Abstract:
A clamp comprises two members ( 12, 14 ), each of which has a plurality of clamping locations. The clamping locations are configured such that the clamp is able to act against articles of various sizes and shapes. In particular, the clamp has an open region ( 66 ) within which curved and irregularly shaped articles can be clamped.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a clamp.  
       BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     It is known to require the use of clamps to hold articles relative to one another. One common use for a clamp is in order to hold an article such as a length of wood in a fixed location, such as against a work bench.  
         [0003]     A known type of clamp is called a “C” clamp. A C clamp comprises a frame having a clamping point, and a clamping member arranged to move within a threaded aperture within the frame towards and away from the clamping point.  
         [0004]     There are several disadvantages with known clamps. These include an inability to successfully clamp items which do not have a flat surface against which a clamping point can rest. A further disadvantage is that the use of known clamps requires locations such as workbenches to be flat near their edge, as the presence of lips and the like can make use of the clamps difficult.  
         [0005]     The present invention attempts to overcome at least in part some of the aforementioned disadvantages of previous clamps.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a clamp comprising a first clamping member and a second clamping member, the first and the second clamping members being relatively rotatable about a pivot, characterised in that at least one of the first and second clamping members has a plurality of clamping locations, the clamping member being movable between a closed position wherein at least one clamping location of the first clamping member is adjacent at least one clamping location of the second clamping member and an open position wherein the clamping locations of the first clamping member are spaced from the clamping locations of the second clamping member, and wherein an open region is defined between the first and second clamping members when in the closed position. Advantageously, this allows for the clamping together of articles of a variety of shapes, with different clamping locations beings arranged to accommodate differently shaped articles.  
         [0007]     Preferably, the first and second clamping members have outer portions which are substantially L-shaped.  
         [0008]     Also preferably, the at least one of the clamping members includes a clamping location comprising a ribbed edge. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a clamp in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an attachment used with the clamp of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the clamp of  FIG. 1  together with the attachment of  FIG. 2 .  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a clamp  10  comprising a first clamping member  12  and a second clamping member  14 .  
         [0014]     The first and second clamping members  12 ,  14  are each comprised of two parallel, congruent side members, a first side member  30 , and a second side member  32 . The side members  30 ,  32  are preferably formed from plate metal material. Alternately, the side members  30 ,  32  may be formed of rigid plastics material. Each first side member  30  is connected to a corresponding second side member  32  by at least one fixed spacer  34 .  
         [0015]     The first clamping member  12  has an inner portion  16  and an outer portion  18 .  
         [0016]     The outer portion  18  is substantially L shaped, with a long arm  20  extending away from the inner portion  16  and a short arm  22  located remote from the inner portion  16 .  
         [0017]     The short arm  22  has an outer end  24 .  
         [0018]     The inner portion  16  is opposed to the short arm  22 , and is located on the same side of the long arm  20  as the short arm  22 . The inner portion  16  is approximately triangular in shape, having a first vertex  26  adjacent the outer portion  18 , a second vertex  28  approximately opposite the outer end  24  of the short arm  22 , thus forming a side of the inner portion approximately equal in length to the short arm  22 , and a third vertex  29  remote from the outer portion  18 .  
         [0019]     The first clamping member  12  further includes first, second and third rotating spacers  36 ,  38  and  40 . The rotating spacers  36 ,  38  and  40  are in the shape of hexagonal prisms, and extend between the first and second side members  30 ,  32 . The rotating spacers  36 ,  38 ,  40  are pivotably connected to the first and second side members  30 ,  32  such that they are able to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the planes of the first and second side members  30 ,  32 .  
         [0020]     The first rotating spacer  36  is located adjacent the third vertex  29  of the inner portion  16 . The second rotating spacer  38  is located adjacent the second vertex  28  of the inner portion  16 . The third rotating spacer  40  is located adjacent the outer end  24  of the short arm  22  of the outer portion  18 . The third rotating spacer  40  is arranged such that it extends partially beyond the outer end  24  of the short arm  22 .  
         [0021]     In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the first and second side members  30 ,  32  of the first clamping member  12  are connected by two fixed spacers  34 , located along the long arm  20  of the outer portion  18 .  
         [0022]     The second clamping member  14  comprises an L-shaped outer portion  42  and an inner portion  44 . The outer portion  42  is substantially identical in size and shape to the outer portion  18  of the first clamping member  12 , and has a long arm  46  and a short arm  48 . The inner portion  44  extends diagonally away from the inner most point of the long arm  46 , in a direction on the same side of the long arm  46  as the short arm  48 .  
         [0023]     The second clamping member  14  is constructed in a similar fashion to the first clamping member  12 , however the spacing between the first side member  30  and the second side member  32  of the second clamping member  14  is slightly smaller than the corresponding spacing in the first clamping member  12 , such that the second clamping member  14  can narrowly fit within the gap between the first and second side members  30 ,  32  of the first clamping member  12 .  
         [0024]     The second clamping member  14  has a single fixed spacer  34  located along the long arm  46 . It has a fourth rotating spacer  54  located at the junction between inner and outer portions  42 ,  44 , and a fifth rotating spacer  56  located adjacent an outer end  57  of the short arm  48  of the outer portion  42 . The fifth rotating spacer  56  is arranged such that it extends partially beyond the outer end  57  of the short arm  48 .  
