Clamp with support member

ABSTRACT

A clamp has a support member having a plurality of walls with at least two walls oriented at an angle to each other. Passages are provided in the walls with at least one passage being internally threaded. One wall is provided with at least one recess each its opposite edges.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a clamp with a support member,particularly for coupling a plurality of C-shaped bars.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a a clamp of manifolduses which is easy to manufacture.
The foregoing object is obtained by a clamp comprising a plurality ofwalls with at least two of the walls being oriented at an angle to eachother. Passages extend through two of the walls, with one passage beinginternally threaded. Recesses are provided on opposite edges of at leastone of the walls.
The support member can receive insertions on various sides. The recessesin the support member can hold a single engagement member, e.g.,C-shaped bar. Two parallel contact members can also be engaged by therecesses.
To simplify the configuration of the support member, the support membercan be formed of sheet metal with walls of equal thickness.
One wall can be bent inwardly forming a rib to prevent bending in of thearms of a C-shaped bar under a load applied perpendicular to the arms.
Preferably the support member is generally rectangular in profile.
The manufacture of the support member is simplified by the supportmember being essentially closed laterally by its walls, but open on itstwo axial sides.
Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description, which,taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferredembodiments of the present invention.
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view in section of a clamp arrangementaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention taken alonglines I--I of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view in section taken along lines II--IIof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the clamp arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a single support member part of theclamp arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a support member of the clamparrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view in section of a support memberaccording to a second embodiment of the present convention, taken alonglines VI--VI of FIG. 7;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view in partial section of the supportmember of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the support member of FIG. 6 viewed in thedirection of arrow B of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring initially to FIG. 4, a support member part 1 is configured asa U-shaped sheet metal part with essentially uniform wall thickness.Support member part 1 has a middle wall 2 bent inwardly towards its legsor end walls 3 and 4. On each side of middle wall 2, a leg 3 or 4 isattached. The legs have passages 5 and 6. The edge of passage 6 extendsinwardly and is provided with internal threads. Recesses 7 and 8 areprovided on the top and bottom edges of leg 3. On leg 4, recesses 9 and10 are provided on its top and bottom edges. The corners of supportmember part 1 are rounded or beveled.
 Middle wall 2 of support member 1, especially in its middle, canlikewise have a passage and is bent inwardly toward legs 3 and 4,especially with flat sides oriented to form a channel and provide a rib.The middle of the rib extends parallel to the corners formed by theconnections of wall 2 to walls 3 and 4.
In FIG. 5, support member 11 has two support members parts 12 and 13inserted into one another. Each part is configured corresponding tosupport member part 1, except that only support member part 13 isprovided with a passage 6 having an inwardly projecting edge and aninternal thread. The inwardly projecting portion 14 defining passage 6projects through a passage 5a in support member part 12. Support memberparts 12 and 13 are connected together so that the respective legsengage on each other and the bent-in middle walls are superposed overeach other. Support member parts 12 and 13 are connected with each otherby two weld connections. Weld connection 15 comprises three weld points.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, support member 11 connects two C-shapedbars 16 and 17. The bar edges engage and extend into recesses 7, 8 and9, 10, opposite each other in one support member part 12 in this supportmember, and in corresponding recesses in another support member 11. Thearms of bars 16 and 17 are supported by bent middle walls 2, walls 2a ofsupport member 11.
 With a screw 18 oriented perpendicular to the axis of passages 5 and 6of support member 11 and arranged between bars 16 and 17, the facingsides of bars 16 and 17 can each be fastened to a support member 11a or11b of the same configuration of support member 11. Screw 18 extendsthrough passage 5 of support member 11a. A base plate 19 lies under thescrew head of screw 18 such that two legs 3 and 4a of support member 11are pressed against support member 11b. Screw 18 has its end, oppositethe screw head, threaded in passage 6 of support member 11.
With use of a screw 20 arranged perpendicular to screw 18, two C-shapedbars 16a and 17a of the same configuration as bars 16 and 17 can befastened on support member 11. Between the head of screw 20 and nut 21threaded onto screw 20, a base plate bridges over each of the clearancesbetween the two bars 16a and 17a.
With use of support member 11b, bars 16b and 17b are fastened by a screw20b passing through support member 11b, in the same manner bars 16a and17a are fastened to support member 11a. By using support members 11, 11aand 11b to couple bars 16, 17, 16a, 17a, 16b and 17b, a flatintersecting connection or clamp arrangement is obtained.
 It is also possible, on the walls of the C-shaped bars 16 and 17 of FIG.1 between the arms in the viewing plane, to apply a pair of additionalbars on each side. On each side of bars 16 and 17, a support member,corresponding to a support member 11, is fastened by a screw, betweensupport member 11 and bars 16 and 17. The shaft of the screw holds thesupport member and projects outward. The screw can be threaded intopassage 6 of the relevant support member. This screw can also passthrough its passage 5. If a nut is threaded onto this screw, supportmember part 13 is fastened to bar 16 or 17 with this nut. Acorresponding coupling is possible with a support member having passagesconfigured without threads.
Support members, corresponding to the support members arranged on bothsides of bars 16 and 17, as shown for the combination with supportmembers 11a and 11b, can be fastened by screws to secure other C-shapedbars corresponding to bars 16 and 17. In this manner, athree-dimensional intersection is obtained.
 Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, a support member 11c can be used forconnecting two C-shaped bars with rather long arms. Support member 11cis formed of two L-shaped support members parts 22 and 22a, connected attheir ends by a weld seam 23 or 23a. Each support member part has apassage 24, 25 or 24a, 25a with internal threads in each of its twoarms. The passages are defined by inwardly projecting central portionsof each arm. On its longer arms, each part has passages 26, 27 or 26a,27a, on both sides of the passage 24 or 24a. An internally threadedbushing 28 or 28a is arranged between each set of passages 26, 27a or26a, 27. The bushings serve as spacers. The ends of each bushing areconnected tightly by means of flange connections with the edges ofpassages 26, 27 or 26a, 27a.
FIG. 7 shows the longer arm of support member parts 22 and 22b in thearea of passages 24 and 24a where they are broadest. The longer armstaper, wedge-like, outwardly in the direction of passages 25 and 25a.
Instead of one single recesses, as in support member 1, two recesses 7aand 7b or 8a and 8b are provided on opposite sides of the long arms ofsupport member 11c.
Also, C-shaped bars can be combined in pairs, corresponding to FIGS. 1to 3, to form a T-shaped, flat or three-dimensional intersectingstructure with the aid of support members 11c.
 Recesses 7 to 10 in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 and recesses 7a, 7b,8a and 8b in the embodiments of Figures 6 to 8 are configured withstraight sides, since the edges of the C-bars extend in a straight linein cross-section along the edges turned toward each other, i.e.,parallel to the middle part. However, if C-shaped bars have edges turnedtoward each other extending obliquely or are bent, i.e., are notparallel to their middle parts, the sides of the recesses are adapted tothe edges of the bars.
For bent or oblique edges of the C-bars extending outwardly from bothsides, wedges turned toward each other are held tightly together by ascrew. In comparison with FIGS. 1 to 3, the base plates associated withscrew 20 are each replaced by one wedge. Each wedge engages between theedges of two adjacent bars 16a and 17a and does not project over thebars. Nut 21 can be deleted by providing threads in one of the wedges.If the screw head is lowered, an overlap of the screw on both sides ofthe wedges and over the bars can be avoided.
While various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention,it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changesand modifications can be made therein without departing from the scopeof the invention as defined in the appended claims.
 What is claimed is:
 1. A clamp, comprising:a support member having atleast three walls, at least two of said walls being oriented at an angleto each other, one of said walls being bent inwardly forming a ribextending parallel to corners formed between said one wall and twoadjacent walls; first and second passages through two of said walls,respectively, at least one of said passages being internally threaded;and first and second recesses on opposite edges of one of said walls. 2.A clamp according to claim 1 wherein said support member is formed ofsheet metal, said walls being of uniform thickness.
3. A clamp accordingto claim 1 wherein said support member is generally rectangular intransverse cross section.
4. A clamp according to claim 3 wherein saidsupport member comprises first and second parts with open sides facingeach other, one of said parts including the wall with the internallythreaded passage.
5. A clamp according to claim 4 wherein said first andsecond parts are coupled by a weld connection.
6. A clamp according toclaim 4 wherein said first and second parts have a central passageway.7. A clamp according to claim 1 wherein said support member comprises acentral passageway.
8. A clamp according to claim 4 wherein each of saidparts is U-shaped in transverse cross section.
9. A clamp according toclaim 1 wherein a screw passes through said support member, said screwbearing on a pair of base parts having respective passages and fasteningtwo C-shaped bars to said support member.
10. A clamp according to claim9 wherein said base parts are wedge shaped, one of said passages in oneof said base parts being threaded, the other of said base parts having arecesses on a wider end thereof receiving a head of said screw.
 11. Aclamp, comprising:a support member having at least three walls, at leasttwo of said walls being oriented at an angle to each other; first andsecond passages through two of said walls, respectively, at least one ofsaid passages being internally threaded; first and second recesses onopposite edges of one of said walls; and a screw passing through saidsupport member, said screw bearing on a pair of base parts havingrespective passages and fastening two C-shaped bars to said supportmember.
12. A clamp according to claim 11 wherein said base parts arewedge shaped, one of said passages in one of said base parts beingthreaded, the other of said base parts having a recesses on a wider endthereof receiving a head of said screw.
13. A clamp for connecting twoC-shaped profiled bars, comprising:a first rectangular hollow supportmember having a plurality of walls, generally right angles betweenadjacent walls, two facing open sides and first and second passages intwo opposite walls, said support member being formed of substantiallyidentical first and second parts coupled to each other with open sidesthereof facing each other; first and second recesses in each of twoopposite walls for receiving portions of the profiled bars; and screwmeans for attaching the two profiled bars to said support member, saidscrew means extending through a central passageway of said supportmember and between the two profiled bars when the profiled bars arereceived in said recesses.
14. A clamp according to claim 13 wherein oneof said walls is bent inwardly forming a rib extending parallel tocorners formed between said one wall and two adjacent walls.
15. A clampaccording to claim 13 wherein each of said parts is L-shaped intransverse cross section.
16. A clamp according to claim 13 wherein eachof said parts is U-shaped in transverse cross section.
 17. A clampaccording to claim 13 wherein said support member has third and fourthcoaxial passages along an axis perpendicular to an axis through saidfirst and second passages, at least one of said passages having threads.18. A clamp according to claim 13 wherein a second support memberconnects two additional profiled bars with the two C-shaped profiledbars connected by said first support member, said second support memberbeing connected by a screw to said first support member, said screwpassing through a central passageway of said first support member..
