Patent Publication Number: US-2006012170-A1

Title: Fitter clamp for a pipe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a pipe fitter clamp for a pipe, and more particularly, to a pipe fitter clamp for a pipe providing a more firm holding force by increasing a contact area of a pipe.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In general, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a conventional pipe fitter clamp  100  includes a vertical body  110  and a circumferential body  120 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , which is fixedly installed by a guide  4  and an O-ring  5  between a female bracket  2  and a male bracket  3  coupled each other to allow forward insertion of a pipe  1  but prevent backward escape thereof.  
      Here, the vertical body  110  is cylindrical fixed to an inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3 . The circumferential body  120  has an inclined shape and is split into a plurality of pieces by an allowance slit  120   a  radially arranged from the inner diameter of the circumferential body  120  so as to allow forward insertion of the pipe  1  but prevent backward escape thereof.  
      That is, the allowance slit  120   a  is formed to cross the circumferential body  120  so that, when the pipe  1  is forwardly inserted, the respective pieces of the circumferential body  120  are elastically deformed to always hold the pipe  1  by a restoring force.  
      However, the length of the conventional pipe fitter clamp  100  cannot be increased since the length of the allowance slit  120   a  is restricted by the circumferential body  120 . Accordingly, in order for the respective pieces of the circumferential body  120  to have sufficient elasticity, the number of the allowance slit  120   a  must be increased. When the number of the allowance slit  120   a  is increased, a space between the pieces increases due to the allowance slit  120   a  so that a contact area of the pipe  1  decreases. Thus, to increase a pipe holding force, a saw-toothed blade  120   b  triangularly cut is formed on a contact surface of the circumferential body  120  contacting the pipe  1 . However, the saw-toothed blade  120   b  only penetrates the pipe  1  leaving a cut. Actual effect of increasing a holding force is slight.  
      Therefore, the conventional pipe fitter clamp  100  is not stable since the holding force is weak due to a small contact area of the pipe  1 . Moreover, since the saw-toothed blade  120   b  leaves a cut on the surface of the pipe  1 , the pipe  1  is damaged or leaks fluid material.  
      Furthermore, an additional process of processing the saw-toothed blade  120   b  is needed. The manufacturing cost increases due to deformation in the thickness or shape generated during drawing work to form the vertical body  110  which is cylindrical. The productivity, precision, and quality of products are remarkably lowered. There is a limit in the drawing work when product of various specifications are manufactured.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe fitter clamp in which the length of an allowance slit is increased by reducing the number of the allowance slit so that the contact area of a pipe is increased, thus providing stability and a firm holding force, and which does not leave cuts on the surface of the pipe so that damage to the pipe or leakage of fluid material can be prevented.  
      Also, it is another object of the present invention to provide a pipe fitter clamp which does not need an additional process such as a blade process, can be easily manufactured by a cut process and a bending process using a plate so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced, increases productivity, improves precision and quality of a product with uniform thickness or shape, and facilitates manufacturing of products of various specifications.  
      To achieve the above objects, there is provided a pipe fitter clamp fixedly installed between a female bracket and a male bracket which are coupled each other to allow forward insertion of a pipe and prevent backward escape of the pipe and pressing and fixing the inserted pipe, the pipe fitter clamp comprising a ring shape body having an inner diametric portion contacting the pipe and at least one allowance slit formed in an outer diametric direction from the inner diametric portion to enable diametric extension of the inner diametric portion, and at least one allowance slit extension portion protruding from the body to have an extended allowance slit in which the length of the allowance slit is extended over an outer diameter of the body, extended and connected to have a shape of encompassing an outside of the extended allowance slit, and bent by a predetermined angle with respect to the body so as to be elastically deformed.  
      A circumferential surface of the body has an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle to resist backward escape of the inserted pipe, the allowance slit is radially formed at an identical angle and identical distance with respect to the body, the allowance slit extension portion has an extended allowance slit connected to the allowance slit of the body, bent by a predetermined angle with respect to the body, and has a round hole formed an end portion of the extended allowance slit to prevent concentration of stress and improve deformability, and the body and the allowance slit extension portion are manufactured of a stainless steel spring plate which is thermally treated so as to be elastically deformed with each other.  
      The pipe fitter clamp further comprises an auxiliary extension portion having the same outer side as that of the allowance slit extension portion, bent by the same angle as that of the allowance slit extension portion so as to be elastically deformable, and having no allowance slit.  
