Patent Publication Number: US-2022212315-A1

Title: Modular Single-Handed Clamping Apparatus and Method

Description:
RELATED MATTERS 
     This application is a nonprovisional patent application which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/266,822, filed on Dec. 14, 2015, entitled “Clamping Apparatus and Method,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/289,487, filed on Feb. 1, 2016, entitled “Clamping Apparatus and Method,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/957,377, filed Jan. 6, 2020, entitled “Modular Single-Handed Clamping Apparatus and Method,” the disclosure of which being herein incorporated by reference, and that builds upon technology contained in utility U.S. Pat. No. 10,307,893 B2 granted Jun. 4, 2019, entitled “Clamping Apparatus and Method,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY 
     The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to clamps. More particularly, the subject matter relates to a modular, and/or power tool compatible, and/or single hand operated, and/or surface mounted clamp. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Existing individual clamps are limited in applications. These clamps have fixed clamping surfaces and structures that limit their ability to be used for different applications which require different clamping surfaces, features, and/or structure. This causes many projects to require the use of a variety of types of clamps. Existing multi-purpose clamps that allow for additional clamp surfaces or features to be used do so in a way that limits how much the clamp may be modified to fit additional applications. 
     In addition, existing clamps which offer power tool compatibility do so in a manner that requires two hand operation with one hand holding the clamp and the other holding the power tool. Existing locking clamps which allow for single hand operation are limited in clamp force by the operators grip strength. 
     In addition, existing surface mounted clamps are limited to manual screw, or toggle mechanism which are either slow or offer little clamping force. Alternative surface mounted clamps including hydraulic and pneumatic clamps have high price points, long setup times, cumbersome equipment, and require significant maintenance. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     According to one embodiment, a clamping apparatus comprises: an upper jaw structure having a hinge end, clamp end and a nut located between; a lower jaw structure having a hinge end, a clamp end and nut located between; an elongated element threadably engaged with the nuts of the upper and lower jaw structure whereas, rotation of the elongated element in the first direction causes the clamp ends of the upper and lower jaw structures to move closer to one another whereas, the elongated element may be oriented parallel to the direction of the clamp end actuation of the upper and lower jaw structures whereas, the elongated element includes ends having various shapes; one end may be configured to join with a safety stop and one end configured with a hexagonal shape to receive, and depending upon the tool, be retained by the tool while facilitating release when desirable; the tool being used to rotate the threadably engaged elongated element; the safety stop being configured to prevent the gap between the hinge and the threadably engaged elongated element from closing beyond a predetermined amount; the tool selected from the group which may consist of hand tools and power tools including for example a wrench, ratchet, breaker bar, an impact wrench, an impact driver, and a drill; the safety stop may be configured to receive an elongated element configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of an additional tool which facilitates the rotation of the threadably engaged elongated element; the clamp ends of the upper and lower jaw structures are configured with an elongated element configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of an additional tool which facilitate attaching and interchanging shoes; the shoes may for example be configured to facilitate any of the following: clamping round surfaces, increasing clearance, transferring electrical current, mounting to a surface, delivering uniform clamping pressure over an extended length, or conducting heat away from clamped material; the jaw structures may be configured to receive additional elongated elements which may provide a means of attaching accessories to facilitate additional capabilities; any of the jaw structure elongated elements utilized in the clamping apparatus may be configured to facilitate resisting undesired removal while permitting desired removal without the necessity of an additional tool; a hinge located at the hinge ends of the upper and lower jaw structure, the hinge providing for rotation of the upper jaw structure with respect to the lower jaw structure; the hinge connection consisting of an elongated element configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of an additional tool; the hinge may facilitate removing and interchanging the upper jaw structure as well as attaching clamping accessories; additional upper jaw structures may for example be configured to facilitate increasing clearance; the upper jaw structure may also be configured with alternative lower jaw structure profiles and threadably engaged elongated elements; additional lower jaw structures for example may be configured to facilitate alternative clamping apparatus orientations or mounting to a surface; One alternative lower jaw structure differs in that the nut and hinge have swapped their described positions. This jaw structure has a clamp end, nut end and hinge located between; in this configuration the