Patent ID: 8246027

Claim:
A clamp apparatus to clamp an object, the clamp apparatus comprising: a motor comprising a shaft; a first cone gear secured to the shaft of the motor; and two clamp bodies, each comprising a mounting bracket fixed to the motor, a threaded post pivotably mounted to the mounting bracket, a second cone gear secured to the threaded post and meshing with the first cone gear, a carriage slidably attached to the mounting bracket and defining a threaded hole engaging the threaded post, and a clamp arm connected to the carriage; wherein the motor rotates the first cone gear, and, in turn, the second cone gears and the corresponding threaded posts of the clamp bodies, such that the carriages slide along the corresponding threaded posts to move the corresponding clamp arms towards each other to clamp the object between the clamp arms, or to move away from each other to release the object; wherein each of the clamp bodies further comprises a connecting member engaging the carriage and the clamp arm; and wherein each of the connecting members comprises an elbow portion and two parallel connecting pieces extending from a first end of the elbow portion, and each of the carriages is sandwiched between the connecting pieces of the corresponding connecting member.