Abstract:
A hose-clamp assembly including a hose having an outer surface, a clamp including a band, the band being tightenable about the outer surface of the hose, and a fastener including at least two bonding surfaces connected to the outer surface of the hose, the fastener defining a first elongated channel and a second elongated channel, the first elongated channel extending between the bonding surfaces and receiving a portion of the band therein, wherein the first elongated channel defines a first axis and the second elongated channel defines a second axis, the first axis being generally perpendicular to the second axis.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present application relates to hose-clamp assemblies and associated fasteners and, more particularly, to hose-clamp assemblies including a flexible fastener for securing a clamp to a hose. 
         [0002]    In an effort to reduce costs and improve manufacturing efficiency, manufacturers, such as automotive original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) customers, have asked that suppliers provide parts having multiple components in a pre-assembled condition. These requests eliminate packaging and simplify handling requirements for the manufacturer, thereby reducing final assembly time. 
         [0003]    A common request in the automobile industry is that suppliers attach a pre-positioned clamp to a fuel fill hose, thereby allowing a single operator to install a relatively large hose-clamp assembly. Furthermore, where space limitations present obstacles, the inclusion of a pre-attached, pre-positioned clamp on a hose may eliminate the need for an operator to hold the clamp in place during installation. Therefore, a pre-attached, pre-positioned clamp may be particularly helpful in instances where it is not practical for the operator to hold the clamp due to space constraints. 
         [0004]    Various attempts have been made to attach clamps to hoses. For example, clamps have been directly bonded to hoses using various adhesives, tapes, patches, mechanical clips and rivets. However, these attempts have presented various disadvantages. In particular, adhesives, tapes and patches all are susceptible to oil and other contaminants that negatively impact performance, while rivets and mechanical clips raise concerns about connection integrity and emissions. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need for an improved hose-clamp assembly and associated fastener for connecting a clamp to a hose, wherein the fastener is flexible to accommodate hoses of various sizes. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In one aspect, the disclosed hose-clamp assembly may include a hose having an outer surface, a clamp including a band, the band being tightenable about the outer surface of the hose, and a fastener including at least two bonding surfaces connected to the outer surface of the hose, the fastener defining a first elongated channel and a second elongated channel, the first elongated channel extending between the bonding surfaces and receiving a portion of the band therein, wherein the first elongated channel defines a first axis and the second elongated channel defines a second axis, the first axis being generally perpendicular to the second axis. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, the disclosed hose-clamp assembly may include an elongated, flexible hose having an outer surface, a clamp including a generally flat band, a screw housing and a worm screw disposed in the screw housing, the worm screw being engaged with the band to tighten the band about the outer surface of the hose in response to rotation of the worm screw, and a fastener including a first side, a second side and at least two bonding surfaces extending from the first side and connected to the outer surface of the hose, the bonding surfaces being contoured to closely engage the outer surface of the hose, the fastener defining a first elongated channel on the first side of the fastener and a second elongated channel on the second side of the fastener, the first elongated channel extending between the bonding surfaces and receiving a portion of the band therein, wherein the first elongated channel defines a first axis and the second elongated channel defines a second axis, the first axis being generally perpendicular to the second axis. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, the disclosed fastener may include a body including a first side, a second side generally opposite of the first side, and at least two bonding surfaces extending from the first side, the bonding surfaces being contoured to closely engage a surface of a hose, the first side of the body defining a first elongated channel therein and the second side of the body defining a second elongated channel therein, the first elongated channel extending between the bonding surfaces, wherein the first elongated channel defines a first axis and the second elongated channel defines a second axis, the first axis being generally perpendicular to the second axis. 
         [0009]    Other aspects of the disclosed hose-clamp assembly and associated fastener will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of one aspect of the disclosed hose-clamp assembly; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the fastener of the hose-clamp assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the fastener of  FIG. 2 ; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the fastener of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , one aspect of the disclosed hose-clamp assembly, generally designated  10 , may include a hose  12 , a clamp  14  and a fastener  16 . The fastener  16  may secure the clamp  14  to the hose  12 . The hose-clamp assembly  10  may be employed in or otherwise associated with a vehicle (not shown). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the hose-clamp assembly  10  may be useful in any application requiring a hose and a clamp for securing the hose. 
         [0015]    The hose  12  may be any hose or like structure, such as a pipe or a tube, and may include an outer surface  18 . For example, the hose  12  may be a flexible, polymeric automotive hose, such as a fuel fill hose. While a hose  12  having a generally circular cross-section would be typical, those skilled in the art will appreciate that hoses having various shapes and dimension may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0016]    The clamp  14  may be any clamp having a band  20  capable of receiving the hose  12  and applying a clamping force to the hose  12  (e.g., a clamping force applied in the radial direction). In one example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the clamp  14  may be a screw clamp  14 ′ and may include a generally flat band  20 ′, a screw housing  22 ′ and a worm screw  24 ′. The band  20 ′ may include a plurality of recesses or grooves (not shown). The worm screw  24 ′ may be rotateably received in the screw housing  22 ′ and may be engaged with the recesses or grooves in the band  20 ′ such that rotation of the worm screw  24 ′ relative to the screw housing  22 ′ facilitates corresponding tightening or relaxation of the band  20 ′ about the outer surface  18  of the hose  12 . 
