Cable clamp with adjustable latch

Abstract

Two identical cradle halves are joined together to form a cable clamp for securing at least one cable to a surface. Each cradle half has a front, a back, a top, a bottom, and sides. Each cradle half has at least one cradle portion with a compression insert and an attachment portion. The attachment portion has an adjustment latch with a post having a T-shaped head and a tapered adjustment slot. The cable clamp is formed by joining the two cradle halves, with the top of one cradle half positioned on top of the other cradle half. To form the cable clamp, the cradle portion and attachment portion of one cradle half are placed over the cradle portion and attachment portion of the other cradle half.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cable clamps, and more particularly to cable clamps with adjustable latches. [Background technology]

[0002] The heavy trucking industry is known to use cable clamps, which must hold the cable while avoiding damage to the cable's softer silicone jacket.

[0003] There is a need for smaller cable clamps that can fit into small frame designs where space for cable routing is limited. There is also a need for cable clamps that are easily repositioned or released when needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A cable clamp used in the heavy trucking industry to secure at least one cable to a surface. The cable clamp is formed from two identical cradle halves designed to hold a cable therebetween. Each cradle half has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, and sides. Each cradle half includes at least one cradle section and an attachment section. The cradle sections include compression inserts. The attachment sections have an adjustment latch with a post having a T-shaped head and a tapered adjustment slot. The cable clamp is formed by joining the two cradle halves together, with the top of one cradle half positioned on top of the other, and the cradle section and attachment section of one cradle half over the cradle section and attachment section of the other cradle half. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a one-position cradle half of the present invention. [Figure 1B]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a two-position cradle half of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1B is an exploded top perspective view of FIG. 1A. [Figure 3] FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of a one-position cable clamp formed by joining two of the one-position cradle halves of FIG. 1A. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the partially assembled cable clamp of FIG. 3 with the first one-position cradle half partially secured to the second one-position cradle half. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the cable clamp of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cable clamp of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cable clamp of FIG. 5 with the latch attachments of each one-position cradle half compressed for removal. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the one-position cable clamp of FIG. 4 fully assembled. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view of the assembled one-position cable clamp of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an assembled one-position cable clamp stacked on top of an assembled two-position cable clamp. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view of the assembled one-position cable clamp stacked on top of the assembled two-position cable clamp of FIG. [Figure 12A] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the one-position cradle half of FIG. 1A with an alternative compression insert. [Figure 12B] FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the two-position cradle half of FIG. 1B with an alternative compression insert. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is directed to a cable clamp for holding cables in the heavy trucking industry. The cable clamp can be secured to a surface by a bolt or nut on a threaded stud. The cable clamp is formed by joining two identical one-position cradle halves 20 or two identical two-position cradle halves 220 (see FIG. 10). FIG. 1A shows a one-position cradle half 20 of the present invention. FIG. 1B shows a two-position cradle half 220 of the present invention.

[0007] As shown in FIG. 2 , the one-position cradle half 20 includes a front portion 22, a rear portion 24, an upper portion 26, a lower portion 28, a first flat side 30, an inner side 32, and a second curved side 34. The one-position cradle half 20 also includes a cradle portion 40 and an attachment portion 50. The cradle portion 40 is defined by the front portion 22, the rear portion 24, the first flat side 30, and the inner side 32. The cradle portion 40 is semicircular with a rectangular opening 42 extending therethrough. The rectangular opening 42 is designed to receive a snap hook 130 extending from the compression insert 100, as described below.

[0008] The attachment portion 50 of the one-position cradle half 20 is defined by a front portion 22, a rear portion 24, an inner side portion 32, and a second curved side portion 34. The attachment portion 50 includes a central opening 52 for receiving a fastener (not shown), an alignment post 54 located on one side of the central opening 52, and an alignment hole 60 located on the opposite side of the central opening 52 opposite the alignment post 54. The alignment hole 60 complements the shape of the alignment post 54. The front portion 22 of the attachment portion 50 includes an internal alignment latch 70. The rear portion 24 of the attachment portion 50 includes an alignment slot 90.

[0009] The adjustment latch 70 includes a post 72 extending from the top 26 of the one-position cradle half 20. The post 72 has a T-shaped head 74 with two catch members 76 and an outwardly extending tab 78. The catch members 76 are located on either side of the tab 78. The distal end of the tab 78 is designed to extend through the adjustment slot 90 when the one-position cradle halves 20 are joined together to form the cable clamp. As a result, a portion of the tab 78 is accessible outside the one-position cradle half 20. A push pad 80 is located on the outer surface of the T-shaped head 74.

[0010] The adjustment slot 90 tapers from a wide opening 91 at the top 26 of the one-position cradle half 20 to a narrow passage 92 at the bottom of the adjustment slot 90. The catch member 76 of the T-shaped head 74 is curved to engage the tapered adjustment slot 90 as the adjustment latch 70 slides within the adjustment slot 90. As a result, the adjustment latch 70 becomes captured as it moves within the adjustment slot 90 from the wide opening 91 at the top 26 of the one-position cradle half 20 to the narrow passage 92 at the bottom of the adjustment slot 90.

