US2762473A - Fastening device - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 11, 1956 N. SWERDLOW FASTENING DEVICE Filed March 25, 1955 Inventor Nathan Swerdlovv, b5 a His ttorn e5.

United States Patent FASTENING DEVICE Nathan Swerdlow, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 25, 1955, Serial No. 496,850

6 Claims. (Cl. 189-46) This invention relates to a fastening device and more particularly to a simple, low cost combination hinge and clamping device particularly well suited for fastening access covers.

In many types of apparatus it is frequently necessary to provide a hinged access cover or door which is arranged to be clamped against a compressible gasket in order to seal an opening in the apparatus. If such a gasket is located closely adjacent the hinge, there is a danger that the cover, in swinging about its hinge, will unevenly compress and decompress the gasket, thereby rapidly destroying the sealing ability of the gasket. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide, for a hinged cover which is arranged to be clamped against a compressible gasket, a novel fastening device which combines both hinge and clamping means and requires that the gasket be evenly and uniformly decompressed before the cover can be swung about the hinge.

Frequently, apparatus which is provided with a hinged access or inspection cover is located in a relatively unaccessible area, so that it may be diflicult and inconvenient to open the cover if the cover is hinged in only one fixed relationship with respect to the apparatus. Accordingly, a further object of this invention is to provde a fastening means which is easily releasable to facilitate opening of an access cover, and which also permits locating the hinged edge of the cover in any one of a plurality of alternative locations adjacent the opening which is being covered.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combination hinge and clamping device which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and which utilizes certain parts that are interchangeable with corresponding parts of simple clamping members that are used without hinge members.

In carrying out my invention in one form, a frame is provided with a cover having at least one hinge member rigidly fixed thereto. A compressible gasket may be disposed between frame and cover. In addition, I provide a combination hinge and clamping device which comprises a hinge portion pivotally engageable with the hinge member which is fixed to the cover thereby to form a hinge, and a movable clamping portion disposed for releasable clamping engagement with the cover. The frame is provided with a suitable mounting means adjacent an edge of the cover for this combination hinge and clamping device, and the cover is thereby clamped to the frame. The clamping portion of the device must be unfastened, thereby releasing the cover and decompressing the gasket, before the cover can be freed to pivot about its hinge.

In one aspect of my invention, the aforesaid cover comprises a generally square plate having a pair of spaced apart hinge members along one edge. A pair of combination hinge and clamping devices are provided, and a cooperating pair of mounting means are located in the frame adjacent each edge of the cover. Thus the cover 2,762,473 Patented Sept. 11, 1955 "ice can be hinged selectively from any one of four diflierent positions with respect to the frame. Simple releasable clamping members similar to the clamping portion of the combination device are provided along the other three edges of the cover. t

1 My invention will be better understood and further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatus having an access cover which is fastened in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the combination hinge and clamping device taken along line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the combination hinge and clamping device of my invention showing the individual elements thereof.

Referring now to Fig. 1, an apparatus or structure is represented generally by the reference character 11. This structure may comprise, for example, a metal enclosed isolated phase electric bus duct such as is illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 2,647,940 issued on August 4, 1953, to Nathan Swerdlow and George G. Abel. An aperture 12 is provided in structure 11, for the purpose of inspection or the like. An access plate or cover 13 is placed over aperture 12 and is normally fastened to the frame formed by the portion of structure 11 surrounding the aperture. In order to provide for sealing this opening in structure 11, a suitable compressible gasket 14 is disposed between cover 13 and structure 11 around the aperture 12, as can be seen in the drawing. To fasten the cover 13 to structure 11, a series of clamping elements 15 is used. As a matter of convenience, it is desirable to hinge cover 13, so that the cover is attached to structure 11 when open and can readily be reclosed. Toward this end I have provided a combination hinge and clamping device which is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 3.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, a hinge member 16 is rigidly fixed as by welding to cover 13 along a convenient edge 17 thereof. Hinge member 16. extends beyond this hinged edge and is bent to form a sleeve bearing 18 having an axis parallel to edge 17. The combination hinge and clamping'device' includes an L-shaped bracket 19. The upstanding portion'of bracket 19 is provided with a tapped hole 20, and bracket 19 is disposed so that hole 20 is parallel to the hinged edge 17 of cover 13. A bolt 21, when screwed into tapped hole 20, serves as a hinge pin. Hinge member 16, and thus cover 13, pivots about bolt 21 which extends through the sleeve bearing 18 and is threaded into tapped hole 20. Hinge member 16 is held between bracket 19 and the head of bolt 21. Bracket 19 is rigidly secured to the structure 11 by means of the clamping portion of the combination hinge and clamping device.

