Patent ID: 8770885

Claim:
A wedge clamp for clamping a clamped member to a rectangular structural article, said wedge clamp comprises: a) a wedge comprising: a1) a first flat plane surface of the wedge which contacts said clamped member along a plane created at a contacting area between said first flat plane surface and said clamped member; a2) a sloping flat plane surface of the wedge positioned on an opposite side of the wedge to the first flat plane surface; a3) a tip end formed by the intersection of the first flat plane surface and the sloping flat plane surface wherein said tip end has a tip length; and a4) a pull tab having a second flat plane surface located opposite to the tip end and connected to the first flat plane surface of the wedge, wherein the pull tab extends at an angle of from about 85 to about 120 degrees as measured from the first flat plane surface and extending from the sloping flat plane surface at the pull tab and wherein the tip end extends in a plane parallel to the second flat plane surface, said pull tab comprising a first hole; b) a plate-shaped body comprising: a planar base having a second hole extending from a top side of the base to an opposite bottom side of the base, the planar base comprising a member passage for said wedge wherein the wedge and the body interact within the member passage and the wedge slides through the member passage tip end first wherein the wedge slides from one side of the member passage to the other side of the member passage, and the member passage allows members including struts and pipes to pass, and wherein a peripheral edge of the member passage defines a contact line; and a planar retaining portion perpendicular to and spaced laterally from said base; wherein said aperture of said pull tab and said hole of said base are axially aligned; and c) a fastener engaged in the aligned first and second holes and connected to said pull tab wherein tightening of the fastener within the aligned first and second holes forces said tip end of said wedge through the member passage defined in the body by the contact line and said retaining portion; wherein: i) the sloping flat plane surface of the wedge engages with the contact line or surface of said member passage where said sloping flat plane surface slides against said contact line or surface as the fastener is tightened between the pull tab and a corresponding point of attachment on said clamped member.