Electrical clamps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10109932-B2
Application number	US-201715480083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2017
Priority date	Apr 20, 2016
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure provides electrical clamps that can easily attach to a variety of shaped objects, such as fence posts and other objects for the purpose of establishing an electrical connection or conductive path between the electrical clamp, an object the electrical clamp is secured to, and a conductor attached to the electrical clamp. The electrical clamp utilizes an adjustable saddle construction that can be secured to the geometry of objects, such as a square, rectangular, round or oval geometry of the object, and a clamp cap construction that can electrically couple one or more conductors to the electrical clamp.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical clamp for grounding an object, the electrical clamp comprising:
an upper saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object and at least one fastener capture portion positioned adjacent an end of the upper saddle body;
a lower saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object and at least one lower saddle aperture positioned adjacent an end of the lower saddle body;
at least one fastener extending between the at least one fastener capture portion and the at least one lower saddle aperture; and
at least one clamp cap having a body with a clamp cap aperture for receiving the fastener, and at least one conductor arm protruding from a side of the clamp cap body and capable of securing a conductor between the at least one conductor arm and the lower saddle body; and
wherein the at least one fastener capture portion comprises an aperture in the upper saddle body, a recess around the upper saddle aperture for receiving a portion of the fastener, a channel between the upper saddle aperture and an end of the upper saddle body that permits the fastener to pass through the channel into the upper saddle aperture, and at least one blocker positioned in the channel to block the at least one fastener from exiting the channel when the electrical clamp is secured to an object.

2. The electrical clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one clamp cap further comprises at least one rotation blocking member positioned to engage the lower saddle body to block rotation of the at least one clamp cap relative to the lower saddle body when the electrical clamp is secured to an object.

3. The electrical clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the upper saddle, the lower saddle, at least one fastener and at least one clamp cap are made of an electrically conductive material.

4. The electrical clamp according to claim 3 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises cast alloy copper, copper, steel, stainless steel, galvanized steel, silicon bronze, tin, aluminum or cast aluminum.

5. The electrical clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the upper saddle, the lower saddle and at least the one clamp cap are made of cast alloy copper.

6. The electrical clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one fastener is made of silicon bronze.

7. An electrical clamp for grounding an object, the electrical clamp comprising:
an upper saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object and at least one fastener capture portion positioned adjacent an end of the upper saddle body;
a lower saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object and at least one lower saddle aperture positioned adjacent an end of the lower saddle body;
at least one fastener extending between the at least one fastener capture portion and the at least one lower saddle aperture; and
at least one clamp cap having:
a body with a clamp cap aperture for receiving the fastener;
at least one conductor arm protruding from a side of the clamp cap body and capable of securing a conductor between the at least one conductor arm and the lower saddle body; and
at least one rotation blocking member positioned to engage the lower saddle body to block rotation of the at least one clamp cap relative to the lower saddle body when the electrical clamp is secured to the object; and

wherein the at least one fastener capture portion comprises an aperture in the upper saddle body, a recess around the upper saddle aperture for receiving a portion of the fastener, a channel between the upper saddle aperture and an end of the upper saddle body that permits the fastener to pass through the channel into the upper saddle aperture, and at least one blocker positioned in the channel to block the at least one fastener from exiting the channel when the electrical clamp is secured to an object.

8. The electrical clamp according to claim 7 , wherein the upper saddle, the lower saddle, at least the one fastener and at least the one clamp cap are made of an electrically conductive material.

9. The electrical clamp according to claim 8 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises cast alloy copper, copper, steel, stainless steel, galvanized steel, silicon bronze, tin, aluminum or cast aluminum.

10. The electrical clamp according to claim 7 , wherein the upper saddle, the lower saddle and at least the one clamp cap are made of cast alloy copper.

11. The electrical clamp according to claim 7 , wherein the at least the one fastener is made of silicon bronze.

12. A electrical clamp for grounding an object, the electrical clamp comprising:
an upper saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object and at least one fastener capture portion positioned adjacent an end of the upper saddle body;
a lower saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object and at least one lower saddle aperture positioned adjacent an end of the lower saddle body;
at least one fastener extending between the at least one fastener capture portion and the at least one lower saddle aperture; and
at least one clamp cap having:
a body with a clamp cap aperture for receiving the fastener;
at least one conductor arm protruding from a side of the clamp cap body and capable of securing a conductor between the at least one conductor arm and the lower saddle body; and
at least one rotation blocking member positioned to engage the lower saddle body to block rotation of the at least one clamp cap relative to the lower saddle body when the electrical clamp is secured to an object.

13. The electrical clamp according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one fastener capture portion comprises an aperture in the upper saddle body, a recess around the upper saddle aperture for receiving a portion of the fastener, a channel between the upper saddle aperture and an end of the upper saddle body that permits the fastener to pass through the channel into the upper saddle aperture, and at least one blocker positioned in the channel to block the at least one fastener from exiting the channel when the electrical clamp is secured to an object.

14. The electrical clamp according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one fastener capture portion comprises an aperture in the upper saddle body, a recess around the upper saddle aperture for receiving a portion of the fastener, and a channel between the upper saddle aperture and an end of the upper saddle body that permits the fastener to pass through the channel into the upper saddle aperture.

15. The electrical clamp according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one fastener capture portion comprises an aperture in the upper saddle body, and a recess around the upper saddle aperture for receiving a portion of the fastener.

16. An electrical clamp for grounding an object, the electrical clamp comprising:
an upper saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object, and first and second fastener capture portions each positioned adjacent an end of the upper saddle body;
a lower saddle having an elongated saddle body capable of spanning the object, and first and second lower saddle apertures each positioned adjacent an end of the lower saddle body;
first and second fasteners extending between the upper saddle and the lower saddle, wherein the first fastener extends from the first fastener capture portion to the first lower saddle aperture, and the second fastener extends from the second fastener capture portion to the second lower saddle aperture; and
first and second clamp caps, wherein the first clamp cap is

Assignees

• Hubbell Inc

Inventors

• Trombley Logan Michael
• White Brian Mcculloh
• Robicheau Richard Ernest

Classifications

• F16B2/12

  using sliding jaws · CPC title

• H01R4/46 Primary

  Clamping area between two screws placed side by side · CPC title

• H01R4/44

  Clamping areas on both sides of screw · CPC title

• H01R4/643

  for rigid cylindrical bodies · CPC title

• H01R11/07

  the connecting locations being of the same type but different sizes · CPC title