Adjustable clamp

Claim 1

AN ADJUSTABLE HOSE CLAMP COMPRISING A BAND HAVING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SLOTS ADJACENT TO ONE END THEREOF, AN INTEGRAL HOUSING MOUNTED ON THE BAND ADJACENT TO THE OTHER END THEREOF HAVING A BODY SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE END OF THE BAND TO WHICH THE HOUSING IS MOUNTED, SAID HOUSING HAVING ALSO AN ENTIRELY OPEN END AND AN OPPOSITE DISTENDABLE END WALL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE BODY AND HAVING A SCREW TIP RECEIVING OPENING THEREIN, AND A SCREW IN THE HOUSING HAVING A HEAD, A THREADED SHANK IN THE HOUSING AND A SCREW TIP OPPOSITE SAID HEAD MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN THE WALLED END OF THE HOUSING, SAID SCREW TIP HAVING A PAIR OF SHOULDERS DEFINING AN ANNULAR GROOVE, SAID HOUSING ALSO HAVING AN OPEN BOTTOM INCLUDING A FIRST BOTTOM PART OPEN IN A DIRECTION RADIALLY TOWARD THE BAND AND BETWEEN THE END OF THE HOUSING ADJACENT TO THE SCREW HEAD AND THE PLACE OF SECUREMENT OF THE HOUSING TO THE BAND AND A SECOND BOTTOM PART OPEN IN A DIRECTION RADIALLY TOWARD THE BAND BETWEEN THE WALLED END THEREOF AND THE PLACE OF SECUREMENT OF THE HOUSING TO THE BAND, SAID SCREW BEING INSERTABLE IN THE HOUSING AFTER MOUNTING OF SAID HOUSING TO SAID BAND BY INSERTION OF THE TIP END OF THE SCREW THROUGH THE OPEN END OF THE HOUSING AND AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE SCREW WITHIN THE HOUSING TO CAUSE THE TIP OF THE SCREW TO DISTEND SAID DISTENDABLE END WALL OF THE HOUSING WITHIN ELASTIC LIMITS AND THEREBY INCREASE THE WIDTH OF THE OPENING IN SAID DISTENDABLE END WALL AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT THE TIP OF THE SCREW TO PASS THROUGH SAID DISTENDABLE END WALL OF THE HOUSING AND THEREAFTER ALLOW SAID DISTENDABLE END WALL TO CONTACT TO SUBSTANTIALLY ITS INITIAL POSITION AND LIE WITHIN SAID ANNULAR GROOVE DEFINED BY SAID PAIR OF SHOULDERS FORMED IN THE TIP OF THE SCREW TO PREVENT RETRACTION OF THE SCREW FROM THE HOUSING, SAID WALLED END BEING THE ONLY SUPPORT FOR THE SCREW IN THE HOUSING, SAID SCREW HEAD BEING OUTWARD OF SAID HOUSING ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF THE HOUSING, SAID WALLED END AND THE SHOULDER OF SAID GROOVE, LOCATED IN THE HOUSING, COOPERATING WITH THE SCREW HEAD AND OPEN END OF SAID HOUSING TO LIMIT AXIAL THRUST OF SAID SCREW IN SAID HOUSING DURING ROTATION OF SAID SCREW THEREBY TO DISTRIBUTE SAID THRUST TO SAID HOUSING, AND SAID HOUSING BEING SIZED TO RECEIVE SAID SLOTTED END OF THE BAND AND TO PERMIT SAID SLOTTED END TO PROJECT THROUGH SAID HOUSING IN OVERLAPPED RELATION WITH SAID OTHER END OF SAID BAND AND WITH THREADS ON SAID SHANK PROJECTING INTO SAID SLOTS.