Patent ID: 7685683
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: F16L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A clamp for encircling an article and exerting a compression force thereon, the clamp comprising: a band having a first end and a second end; and a head for joining the first end of the band to the second end of the band, the head comprising: wherein the upper and lower jaws define a mouth at the front of the jaws and are connected together at the rear of the jaws; wherein the upper jaw has a lower surface that includes one engagement tooth located at the front of the upper jaw and that is taller than any other tooth on said lower surface of the upper jaw; wherein the upper surface of the tongue includes an engagement tooth having a cavity behind it that can accommodate said engagement tooth of the upper jaw, whereby said engagement teeth can be brought into engagement with each other by inserting the tongue between the jaws to hold the clamp in a closed position; wherein the cavity behind the engagement tooth on the tongue is deeper than the cavity behind any other tooth on said upper surface of the tongue; wherein the clamp has only a single closing position with said engagement tooth on the jaw being engaged in the recess behind the engagement tooth on the tongue; wherein the lower surface of the tongue is provided with a recess that extends only part of the way across the width of the tongue and that accommodates the lower jaw when the clamp is in said closed position; and wherein said engagement teeth each has a base, a tip and a rear surface that is in contact with the rear surface of the other engagement tooth when the clamp is in the closed position and wherein said rear surface of the engagement tooth on the upper jaw slopes towards the rear of the jaws in the direction from the base of the tooth to the tip of the tooth and said rear surface of the engagement tooth on the tongue slopes towards the front end of the tongue in the direction from the tip of the tooth to the base of the tooth.