The clamping portion of the combination hinge and clamping device comprises a clamping lug 22 and a bolt 23. A hole extends vertically, as viewed in the drawing, through the boss 24 of lug 22, and a corresponding hole 25 is provided in the base of bracket 19. Structure 11 is provided with mounting means comprising, for example, a suitably located hole 26 and a threaded socket 27 which is preferably welded to the underside of structure 11, as viewed in the drawing, in line with hole 26. Socket 27 can be seen in Fig. 2. Other suitable mounting means may be used in lieu of the arrangement illustrated. As is clearly shown by Fig. 3, bracket 19 becomes anchored to structure 11 by extending bolt 23 through both the hole in clamping lug 22 and the hole 25 in the base of bracket 19 and by threading bolt 23 into socket 27. Thus bracket 19 and clamping lug 22 are held by the head of bolt 23 and can be clamped to structure 11 thereby.

Clamping lug 22 projects over cover 13. By fully an identical predetermined convenient distance.

tightening bolt 23 when lug 22 overlaps cover 13, gasket 14 is compressed and cover 13 is firmly clamped over aperture 12. The thickness of the base of bracket 19 and the configuration of clamping lug 22 determine the maximum compression of gasket 14. Thus, these two parts are constructed to result in a desired predetermined amount of compression of gasket 14. A lock washer 28 is used to bind bolt 23 when fully. tightened. Pig. 2 illustrates the combination hinge and clamping device with lug 22 in a clamping position and bolt 23 fully tight- -ened. The cover 13 cannot be moved about its hinge, of

course as long as lug 22 is in its clamping position. Therefore, bolt 23 of the combination hinge-clamp assembly must be loosened and lug 22 swung clear of cover 13 before cover 13 can be opened. This procedure insures that gasket 14 is fully decompressed before cover 13 is moved on its hinge. The sleeve bearing 18 should be constructed to have an elongated cross-section as shown in order to provide sufficient clearance between the bearing 18 and hinge pin 21 to permit the cover 13 to move in accordance with the degree of compression of gasket 14.

Returning to Fig. 1, it can be seen that in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, cover 13 is square and has two hinge members 16 fixed thereto. Three mounting means, each comprising hole 26 and socket 27, are located in a row adjacent each edge of cover 13, and

the two outer holes 26 in each row are spaced apart by The two hinge members 16 fixed to cover 13 are spaced apart by a distance which corresponds to this predetermined distance between each pair of outer mounting means. Two combination hinge and clamping devices are furnished, and, because of the identity in spacing between the mounting means in each of the four rows, these two devices may be mounted by the pair of outer mounting means located along any one of the four sides of aperture 12. Thus the hinged edge 17 of cover 13 may be positioned selectively in any one of four alternative locations with respect to the aperture 12 in structure 11. In this manner, access cover 13 may be hinged from the most convenient location in relation to the existing conditions in the particular surrounding area.

As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of simple clamping elements 15 are provided. Each clamping element 15 may be of any suitable form but preferably comprises an arrangement similar to the combination hinge and clamping device described above. The hinge bracket 19 is omitted from the simple clamping element 15, and to compensate for the spacing provided by the base of bracket 19, a loose fiat washer (not shown) can be included under the boss 24 of clamping lug 22. Actually instead of a flat washer, I prefer to use a modified clamping lug 22 having a boss whose depth is greater than that of boss 24 by an amount equal to the thickness of the base of bracket 19. The simple clamping elements 15 are secured to the structure 11 by the mounting means each comprising hole 26 and socket 27. Thus, either identical or similar parts comprising the clamping portion of the combination hinge and clamping device can be used for clamping elements 15. With this arrangement, the gasket 14 is uniformly compressed by the same predetermined amount along all four edges of cover 13 upon fully tightening the bolt 23 of each clamping element 15. It will be observed that before cover 13 is free to open, the bolt 23 of each simple clamping element 15 must be loosened and the lug 22 swung clear of cover 13. In this manner gasket 14 is uniformly and entirely decompressed before cover is moved about its hinge, and uneven compression and decompression of gasket 14 along the hinged edge 17 of cover 13 is prevented.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention by way of illustration, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. I, therefore,