elongated element threadably engaged with the nuts of the upper and alternate lower jaw structures may for example be oriented perpendicular to the direction of actuation of the clamp end of the upper and lower jaw structures; wherein rotation in the first direction of the threadably engaged elongated element still causes the clamp ends of the upper and alternate lower jaw structure to move closer together; A second alternative lower jaw structure differs in that it has substituted a surface mount for its clamp end. This jaw structure has a surface mount end, nut end and hinge located between; in this configuration the loads of the clamp end of the upper jaw structure push on the mounted surface and are transferred through the surface to the mount end of the second alternate lower jaw structure; rotation in the first direction of the threadably engaged elongated element causes the clamp end to move toward the mount surface; all of the previously mentioned clamping apparatus configurations may facilitate single hand power tool operation with an accessory that prevents the free rotation of the clamping apparatus relative to a power tool which may be rotating the threadably engaged elongated element; this capability facilitates single hand operation with a retained power tool. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a side view of a clamping apparatus in an open state in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a side view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in a closed state in accordance to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a cross sectional view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state in accordance to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with the upper and lower clamp shoes, upper and lower shoe elongated elements, hinge element, and elongated T-handle element removed in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state operated with a hand tool and the elongated handle element bar in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state being operated with a power tool while the elongated handle element is removed in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  depicts a side view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with a potential clamp shoe configured to facilitate the clamping of rounded surfaces. The shoe has been installed in an orientation that accommodates larger diameter rounded surfaces in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  depicts a side view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with the potential clamp shoe of  FIG. 7  installed in an orientation that accommodates clamping smaller diameter rounded surfaces in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with another potential clamp shoe design which may be configured to facilitate increased clearance in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with the potential clamp shoe design from  FIG. 7  and another potential clamp shoe design which may be configured to facilitate the transfer of electric current to the clamped material in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with another potential clamp shoe design which may be configured to facilitate the transfer of substantial electric current to the clamped material in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with another potential clamp shoe design which may be configured to facilitate mounting the clamp to a surface in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  depicts a side view of a clamping apparatus in an open state consisting of two clamping apparatuses from  FIG. 1  with another potential clamp shoe design which may be configured to facilitate connecting two clamping apparatuses and applying clamping force over an extended length in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 14  depicts a side view of a clamping apparatus in an open state consisting of two clamping apparatuses from  FIG. 1  with another potential clamp shoe design which may be configured to facilitate connecting two clamping apparatuses and conducting heat away from the clamped material over an extended length in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 15  depicts a side view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with a potential clamp accessory design which may be configured to facilitate another clamping pad which actuates perpendicular to the direction of actuation of the upper and lower clamping jaws in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 16  depicts a side view of a clamping apparatus in an open state consisting of two clamping apparatuses from  FIG. 16  which are connected by two potential clamp shoe designs from  FIG. 15  which may be configured to facilitate applying clamping force from four directions in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 17  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  with another potential clamp accessory design which may be configured to facilitate increasing the clamping reach length in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 18  depicts an isometric view of a clamping apparatus in an open state consisting of two clamping apparatuses from  FIG. 1  which are connected by another potential accessory which may be configured to facilitate aligning two clamped elements at specific angles in relation to each other in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 19  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  with another potential upper clamp profile which may be configured to facilitate increasing clearance in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 20  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  with another potential lower