         [0017]    At this point, those skilled in the art will appreciate that most any hose may be used as the hose  12  and most any clamp may be used as the clamp  14  with little or no modification and without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0018]    The fastener  16  may include a body  26  defining a first elongated channel  28 , a second elongated channel  30  and bonding surfaces  32 ,  34 . The first elongated channel  28  may be formed in a first side  36  of the body  26  and may extend between the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  to define a first axis A. The second elongated channel  30  may be formed in a second side  38  of the body  26  and may define a second axis B. The first axis A may be generally perpendicular to the second axis B, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the fastener  16  may be formed as a generally annular flat band having an annular length L F  ( FIG. 3 ), a width W F  ( FIG. 4 ) and a thickness T F  ( FIG. 3 ). The width W F  of the fastener  16  may be dictated by, among other things, the width of the band  20  of the clamp  14  intended to be used with the fastener  16 . The annular length L F  of the fastener may be dictated by, among other things, the outer diameter D ( FIG. 1 ) of the hose  12 . The thickness T F  of the fastener  16  may be dictated by, among other things, manufacturing and space considerations. In one aspect, the thickness T F  of the fastener  16  may be substantially less than the annular length L F  and the width W F  of the fastener  16 . In one example, the thickness T F  of the fastener  16  may be about 25 percent or less than the width W F  of the fastener  16 . In another example, the thickness T F  of the fastener  16  may be about 18 percent or less than the width W F  of the fastener  16  However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a fastener  16  may be formed having various shapes and dimensions without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0020]    The body  26  of the fastener  16  may be formed from any suitable material, such a metallic material, a non-metallic material, a polymeric material or the like. For example, the body  26  of the fastener  16  may be formed from a hard plastic, such as nylon or high-density polyethylene (HDPE). 
         [0021]    The first elongated channel  28  may have an annular length L 1  ( FIG. 3 ), a width W 1  ( FIG. 4 ) and a thickness T 1  ( FIG. 3 ). The annular length L 1  of the first elongated channel  28  may be generally equal to the length L F  of the fastener  16 . The width W 1  and thickness T 1  of the first elongated channel  28  may be dictated by the width and thickness of the band  20  of the clamp  14  such that a portion of the band  20  may be closely received in the first elongated channel  28 . At this point, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the size and shape of the first elongated channel may be dictated by the size and shape of the band  20  of the clamp  14 . For example, when the band  20  has a generally flat, rectangular cross-section, the first elongated channel  28  may be provided with a generally flat, rectangular cross-section. However, when the band  20  has a generally round cross-section, the first elongated channel  28  may be provided with a generally round cross-section. 
         [0022]    The bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  may be formed on the first side  36  of the body  26  and may have an axial length corresponding to the axial length L F  of the fastener  16 . However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the axial length of the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  may be only a fraction of the axial length L F  of the fastener  16 , or that the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  may be formed as a plurality of discontinuous (or spaced apart) bonding surfaces. Furthermore, as best shown in  FIG. 2 , the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  may have a curvature selected to ensure close engagement of the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  with the outer surface  18  of the hose  12 . 
         [0023]    The second elongated channel  30  may have an annular length L 2  ( FIG. 3 ), a width W 2  ( FIG. 4 ) and a thickness T 2  ( FIG. 4 ). The annular length L 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be only a fraction of the annular length L 1  of the first elongated channel  28 . In one example, the annular length L 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be about 5 to about 30 percent of the annular length L 1  of the first elongated channel  28 . In another example, the annular length L 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be about 10 to about 20 percent of the annular length L 1  of the first elongated channel  28 . The width W 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be about equal to the width W F  of the fastener  16  (i.e., the second elongated channel  30  may extend across the entire width of the fastener  16 ). The thickness T 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be only a fraction of the thickness T F  of the fastener  16 . In one example, the thickness T 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be about 10 to about 75 percent of the thickness T F  of the fastener  16 . In another example, the thickness T 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be about 30 to about 60 percent of the thickness T F  of the fastener  16 . 
         [0024]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that annular length L 2  and/or the thickness T 2  of the second elongated channel  30  may be selected to permit flexing of the fastener  16  along the second elongated channel  30 , as shown by arrows C 1  and C 2  in  FIG. 3 , thereby permitting modification of the curvature of the bonding surfaces. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape (see  FIG. 3 ) of the second elongated channel  30  may be selected to facilitate flexing. While the second elongated channel  30  is shown as having a generally trapezoidal cross-sectional shape in  FIG. 3 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of shapes may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0025]    The hose-clamp assembly  10  may be assembled by placing the band  20  of the clamp  14  against the outer surface  18  of the hose  12  such that the band  20  is generally perpendicular to the hose  12 . Then, the fastener  16  may be positioned over a portion of the band  20  such that the band  20  is generally aligned with and received within the first elongated channel  28  of the fastener  16  and the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  are positioned against the outer surface  18  of the hose  12 . Finally, the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  may be securely connected to the outer surface  18  of the hose  12 . 
         [0026]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various techniques may be used for connecting the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  of the fastener  16  to the outer surface  18  of the hose  12 . In one aspect, the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  of the fastener  16  may be connected to the outer surface  18  of the hose  12  with an adhesive (e.g., a cyanoacrylate glue). In another aspect, the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  of the fastener  16  may be connected to the outer surface  18  of the hose  12  using a welding technique (e.g., ultrasonic welding). In another aspect, the bonding surfaces  32 ,  34  of the fastener  16  may be connected to the outer surface  18  of the hose  12  using fastening devices, such as staples, pins, rivets or the like. 
         [0027]    Accordingly, in the assembled configuration ( FIG. 1 ), the second elongated channel  30  of the fastener  16  may be axially aligned with the hose  12 , thereby facilitating flexing of the fastener  16  to accommodate the curvature of the outer surface  18  of the hose  12 , as shown by arrows C 1  and C 2  in  FIG. 3 . As such, a single fastener  16  may be used with hoses  12  of various sizes, thereby reducing manufacturing and tooling costs. 
         [0028]    Although various aspects of the disclosed hose-clamp assembly have been shown and described, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.