US3398920A - Hinge clamp - Google Patents

Description

J. R. HAYNES Aug. 27, 1968 HINGE CLAMP Filed Dec. 14, 1966 \N\/ENTOK JOE R, MAYNES ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,398,920 HINGE CLAMP Joe R. Haynes, Chamblee, Ga., assignor to Fisher-Haynes Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 601,685

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-226) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A hinge clamp constructed according to the invention is for the purpose of forming a hinged connection between a wire guard for a fluorescent lamp and a portion of the lamp itself and includes a base plate to the side edges of which a pair of apertured clamping plates are afiixed in spaced parallel relation. A swivel element formed on one of the clamping plates cooperates with a portion of the wire guard to form a hinge. A gripping element is threadedly mounted in an aperture formed in one of the clamping plates. The area of each clamping plate immediately adjacent its aperture is embossed on the exterior surface thereof and an internally projecting throat portion is formed in coincidental relationship to each aperture and is internally threaded so that the gripping element may be mounted in either clamping plate and arranged with one end thereof spaced from the other clamping plate to form a pair of -vise elements.

This invention relates to hinge clamps and more particularly to a specially constructed clamping element in combination with swivel means integrally formed therewith so as to afford a disjointable hinged connection for use in mounting wire guards to the reector elements of fluorescent lamp fixtures and the like.

Reliable statistics show that great numbers of fluorescent type lamp tubes are either broken in their fixtures or are dislodged therefrom each year. Such lamps are broken due to collision with foreign objects and dislodgment of the lamps from their fixtures, due to vibration from roof fans, machinery, low flying aircraft, building cranes and the like. Of course lamp breakage and dislodgment constitute a substantial hazard particularly in processing areas to persons, equipment, and products being processed. Furthermore, falling lamps contaminate food or beverage when in a processing area, and a lguard is required by health codes, electrical codes and by military standards as a preventive measure.

An effective means for protecting against inadvertent dislodgement of fluorescent lamps from their fixtures can be provided by simply placing a Wire mesh guard underneath the fixture as by mounting the guard to the fixture itself. Of course any guard mounted to a fluorescent fixture must be easily dismounted in order to accommodate replacement of dim or worn out fluorescent tubes.

A hinge clip which is particularly well adapted for use in mounting wire guards to fluorescent fixtures in which the guard is mounted directly to the xture base and wherein no reflectors are incorporated is disclosed and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 594,006 filed Nov. 14, 1966 (l-240). In the hinge clip arrangement disclosed and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 594,006, the clip is always oriented in the same manner with respect to the fiuorescent lamp fixture.

A principal object of this invention is to provide an improved hinge clamp which is inherently Well adapted for interrelating a fiuorescent lamp guard device with the rej 3,398,920 Patented Aug. 27, 1968 ice ector of a fiuorescent lamp fixture -by any one of several possible orientations of the clamp relative to the reflector..

Another object of this invention is the provision of an improved combination clamp and swivel element which is readily adaptable for mounting and dismounting and which when disconnected on one side of the reflector affords a hinged connection for the other side thereof which is `simple in construction and by which a maximum degree of security and protection is afforded.

The invention in one form comprises a base plate, a pair ofclamping plates aflixed to opposite side edges of the base plate and disposed in generally parallel relation to each other, swivel means formed on one of the clamping plates, a gripping element adjustably mounted on one of the clamping plates and having an end thereof arranged to cooperate with the other of the clamping plates to form therewith a pair of vise elements for disjointably interrelating the clamp and another device such as a fluorescent lamp reflector, and means formed on the other clamping plate whereby the gripping velement is adjustably mounted thereon for cooperation with said one clamping plate whereby alternate vise elements are provided. According to a feature of the invention the interrelationship between the gripping element and the clamping plates constitute exterior threads on the gripping element and a threaded aperture on each clamping plate and an area of each clamping plate adjacent its threaded aperture is embossed to enhance gripping action. Preferably the apertures are disposed in aligned relationship with respect to each other and means are provided for manually adjusting the gripping element.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fluorescent lamp lixture and its associated refiector and in which the improved hinge clamp of this invention is utilized to secure the protective wire guard to the refiector; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a hinge clamp constructed according to this invention; FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but taken from the opposite side from which the view of FIG. 2 is taken; and in which FIG. 4A-E repre- 'sents a number of orientations of the hinge clamp of this invention relative to :a fluorescent lamp fixture and to an associated protective guard, the various arrange-ments of FIG. 4 being simply illustrative of `some of the orientations which may be employed according to the invention.

