Clamps having rotatable clamping elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268551-B2
Application number	US-201817049129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2018
Priority date	Jun 19, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

An example damp can include a first post, a first clamping element rotatably oupled to the first post, a second post separate from the first post, a second clamping lement rotatably coupled to the second post, and a biasing device that couples the first lamping element to the second damping element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a pin; and
a clamp, comprising:
a first post;
a first clamping element rotatably coupled to the first post;
a second post separate from the first post;
a second clamping element rotatably coupled to the second post; and
a biasing device that couples the first clamping element to the second clamping element;

wherein the first clamping element moves the pin as the first clamping element and the second clamping element are rotating.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biasing device is to maintain the first clamping element and the second clamping element in a non-clamping relationship.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first clamping element and the second clamping element are to be concurrently rotated into direct contact with the pin.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first clamping element and the second clamping element rotate into direct contact with the pin in response to an object comprising the pin actuating the first clamping element and the second clamping element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first clamping element comprises a curved portion arranged to receive the pin at two points while the clamp is clamping the pin and the second clamping element comprises a curved portion arranged to receive the pin at two additional points while the clamp is clamping the pin.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first clamping element comprises a straight portion arranged to receive the pin at a single point while the clamp is clamping the pin and the second clamping element comprises a straight portion arranged to receive the pin at an additional single point while the clamp is clamping the pin.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first clamping element comprises a portion that makes an angle in a range of 30 degrees to 45 degrees with an axis that passes through the centers of the first and second posts and the second clamping element comprises a portion that makes an angle in the range of 30 degrees to 45 degrees with the axis.

8. An apparatus, comprising:
an object;
a pin coupled to the object; and
a clamp, comprising:
a first rotatable jaw; and
a second rotatable jaw;
wherein:
the first rotatable jaw includes a first interface portion to receive the pin of the object responsive to the object actuating the first rotatable jaw;
the second rotatable jaw includes a second interface portion to receive the pin of the object responsive to the object actuating the second rotatable jaw; and
the first rotatable jaw moves the pin as the first rotatable jaw and the second rotatable jaw are rotating.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first rotatable jaw and the second rotatable jaw are arranged to release the respective pin responsive to the object moving out of contact with the first rotatable jaw and the second rotatable jaw.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the clamp is a first clamp and the pin is a first pin, the apparatus further comprising:
a second clamp, comprising:
a third rotatable jaw; and
a fourth rotatable jaw;
wherein the first rotatable jaw and the second rotatable jaw are arranged to restrain the first pin along two axes and the third rotatable jaw and the fourth rotatable jaw are arranged to restrain a second pin on the object along a single axis.

11. An alignment method, comprising:
rotating a first jaw of a clamp about a first post of the clamp against a biasing force and into direct contact with a pin;
rotating a second jaw of the clamp about a second post of the clamp against the biasing force and into direct contact with the pin; and
moving the pin with the first jaw as the first jaw and the second jaw are rotating.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising rotating a third jaw and fourth jaw of an additional clamp into direct contact with an additional pin.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw rotate concurrently.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising rotating the first jaw and the second jaw away from the pin in response to the biasing force.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw rotate to a fully closed state, the first jaw and the second jaw being substantially parallel with an axis that passes through the centers of the first post and the second post.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Johnson Bruce G
• Morgan Lonny

Classifications

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• F05B2250/44

  one element moving inside another one, e.g. wave-operated member (wom) moving inside another member (rem) · CPC title

• F05B2260/42

  Storage of energy · CPC title

• F05B2260/504

  using flat or V-belts and pulleys · CPC title

• F05B2240/40

  Use of a multiplicity of similar components · CPC title