Patent ID: 8905629

Claim:
An improved clamp lock for clamping and locking a pair of opposed clamp plates to hold a paint container in a paint mixer of the type having a movable mixing frame, the clamp lock comprising: a handle connected to a lock drive shaft mounted for rotation in a mounting base, the lock drive shaft rotatable to move at least one clamp plate with respect to the other clamp plate; and a locking mechanism having a first toothed wheel and a second toothed wheel, each connected to the lock drive shaft, a first pawl, and a second pawl, each of the first and second pawls movably secured to the mounting base, with one of the first and second pawls having a recess and the other of the first and second pawls having a projection movable into and out of the recess, the locking mechanism positionable to a LOCKED condition wherein the projection is released from the recess causing the first pawl to engage with the first toothed wheel to prevent the at least one clamp plate from moving away from the other clamp plate while permitting movement of the at least one clamp plate towards the other clamp plate, and an UNLOCKED condition wherein the projection is retained in the recess retaining the first pawl in a disengaged position away from the first toothed wheel permitting movement of the at least one clamp plate away from the other clamp plate; and wherein the handle is movable in a first direction to release the projection from the recess if the projection was then retained in the recess by moving the second pawl with the second toothed wheel to release the projection from the recess, positioning the locking mechanism to the LOCKED condition and moving the at least one clamp plate towards the other clamp plate, and a second direction opposite the first direction to move the at least one clamp plate away from the other clamp plate when the locking mechanism is in the UNLOCKED condition wherein the projection is retained in the recess.