[0011] 1B, the two-position cradle half 220 includes a front portion 222, a rear portion 224, an upper portion 226, a lower portion 228, a first side 230, a first inner side 232, a second inner side 234, and a second side 236. The two-position cradle half 220 also includes two cradle portions 240, 244 and an attachment portion 250. The first cradle portion 240 is defined by the front portion 222, the rear portion 224, the first side 230, and the first inner side 232. The second cradle portion 244 is defined by the front portion 222, the rear portion 224, the second inner side 234, and the second side 236. Each cradle portion 240, 244 is semicircular. The cradle portions 240 , 244 also include rectangular openings (not shown) identical to the rectangular openings 42 of the one-position cradle half 20 for receiving the snap hooks 130 extending from the compression insert 100 .

[0012] The attachment portion 250 of the two-position cradle half 220 is defined by a front portion 222, a rear portion 224, a first interior side 232, and a second interior side 234. The attachment portion 250 includes a central opening 252 for receiving a fastener (not shown), an alignment post 254 located on one side of the central opening 252, and an alignment hole 260 located on the opposite side of the central opening 252 opposite the alignment post 254. As with the one-position cradle half 20, the alignment hole 260 complements the shape of the alignment post 254. The front portion 222 of the attachment portion 250 includes an internal alignment latch 270. The rear portion 224 of the attachment portion 250 includes an alignment slot 290.

[0013] The adjustment latch 270 includes a post 272 extending from the top 226 of the two-position cradle half 220. The post 272 has a T-shaped head 274 with two catch members 276 and an outwardly extending tab 278. The catch members 276 are located on either side of the tab 278. The distal end of the tab 278 is designed to extend through the adjustment slot 290 when the two-position cradle halves 220 are joined together to form the cable clamp. As a result, a portion of the tab 278 is accessible outside the two-position cradle half 220. A push pad 280 is located on the outer surface of the T-shaped head 274.

[0014] The adjustment slot 290 tapers from a wide opening 291 at the top 226 of the two-position cradle half 220 to a narrow passage 292 at the bottom of the adjustment slot 290. The catch member 276 of the T-shaped head 274 is curved to engage the tapered adjustment slot 290 as the adjustment latch 270 slides within the adjustment slot. As a result, the adjustment latch 270 becomes captured as it moves within the adjustment slot 290 from the wide opening 291 at the top 226 of the one-position cradle half 220 to the narrow passage 292 at the bottom of the adjustment slot 290.

[0015] The compression insert 100 shown in this invention is a separately molded component. However, the compression insert may also be formed with the one-position cradle half 20 or the two-position cradle half 220 by an overmolding process. The compression insert 100 is cradle-shaped with a front portion 102, a rear portion 104, a top portion 106, a bottom portion 108, a first side 110, and a second side 112. A plurality of ribs 120 extend from the top portion 106 of the compression insert 100. The ribs 120 extend parallel to the cables installed in the one-position cradle half 20 or the two-position cradle half 220 and parallel to the sides 110, 112 of the compression insert 100 (see FIG. 10 ). A compression insert 100 with parallel ribs 120 has many advantages over compression inserts with ribs that extend perpendicular to the sides of the insert and the cables. The parallel ribs 120 provide more flexibility within the cable clamp, thereby expanding the range of cable diameters that can be used with the same cable clamp. The expanded cable diameter range reduces the inventory that the end user must carry. The parallel ribs 120 require less installation force when the assembled cradle halves are secured to a frame or surface. The parallel ribs 120 also allow for easier adjustment of the cable during installation of the one-position or two-position cradle halves around the cable.

[0016] The front 102 and rear 104 of the compression insert 100 include downwardly extending snap hooks 130 that extend away from one another. The snap hooks 130 engage rectangular openings 42 in the cradle portion 40 of the one-position cradle half 20 or rectangular openings (not shown) in the cradle portions 240, 244 of the two-position cradle half 220 to secure the compression insert 100 to the cradle half 20, 220.

[0017] The one-position cable clamp is formed by joining two one-position cradle halves 20 together so that the tops 26 of each one-position cradle half 20 are adjacent to one another. Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the one-position cradle clamp. A compression insert 100 is aligned to be placed within the cradle portion 40 of each one-position cradle half 20.

[0018] The cradle portion 40 and the attachment portion 50 are positioned one above the other. Figures 4-5 show the one-position cable clamp partially assembled. As shown in Figure 6, the alignment post 54 of each one-position cradle half 20 is positioned within the alignment hole 60 of the opposing one-position cradle half 20. The internal alignment latch 70 of each one-position cradle half 20 is positioned within the alignment slot 90 of the opposing one-position cradle half 20.

