Single-throw lever tool for joining flanged split-band elements

Claim 1

A CLAMPING TOOL FOR FORCING FLANGED ENDS OF A SPLITRING MEMBER INTO CLOSE ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WHERE THEY MAY BE FASTENED TOGETHER, COMPRISING FIRST GENERALLY CSHAPED HOOK MEANS HAVING A FIRST RELATIVELY SHORT PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT INTO AN OPENING IN A FLANGE ON AN END OF THE SPLIT-RING MEMBER ON THE SIDE OF THE FLANGE OPPOSITE THE OPPOSING END OF THE SPLIT RING, SAID FIRST HOOK MEANS ALSO HAVING A SECOND RELATIVELY SHORT PORTION AT GENERALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FIRST PORTION AND A LONG THIRD SHANK PORTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FIRST PORTION, SECOND GENERALLY C-SHAPED HOOK MEANS HAVING A FIRST RELATIVELY SHORT PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT INTO AN OPENING IN A FLANGE ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPLIT-RING MEMBER ON THE SIDE OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED FLANGE OPPOSITE THE FIRST-MENTIONED FLANGE, SAID SECOND HOOK MEANS ALSO HAVING A SECOND RELATIVELY SHORT PORTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ITS FIRST PORTION AND A RELATIVELY LONG THIRD SHANK PORTION PARALLEL TO THE FIRST PORTION, THE SHANK PORTIONS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND HOOK MEANS BEING CROSSED, A HANDLE MEMBER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE END OF THE SHANK PORTION OF THE FIRST HOOK MEANS OPPOSITE SAID FIRST PORTION, AND A LINKAGE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS TO THE HANDLE MEMBER AND THE END OF THE SHANK PORTION OF THE SECOND HOOK MEANS OPPOSITE SAID FIRST PORTION, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT ROTATION OF THE HANDLE MEMBER IN ONE DIRECTION ABOUT ITS CONNECTION TO THE FIRST HOOK MEANS WILL DRAW THE FIRST PORTIONS OF THE HOOK MEANS TOGETHER WHILE ROTATION IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WILL CAUSE THE FIRST PORTIONS TO SEPARATE.