Antivibration clamp for elongated objects

• US 7,011,277 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2004
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kotaro, Sato, Motoyasu, Mizukoshi, Suguru, Okumoto, Hidehumi, Kato, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O
• Application Number:
  US10/810,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20040251386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 248/71, 248/68.1, 248/73, 248/74.1, 248/74.2, 248/55
• US Class Current: 248/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 3/223 each support having one transverse base for supporting the pipes F16L3/23, F16L3/237 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/035 in the form of specially adapted hangers or supports
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/30 Installations of cables or lines on walls, floors or ceilings

Abstract

An antivibration clamp comprises a base made of hard resin and an object-holding portion of hard resin supported by the base. The object-holding portion includes a curved wall defining a recess for receiving an elongated object, and a resilient holding finger extending obliquely from the top of the curved wall or its vicinity toward the recess of the curved wall to press against the outer surface of an object received in the curved wall. The curved wall has an inner wall surface on which a plurality of elongated rigid ribs are formed to protrude inward and extend in the width direction of the curved wall with the ribs being spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the curved wall. The inner wall surface and the ribs of the curved wall are coated with an antivibration material made of soft resin.

Claims

1. An antivibration clamp for holding an elongated object, such as a pipe, comprising a base made of hard resin, and an object-holding portion made of hard resin and supported by the base,

wherein the object-holding portion includes a curved wall connected integrally with the base to define a recess for receiving an elongated object therein, and a resilient holding finger extending obliquely from the top of the curved wall or its vicinity toward the recess of the curved wall to press against an outer surface of the elongated object when received in the curved wall, and

wherein the curved wall has an inner wall surface formed with a plurality of elongated rigid ribs protruding inward and extending in the width direction of the curved wall, which is the longitudinal direction of the elongated object, while being spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the curved wall, and both the inner wall surface and the ribs of the curved wall have a coating thereon of an antivibration material made of soft resin.

2. The antivibration clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the ribs includes a top portion having a length equal to the width of the curved wall, and a root portion on the inner wall surface, each of opposite longitudinal ends of each rib being tapered in such a manner that the length of the root portion becomes shorter than the width of the curved wall.

3. The antivibration clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein all of the curved wall, the resilient holding finger, the ribs and the base are integrally formed as a primary molded product of hard resin, and the antivibration material is a coating on the curved wall and the ribs of the primary molded product.

4. The antivibration clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the antivibration material is coating on opposite side surfaces of the curved wall and opposite ends of each of the ribs.

5. The antivibration clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the base includes a fixing device to fix the clamp to a substrate, such as an automobile body.

6. An antivibration clamp for holding an elongated object, such as a pipe, comprising a base made of hard resin, and an object-holding portion made of hard resin and supported by the base,

wherein the object-holding portion includes a curved wall connected integrally with the base to define a recess for receiving an elongated object therein, and a resilient holding finger extending obliquely from the top of the curved wall or its vicinity toward the recess of the curved wall to press against an outer surface of the elongated object when received in the curved wall, and

wherein the curved wall has an inner wall surface formed with a plurality of elongated rigid ribs protruding inward and extending in the width direction of the curved wall, which is the longitudinal direction of the elongated object, while being spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the curved wall, and both the inner wall surface and the ribs of the curved wall have a coating thereon of an antivibration material made of soft resin,

wherein the base includes a plurality of object-holding portions integrally formed therewith, at least one of the object-holding portions being formed as an antivibration-material-coated object-holding portion coated with the antivibration material, a space is formed between each of the curved walls of the antivibration-material-coated object-holding portion and an object-holding portion adjacent to the antivibration-material-coated object-holding portion, to isolate the curved walls from one another, and the antivibration material fills the space.

7. The antivibration clamp as defined in claim 6, wherein adjacent curved walls have outer surfaces opposed to one another across the space, and at least one of the outer surfaces is formed with a protrusion in engagement with the antivibration material in the space.

8. The antivibration clamp as defined in claim 6, which includes a through-hole extending in the width direction of the curved wall between the base and the bottom of the curved wall of the antivibration-material-coated object-holding portion, wherein the antivibration material fills the thorough-hole.

9. An antivibration clamp comprising an object-holding portion that includes a curved wall defining a recess for receiving an object to be clamped, the curved wall having a plurality of elongated ribs protruding inwardly from the curved wall and spaced apart circumferentially of the curved wall, the inner surface of the curved wall and the ribs having a coating thereon of an antivibration material that is softer than a material of which the curved wall and the ribs are formed.

10. An antivibration clamp as defined in claim 9, wherein the antivibration material includes a coating on ends of the curved wall and ends of the ribs.

11. An antivibration clamp comprising an object-holding portion that includes a curved wall defining a recess for receiving an object to be clamped, the curved wall having a plurality of elongated ribs protruding inwardly from the curved wall and spaced apart circumferentially of the curved wall, the inner surface of the curved wall and the ribs having a coating thereon of an antivibration material that is softer than a material of which the curved wall and the ribs are formed,

wherein the antivibration material includes a coating on ends of the curved wall and ends of the ribs, and

wherein the curved wall is supported on a base in such a manner that spaces are formed between the curved wall and the base, the spaces being filled with antivibration material.