Cylinder clincher for immobilizing dot gas cylinders

Dual posts mounted to a base with a support bar with a winch on one end fastened at right angles to the rearward side of the dual posts and a non stretchable belt fastened at a beginning end to one of the posts and pulled around the cylinder to be immobilized into a winch thereby allowing the cylinder to be held immobile by the force of the belt pushing the cylinder against the posts when the winch is tightened.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Gases held in DOT cylinders are used in industry, in hospitals, in homes, 
in traveling vehicles etc. and are held under relatively high pressures in 
the cylinders. Each cylinder necessarily is closed with a cylinder valve 
to hold the pressurized gas therein. Normally this cylinder valve is 
connected to a regulator valve that is used to control the outward flow of 
gas as desired by the user after the user partially opens the cylinder 
valve. When the cylinder valve is damaged or for some reason needs to be 
replaced there is a need to immobilize the DOT cylinder without damaging 
the cylinder surface while applying sufficient force with a valve removal 
tool to unscrew the valve from the cylinder and to replace the valve to 
its full depth for safe operation. If the valve is mistakenly removed with 
high pressure gas therein the cylinder could be thrown with great force by 
jet action of the gas. The main objective of this invention is to provide 
a simple low cost unit to allow a user to not only safely immobilize 
cylinders of varying sizes but to also allow a user to remove and replace 
cylinder valves to the proper depth without damage to the cylinder 
surface. 
The closest prior art we have found is U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,559 , filed Jun. 
30, 1969 by J. F. Gettinger and entitled "Adjustable holding device". 
Gettinger is intended to hold an automobile bumper moveably in place to 
allow moving the bumper into the most desirable position for grinding, 
welding or pounding thereon. Our unit allows applying great force to 
immobilize a cylinder only in an upright position. In Gettinger a belt is 
tightened to hold a bumper in a horizontal position against notched 
plates. See lines 54 to 62 , Col. 2 of Gettinger. This is quite different 
than our use of a power device such as a winch and an essentially non 
stretchable belt to apply great force to immobilize a cylinder in an 
upright position against a curved surface. Gettinger also uses a spring 
loaded belt with a foot pedal release to hold a cylinder with the bumper 
holding unit mounted thereto moveably in place. The maximum force is 
limited to the strength of the spring. See lines 44 to 46, Col. 2 of 
Gettinger. This is also quite different than our use of a hand tightened 
winch or similar device to pull a belt with great force to immobilize an 
upright cylinder. Engineers have calculated that we use a force of several 
thousands of pounds of pressure to immobilize a cylinder. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention may be briefly summarized as a unit that allows immobilizing 
DOT cylinders that have some variation in diameter and length in an 
upright position while applying sufficient force to unscrew the cylinder 
closure valve from the cylinder. For safe removal of the valve the upright 
position is necessary since if a valve is inadvertently removed with a 
high gas pressure inside the cylinder the cylinder will be forced downward 
with great pressure. Pressure against a floor or sufficiently strong 
support would be innocuous. In the invention a winch and an essentially 
non stretchable belt is used to immobilize the cylinder by pulling the 
cylinder against rounded surfaces of upright support posts with great 
force. Other back up or rounded support surfaces could be used with some 
probable sacrifice in portability ,cost, or utility. 
If a cylinder starts to turn as force is applied to remove the cylinder 
valve the winch may be further tightened to totally immobilize the 
cylinder. Scratching or marring the cylinder is quite undesirable and 
immobilizing using a flexible non stretch belt such as may be made from a 
plastic composite and tightening the belt with a winch or similar means 
prevents any damage to the cylinder while replacing a defective cylinder 
valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The invention may best be described from a detailed description of the 
drawings. FIG. 1 shows dual support posts, 1 and 2, mounted on individual 
bases 4 with lag bolts or normal bolts. The bases may be mounted to 
concrete or to many other fixed surfaces. Support posts are shown as round 
but other shapes would work equally as well. Shapes with a sharp edge 
would be objectionable as sharp edges would mar a cylinder when the 
cylinder is pulled tightly against the posts as indicated in FIG. 3. 
Support bar 8 which may be a single U shaped channel as shown or multiple 
channels serves to anchor the posts at a set distance apart and to hold 
and anchor the belt tightening winch 10. The beginning end of the clincher 
belt is anchored to post 1 with a fastener 12. The drive nut 14 serves to 
tighten winch 10. Most any tool may be used to tighten the drive nut 14. 
FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the unit with dual post bases 4 mounted on a 
third base 7 with bolts 6 to allow the unit to be easily moved. Bolts 11 
hold winch 10, FIG. 1 to support bar 8 and bolts 9 hold support bar 8 
firmly attached to posts 1 and 2. Although bolts are indicated on the 
drawing, the bases, the winch or other tightener means, and the support 
bar all could be fastened as outlined by welding. Fastener 12 to fasten 
the beginning end of clincher belt 16, FIG. 3 to post 1 would be visible 
from this view. This fastener may be one or more bolts or a self 
tightening clip attached to the post. 
FIG. 3 shows a front view of the unit with a short cylinder 15 held in 
place in front of posts 1 and 2 and supported on a removable extendable 
support 18 with clincher belt 16 fastened on a beginning end with fastener 
12 about midway of cylinder 15. When clincher belt 16 is pulled tight with 
winch 10 by use of lever 13, preferably a ratchet type socket tool to 
tighten winch drive nut 14, and after pressure is slowly released by 
opening valve 19 the valve 19 may be removed with normal appropriate 
tools. The cylinder is provided with a valve protector ring 17. If valve 
19 were removed with pressure in the cylinder 15 the cylinder would tend 
to project downward with great force. For safety reasons then the unit 
must hold the cylinder in an upright position and when a cylinder support 
is necessary a strong support should be used. There is considerable 
latitude in the ratio of the distance apart of the posts 1 and 2 and 
cylinder diameter. Ratios of distance between posts to cylinder diameter 
between posts from approximately 0.5 to 0.9 work successfully. 
In FIG. 4 a top view of the unit is shown. The clincher belt 16 is fastened 
at a beginning end with fastener 12 and with cylinder 15 in place the 
clincher belt 16 is pulled around cylinder 15 and into winch 10 and winch 
drive nut 14 is used to pull the belt 16 tight to immobilize the cylinder 
15. The pressure may be released through valve 19 before removing the 
valve 19. Of course, when valve 19 is removed because of defect, wear etc. 
the unit also can be used to facilitate installation of a new valve to 
full depth as is necessary for the safest installation. Clincher belt 16 
may be made of most any strong belt material such as plastic composites as 
long as the belt is essentially non stretchable.