In the drawings the numeral 1 generally designates a conventional fluorescent fixture while the numeral 2 generally designates a reflector structure for fixture 1. A wire guard is generally designated by the numeral 3 and a pair of hinge clamps constructed according to this invention are designated generally by the numerals 4 and 5. It is apparent from FIG. 1 that the hinge clamps 4 and 5 are disposed in spased relation along one edge of reflector 2. It will be understood of course that similar hinge clamps are disposed along the opposite edge of the refiector 2, such clamps not being observable in FIG. 1.

The improved hinge clamp of this invention is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and comprises a base plate 6 to the side edges of which a pair of clamping plates 7 and 8 are affixed or integrally formed. Gripping element 9 is arranged to cooperate with an aperture 10 formed in clamping plate 8 and is exteriorly threaded, the aperture 10 of course Abeing threaded along its interior surface.

A manual turning element 11 is aixed to one end of gripping element 9.

According to one facet of the invention a threaded aperture 12 is formed in clamping plate 7 and preferably is disposed in aligned relationship with respect to the aperture formed in clamping plate 8. Swivel element generally desigated at 13 is formed on an edge of clamping plate 7 which is remote from the base plate 6. As is shown in the drawing swivel element 13 simply constitutes an inwardly curved portion of clamping plate 7. The swivel element 13 simply receives the edge wire 14 of the wire guard 3, wire 14 constituting structure which is equivalent to a hinge pin disposed within and enveloped by the swivel element 13 so as to form therewith a swivel means on hinged connection between the hinge clamps such as 4 and 5 and the wire guard 3.

Preferably the area of clamping plate tl` which is disposed immediately adjacent the gripping element 9 and about the aperture 10 is embossed as is designated at 15, the embossment being such that clamping.r plate 8 protrudes outwardly in a direction away from clamping plate 7 in the region thereof immediately adjacent aperture 10 and gripping element 9. In like fashion aperture 12 is provided with an outwardly embossed area 16 which corresponds generally to embossment 15. The embossment 16 in effect results in an outward protrusion of the area of clamping plate 7 adjacent aperture 12 which is in a direction away from clamping plate 8.

In order to apply the hinge clamp such as is depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 to a fluorescent xture, the wire y14 is rst securely captured in the swivel means 13 of a number of hinge clamps such as 4 and 5 in a manner to form a hinged connection therebetween. Of course hinge clamps are mounted along the opposite edges of Wire guard 3. Thereafter the gripping element is used to secure each of the hinge clamps such as 4 and 5 to one edge of the reflector 2 following which the guard 3 is hinged about the already applied hinge clamps into the position depicted in FIG. 1 and hinge clamps along the remaining edge of the guard 3 are affixed to reflector 2 by suitable adjustment of gripping elements 9.

The versatility and adaptability of the hinge clamp constructed according to this invention is evident from FIGS. 4. For example FIG. 4A depicts a reflector 2 in which a horizontal edge ange panel 17 is empl-oyed as well as a vertically disposed flange panel 18. With such an arrangement, a hinge clamp such as 4 or 5 may be oriented with respect to the reilector 2 as shown in FIG. 4A with the clamping plate 8 disposed immediately above the flange panel 17 and with the inner end of the gripping element 9 screwed into firm and secure contact with the lower surface of ange panel 17.

The reflector of FIG. 4B incorporates a horizontal flange panel 17 and an upwardly extending vertically disposed flange panel 19 arranged along the inner surface of base plate 6. In such an arrangement, the orientation of the hinge clamp such as is depicted in FIG. 4B may be employed. In this arrangement the clamping plate 7 is disposed immediately underneath the flange panel 17 and the inner end of gripping element 9 is screwed down into secure and firm contact with the upper surface of flange plate 17.

