member 25, the locking bolt 34, the conical wedge 35, a bolt retaining plate 36 and a spring member 37, is shown.

In this exemplary embodiment the mam body 20 further comprises an elongate slot 41 and a plurality of receiving sockets 40 formed in the depression 22a, extending into the main body 20 parallel to the side faces 26,27. The elongate slot 41 extends from the depression 22a in the post engaging face 22 such that the first cylindrical hole 31 extending from the side face 26 of the main body 20 transversely intersects the slot 41.

Similarly, the elongate recess 23 extends from the tool engaging face 22, parallel to the side faces 26, 27, such that the first and second cylindrical holes 31 ,32 transversely intersect the elongate recess 23 and communicate therewith. The elongate recess 23 includes upper, lower support walls 42,43, a pair of side support walls 44,45 and a base 46 (refer to Figure 6). The first cylindrical hole 31 communicates between the first side support wall 44 and the respective side face 26, and the second cylindrical hole 32 communicates between the second side support wall 45 and the respective side face 27. Shoulder portions (not shown) are disposed on the base 46 of the elongate recess 23 proximate to each upper and lower support wall 42,43 such that a gap extends therebetween.

The spring member 37, which in this exemplary embodiment is a rectangular plate section formed from an elastic material, such as a steel alloy, is locatable in the recess proximate to the base 46 such that it extends between the shoulder portions (not shown) and is able to deform so as to extend into the gap between the shoulder portions (not shown).

The clamping member 25 comprises a planar portion 47 with opposing first and second parallel faces 48,49. Upper and lower guide edges 51,52 of the planar portion 47 are formed to locate relative to the upper and lower support walls 42,43 of the elongate recess 23 such that they are slidable therealong, and an arcuately shaped protrusion 53 extends from a rear edge 50 of the planar portion 47. A wedge-shaped portion 55 is formed to extend along a front edge of the planar portion 47. The wedge-shaped portion 55 forms a tenon which is insertable in the channel 13 formed in the support post 12, wherein the sides 56,57 of the wedge- shaped portion 55 taper away from each other towards the outer edge 56 thereof such that the width of the wedge-shaped portion 55 at an outer edge 58 is wider than the width between the opposing parallel faces 48,49. Although a wedge-shaped portion 55 is described in this exemplary embodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and, for example, a T-shaped or O-shaped portion may be used.

A recessed channel 60 is formed in each opposing parallel face 48,49 proximate to the wedge-shaped portion 55 and extends along each face 48,49 parallel to the front edge 47. Further a conical converging aperture 61 is formed through the planar portion 47 between the opposing parallel faces 48,49. The radius of a first conical aperture opening 62 on the first parallel face 48 of the planar portion 47 is smaller than the radius of a second conical aperture opening 63 on the second parallel face 49 of the planar portion 47.

The locking bolt 34 comprises a threaded shaft 64 and a cylindrical head portion 65 disposed at one end of the threaded shaft 64 forming a shoulder 66. A tool engaging face 67, such as an Allen key slot is provided at a distal end of the head portion 65 to the threaded shaft 64 to facilitate rotation of the locking bolt 34. A circumferentially extending recessed portion 68 with upper and lower ends 68a,68b and a base 69, is formed in an outer surface of the head portion 65, proximate to the shaft 64.

The conical wedge 35 comprises a cylindrical portion 70 and a conical frustum portion 71 which extends from an end face of the cylindrical portion 70. A flattened portion 72 is formed extending through the circumferential side surface 70a of the cylindrical portion 70, which partially intersects with a portion of an outer surface 71a of the conical portion 71. Further, a threaded hole 73 is formed through an end of the conical frustum portion 71 distal to the cylindrical portion 70 which corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the conical wedge 35.

The bolt retaining plate 36 has first and second parallel planar surfaces 74,75. A hollow 76 extends from one edge of the bolt retaining plate 36, communicating between the first and second parallel planar surfaces 74,75 such that the plate is substantially U-shaped, wherein the edges 77 of the hollow 76 substantially correspond to the radius of the base 69 of the circumferentially extending recessed portion 68 of the locking bolt 34, for reasons which will be explained in detail below.

