Abstract:
A U-clamp which has an adapter plate attached to the U-clamp to securely mount the U-clamp to a supporting surface.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates, in general, to clamps, and, in particular, to U-clamps with an adapter to attach the clamp to a supporting surface. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     In the prior art various types of clamps have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,050 to Offterdinger discloses a U-clamp with an arcuate saddle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,288 to Jones discloses a U-clamp with a saddle having hexagonal sleeves to transform torque on the ends of the saddle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,022 to Norton discloses a U-clamp with a flattened interior surface which allows even distribution of the load from the clamping forces. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,188 to Ginter Jr discloses a double U-clamp which is formed from a single one-piece blank. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a U-clamp which has an adapter plate attached to the U-clamp to securely mount the U-clamp to a supporting surface. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved a new and improved U-clamp. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved U-clamp which can be used to secure automotive exhaust systems. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved U-clamp which can be used to secure automotive exhaust systems quickly and easily. 
    
    
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded front view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the adapter used with the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows the U-clamp of the present invention. The present invention is designed to be used to secure an automobile exhaust system to the underside of the automobile. The use of U-clamps to perform this function is not per se new, as evidenced by the prior art cited above. However, when a mechanic tries to install a U-clamp onto the automobile exhaust system it is difficult for the mechanic to hold the exhaust system and the U-clamp in place while attempting to screw on the nuts to secure the U-clamp to the exhaust system. 
     The present invention is designed to overcome this problem. The present invention  1  has a conventional U-clamp  5  which has a curved base and two arms extending therefrom. The ends  6  of the arms have external threads which will accept the nuts  8 . A clamping plate  7  is placed onto the arms and secured thereto by the nuts  8 . Since the U-clamp is conventional no further description is necessary. 
     In order to hold the U-clamp  1  of the present invention securely in place so it is easier to attach it to a conventional automobile exhaust system, a base plate  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  9  (as seen in FIG. 2) is employed. As shown in FIG. 1, the base plate  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  9  is secured to the curved portion of the U-clamp  5  at approximately the center of the base plate. This location is indicated by the dotted lines  11  in FIG.  2 . The base plate  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  9  can be secured to the curved portion of the U-clamp  5  in any conventional manner such as, but not limited to welding. 
     As seen in FIG. 2, the base plate is formed as a cross with four wings or arms  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  9 , respectfully. Each of the arms  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  9  is provided with an aperture  10 . A screw  9 , only one of which is shown, (see FIG. 1) is passed through each of the apertures and secured to a portion of the automobile in a position where the U-clamp is needed. This will position and hold the curved portion of the U-clamp  5  so the mechanic will not have to hold it in place. Once the U-clamp  5  is attached to the underside of the automobile by the screws  9 , the mechanic merely has to place the portion of the exhaust system to be secured, slide on the plate  7  and secure the nuts  8  to firmly clamp everything in place. 
     Although the U-clamp with adapter and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention.