Patent ID: 6058575
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: F16G,Y10T

Abstract:
A cable clamp, comprising:a hollow body, said body having an upper end, a lower end, a top surface and a tapered channel extending from said upper end to said lower end, said channel having a first side wall, a second side wall, a front wall and a back wall;a wedge-shaped member, said member having a top end, a bottom end, a front surface, a rear surface, first edge and a second edge and being sized and shaped to fit slidably within said tapered channel while permitting a first cable section to fit frictionally between said first edge and said first side wall and permitting a second cable section to fit frictionally between said second edge and said second side wall;means for dislodging said wedge-shaped member from said hollow body;whereby, when the first and second cable sections are disposed between the first and second edges of the wedge-shaped member and the first and second side walls of the hollow body, respectively, and the first and second cable sections are pulled toward the lower end of the hollow body, the wedge-shaped member will urge the first and second cable sections toward the first and second side walls of the hollow body, respectively, thereby securing the first and second cable sections within the hollow body;said means for dislodging said wedge-shaped member from said hollow body comprising:first and second bearing surfaces, said bearing surfaces disposed at the top surface of the hollow body adjacent the front wall and the back wall, respectively;an aperture, said aperture having an interior surface and extending from the front surface of the wedge-shaped member to the rear surface of the member;a camshaft, said camshaft having first and second end portions, each of said end portions having an inward facing end and an outward facing end, a shaft eccentrically and orthogonally mounted between said inward facing ends;said camshaft disposed within said aperture so that said shaft may bear upon said interior surface;said first and second end portions being sized and shaped to permit the cam shaft to rotate upon the first and second bearing surfaces while maintaining the shaft perpendicular to the front and back walls of the hollow body when said wedge-shaped member is disposed therewithin;said second end portion sized to fit frictionally within said aperture;means for rotating said camshaft; andwhereby, when the first and second cable sections are disposed between the first and second edges of the wedge-shaped member and the first and second side walls of the hollow body and the cable sections are secured therein, the cable sections may be released from between the wedge-shaped member and the hollow body by turning the camshaft, thereby causing the shaft to bear against the interior surface of the aperture and the first and second end portions to bear against the first and second bearing surfaces, thereby causing the wedge-shaped member to be displaced upwardly from the upper end of the hollow body thus increasing the clearance between the first and second edges of the wedge-shaped member and the first and second side walls of the hollow body, thereby loosening the cable clamp's grip on the first and second cable sections.