Corrosion-free clip eyelet for spray nozzles

• US 5,697,650 A
• Filed: 04/20/1995
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spraying Systems Company
• Original Assignee: Spraying Systems Company
• Inventors: Brown, Wade R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Melius, Terry Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHACKELFORD, HEATHER CHUN
• Application Number:
  US08/425,819
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 285/197, 285/199, 285/367, 284/419, 284/373, 411/366, 411/908, 411/904, 411/537, 411/427
• US Class Current: 285/197
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/658 the spraying apparatus or its outlet axis being perpendicular to the flow conduit
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 41/12 using attaching means embracing the pipe

Abstract

An all plastic spray nozzle attachment is provided to avoid corrosion problems, with a self-adjusting fastener system which minimizes or avoids bending stresses on the securement screw that joins the free ends of the two hinged clamp arms that embrace the support pipe. Both the head and nut ends of the screw and the respective abutting surfaces of the clamp arms are provided with arcuate abutment surfaces which permit rocking movement of the head and nut portions about axes generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support to readily maintain the head and nut in coaxial alignment with one another, thereby relieving bending stresses on the screw shank as the fastener is tightened to draw the arms toward one another into clamped position.

Claims

1. A clamp for mounting a device on an elongated support having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral surface, said clamp comprising first and second rigid clamping arms each having free and hinge end portions and an intervening gripping portion which includes an interior surface of a configuration to engage a portion of said peripheral surface of said elongated support, said hinge end portions of said arms being pivotally joined to one another whereby said arms are pivotal about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support to be engaged therebetween for movement of said arms between open positions in which said arms may be installed over opposite sides of the elongate support and clamped positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms embrace the elongated support, a threaded plastic fastener including a head, a nut and an elongated shank for extending between said free end portions and for drawing said end portions toward one another into said clamped position and thereby affixing said clamp to said support, said shank having a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise through said shank, said nut having a threaded aperture and an integrally formed concave abutment surface, one of said free end portions having an opposed convex abutment surface shaped complementary to the abutment surface of said nut, said head and the other of said free end portions having complementary shaped and opposed curved abutment surfaces, and said abutment surfaces permitting rocking movement of said head and nut about axes generally parallel to said longitudinal axis of said support engaged between said arms while maintaining compressive bearing contact with one another substantially centered on said longitudinal axis of said shank notwithstanding that the diameter of the elongated support prevents positioning of said arms into parallel relation to each other and thereby relieving bending stresses on said shank as said threaded fastener is tightened to draw said arms toward one another.

2. A clamp for mounting a device on an elongated support having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral surface, said clamp comprising first and second rigid clamping arms each having free and hinge end portions and an intervening gripping portion which includes an interior surface of a configuration to engage a portion of said peripheral surface of said elongated support, said hinge end portions of said arms being pivotally joined to one another whereby said arms are pivotal about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support to be engaged therebetween for movement of said arms between open positions in which said arms may be installed over opposite sides of the elongate support and clamped positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms embrace the elongated support, a threaded plastic fastener including a head, a nut and an elongated shank for extending between said free end portions and for drawing said end portions toward one another into said clamped position and thereby affixing said clamp to said support, said shank having a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise through said shank, said head and nut each having a concave abutment surface, and said free end portions each having a convex abutment surface for opposing engagement with a respective one of said head and nut abutment surfaces for permitting rocking movement of said head and nut about axes generally parallel to said longitudinal axis of said support engaged between said arms while maintaining compressive bearing contact with one another substantially centered on said longitudinal axis of said shank notwithstanding that-the diameter of the elongated support prevents positioning of said arms into parallel relation to each other and thereby relieving bending stresses on said shank as said threaded fastener is tightened to draw said arms toward one another into said clamped positions.

3. The invention as in claim 2 wherein one of said convex shaped abutment surfaces is elongated with a major axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of said support and intersecting the longitudinal axis of the shank.

4. The invention as in claim 2 in which the concave abutments surfaces of said head and nut each are formed integrally with the respective head and nut.

5. A clamp for mounting a device on an elongated support having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral surface, said clamp comprising first and second rigid clamping arms each having free and hinge end portions and an intervening gripping portion which includes an interior surface of a configuration to engage a portion of said peripheral surface of said elongated support, said hinge end portions of said arms being pivotally joined to one another whereby said arms are pivotal about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of a support to be engaged therebetween for movement of said arms between open positions in which said arms may be installed over opposite sides of the elongate support and clamped positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms embrace the elongated support, a threaded plastic fastener including a head, a nut and an elongated shank for extending between said free end portions and for drawing said end portions toward one another into said clamped position and thereby affixing said clamp to said support, said shank having a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise through said shank, said head and nut and the respective free end portions having opposed abutment surfaces, and at least of one said abutment surfaces is defined by a narrow rib having a curved outer surface and the abutment surface opposing said narrow rib is substantially flat.

6. The invention as in claim 5 in which said narrow rib extends from an underside of said nut, and the opposing abutment surface of the free end portion is substantially flat.

7. The invention as in claim 6 in which said narrow rib is lesser in width than said head.

8. The invention as in claim 6 in which narrow rib extends from one of said free end portions.

9. The invention as in claim 6 in which the abutment surfaces of each of said free end portions is defined by one of said narrow ribs.

10. The invention as in claim 9 in which said narrow ribs each is smaller in width than the abutment surface of the opposing head and nut.

