Abstract:
A clamp assembly has a separate and independent clamp stand base, such that several clamp stand bases may be mounted on desired surfaces at various locations, and the clamp may be moved from one clamp stand base to another for quick and easy mounting at the different locations, and to minimize the number of clamps required to service of all of these different locations. The assembly permits the position of the clamp to be adjusted relative to the stand by pivoting and by raising and lowering the clamp relative to the base.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a clamp assembly for securing tools to work surfaces. It is often desirable to be able to temporarily mount a tool at various locations by clamping the tool in place. For example, it may be desirable to mount the tool on a work bench, for working on the tool, on a vehicle, for carrying the tool out to a job site, and so forth. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a clamp with a separate, independent, and interchangeable clamp stand base. The clamp stand base is, by itself, very small and unobtrusive. It mounts readily to most surfaces and remains very much out of the way until it is needed. The clamp mounts directly, quickly, and securely to the clamp stand base, and this mounting is multi-directional and height adjustable for maximum versatility in accommodating many types of tools to many types of surfaces. Since the clamps and clamp stand bases are completely interchangeable, the user may purchase a single clamp and a number of clamp stand bases, then move the clamp from one base to another as needed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is partially cut away, perspective view of multi-purpose clamp and stand made in accordance with the present invention, with the clamp jaws drawn closed; 
     FIG. 2 is the same view as in FIG. 1 except that the clamp jaws are drawn open; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 1 mounted on a trailer and holding a trimmer in place; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 1 mounted on a utility cart and holding a trimmer in place; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 1 mounted on a riding mower and holding a trimmer in place, with the clamp at a 45 degree angle; and, 
     FIG. 7 is a partially broken away, detailed side view of the pivot connection of the clamp assembly of FIG. 6, with the clamp pivoted at a 45 degree angle relative to the base. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1-7 show a first preferred embodiment of a multi-purpose clamp assembly  10 , made in accordance with the present invention. The clamp assembly  10  includes a clamp  12 , which has a projection  14 , that is pivotably connected to a clamp stand. The clamp stand includes a stationary base member  18  and a movable member  16 . 
     The clamp  12  uses a standard clamping mechanism, known in the art, similar to a pair of lock-grip pliers, including a fixed handle  20 , a pivotable lever  22 , a pair of jaws  24 ,  26 , and a spring-biased connecting rod  28  linking the handle  20  to the lever  22 . The length of the connecting rod  28  may be adjusted via an adjustment knob  30  to set how far the jaws  24 ,  26  come together to clamp tightly on a tool when the lever  22  is pulled together toward the handle  20 . In this embodiment  10 , the jaws  24 ,  26  are replaceable, are made out of a cushioning material, such as rubber, and are elongated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the clamping motion in order to provide a good grip on a tool such as the handle of a trimmer  32  as shown in FIGS. 4,  5 , and  6 . 
     A projecting ear  14  is fixed to the handle  20  (in this preferred embodiment by welding). The projecting ear  14  defines a circular pivot hole  34  and an arcuate slide slot  36  (See FIGS.  3  and  7 ). The slide slot  36  describes a  90  degree arc which is concentric with the pivot hole  34 . A first bolt  40  extends through the pivot hole  34 , and a second bolt  42  extends through the slide slot  36  as will be explained in more detail later. 
     The projecting ear  14  mounts onto the movable portion  16  of the clamp stand. The movable portion  16  is a square tubular member  44 , with a plurality of through holes  46  equally spaced along all four long sides. The bolts  40 ,  42  extending through the pivot hole  34  and slide slot  36  align with the holes  46  at least at the top of the movable portion  16  of the clamp stand. The clamp  12  is pivotably mounted onto the movable member  16  by running the first bolt  40  through the pivot hole  34  and through the top set of holes  46 A in the movable member  16  and securing these with a nut  48 . The first bolt  40  or other fastener then becomes the pivot axis. The second bolt  42  extends through the slide slot  36  and through the next-to-the-top set of holes  46 B in the movable member  16  and is secured with another nut  50 , which may be a wing nut having an enlarged handle portion, as depicted in the figures. By loosening the wing nut  50 , the clamp  12  may be pivoted about the bolt  40  until the second bolt  42  hits against one of the ends of the slide slot  36  (as shown in FIG.  7 ). This allows the clamp  12  to pivot, relative-to the projecting member  16 , as much as the slide slot  36  will permit, which is as much as 90 degrees in the case of a slide slot  36  with a 90 degree arc. Once the clamp  12  is pivoted to the desired position, the handle  50  is tightened, locking the clamp  12  in position. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the movable member  16  is telescopically received in the stationary member  18 , which is another hollow square tubular member  52 , having an internal profile which closely matches the external profile of the movable member  16 . A plurality of equally spaced holes  54  run along all four sides of the tubular frame  52 , and the distance between two adjacent holes  54  in the stationary member  18  is equal to the distance between two adjacent holes  46  in the movable member  16 . Thus, the relative vertical positions of the movable member  16  and the stationary member  18  may be adjusted by aligning the desired set of holes and inserting a locking pin  56  through the aligned holes. While this embodiment has the projecting member  16  received inside the fixed member  18 , and this arrangement is preferred, the fixed member  18  could instead be sized to be received inside the projecting member  16 . 