clamp profile and core elongated drive which may be configured to facilitate use of the clamp in another orientation with the elongated element perpendicular to the direction of actuation of the upper and lower clamp jaws in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 21  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  with another potential lower clamp profile which may be configured to facilitate mounting the clamping apparatus onto a surface in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 22  depicts a hidden part isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with another potential clamp accessory in a detached state which may be configured to facilitate single-handed use of the clamp with a power tool in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 23  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 22  in an open and attached state in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 24  depicts an isometric view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 22  in a closed and attached state in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 25  depicts a side view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 1  in an open state with another potential clamp accessory which may be configured to facilitate single-handed use of the clamp with a power tool in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 26  depicts a cross sectional side view of the clamping apparatus of  FIG. 25  in an open state in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     Thus, a clamping apparatus which offers increased modularity and single-handed power tool operation would be well received in the art. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A first embodiment of a clamping apparatus  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-27 . Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4  showing one configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  having a lower jaw structure  24  and upper jaw structure  26 . The lower jaw structure and upper jaw structure  24 ,  26  are attached in a pivotable manner at a hinge  20  located at the first end of the upper jaw and lower jaw  24 ,  26 . The hinge connection  20  may be cylindrical which facilitates the rotation of the lower jaw structure  24  in respect to the upper jaw structure  26 . The hinge  20  may be configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of additional tools from upper and lower jaw  24 ,  26 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The lower jaw structure  24  has a lower jaw elongated element  16  which may facilitate attaching a lower clamp jaw  12 . The lower jaw elongated element  16  may be configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of additional tools from the lower jaw structure  24  to facilitate removing the lower clamp shoe  12 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , and replacing it with another potential lower clamp shoe design. The lower jaw structure  24  consists of two parallel plate elements  24   a,    24   b.  These plate elements  24   a,    24   b  in the lower jaw structure  24  are connected by perpendicular plate elements  28 ,  30 . Between plate elements  28 ,  30  is a lower nut  48  which may be attached to the lower jaw structure  24  in way which may facilitate rotating in relation to the lower jaw structure  24 . The lower nut  48  may be threadably attached to elongated element  52 . The upper jaw structure  26  has an upper jaw elongated element  18  which may facilitate attaching an upper clamp shoe  14 . The upper jaw elongated element  18  may be configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of additional tools from the upper jaw structure  26  to facilitate removing the upper clamp jaw  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , and replacing it with another potential upper clamp shoe design. The upper jaw structure  26  consists of two parallel plate elements  26   a,    26   b.  These plate elements in the upper structure jaw structure  26   a,    26   b  are connected by perpendicular plate elements  32 ,  34 . Between plate elements  32 ,  34  is an upper nut  50  which may be attached to the upper jaw structure  26  in way which may facilitate rotating in relation to the upper jaw structure  26 . The upper nut  50  may be threadably attached to the threaded elongated element  52 . The lower jaw structure  24  may include additional holes  36 ,  40 ,  44  which may facilitate attaching additional potential clamping apparatus accessories and jaws. Hole  36  may be located between lower nut  48  and plate element  30 . Hole  40  may be located between plate element  28  and lower jaw elongated element  16 . Hole  44  may be located between lower nut  48  and plate element  28 . The upper jaw structure  26  may include additional holes  38 ,  42 ,  46  which may facilitate attaching additional potential clamping apparatus accessories and jaws. Hole  38  may be located between upper nut  50  and plate element  34 . Hole  40  may be located between plate element  32  and upper jaw elongated element  18 . Hole  46  may be located between upper nut  50  and plate element  32 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the clamping apparatus  10  may include an elongated element  52  configured as a turnbuckle screw. As elongated element  52  is rotated in one direction, the distance between lower clamp jaw  12  and upper clamp jaw  14  may reduce. The lower nut and upper nut  48 ,  50  may each include an elongated structure having a widened portion closer to the outer edges of the lower jaw structure and upper jaw structure  24 ,  26 . The lower nut and upper nut  48 ,  50  may include threads closer