The reliector of FIG. 4C is generally similar to that depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B except that no vertical ange panel is incorporated in the arrangement of FIG. 4C. In this orientation, the base plate 6 is disposed immediately below the flange panel 17 with the inner end of the gripping element 9 screwed into secure and firm contact with the lower part 20 of reflector 2, the clamping plate 7 being disposed immediately behind and to the right of area 20 of reflector 2 so that a secure gripping action is achieved.

The reflector structure depicted in FIG. 4D is similar to that of 4A in that ange panels 17 and 18 are employed. In addition, a horizontal flange panel 21 is secured to the lower edge of flange panel 18. Thus the hinge clamp in FIG. 4D is disposed with the clamping plate 8 alongside iiange panel 18 and with the gripping element 9 screwed into secure contact with the inner surface of flange panel 18. In this arrangement flange panel 21Lis disposed immediately above the inner surface of base plate 6.

In FIG. 4E, a reflector structure is disclosed wherein the lower edge of reflector 2 is simply curved outwardly and upwardly to form the configuration 22. In this arrangement, the clamping plate 8 is disposed outsideconfiguration 22 and the gripping element 9 is screwedl into firm contact with the inner surface of contiguration 22.

It is apparent that the arrangements depicted in FIGS. 4B and 4C are such that the gripping element 9 is threadedly interrelated with the aperture 10 formed in clamping plate 8. In FIGS. 4A, 4D and 4E gripping element 9 is threadedly related with the aperture 12 formed in clamping plate 7. Furthermore, it is apparent particularly from FIGS. 2 and 3 that the embossed areas 15 and 16 simply result in the formation of a slightly recessed area along the inner surfaces of the clamping plates 8 and 7 respectively. Furthermore inwardly projecting debossed threaded throat areas 15A and 16A afford suflicient length axially of the apertures 10 and 12 to accommodate several threads and thereby to provide a measure of strength not obtainable with clamping plates such as 7 and 8 when constructed of material of ordinary twenty gauge thickness, it being understood that twenty gauge thickness is adequately strong and economically feasible for the stresses to be encountered. Of course the invention is not limited to material of any particular thickness. Preferably the debossed areas are formed by extruding.

The various orientations depicted in FIG. 4 clearly bring out the fact that almost any conceivable arrangement of the lower edge of reflector 2 may be accommodated by the hinge clamp of this invention, it being apparent that certain advantageous clamping action is achieved due to the aligned relationship of the apertures 10 and 12 and their embossments. It is also apparent that hinge clamps such as 4 and 5 may be disconnected from one edge of reflector 2 and thereafter the entire guard 3 may be hinged downwardly about hinge clamps along the opposite edge of reflector 2. lOf course the hinge clamps along either edge may be disconnected and a hinged relation between reflector 2 and guard 3 thus formed along the other edge depending on space requirements, local conditions and the like so that substantial versatility and adaptability are possible by the improved hinge clamp of the invention.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and it is intended in the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A hinge clamp comprising a base plate, a pair of clamping plates adjoined to opposite side edges of said base plate and disposed in spaced generally parallel relation to each other, a swivel element formed along an edge of one of said clamping plates remote from said base plate and disposed inwardly of the plane of said one clamping plate, an internally threaded aperture formed in each of said clamping plates, said apertures being aligned and said clamping plates being embossed on their outer surfaces in the areas thereof adjacent to and surrounding said apertures, inwardly projecting internally threaded debossed throat portions formed in the embossed areas of said clamping plates, said throat portions being internally threaded and being aligned with their associated apertures, an exteriorly threaded gripping element adjustably mounted in the aperture in one of said clamping plates and arranged with one end thereof adjacent the other clamping plate to form therewith a pair of vise elements, and a manually operable turning element aflxed to the other end of said gripping element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,501 7/ 1850 Alteneder 24-243 1,147, 007 7/ 1915 Eckenroad 24-243 2,187,059 1/ 1940 Schor et al. 248-226 2,934,132 4/1960 Farmer et al. 248-226 3,141,257 7/1964 Stull 248-226 FOREIGN PATENTS 700,936 12/1953 Great Britain. 835,452 5/1960 Great Britain.

1,001,510 10/1951 France.

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

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