The mounting pad 24 comprises front and rear faces 24a,24b with an aperture 78 formed therebetween substantially corresponding to the outer dimensions of the second raised area 22c. The mounting pad 24 may be formed from an elastic rubber such that it deforms between the main body 20 and the support post 12 when the clamping portion 11 is mounted to the support post 12 as will be described in detail below Tabs 79 extend from the rear face 24b of the mounting pad 24 which correspond positionably to the receiving sockets 40 formed in the depression 22a of the main body 20.

The assembly of the clamping portion 11 will now be described. The clamping member 25 is located in the elongate recess 23 such that its upper, lower and pair of side faces 28,29,26,27 are positioned relative to the upper and lower support walls 42,43 and pair of side support walls 44,45 of the elongate recess 23 respectively When the clamping member 25 is located in the elongate recess 23 as described above, the protrusion 53, which protrudes from the rear edge 50 of the clamping member 25, acts against the spring member 37

The conical wedge 35 is disposed in the second cylindrical hole 32 and extends through said hole 32 into the elongate recess 23 such that it extends into the conical converging aperture 61 formed through the clamping member 25 from the second conical aperture opening 63 side The conical frustum portion 71 locates against an inner surface 80 of the conical converging aperture 61 such that the inner surface 80 of the conical frustum portion 71 is inclined at the same angle as the outer surface 71 a of the conical frustum portion 71 and lies parallel thereto

The external radius of the cylindrical portion 70 substantially corresponds to the internal radius of the second cylindrical hole 32 and the flattened portion 72 of the conical wedge 35 substantially corresponds to the flattened portion 33 of the second cylindrical hole 32 such that the conical wedge 35 is shdable in the second cylindrical hole 32 along the longitudinal axis of the conical wedge 35, but is prevented from rotation relative to the mam body 20, as will be explained below

Similarly, the locking bolt 34 is disposed in the first cylindrical hole 31 and extends through said hole 31 into the elongate recess 23 The threaded shaft 64 is received in the threaded hole 73 of the conical wedge 35 such that they are threadmgly engaged. The external radius of the head portion 65 of the locking bolt 34 substantially corresponds to the internal radius of the first cylindrical hole 31 such that it is slidably rotatable therein. The bolt retaining plate 36 is received in the slot 41 in the main body 20, such that the end of the bolt retaining plate 36 formed with the hollow 76 extends into the first cylindrical hole 31 As the locking bolt 34 extends through the first cylindrical hole 31, the edges 77 of the hollow 76 locate in the circumferentially extending recessed portion 68 formed in the head 65 of the locking bolt 34 such that the locking bolt 34 is rotatable but is restricted from movement along its longitudinal axis due to the first and second planar surfaces 74,75 of the bolt retaining plate 36 acting on the upper and lower ends 68a,68b

The mounting pad 24 is disposed in the depression 22a formed in the tool engaging face 22 by means of the tabs 79 extending into the receiving sockets 40 and is mounted therein The front face 24a of the mounting pad 24 extends from the depression 22a such that it is raised above the first and second raised areas 22b, 22c The bolt retaining plate 36 is retained in the slot 41 by means of the rear face 24b of the mounting pad 24 extending across the opening to the slot 41

In an alternative embodiment of the clamping portion 11 , the diameter of the first cylindrical hole 31 substantially corresponds to the outer diameter of the threaded shaft 64, such that the threaded shaft 64 extends therethrough to the elongate recess to threadmgly engage with the conical wedge 35 The head portion 65 of the locking bolt 34 is then disposed such that the shoulder 66 of the locking bolt 34 locates against the side face 26 of the main body 20 It will be understood that movement of the locking bolt 34 along its longitudinal axis is restricted by the locking bolt 34 being threadmgly engaged by the conical wedge 35 and by the shoulder 66 acting against the side face 26 of the mounting portion body 20 In this embodiment the slot 41 and bolt retaining plate 36 are not essential

Operation of the above embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference primarily to Figures 6 to 8. When the clamping member 25 is inserted into the longitudinal channel 13 of the mounting post 12, the clamping member 25 and hence the clamping portion 11, which in this embodiment is fixedly mounted to an end of the lateral supporting member 10 to form an end cap, is shdable therealong. The side walls 19c of the channel 13 slide relative to the sides 56,57 of the wedge- shaped portion 55 and subtend thereagainst such that the clamping member 25 cannot be removed from the channel 13 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support post 12.

