Clamping sealing apparatus

Claim 1

A SEALING CLAMP COMPRISING A BAND ARRANGEMENT ADAPTED TO BE CLAMPED AROUND AN OBJECT SUCH AS A PIPE OR THE LIKE, SAID BAND ARRANGEMENT HAVING ADJACENT SIDE EDGES THAT ARE CO-EXTENSIVE AND IN SPACED ADJACENCY WHEN SAID BAND ARRANGEMENT IS CLAMPED ON AN OBJECT, A FIRST ELONGATED LUG FIXEDLY CONNECTED NEAR AN INNER END THEREOF TO ONE SIDE EDGE AND EXTENDING OVER THE OTHER SIDE EDGE, SAID FIRST LUG HAVING A FREE OUTER END AND AN INNER END HAVING AN ABUTMENT FACE, TENSIONING MEANS ON SAID FREE OUTER END, ABUTMENT SURFACES BESIDE EACH SIDE OF THE INNER END OF THE FIRST LUG FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE LATTER, A SECOND LUG CONNECTED NEAR AN INNER END THEREOF TO SAID OTHER SIDE EDGE, SAID SECOND LUG COMPRISING A PAIR OF BRACING LEGS SPACED APART SUFFICIENTLY TO PERMIT THE FIRST LUG TO FIT THEREBETWEEN, AN ABUTMENT SURFACE BETWEEN THE LEGS NEAR THE INNER END THEREOF AGAINST WHICH THE ABUTMENT FACE OF THE FIRST LUG RESTS, SAID LEGS EXTENDING OVER AND HAVING FREE ENDS BEARING AGAINST THE ABUTMENT SURFACES OF THE FIRST LUG, AND A SHOULDER FORMED BY THE INNER ENDS OF THE LEGS SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE LENGTH THEREOF AGAINST WHICH SAID TENSIONING MEANS BEARS TO TIGHTEN THE CLAMP, SAID TENSIONING MEANS BEING FREE TO MOVE ACROSS SAID SHOULDER, SAID TENSIONING MEANS DRAWING THE BAND EDGES TOGETHER AND DRAWING THE ABUTMENT FACE OF THE FIRST LUG AGAINST THE ABUTMENT SURFACE BETWEEN SAID LEGS, WHEREBY THE ABUTMENT SURFACE RESISTS THE TORQUE ACTION OF SAID FIRST LUG AS TENSION IS APPLIED TO AT LEAST MINIMIZE TRANSVERSE SHEARING STRESSES IN THE FREE OUTER END OF THE FIRST LUG AND SAID TENSIONING MEANS DRAWING THE ABUTMENT FACE OF THE EXTENSION LEGS OF SAID SECOND LUG AGAINST THE ABUTMENT SURFACES OF SAID FIRST LUG WHEREBY THE ABUTMENT SURFACE RESIST THE TORQUE ACTION OF SAID SECOND LUG AS TENSION IS APPLIED, THE EFFECTIVE GEOMETRICAL CENTERS OF SAID ABUTMENT SURFACES ON SAID FIRST LUG AND THE EFFECTIVE GEOMETRICAL CENTER OF SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE ON SAID SECOND LUG BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUI-DISTANT FROM THE CENTER OF THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SIDE EDGES TO MINIMIZE THE TENDENCY OF THE CLAMP TO PIVOT ABOUT A POINT MIDWAY BETWEEN SAID EDGES.