Hose clamp

Claim 1

A HOSE CLAMP ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A CIRCULAR FORMED OPEN END BAND HAVING ONE END OVERLAPPING THE OTHER WHEREIN THE OUTER LAPPED END OF THE BAND IS PROVIDED WITH TRANSVERSE SLOTS AND MEANS FOR HOLDING THE UNSLOTTED END OF THE BAND AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE SLOTTED END OVER THE UNSLOTTED END, COMPRISING: (A) THE MEANS FOR HOLDING AND MOVING THE BAND BEING IN THE FORM OF A HOLLOW SINGLE UNIT HAVING A LENGTH GREATER THAN ITS WIDTH, SAID UNIT BEING FORMED FROM AT LEAST TWO PARTS, A LOWER MEMBER AND AN UPPER MEMBER FORMED FROM A RIGID SHEET-LIKE MATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME THICKNESS; (B) A SPIRAL THREADED SCREW ROTATABLY MOUNTED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SAID HOLLOW HOUSING, SAID SCREW HAVING AN ELONGATED SHANK PORTION ABOUT WHICH IS FORMED INTERMEDIATELY THEREOF A SPIRAL THREAD, BEARINGS ABOUT THE SCREW SHANK AND EACH END OF THE SPIRAL THREAD, AND A HEAD EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM ONE END OF THE SHANK PORTION BEYOND THE ADJACENT BEARING FOR PROVIDING MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE SCREW TO A SEPARATE TOOL FOR ROTATING SAID SCREW; (C) THE LOWER MEMBER HAVING ITS CENTRAL SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT IN CROSS-SECTION AND TWO OPPOSITE PARALLEL SIDE SECTIONS FORMED AT RIGHT ANGLES WITH AND AT EACH OF THE FLAT CENTRAL SECTION, THE WIDTH OF THE CENTRAL SECTION BEING SUCH AS TO SLIDABLY RECEIVE THE ENDS OF THE CIRCULAR BAND, THE INNER LAPPED END OF THE BAND BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE CENTRAL FLAT SECTION OF THE LOWER MEMBER, THE SIDE SECTIONS OF THE LOWER MEMBER HAVING A STEP AT EACH END OF EACH OF THE SIDE SECTIONS AT A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM THE PLANE OF THE FLAT SECTION AND EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THEN END THEREOF FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE SAID SIDE SECTIONS, THE CENTRAL PORTION OF EACH OF THE SAID SIDE SECTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID STEPS FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE DISTANCE; (D) THE UPPER MEMBER OF THE HOLLOW HOUSING UNIT HAVING A CENTRAL SECTION OF CROSS-SECTIONAL ARCUATED FORM HAVING END SECTIONS AT EACH END THEREOF PROVIDING JOURNALS THEREIN FOR ROTATABLY RECEIVING THE SCREW BEARINGS AND THE SIDES OF SAID UPPER MEMBER EACH TERMINATING AT THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF IN AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING LATERAL SECTION WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH AN APERTURE AT THE JUNCTION THEREOF WITH THE SIDE OF SAID UPPER MEMBER AND OF SUCH DIMENSIONS AS TO RECEIVE THE EXTENDED PORTIONS OF THE LOWER SIDE WALL SAID EXTENDED PORTION EXTENDING BEYOND THE SAID STEPS EXTENDING THROUGH THE SAID SLOTS, SAID EXTENDED PORTIONS BEING BENT OUTWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID OUTWARDLY EXTENDING LATERAL SECTIONS THEREBY FORCING SAID LATERAL SECTIONS DOWNWARDLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STEPS AND SECURELY CLAMPING SAID LOWER AND UPPER MEMBERS TOGETHER. (E) WHEREBY THE SIZE OF THE HOLLOW HOUSING FORMED BETWEEN THE LOWER AND UPPER MEMBERS AND THE SIZE OF THE SCREW AND THE SPIRAL THREADS CARRIED THEREON, ARE SUCH AS TO ENGAGE THE LATERAL SLOTS CARRIED BY THE OUTER LAPPED END OF THE BAND FOR MOVING THE BAND THROUGH THE HOUSING BY ROTATING THE SAID SCREW.