Patent ID: 7699297

Claim:
A clamp comprising: a first clamping jaw; a support element to which said first clamping jaw is attached; a clamp body having a slot through which said support element passes; a handle grip attached to said clamp body; a driving lever that is movable to a first position where said driving lever engages said support element and causes said support element to move relative to said clamp body; a trigger handle pivotably mounted to the clamp body, said trigger handle pivoting to generate a force for moving said driving lever to said first position; and a discriminating structure for varying incremental motion of said support element as a function of a load encountered by said support element, said discriminating structure comprising a spring disposed between said trigger handle and said driving lever for transmitting said force at a first point on said trigger handle to said driving lever, said spring compressing when the load is within a first predetermined range such that at least a portion of said force is transmitted at a second point on said trigger spaced from the first point wherein said spring is connected to a driving lever link which actuates said driving lever.