to the inner edges of the lower jaw structure and upper jaw structure  24 ,  26 . Within the widened portion of the lower nut and upper nut  48 ,  50  there may be an opening which may be configured as a bore, hollow, gap, void, or the like. The opening may be configured to receive a safety stop  56 . The safety stop  56  may be attached to the elongated element  52  and create a shoulder of greater diameter. The safety stop  56  may operate in conjunction with the opening in the lower nut  48  to facilitate preventing the hinge  20  from approaching the elongated element  52  beyond a predetermined amount. This distance may be greater than one inch, for example, to prevent the clamping apparatus  10  from applying pressure to the person or thing holding the clamping apparatus  10  while the distance between the lower clamp jaw  12  and upper clamp jaw  14  is increasing. The safety stop  56  may have a hole configured to receive elongated element  22 . Elongated element  22  may be configured to facilitate the rotation of elongated element  52 . The elongated element  22  may also be configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of additional tools. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . In operation the clamping apparatus  10  may accept a socket  66  on elongated element  54  to facilitate the use of hand tool  64  to rotate elongated element  52 . The elongated element  22  may be configured to react torque from hand tool  64 . The elongated element  22  shown in  FIG. 1  being inserted into hole  62  in the safety stop  56  may also be inserted into holes  38 ,  36 ,  46 ,  44 ,  42 , or  40 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . In operation the clamping apparatus  10  elongated element  54  may be inserted into power tool chuck  70  to facilitate the use of power tool  68  to rotate core elongated element  52 . The circumferential groove around the external radius of elongated element  54  may facilitate for elongated element  54  to be retained when desired and detached when desired by power tool chuck  70 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 7-8  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential shoe design  72  which may be configured to facilitate the clamping of rounded surfaces. Clamp jaw elongated element  74  may be configured to facilitate preventing potential shoe design  72  from rotating in relation to clamp jaw elongated element  18 . Potential shoe design  72  may be configured as shown in  FIG. 7  to facilitate the clamping of rounded surfaces with larger diameters. Potential shoe design  72  may also be configured as shown in  FIG. 8  to facilitate the clamping of rounded surfaces with smaller diameters. Clamp jaw elongated elements  18 ,  74  may be configured to resist undesired removal while facilitating desired removal to facilitate the interchanging of clamp jaws or changing the configuration of potential clamp jaw  72 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with potential shoe designs  76 ,  78  which consist of elongated elements which may be configured to facilitate increasing clearance. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential shoe design  80  which may facilitate the transfer of electric current to a clamped material which for example may be used for welding or grounding applications. Elongated element  82  may be used in conjunction with element  84  to force the contact of electrical contact  86  to potential shoe design  80 . Electrical contact  86  may be configured to be connected to wire  88  to facilitate the transfer of electric current between wire  88  and potential shoe design  80 . Potential shoe design  80  may be configured with potential shoe design  72  to facilitate the transfer of electric current to rounded surfaces. Potential shoe design  80  may also be configured with potential shoe design  12  which is shown in  FIG. 1  to facilitate the transfer of electric current to flat surfaces. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with potential shoe designs  90 ,  100  which may facilitate the transfer of substantial electric current to a clamped material which for example may be used for welding or grounding applications. Elongated elements  92 ,  102  may be configured to secure and enforce a contact to facilitate the transfer of electric current between wires  94 ,  104  and potential shoe designs  90 ,  100 . Wires  94 ,  104  may be configured to be guided to the back of the clamp by clips  96 ,  106  which may be attached to holes  36 ,  38  using elongated elements  98 ,  108 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential lower shoe design  110 . Potential lower shoe design  110  may consist of an elongated flat profile with a hole  112  which may be used for example to secure the clamp to the underside of a surface. One method for mounting the clamping apparatus  10  may be to use an elongated element in combination with hole  112 . Another example of a method of mounting the clamping apparatus may be to weld or use adhesive to attach clamp shoe  110  to a surface. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 13  showing the use of two clamping apparatus  10  in another configuration. Two mirroring clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential upper shoe design  118 . Potential upper shoe design  118  may be configured to attach to the upper clamp shoe elongated elements of  18   a,    18   b  of two mirroring clamping apparatus  10  at opposite ends of the potential upper shoe design  118 . Upper shoe  118  may be configured to facilitate the application of clamping pressure over the length of upper shoe  118  between the two upper elongated elements  18   a,    18   b.    