contemplate by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a frame having an aperture, a cover for said aperture comprising a generally square plate having at least two spaced apart hinge members rigidly fixed thereto at predetermined locations along a hinged edge thereof, a compressible gasket disposed between said cover and frame, a plurality of movable clamping members mounted on said frame at spaced apart intervals adjacent all four edges of said cover and disposed for movement into overlapping and clamping relationship with said cover thereby to clamp said cover to said frame and uniformly compress said gasket, at least two of said clamping members adjacent each edge of said cover being spaced apart by a predetermined distance corresponding to the predetermined locations of said hinge members, and at least two hinge brackets each pivotally engageable with one of said hinge members to form a hinge therewith and adapted to be fastened to said frame by one of said clamping members, whereby the hinged edge of said cover can be located selectively in any one of four positions with respect to the aperture in said frame, so that hinging movement of said cover is prevented unless all said clamping members are released thereby uniformly and evenly decompressingsaid gasket.

2. In combination, a frame, a cover for said frame including a hinge member rigidly fixed thereto, and a combination hinge and clamping device including a'hinge portion disposed in cooperating pivotal relationship with said hinge member and having a clamping portion disposed to anchor said hinge portion to said frame and to releasably clamp said cover to said frame, whereby said clamping portion must be released before said cover can be pivoted about said hinge portion.

3. In combination, a frame, a cover for said frame including a hinge member rigidly fixed thereto, a compressible gasket disposed between said cover and frame, and a combination hinge and clamping device mounted on said frame including a hinge portion disposed in cooperating pivotal relationship with said hinge member thereby forming a hinge for said cover and having a movable clamping portion disposed for movement into overlapping relationship with said cover and for clamping said cover andsaid hinge portion to said frame to compress said gasket and to prevent opening pivotal movement of said cover until said gasket has been decompressed by release of said clamping portion.

4. In combination, a frame, a cover for said frame including a pair of binge members rigidly fixed thereto in predetermined spaced apart relationship, and a pair of combination hinge and clamping devices each including a hinge portion pivotally engageable with one of said hinge members and a clamping portion disposed for clamping engagement with said cover, said frame being provided with a plurality of pairs of predetermined spaced apart mounting means for said combination hinge and clamping devices, whereby said cover can be hinged and clamped to said frame in a plurality of alternative locations.

5. In combination, a frame, a cover for said frame including a pair of spaced apart hinge members rigidly fixed along one edge of said cover, a compressible gasket disposed between said cover and frame, a pair of combination hinge and clamping devices each including a movable clamping portion and each having a hinge portion suitable for cooperation with one of said hinge members to form a hinge for said cover, at least one pair of spaced apart mounting means located on said frame for mounting said combination hinge and clamping devices thereby to permit said cover to be hinged in at least one location with respect to said frame, said clamping portions disposed to overlap said cover and releasably clamp said cover to said frame thereby compressing said gasket, whereby opening hinging movement of said cover is prevented until said gasket has been decompressed by releasing said clamping portions from said cover.

6. In combination, a frame defining an opening, a cover for closing said opening, a gasket disposed between said cover and said frame, a first hinge member secured to said cover, a second hinge member cooperating with said first member, a hinge pin mounted on one of said members, a sleeve bearing for said pin on the other of said members having substantial clearance with respect to said pin to provide hinging movement of said cover without substantially compressing said gasket, and a combined clamping and hinging device including said 15 2493980 6 1 second hinge member and a clamping member disposed for movement into overlapping relationship with said cover for clamping said cover and said second hinge member to said frame to compress said gasket and to prevent opening hinging movement of said cover until said gasket has been decompressed by release of said clamping member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,162,502 Miller Nov. 30, 1915 1,462,124 Pierce July 17, 1923 2,329,716 Johnson Sept. 21, 1943 Lambert Jan. 10, 1950

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