Patent ID: 7712193

Claim:
A gripping device for gripping an elongate flexible member, said device comprising a housing including a side wall structure bounding an internal cavity closed by opposite end walls, wherein both end walls are provided with openings defining a pair of main inlet and outlet locations and the cavity links the openings to define a passageway, the passageway having sections running in opposed directions to receive the member running between main inlet and outlet locations in a looping back arrangement within the cavity, and a clamp mechanism operable to apply a transverse clamping force to the member at a clamping location of said passageway, wherein the clamp mechanism is located within the housing and comprises a clamp member having a bar which has one end region slidably located within an opening in the side wall of the housing, said bar including at least one abutment surface movable relative to a respective fixed surface of the housing in at least one said passageway section thereby to trap the elongate member between such surfaces.