11. A clamp for mounting a device on an elongated support having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral surface, said clamp comprising first and second rigid clamping arms formed of plastic and each having free and hinge end portions and an intervening gripping portion which includes an interior surface of a configuration to engage a portion of said peripheral surface of such an elongated support, at least one of said arms being of a configuration for supporting a device to be mounted on such a support, said hinge end portions of said arms being pivotally joined to one another whereby said arms are pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of a support to be engaged therebetween for movement of said arms between open positions in which said arms may be installed over opposite sides of the elongate support and clamped positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms embrace the elongated support, and a plastic threaded fastener including a head portion, a nut portion and a shank to extend between said free end portions for drawing said end portions toward one another into said clamped position and thereby affixing said clamp to such a support, said shank having a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise of said shank, each of said head and nut portions and the respective free end portion having opposed abutment surfaces which permit rocking movement of said head and nut portions about axes generally parallel to said longitudinal axis of such a support engaged between said arms while maintaining compressive bearing contact with one another substantially centered on said longitudinal axis of said shank and thereby relieving bending stresses on said shank as said threaded fastener is tightened to draw said arms toward one another into said clamped positions said free end portions of said arms being formed with pockets, a bearing washer mounted on said shank adjacent said head portion, said bearing washer and nut portion being releasably received and held in respective of said pockets with a snap action fit, and said abutment surfaces are defined by concavely curved seats formed in the free ends of said arms and convexly curved surfaces of said nut portion and bearing washer adopted for rocking movement relative to said seats during tightening of said fastener.

12. The invention as in claim 11 in which said threaded fastener includes a screw comprising a head and said shank, and said washer is internally threaded and threadably receives said shank when said arms are in said open positions whereby said screw is retained in said washer without being engaged with said nut.

13. A clamp for mounting a spray nozzle on a generally cylindrical support pipe having a longitudinal axis, said clamp comprising first and second rigid clamping arms molded of plastic and each having free and hinge end portions and a generally arcuate interior surface, means on one of said arms for mounting a spray nozzle, plastic hinge means interconnecting said hinged end portions and supporting said arms to swing abut an axis paralleling said longitudinal axis between open positions in which the arms may be installed on the pipe and closed positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms clamp against the pipe, a first pocket having a concavely curved bottom formed in the exterior side of the free end portion of said first arm, a second pocket having a concavely curved bottom formed in the exterior side of the free end portion of said second arm, a plastic nut located in said first pocket, a plastic washer located in said second pocket, a plastic screw having an elongated shank extending through said washer for threading into said nut and having an enlarged head engageable with said washer, said nut portion and washer having convexly curved surfaces which rock on the bottoms of said pockets during tightening of said screw, said nut portion and washer being releasably retained in said pockets with a snap action fit while allowing said nut and washer to rock within said pockets about axes parallel to said longitudinal axis of said support during tightening of said screw to draw said arms toward said closed positions.

14. The invention as in claim 13 in which said washer is internally threaded and threadably receives said shank when said arms are in said open positions thereby to retain said screw in assembled relation with said second arm.

15. A spray nozzle attachment for use on an elongated support having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral surface, said attachment comprising first and second rigid plastic clamping arms each having free and hinge end portions and an intervening gripping portion which includes an interior surface of a configuration to engage a portion of said peripheral surface of such an elongated support, at least one of said arms being of a configuration for supporting such a spray nozzle, said hinge end portions of said arms being pivotally joined to one another whereby said arms are pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of such an elongated support to be engaged therebetween for movement of said arms between open positions in which said arms may be installed over opposite sides of the support and clamped positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms embrace the support, a plastic threaded fastener including a head portion, a nut portion and a threaded shank to extend between said free end portions for drawing said end portions toward one another into said clamped position and thereby affixing said clamp to such a support, said shank having a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise of said shank, a threaded washer threadedly engaging said shank and positioned in close relation to said nut portion, said nut portion being separate from said shank and threadedly positionable onto an end of said shank opposite said head portion, each of said washer and nut portion and the respective free end portions of said arms having opposed abutment surfaces which includes a convex surface engageable with an opposed surface to permit rocking movement of said washer and nut portions about axes generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support while maintaining compressive bearing contact with one another substantially centered on said longitudinal axis of said shank notwithstanding that the diameter of the elongated support prevents positioning of said arms into parallel relation to each other and thereby relieving bending stresses on said shank as said threaded fastener is tightened to draw said arms toward one another into said clamped positions.

16. A spray nozzle attachment for use on an elongated support having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral surface, said attachment comprising first and second rigid clamping arms each having free and hinge end portions and an intervening gripping portion which includes an interior surface of a configuration to engage a portion of said peripheral surface of such an elongated support, at least one of said arms being of a configuration for supporting such a spray nozzle, said hinge end portions of said arms being pivotally joined to one another whereby said arms are pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of such an elongated support to be engaged therebetween for movement of said arms between open positions in which said arms may be installed over opposite sides of the support and clamped positions in which the interior surfaces of the arms embrace the support, and a threaded fastener including a head portion, a nut portion and a shank to extend between said free end portions for drawing said end portions toward one another into said clamped position and thereby affixing said clamp to such a support, said shank having a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise of said shank, each of said head and nut portions and the respective free end portion having opposed abutment surfaces which include convex surfaces that permit rocking movement of said head and nut portions about axes generally parallel to said longitudinal axis of said support engaged between said arms while maintaining compressive bearing contact with one another substantially centered on said longitudinal axis of said shank and thereby relieving bending stresses on said shank as said threaded fastener is tightened to draw said arms toward one another into said clamped positions, one of said abutment surfaces being spherical in shape, and another of said abutment surfaces being cylindrical in shape and with an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated support engaged by said clamping arms for limiting rotational movement of said one of said head portion and said nut portion relative to the longitudinal axis of the shank.