The locking bolt 34 is rotated by, for example, an Allen key inserted into the first cylindrical hole 31 in the mounting portion body 20 and engaged with the tool engaging face 67 of the locking bolt 34, and movement of the locking bolt 34 in an axial direction is limited by the bolt retaining plate 36 seated in the slot 41.

Therefore, as the conical wedge 35 is threadingly engaged on the threaded bolt64 and is prevented from rotating with the locking bolt 34, because the conical wedge 35 is constrained by the flattened portion 33 of the second cylindrical hole 32 acting against the opposing flattened portion 72 of the conical wedge 35, the conical wedge 35 moves in an axial direction along the threaded bolt64 in the second cylindrical hole 32. As mentioned above, the conical frustum portion 71 of the conical wedge 35 extends into the elongate recess 23 and so extends into the converging aperture 61 of the clamping member 25.

The spring member 37 acts against the protrusion 53 formed on the clamping member 25, urging the clamping member 25 in a direction out of the elongate recess 23. As the conical frustum portion 71 extends into the converging aperture 61, the inclined inner surface 80 of the converging aperture 61 acts against the correspondingly inclined outer surface 71a of the conical frustum portion 71 of the conical wedge 35. However, the conical wedge 35 and clamping member 25 are prevented from moving relative to each other because the conical wedge 35 is disposed in the second cylindrical hole 32 and is prevented from moving in an axial direction as it is threadingly engaged with the locking bolt 34, which is located by the bolt retaining plate 36. Additionally, the clamping member 25 is guided by upper, lower and pair of support walls 42,43,44,45.

When the locking bolt 34 is rotated, the conical wedge 35 is prevented from rotating with the locking bolt 34 and moves in an axial direction along the threaded bolt64. As the inclined inner surface 80 of the converging aperture 61 cooperates with the inclined outer surface 71a of the conical frustum portion 71 , and they are inclined with respect to the axial direction of the locking bolt 34, a component of force is applied to the clamping member 25 and the inclined surfaces slide relative to each other, such that the clamping member 25 is urged in a transverse direction to the linear direction of movement of the conical wedge 35, guided by the support walls 42,43,44,45 of the elongate recess 23. The protrusion 53 acts on the spring member 37 such that the spring member 37 is deformed between the shoulder portions (not shown).

Further, the wedge-shaped portion 55, which is disposed through the channel mouth 19b and acts against the side walls 19c, is drawn towards the post engaging face 22 of the body 20 which is drawn into engaging contact with the support post 12, thereby securely attaching the clamping portion 11 to the support post 12.

As the post engaging face 22 and the support post 12 are drawn together, the mounting pad 24 extending from the post engaging face 22 is compressed and deforms to more securely hold the post engaging face thereagainst. Advantageously, due to the inclined nature of the sides of the wedge-shaped portion 55 and the deformity of the mounting pad 24, tolerance build-ups during manufacture, installation or the like can be accommodated.

If a pair of clamping portions 11, mounted to respective ends of a lateral supporting member 10, are mounted to respective support posts 12 then a system 9 is formed. Components, such as LCD screens and partition panels, are then mountable to the lateral supporting member 10 by means of the longitudinal channel 18 formed therein.