      The body and the allowance slit extension portion are formed by punching an inner diametric portion of the body in a stainless steel spring plate, forming an allowance slit by radially cutting the inner diametric portion at an identical angle, lifting off an outer portion of the body and the allowance slit extension portion except for an connection portion, bending the allowance slit extension portion with respect to the body fixed to the steel plate by the connection portion, and cutting the connection portion to lift off the body and the allowance slit extension portion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a conventional pipe fitter clamp;  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the pipe fitter clamp of  FIG. 1  is coupled between the female bracket and the male bracket;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a pipe fitter clamp according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a pipe fitter clamp according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the pipe fitter clamp of  FIG. 4  is coupled between the female bracket and the male bracket;  
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged sectional view of the portion A of  FIG. 5 ;  
       FIGS. 7 through 11  are enlarged sectional views illustrating various preferred embodiments of  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view illustrating a pipe fitter clamp according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 13  is a side sectional view illustrating the operation state of  FIG. 12 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Hereinafter, pipe fitter clamps according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
      First, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a pipe fitter clamp  10  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is fixedly installed between a female bracket  2  and a male bracket  3  of  FIG. 5  coupled each other to allow forward insertion of a pipe  1  and prevent backward escape thereof to press and fix the inserted pipe  1 . The pipe fitter clamp  10  includes a body  11  and an allowance slit extension portion  12 .  
      That is, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the body  11  has an inner diametric portion  11   a  contacting the pipe  1  and has a ring shape where at least one (three in the drawing) allowance slit  11   b  is formed from the inner diametric portion  11   a  toward the outer diametric side so that the diameter of the inner diametric portion  11   a  can be extended. A circumferential surface of the body  11  has an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle to resist the backward escape of the inserted pipe  1 . The allowance slit  11   b  is formed by radially cutting the body  11  at the identical angle and the identical distance.  
      Also, the allowance slit extension portion  12  protrudes outwardly from the body  11  to have an extended allowance slit  12   b , such that the length of the allowance slit  11   b  is extended over the outer diameter of the body  11 , and encompass the extended allowance slit  12   b . Also, the allowance slit extension portion  12  is bent by a predetermined angle with respect to the body  11  so as to be elastically deformed. The extended allowance slit  12   b  is connected to the allowance slit  11   b  of the body  11 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the allowance slit extension portion  12  is bent by a predetermined angle with respect to the body  11 .  
      In the meantime, although not shown in the drawings, a round hole may be formed at the end portion of the extended allowance slit  12   b  to prevent concentration of stress and improve deformability. The technology concerning the round hole is a technology applied to a round hole formed at the end tip of an ink slit of the tip where ink adheres in a fountain pen, which is a technology changed and modified by those skilled in the art.  
      Also, the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12  are made of a stainless steel spring plate which is thermally treated so that they can be elastically deformed.  
      Thus, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12  are disposed between the female bracket  2  and the male bracket  3 . When the female bracket  2  and the male bracket  3  closely contact each other, the pipe  1  is sealed by the O-ring  5  and simultaneously pressed by the guide  
      Here, the end portion of the allowance slit extension portion  12  is supported by being caught by an inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3 . The body  11  is manufactured to have a diameter less than the outer diameter of the pipe  1  so as to be installed around the pipe  1  by being pushed in a direction along the pipe  1 .  
      When the pipe  1  is forwardly inserted, although the number of the allowance slits is small, the body  11  is sufficiently elastically deformed by the long extended allowance slit  11   b  extended to the allowance slit extension portion  12  and the inner diametric portion  11   a  of the body  11  can firmly hold the outer diametric surface of the pipe  1  by a restoration force.  
      Here, the inner diametric portion  11   a  of the body  11  has a small number of the allowance slit  11   b  and simultaneously has a curved shape where the conventional saw-toothed blade is not formed. Thus, the contact area of the pipe  1  is increased so that the pipe  1  can be stably and firmly hold.  
      In the meantime, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a pipe fitter clamp  10  according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention may further include an auxiliary extension portion  13 , in addition to the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12 . The auxiliary extension portion  13  has the same outer shape as that of the allowance slit extension portion  12  and is bent at the same angel as that of the allowance slit extension portion  12  so as to be elastically deformed, while having neither allowance slit  11   b  nor extended allowance slit  12   b.    
      Thus, by minimizing the number of the allowance slit  11   b  while maximizing the elastic restoration force between the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12 /the auxiliary extension portion  13 , the holding force with respect to the pipe  1  can be reinforced.  