     Referring now to  FIG. 14  showing the use of two clamping apparatus  10  which is similar to the configuration in  FIG. 13 . Two mirroring clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential upper shoe design  120 . Upper shoe design  120  may be configured to attach to the upper clamp shoe elongated elements  18   a,    18   b  of two mirroring clamping apparatus  10   18   a,    18   b  at opposite ends of the potential upper shoe design  120 . Potential upper shoe design  120  may be configured to facilitate the conduction of heat away from the clamped material to the potential upper shoe design  120 . Potential upper shoe design  120  may use a thermally conductive material such as aluminum or brass and make contact with the clamped material using a flat surface. Potential upper shoe design  120  may be configured with parallel fins that extend above the flat surface which facilitate the dissipation of heat away from the clamped material. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 15  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with clamping accessory  122  attached to hinge  20 . Clamp accessory  122  may threadably attached to elongated element  124  to facilitate linear actuation in a direction perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the direction of actuation of the lower and upper clamp shoes  12 ,  14 . Clamp pad  126  may be configured with elongated element  124  to facilitate the use of an additional clamping contact element. Elongated element  22   b  may be configured to facilitate the rotation and linear actuation of elongated element  124 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 16  showing the use of two clamping apparatus  10  in another configuration which incorporates two of the potential clamping apparatus shoe designs  120   a,    120   b  from  FIG. 15  and two of the clamping accessory configurations incorporating the potential clamping accessory designs  122 ,  124 ,  126  from  FIG. 16 . The potential clamp shoe design  120   a,    120   b  and clamp pads  126   a,    126   b  may be configured to facilitate applying clamping force on four sides. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 17  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential lower clamping accessory design which consists of two parallel plates  128   a,    128   b  which may be formed such that they incorporate a bent portion between the elongated element  138  and the potential lower clamp shoe  12  which reduces the distance between the two parallel plates  128   a,    128   b  such that at the location of the potential lower clamp shoe design  12  the distance between the two parallel plates  128   a,    128   b  matches the distance between the two parallel plates  24   a,    24   b  as shown in  FIG. 1  to facilitate the use of potential lower clamp shoe design  12  as well as the other potential lower clamp shoe designs. These plate elements  128   a,    128   b  in the lower structure may be connected by perpendicular plate elements  130 ,  132  to facilitate increasing the torsional resistance for the clamping apparatus lower accessory. Clamping apparatus  10  be configured with another potential upper clamping accessory design which consists of two parallel plates  128   c,    128   d  which may be formed such that they incorporate a bent portion between the elongated element  140  and the potential upper clamp shoe  14  which reduces the distance between the two parallel plates  128   a,    128   b  such that at the location of the potential upper clamp shoe design  14  the distance between the two parallel plates  128   c,    128   d  matches the distance between the two parallel plates  26   a,    26   b  to facilitate the use of potential upper clamp shoe design  14  as well as the other potential upper clamp shoe designs. These plate elements  128   c,    128   d  in the upper accessory may be connected by perpendicular plate elements  134 ,  136  to facilitate increasing the torsional resistance for the clamping apparatus upper accessory. The potential lower clamping accessory may be connected to lower jaw structure  24  through the use of elongated elements  138  and elongated element  142  using lower jaw structure hole  36  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The potential upper clamping accessory may be connected to upper jaw structure  26  through the use of elongated elements  140  and elongated element  144  using lower jaw structure hole  38  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The hole  146  in the clamping apparatus lower accessory may facilitate the use of potential shoe designs  72  as shown in  FIGS. 7-8  and other similar potential shoe designs. The hole  148  in the clamping apparatus upper accessory may facilitate the use of potential shoe designs  72  as shown in  FIGS. 7-8  and other similar potential shoe designs. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 18  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential lower shoe design  150 . Lower shoe design  150   a,    150   b  may be configured to attach to the lower clamp jaw elongated elements of two clamps  16   a,    16   b  to form another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . The lower shoe designs  150   a,    150   b  may be pivotably connected with hinge  154  to facilitate the rotation of lower shoe designs  150   a  in relation to lower shoe design  150   b.  Slotted elongated element  152   a,    152   b  may be configured to facilitate securing the angle between lower shoe designs  150   a,    150   b  using elongated elements  156   a,    156   b.  Clamp pads  158   a,    158   b  may be configured to facilitate the alignment of clamped elongated elements at various angles in relation to each other. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 19  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential upper jaw structure  160  which facilitates increased clearance for some applications. Potential upper jaw structures  160   a,    160   b  may be connected with perpendicular plate elements  32 ,  34 . The hinge  20  may be removed when desired to facilitate removal of potential upper jaw structure  160  from core elongated element  52 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 20  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential lower jaw structure  162  and threaded elongated element  164  with upper jaw structure  26  to facilitate another clamping orientation relative to the threaded elongated element  164 . Potential lower jaw structures  162   a,    162   b  may be connected with perpendicular plate elements  28 ,  30 . Hinge  20  may be removed when desired to facilitate removing upper jaw structure  26  from lower jaw structure  162 . Lower jaw structure  162  may include holes  166 ,  168 ,  170  which may facilitate the use of the potential clamp accessories designs for lower jaw structure  162 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 21  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential lower jaw structure  172  and use the core elongated element  164  from  FIG. 21  with upper jaw structure  26  to facilitate mounting to a surface. Potential lower jaw structure  172  may connect with perpendicular plate element  30 . Hinge  20  may be removed when desired to facilitate removing upper jaw structure  26  from lower jaw structure  172 . Lower jaw structure  172  may connect with elongated element  174  to mount to surface  114 . Lower jaw structure  172  may also be attached to a surface using welding or adhesive. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 22-24  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Clamping apparatus  10  may be configured with another potential clamping apparatus accessory consisting of elements which facilitates preventing the clamping apparatus  10  from rotating in relation to power tool  68 . Elongated element  176  may be configured to attach elongated element  178  pivotably to upper jaw structure  26  at hole  38 . Elongated element  176  may be configured to resist undesired removal but facilitate desired removal without the necessity of additional tools from upper jaw structure  26 . Hinge  180  may be configured to pivotably attach elongated element  178  to elongated element  182 . Elongated element  186  may be configured to be pivotably attached to elongated element  182  with hinge  184 . Spring element  190  may be configured to facilitate increasing the angle between elongated element  178  and elongated element  182  to maintain retention of elongated element  186  in retention element  188 . During open and closing operation of the clamp apparatus  10 , the geometric relationship of the impact wrench  68  and structural jaw  26  changes. The single hand use hinge assembly is designed to accommodate these geometry changes. In addition, the single hand use hinge assembly is designed to be easily engaged with the power tool  68 . This is accomplished by limiting the angular deflection at hinges  180  and  184 . Power tool chuck  70  may prevent undesired removal while allowing desired removal of elongated element  54 . While power tool chuck  70  is retaining elongated element  54  and while elongated elements  186  is in retention element  188  this configuration may facilitate single hand use of clamping apparatus  10  with power tool  68 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 25-26  showing another configuration of clamping apparatus  10 . Power tool  68  may be configured with elongated element  192  which may be retained by retention element  188  to prevent undesirable removal while facilitating desired removal. Elongated element  192  may be configured to facilitate the prevention clamping apparatus  10  from rotating in relation to power tool  68  due to contact with upper jaw structure  26 . Power tool chuck  70  may retain and prevent undesired removal and allow desired removal of elongated element  54 . While power tool chuck  70  is retaining elongated element  54  and while elongated elements  192  is inserted into retention element  188  such that elongated element  192  may contact upper jaw structure  26  this configuration may facilitate single hand use of clamping apparatus  10  with power tool  68 .