         [0025]     The clamp  10  is constructed by orienting the first and second clamping members  12 ,  14  towards each other such that the third and fifth rotating spacers  40 ,  56  are adjacent. The second clamping member  14  is connected to the first clamping member  12  at the third rotating spacer  38 . The first and second side members  30 ,  32  of the second clamping member  14  each have apertures through which the third rotating spacer  38  passes. In this way, the second clamping member  14  is able to rotate relative to the first clamping member  12  about the third rotating spacer  38 , which acts as a pivot. Each of the first spacer  36  and the fourth spacer  54  have an aperture passing between opposed side faces thereof. The apertures are of the same dimension, and are arranged such that when the first and fourth spacers  36 ,  54  are rotated to appropriate positions the apertures are aligned.  
         [0026]     An adjusting bolt  58  is engaged within the apertures of the first and fourth bolts  36 ,  54 . The adjusting bolt  58  is externally threaded, and the aperture of the first spacer  36  is internally threaded so as to complement the adjusting bolt  58 . The adjusting bolt  58  has a first end which is held within the fourth spacer  54 , and is able to rotate within the aperture of the fourth spacer  54 . The adjusting bolt has a second end located outside the inner portion  16  of the first clamping member  12 , the second end having a handle  60  associated therewith to assist in rotation of the adjusting bolt  58 .  
         [0027]     The first and second clamping members  12 ,  14  each include ribbed clamping edges  62  located along the long arms  20 ,  46  of both the first and second side members  30 ,  32 . The clamping edges  62  are located along internally facing edges of the long arms  20 ,  46 , so that the clamping edges  62  of the first clamping member  12  are oriented towards the clamping edges  62  of the second clamping member  14 .  
         [0028]     An aperture  64  passes through the first clamping member  12  centrally of the inner portion  16 .  
         [0029]     In use, the clamp  10  operates between a closed position and an open position. The closed position is characterised by the relative rotation of the first and second clamping members  12 ,  14  to a position wherein the third spacer  40  and the fifth spacer  56  are adjacent one another. It will be understood that the L-shaped nature of the outer portions  18 ,  42  results in an open region  66  being defined between the clamping edges  62 .  
         [0030]     Relative rotation of the clamping members  12 ,  14  is achieved about the second spacer  38 . The relative position of the clamping members  12 ,  14  about the second spacer  38  is determined by the length of the adjusting bolt  58  which is between the first and fourth spacers  36 ,  54 . As this length is decreased, by winding of the adjusting bolt  58  resulting in movement of the first spacer  36  along the adjusting bolt  58 , the clamp  10  is moved into an open position wherein the third and fifth spacers  40 ,  56  are spaced from each other.  
         [0031]     It will be appreciated that the clamp  10  can be used in a number of different applications. In particular, it will be appreciated that both the first and the second clamping members  12 ,  14  have a number of clamping locations against which articles can be clamped. The third and fifth spacers  40 ,  56  can function as first and second clamping locations, allowing articles to be clamped therebetween. Rotation of the third and fifth spacers  40 ,  56  allows one side of the third spacer  40  to be brought into a position substantially parallel to one side of the fifth spacer. This allows flat articles to be clamped together.  
         [0032]     Where the flat surfaces of articles being clamped are not parallel, one of the third and fifth spacers  40 ,  56  can rotate accordingly  
         [0033]     Where one article is a table surface having a lip, the design of the clamp  10  allows the lip to lie within the open region  66 .  
         [0034]     Where one article is not flat, the clamp  10  can be arranged so that the article is within the open region  66 . The internal junction of the long and short arms  20 ,  22  of the first clamping member  12 , forms a third clamping location against which such an article may be clamped, with the corresponding junction between arms  46  and  48  of the second clamping member  14  forming a fourth clamping location. The ribbed clamping edges  62  of the first and second clamping members  12 ,  14  form fifth and sixth clamping locations respectively.  
         [0035]     The aperture  64  may be used for hanging the clamp  10  when not in use.  
         [0036]     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , there is shown an attachment  70  for use with the clamp  10 . The attachment  70  is comprised of two parallel, congruent side members  72 ,  74 , preferably formed from plate metal material. The side members  72 ,  74  are connected to each other by at least one fixed spacer  76 . The space between the side members  72 ,  74  is approximately the same as the space between the first and second side members  30 ,  32  of the second clamping member  14  of the clamp  10 . The attachment  70  thus fits between the first and second side members  30 ,  32  of the first clamping member  12 .  
         [0037]     The attachment  70  has an upper edges  80  and lower edges  82 . The each upper edge  80  has two receiving indentations  84 . The receiving indentations  84  are sized and spaced so as to locate over the two fixed spacers  34  of the first clamping member  12 .  
         [0038]     The lower edges  82  include ribbed clamping edges  86  similar to the ribbed clamping edges  62  of the clamp  10 .  
         [0039]     The attachment  70  is sized such that when the receiving indentations  84  are located over the fixed spacers  34  of the first clamping member  12 , the clamping edges  86  extend within the open region  66 . The clamping edges  86  of the attachment  70  effectively replace the clamping edges  62  of the first clamping portion  12 , and thus allow for the clamping of smaller items than can be achieved by the clamp  10  alone. It will be appreciated that the attachment  70  is readily detachable from the clamp  10 .  
         [0040]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper edges  80  of the attachment  70  are not parallel to the lower edges  82 . The angle between the upper edges  80  and the lower edges  82  is such that the attachment  70  has two distinct configurations. In a first configuration, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the clamping edges  86  of the attachment  70  are substantially parallel to the clamping edges  62  of the second clamping portion  14  when the clamp  10  is in the closed position.  
         [0041]     In a second configuration, where the attachment  70  is turned 180°, the clamping edges  86  are aligned so as to allow an article to be clamped between the fourth clamping locations, that is the conjunction of arms  46  and  48 , and the clamping edges  86 .  
         [0042]     Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.