[0019] The internal adjustment latches 70 are designed to reduce the force required to attach the cradle halves 20 to each other and form the cable clamp. As the two cradle halves 20 are slid together, the internal adjustment latches 70 bend and snap into place within the tapered adjustment slots 90. Once the cradle halves are mated together around the cable, the internal adjustment latches 70 allow the operator to separate the cradle halves by up to 4.5 mm while still remaining connected. In this position, the cradle halves 20 may be adjusted relative to each other and to the cable (not shown) located within them, if necessary. This allows for final adjustment of the cradle halves 20 along the cable before bolting them together and securing them to the surface for final installation.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 7 , the internal adjustment latch 70 is also designed to allow the cradle halves 20 to be detached from one another. Push pads 80 allow for easy removal of the cradle halves 20. The push pads 80 on the T-shaped head 74 of the internal adjustment latch 70 are pressed inward with the thumb and index finger to pull the upper one-position cradle half 20 up and release it from the lower one-position cradle half 20. No tools are required to remove the upper one-position cradle half 20 from the lower one-position cradle half 20. Furthermore, the user can separate the cradle halves 20 from one another while wearing thick insulating gloves, which is required for safety.

[0021] Internal adjustment latches 70 are located on the front 22 and rear 24 of the cradle halves 20 to improve the removal process. As a result, the push pads 80 are easily accessible and the cradle halves 20 can be released using only one hand and no tools.

[0022] 8 and 9 show the one-position cable clamp fully assembled. As shown, the one-position cable half 20 defines a passage 96 for the cable. The lower portion 28 of each cradle half includes at least one anti-rotation pad 94. The anti-rotation pads 94 properly position and secure the cable clamp during installation, thereby preventing the one-position cradle half 20 from rotating during installation.

[0023] Figures 10 and 11 show a one-position cable clamp stacked on a two-position cable clamp. Anti-rotation pads 94 allow the operator to stack different sized cable clamps. The cradle halves are designed with a specific height that maintains the cable diameter distance between the cables when the cable clamps are stacked on top of each other.

[0024] 12A and 12B show the one-position cradle half 20 and the two-position cradle half 220 with an alternative compression insert 300 installed therein. The alternative compression insert 300 accommodates cables ranging in size from 11 mm diameter to 15 mm diameter. The alternative compression insert 300 includes a larger cradle shape, reducing the distance between two smaller cables. The alternative compression insert 300 also includes parallel ribs 320 and a snap hook (not shown). The alternative compression insert 300 fits into the cradle portion of the one-position cradle half 20 or the cradle portion of the two-position cradle half 220 in the same manner as described above with respect to the compression insert 100.

[0025] While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation. The actual scope of the present invention is intended to be defined by the following claims when properly assessed in accordance with the prior art.

Claims

1. 1. A cable clamp for securing at least one cable to a surface, comprising: two identical cradle halves for holding the at least one cable therebetween, each cradle half having a front, a back, a top, a bottom, and sides; Each cradle half includes at least one cradle portion with a compression insert and an attachment portion; the attachment portion includes an adjustment latch with a post having a T-shaped head and a tapered adjustment slot; The cable clamp is formed by joining the two cradle halves by positioning the top of one cradle half on top of the other cradle half, with the cradle portion and attachment portion of one cradle half on top of the cradle portion and attachment portion of the other cradle half.

2. the compression insert has a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, and sides, with a rib extending from the top of the compression insert; The cable clamp of claim 1 , wherein the ribs are parallel to the sides of the compression insert.

3. 3. The cable clamp of claim 2, wherein the cradle portion is semicircular with a rectangular opening therethrough, and wherein snap hooks extend from the bottom of the compression insert at the front and rear of the compression insert, the snap hooks engaging the rectangular openings in the cradle portion to secure the compression insert to the cradle halves.

4. 2. The cable clamp of claim 1, wherein an adjustment latch of one cradle half becomes trapped as the adjustment latch slides within the tapered adjustment slot of the other cradle half, securing the cradle halves together.

5. The cable clamp of claim 1 , wherein the tapered adjustment slot includes a wide opening at the top of the cradle half and extends to a narrow path at the bottom of the adjustment slot.

6. 2. The cable clamp of claim 1, wherein the T-shaped head has two catch members and an outwardly extending tab, the catch members being disposed on either side of the outwardly extending tab.

7. The cable clamp of claim 6 , wherein a distal end of the outwardly extending tab extends through the alignment slot when the cradle halves are joined together.

8. The cable clamp of claim 6 , wherein the catch member is curved to engage the tapered adjustment slot when the adjustment latch slides within the adjustment slot.

9. 2. The cable clamp of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion further includes a central opening for receiving a fastener, an alignment post located on one side of the central opening, and an alignment hole located on an opposite side of the central opening opposite the alignment post, the alignment hole complementing a shape of the alignment post.

10. 10. The cable clamp of claim 9, wherein the alignment post of one cradle half is positioned within the alignment hole of the other cradle half and the adjustment latch of one cradle half is positioned within the adjustment slot of the other cradle half.

11. 2. The cable clamp of claim 1, wherein a push pad is located on the T-head to facilitate engagement of the adjustment latch.

12. The cable clamp of claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the cradle half has anti-rotation pads for properly positioning the cable clamp during installation and for stacking multiple cable clamps.

13. The cable clamp of claim 1 , wherein the cradle half is a one-position cradle half.

14. The cable clamp of claim 1 , wherein the cradle half is a two-position cradle half having two cradle portions.

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