US3852943A — Portable safety clamp

Claim 1

Independent Claim 162 words

A portable safety clamp for connection of a workman''s safety belt to an upstanding safety rope, the clamp comprising an elongate portable rope housing having a generally U-shaped internal cross section adapted to longitudinally receive a safety rope and having opposed, apertured walls; an elongate brake lever having a bearing orifice intermediate its length and having a brake shoe at one end extending inwardly of the housing for contact with a rope therein, the other end of the brake lever extending outwardly for connection to a workman''s safety belt; a removable pivot pin extending through the bearing orifice and the wall apertures; a helical spring mounted about one end of the pivot pin for acting in torsion to urge the brake shoe into contact with a rope in the housing; the pivot pin having a releasable latch at its other end abutting the outer surface of a housing wall aperture and held lockingly thereagainst by the compressive force of the helical spring.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 162 words

A portable safety clamp for connection of a workman''s safety belt to an upstanding safety rope, the clamp comprising an elongate portable rope housing having a generally U-shaped internal cross section adapted to longitudinally receive a safety rope and having opposed, apertured walls; an elongate brake lever having a bearing orifice intermediate its length and having a brake shoe at one end extending inwardly of the housing for contact with a rope therein, the other end of the brake lever extending outwardly for connection to a workman''s safety belt; a removable pivot pin extending through the bearing orifice and the wall apertures; a helical spring mounted about one end of the pivot pin for acting in torsion to urge the brake shoe into contact with a rope in the housing; the pivot pin having a releasable latch at its other end abutting the outer surface of a housing wall aperture and held lockingly thereagainst by the compressive force of the helical spring.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 85 words

The safety clamp of claim 1 including means for rotationally locking together the pivot pin and brake lever, and wherein one end of the helical spring is affixed to the pin adjacent the one end of the pin and the other end of the spring is removably attached to the rope housing, whereby movement of the brake shoe out of contact with the rope in the housing creates torsion forces in the helical spring tending to return the brake shoe into contact with the rope.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 101 words

The safety clamp of claim 2 wherein the bearing orifice has a lateral keyway therein receiving a key borne by the pivot pin for rotationally locking the pivot pin to the brake lever, and wherein the housing wall aperture adjacent the one end of the pivot pin has a keyway therein which is aligned with the keyway in the brake lever orifice only when the brake lever is pivoted to an extreme open position not assumed by the lever during operation of the clamp, whereby the pivot pin is continuously locked to the brake lever when the keyways are not aligned.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 257 words

A safety clamp for attachment of a workman''s safety belt to an upright safety rope, comprising an upright, portable, rigid rope housing having opposed walls and a generally U-shaped cross section for reception of an upright safety cable, one wall having a first bearing aperture therethrough, and the opposed wall having a second bearing aperture aligned with the first aperture; a brake lever having a bearing orifice intermediate its ends aligned with the first and second bearing apertures of the rope housing, the lever having a brake shoe at one end extending into the rope housing, the other end of the brake lever being adapted for attachment to a workman''s safety belt; and a removable pivot pin passing through the first bearing aperture, the brake lever orifice, and the second bearing aperture, the pin being rotatably locked to the brake lever, one end of the pin having a pivotally mounted latch movable transversely of the pin axis to bear upon the outer periphery of the second bearing aperture to prevent removal of the pin therefrom in the direction of the first aperture, the other end of the pin having a helical spring therearound of which one end is rigidly attached to the pin and the other end is removably attached to the rope housing, the spring serving to simultaneously act in compression to maintain the pin latch against the outer periphery of the second bearing aperture and to act in torsion to normally urge the brake shoe into engagement with a rope housed in the rope housing.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 257 words

A safety clamp for attachment of a workman''s safety belt to an upright safety rope, comprising an upright, portable, rigid rope housing having opposed walls and a generally U-shaped cross section for reception of an upright safety cable, one wall having a first bearing aperture therethrough, and the opposed wall having a second bearing aperture aligned with the first aperture; a brake lever having a bearing orifice intermediate its ends aligned with the first and second bearing apertures of the rope housing, the lever having a brake shoe at one end extending into the rope housing, the other end of the brake lever being adapted for attachment to a workman''s safety belt; and a removable pivot pin passing through the first bearing aperture, the brake lever orifice, and the second bearing aperture, the pin being rotatably locked to the brake lever, one end of the pin having a pivotally mounted latch movable transversely of the pin axis to bear upon the outer periphery of the second bearing aperture to prevent removal of the pin therefrom in the direction of the first aperture, the other end of the pin having a helical spring therearound of which one end is rigidly attached to the pin and the other end is removably attached to the rope housing, the spring serving to simultaneously act in compression to maintain the pin latch against the outer periphery of the second bearing aperture and to act in torsion to normally urge the brake shoe into engagement with a rope housed in the rope housing.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 117 words

The safety device of claim 4 wherein the brake lever orifice and the first bearing aperture each have transverse keyways which are aligned only when the brake lever is rotated to an extreme open position not assumed by the brake lever during use of the safety clamp, and which are maintained in non-alignment by torsional pressure of the helical spring urging the brake shoe into contact with the rope, th pivot pin having a key adapted to pass through the keyway in the first aperture and to seat in the keyway in the brake lever orifice for rotationally locking the pivot pin to the brake lever, whereby removal of the pin accidentally from the housing is prevented.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 83 words