Referring to Figure 8, if a longer run of lateral supporting member is required, or alternatively additional components need to be added to a support post 12, then these may be slid into a further longitudinal channel 13 formed in the respective support post 12 and securely attached in a manner as described above. This allows additional lateral supporting members 82,83 to be added, repositioned or removed without the need to remove any existing components which allows greater system flexibility and a continuous run of lateral supporting member can be accommodated. Further, as the clamping portion 11 is self-contained, there is no need for additional components to fasten the clamping portion 11 to the respective support post 12.

Removal of the clamping portion 11 from the support post 12 is achieved by rotating the locking bolt 34 in the opposite direction to cause the locking bolt 34 to draw the conical wedge 35 in a direction out of the elongate recess 23 and away from the converging aperture 61 of the clamping member 25. The clamping member 25 is thereby released, such that it is urged by the spring member 37 in a direction away from the post engaging face 22 and is slidable in the channel 13. It will be understood that the spring member 37, is not essential.

Although in the above embodiments the clamping portion 11 is shown for attachment to an upstanding support quad-post 12, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. In another exemplary embodiment the engaging face 22 of the main body 20 is flat and the clamping portion 11 is mountable to a wall or partition panel (not shown) having at least one linear channel (not shown) formed therein. Further, in yet another exemplary embodiment the support post 12 is not upstanding and extends horizontally.

Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made to the above exemplary embodiments that lie within the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A clamp for mounting a component to an upright having a channel formed therein, the clamp comprising a main body with an upright engaging face, a clamping member extending from the engaging face locatable in said channel with the upright engaging face against the upright, and a clamping mechanism operable to partially retract said clamping member into the main body so that co-operating faces on the clamping member and the upright engage to clamp the component to said upright.

2. A clamp according to claim 1, wherein the faces on the clamping member comprise a pair of angled walls to locate in the channel, substantially parallel to a pair of side walls of the channel that converge towards a mouth of the channel.

3. A clamp according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the clamping member is wedge-shaped for mounting in a correspondingly wedge-shaped channel so that the wedge-shaped portion dovetails with the channel.

4. A clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein the clamping member is movable along a first direction and the clamping member further comprises a first surface inclined relative to the first direction, the clamping mechanism further comprising a cooperating portion disposed in the main body having a second inclined surface that cooperates with the first inclined surface of the clamping member such that, when the cooperating portion is moved in a second direction, the second inclined face acts upon the first inclined face to draw the clamping member in the first direction such that the clamping member retracts into the body.

5. A clamp according to claim 4, wherein the clamping member further comprises an aperture formed therethrough and a wall of the aperture forms the first inclined face, the co-operating portion extending into the aperture such that the first and second inclined surfaces cooperate.

6. A clamp according to claim 5, wherein the aperture is conically shaped to form the first inclined aperture and the cooperating portion comprises a respective conically shaped portion.

1 ' . A clamp according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

8. A clamp according to any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the clamping mechanism further comprises an elastic member acting on the clamping member to bias the first inclined surface towards the second inclined surface.

9. A clamp according to any of claims 4 to 8, wherein the clamping means further comprises a shaft having a threaded portion, and the co-operating portion further includes a threaded hole such that the threaded portion of the shaft extends therein and is threadingly engaged therewith.

10. A clamp according to claim 9, wherein the shaft is mounted within the main body for rotation about the second axis and the main body comprises a shaft retaining means to constrain the shaft from moving in an axial direction relative to the body.

11. A clamp according to claim 10, wherein the shaft retaining means comprises a shaft retaining member located in a slot in the main body which is mounted on the shaft to prevent movement of the shaft along the second axis relative to the main body.

12. A clamp according to any of claims 9 to 11, further comprising cooperating portion retaining means to constrain the co-operating element from rotation about the second axis.

13. A clamp according to claim 12, wherein the co-operating element retaining means comprises a further co-operating surface locatable against an opposing surface on the main body.

14. A clamp according to any preceding claim, further comprising a mounting pad disposed on the upright engaging face.

15. A clamp according to any preceding claim, wherein the upright is an upstanding post.

16. A clamp substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A system comprising a pair of uprights and a laterally extending member mountable to the pair of uprights by means of a pair of clamps according to any preceding claim.