     The fixed member  18  has two sets of opposite sides. Two opposed, outwardly projecting feet  58  extend from a first set of said opposite sides. The feet define holes  60  so that the fixed member  18  may be secured to a substantially horizontal surface  62  by means of bolts  64  or other fastening mechanisms, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The other set of opposite sides do not have projecting feet. This permits the fixed member  18  to be secured to a substantially vertical surface by bolting it to the surface through the holes  54 , as shown in FIG.  6 . The fixed member  18  could alternatively be mounted onto the support surface in a variety of ways, including welding. (It should be noted that reference to vertical and horizontal is just a description of relative positions, because the fixed portion  18  of the mounting base could be mounted in a wide variety of positions, depending upon the orientation of the surface on which it is mounted. 
     To use the clamp assembly  10 , the fixed mounting base member  18  is secured to the selected support surface, such as a work bench, riding mower, utility cart, or the bed of a truck or trailer, or identical fixed members  18  may be mounted to a variety of such surfaces. The movable mounting base member  16  is then inserted into the hollow tubular frame  52  of the selected fixed member  18 , such that at least one set of holes  46  on the movable member  16  is aligned with at least one set of holes  54  on the fixed member  18 . A locking pin  56  is inserted through the two sets of aligned holes  46 ,  54  to secure the movable mounting base member  16  to the fixed mounting base member  18 . It may also be desired to use two locking pins  56  at right angles at different heights (not shown) for an even more secure attachment. The clamp  12  is attached to the movable mounting base member  16  by inserting the pivot bolt  40  through the pivot hole  34  and through the top set of holes  46 A on the projecting member  16 , and the locking bolt  42  through the slide slot  36  and through the next-to-the-top set of holes  46 B on the projecting member  16 , as has already been described. The pivot bolt nut  48  is threaded onto the pivot bolt  40 , and the wing nut  50  is threaded onto the locking bolt  42  and tightened in the desired position. 
     The lever  22  is pulled away from the handle  20  so as to open the jaws  24 ,  26  of the clamp  10 . The tool to be secured, such as the shaft of a trimmer  32 , is inserted between the jaws  24 ,  26 , and the clamp is closed by pushing the lever  22  toward the handle  20  until it locks in place. The knob  30  may be rotated to adjust the length of the connecting linkage  28  so that the tool  32  is tightly secured by the clamp  12 . The clamp  12  may be pivoted approximately  90  degrees about the pivot axis defined by the bolt  40  (as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) so as to better accommodate the tool onto the surface by loosening the wing nut  50 , pivoting the clamp  12  to the desired angle, and retightening the wing nut  50 . The height and orientation of the clamp  12  may also be adjusted by removing the locking pin  56  (or pins  56 ) and raising, lowering, or re-orienting the movable mounting base member  16  as it is received in the fixed mounting base member  18 , and reinserting the locking pin  56 . 
     Once the fixed bases  18  are mounted onto the selected surfaces, it is a straightforward matter to use the multi-purpose clamp  10 . Simply pull the locking pin  56  and remove the clamp  12  together with the pivot connection  14  and the movable mounting base member  16 , and reinstall this assembly into another fixed base member  18 . The jaws  24 ,  26  can be opened or closed by pulling or pushing on the lever  22 , and the varying sizes of the tool to be secured can be accommodated by adjusting the length of the connecting linkage  28  with the adjustment knob  30 . 
     This clamp assembly greatly eases and simplifies the securing of tools and other items, such as piping and conduit, to any desired surface. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.