The safety clamp of claim 5 wherein the helical spring has one end affixed to the pivot pin and its other end generally aligned with the axis of the pivot pin and adapted to be captured by a hole in the housing wall adjacent the first bearing aperture, the free spring end and the hole being relatively positioned so that the spring urges the brake shoe against the rope when the free spring end is retained in the hole in the housing wall.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 273 words

A safety clamp for attachment of a workman''s safety belt to an upright safety rope, comprising an upright, portable, rigid rope housing having opposed walls and a generally U-shaped cross section for reception of an upright safety rope, one wall having a first bearing aperture therethrough and the opposed wall having a second bearing aperture therethrough aligned with the first aperture; a brake lever having an orifice intermediate its ends aligned between the first and second bearing apertures of the rope housing, the brake lever having a brake shoe at one end extending into the rope housing for contact with a safety rope therein, the other end of the brake lever being adapted for attachment to a workman''s safety belt; and a removable pivot pin passing through the first and second bearing apertures and the brake lever orifice, the pivot pin having a key adapted to pass through a keyway in the first bearing aperture and to be received in a keyway in the periphery of the brake lever orifice to rotatively lock the pivot pin to the brake lever and to prevent removal of the pivot pin from the first bearing aperture when the keyways are mis-aligned, but to permit removal of the pin when the keyways are aligned by rotation of the brake lever to an extreme open position, the pivot pin having a helical spring therearound of which one end is affixed to the pin and the other end is removably attached to the rope housing, the spring acting in torsion to urge rotation of the pivot pin to carry the brake lever shoe into engagement with the safety rope.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 273 words

A safety clamp for attachment of a workman''s safety belt to an upright safety rope, comprising an upright, portable, rigid rope housing having opposed walls and a generally U-shaped cross section for reception of an upright safety rope, one wall having a first bearing aperture therethrough and the opposed wall having a second bearing aperture therethrough aligned with the first aperture; a brake lever having an orifice intermediate its ends aligned between the first and second bearing apertures of the rope housing, the brake lever having a brake shoe at one end extending into the rope housing for contact with a safety rope therein, the other end of the brake lever being adapted for attachment to a workman''s safety belt; and a removable pivot pin passing through the first and second bearing apertures and the brake lever orifice, the pivot pin having a key adapted to pass through a keyway in the first bearing aperture and to be received in a keyway in the periphery of the brake lever orifice to rotatively lock the pivot pin to the brake lever and to prevent removal of the pivot pin from the first bearing aperture when the keyways are mis-aligned, but to permit removal of the pin when the keyways are aligned by rotation of the brake lever to an extreme open position, the pivot pin having a helical spring therearound of which one end is affixed to the pin and the other end is removably attached to the rope housing, the spring acting in torsion to urge rotation of the pivot pin to carry the brake lever shoe into engagement with the safety rope.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 61 words

The safety clamp of claim 7 wherein the other end of the pivot pin includes a pivotally mounted latch movable transversely of the pin axis to bear upon the outer periphery of the second bearing aperture and prevent removal of the pin therefrom, the latch holding the helical spring in compression, and the spring retaining the latch in its transverse position.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 216 words

A portable safety clamp for connection of a workman''s safety belt to an upstanding safety rope, the clamp comprising an elongate portable rope housing having a generally U-shaped internal cross section adapted to longitudinally receive a safety rope and having opposed, apertured walls with a keyway in one of the apertures; an elongate brake lever having a bearing orifice intermediate its length with a keyway in the orifice, the brake lever having a brake shoe at one end extending inwardly of the housing for contact with a rope therein, the other end of the brake lever extending outwardly for connection to a workman''s safety belt; a removable pivot pin extending through the bearing orifice and wall apertures, the pivot pin including a key receivable in the keyway of the pivot pin for rotationally locking the pivot pin to the brake lever; spring means carried by the pivot pin and normally biasing the brake shoe into contact with a rope in the housing; the keyway in the bearing aperture being oriented for alignment with the keyway in the brake lever orifice only when the brake lever is pivoted to an extreme open position not assumed during operation of the clamp, thus locking the pivot pin in the brake lever orifice when the safety clamp is in use.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 216 words

A portable safety clamp for connection of a workman''s safety belt to an upstanding safety rope, the clamp comprising an elongate portable rope housing having a generally U-shaped internal cross section adapted to longitudinally receive a safety rope and having opposed, apertured walls with a keyway in one of the apertures; an elongate brake lever having a bearing orifice intermediate its length with a keyway in the orifice, the brake lever having a brake shoe at one end extending inwardly of the housing for contact with a rope therein, the other end of the brake lever extending outwardly for connection to a workman''s safety belt; a removable pivot pin extending through the bearing orifice and wall apertures, the pivot pin including a key receivable in the keyway of the pivot pin for rotationally locking the pivot pin to the brake lever; spring means carried by the pivot pin and normally biasing the brake shoe into contact with a rope in the housing; the keyway in the bearing aperture being oriented for alignment with the keyway in the brake lever orifice only when the brake lever is pivoted to an extreme open position not assumed during operation of the clamp, thus locking the pivot pin in the brake lever orifice when the safety clamp is in use.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1977-12-09	1978-06-10	1978-12-10	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1981-12-09	1982-06-10	1982-12-10	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1985-12-09	1986-06-10	1986-12-10	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Portable safety clamp

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