      In the meantime, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12 /the auxiliary extension portion  13  can be manufactured by a simple first bending (shown in  FIG. 6 ) only. In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 7 through 11 , they can be formed by being bent in a number of times at a variety of angles.  
      That is, as shown in  FIG. 7 , to make support by the inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3  further firm, the allowance slit extension portion  12 /the auxiliary extension portion  13  may have an elastic bending portion  14  which is secondly bent at a predetermined angle, at an end portion thereof contacting the inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3 .  
      Also, as shown in  FIG. 8 , to make the support of the inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3  more firm, the allowance slit extension portion  12 /the auxiliary extension portion  13  may have a connection bending portion  15  which is a two-times bending formed at a rear end portion (that is, between the body and the allowance slit extension portion/the auxiliary extension portion) connected to the body  11 .  
      Also, as shown in  FIG. 9 , to further increase a frictional force to the pipe  1 , the body  11  may have a blade bending portion  16  which is two-times bending formed at the inner diametric surface contacting the pipe  1 .  
      In addition, as shown in  FIG. 10 , a three-times bending structure including both the connection bending portion  15  and the blade bending portion  16  is possible. As shown in  FIG. 11 , a four-times bending structure including all the elastic bending portion  14 , the connection bending portion  15 , and the blade bending portion  16  is possible.  
      The shape and type of the bending can be changed and modified by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present invention.  
      Meanwhile, in the manufacturing process of the body and the allowance slit extension portion, first, the inner diametric portion  11   a  of the body  11  is punched in a stainless steel spring plate. The allowance slit  11   b  and the extended allowance slit  12   b  are formed by radially cutting the inner diametric portion  11   a  at the identical angle. The outer portion of the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12  is lifted off. Next, the allowance slit extension potion  12  are bent with respect to the body  11 . Finally, the connection portions are cut so that the body  11  and the allowance slit extension portion  12  are lifted off.  
      Thus, since the pipe fitter clamp is manufactured by cutting and bending a thin plate without using the drawing process, irregular thickness or deformation of the shape which are usually generated during the drawing process do not generated. Thus, very precise quality products can be manufactured and productivity and production cost can be remarkably reduced due to the simplified process.  
      In the meantime, as shown in  FIG. 12 , a pipe fitter clamp  1  according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an oval inner diametric hole  11   d  having a narrower diameter d and a wider diameter D so that the pipe  1  can be forcedly inserted due to the deformation of the body. Two allowance slits  11   b  and extended allowance slits  12   b  are formed in a wider diametric D portion.  
      Also, the allowance slit extension portion  12  is vertically bent at the wider diametric D portion to encompass the extended allowance slit  12   b  to function as the center of rotation. The auxiliary extension portion  13  has an elastic bending portion  14  which is formed by bending the auxiliary extension portion  13  at a narrower diameter d portion so that a restoration force is generated in a direction in which the pipe  1  is forcedly inserted by contacting the inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3 .  
      Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 13 , when the pipe  1  is forcedly pushed, the elastic bending portion  14  is vertically bent so that the extended allowance slit  12   b  is open wide with respect to the allowance slit extension portion  12  supported by the inner diametric step  3   a  of the male bracket  3 . Thus, the pipe  1  can be inserted as the inner diameter, that is, the narrower diameter d, of the body  11  is deformed to be wide.  
      Here, as the body  11  is bent, a restoration force toward the pipe  1  is generated and simultaneously, as the auxiliary extension portion  13  is compressed, a restoration force toward the pipe  1  is generated as well. Thus, the inner hole  11   d  of the body  11  can firmly fix the pipe  1  by pressing the pipe  1  in both directions.  
      While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
      For example, although in the preferred embodiments of the present invention three allowance slit extension portions and three auxiliary extension portions are formed in the ring shaped body, the shape of the body may be changed and the number of the allowance slit extension portion and the auxiliary extension portion can be changed from at least one.  
      Thus, the scope of claiming rights in the present invention will be defined not by the scope of the above description, but by the following claims and the technical concept.  
      As described above, according to the pipe fitter clamp according to the present invention, stability and firm holding force are provided by increasing the contact area of the pipe. Since severe cuts are not generated on the surface of the pipe so that damage to the pipe or leakage of fluid material can be prevented. An additional process such as a blade process is not needed. Products can be easily manufactured by only a cut process and a bending process using a plate. Thus, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, productivity is increased, precision and quality of a product is improved due to uniform thickness or shape, and products of various specifications can be easily manufactured.