US2466504A - Holding device for electric cables - Google Patents

Description

April 5, 1949. E. D. STOYER 2,456,504

HOLDING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5, 1947] a NVEAUWE Z 00077111 A M A: a 4 $7 I I If /YZWMMQZM Aprifi 5,, 194 7 E. D. STOYER 2,465,504

HOLDING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed April 5, 1947 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @M J? m 719w WW Mifiwq A TTOR/VE'YJ Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,466,504 HOLDING DEVICE, FOR ELECTRIC CABLES Elwood D. Stoyer, Coshocton, Ohio Application April 5, 1947, Serial No. 739,617

11 Claims. 1

- This invention relates to a holding device for an electric cable. More particularly to a hollow clamp adapted to be mounted on a conventional connection box and engage the insulated exterior of a cable entering the box to enable its conductor or conductors to be readily conected to other conductors in the box.

Hollow boxes having openings through their walls and adapted to be attached to a wall or ceiling are in a very common use in providing housings for cable connections. Various devices have been provided for mounting on the box wall to engage the exterior of an entering cable to hold it in place, but so far as I am aware such devices have been diificult of operation and have frequently required simultaneous use of both hands of the operator, whereas he frequently has only one hand available for that purpose.

It is an object of my invention to provide in very simple form a hollow clamp adapted to be mounted, by a simple finger operation, in one of the openings in a wall of the connection box, and operative to hold the entering cable in place as it passes through the clamp, without troublesome manipulation by the operator. Cheapness of construction is also a feature of my invention.

Briefly, my invention comprises a hollow clamp having portions adapted to be passed through an opening in the box wall and having retaining lips to engage the inner face of such wall, one of such portions being carried by a spring arm so that its inward temporary displacement enables its lip to be inserted through the opening, the clamp carrying also means to engage the cable passed through the clamp to the interior of the box. When the cable is in place the clamp is automatically held on the box and the cable is held within the clamp,

The above features and other characteristics of my invention will be fully apparent from the disclosure hereinafter given of two embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a connection box attached to a ceiling carrying one of my clamps holding an entering cable and showing also another of such clamps in the act of being inserted; Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections tranversely of Fig. 1 in planes indicated by the lines 22 and 3-3 on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the same clamp in plac holding a considerably larger cable than shown in Fig, 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective of the same clamp detached; Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a ceiling box showing my clamp in a somewhat modified form holding cable entering the box; Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the box and clamp of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan of a blank from which the clamp may be made.

In the drawings, A indicates a conventional connection box having openings a through various walls. This box is shown as attached to the underside of a ceiling indicated at B. C, C or C designates an electric cable passing into the interior of the box to be connected therein to another cable or cables.

My hollow clamp is adapted to enter any of the openings a in the box and automatically clamp itself thereto in position to receive the entering cable. I will first describe the clamp shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and thereafter the slightly modified form of Figs. 6 and 7.

The clamp l0 shown in perspective in Fig. 5 is a hollow box-like device preferably made of a single piece sheet metal by dieing and bending operations. It may be mounted on the connection box in any position, but as the flat portion ll happens to be shown at the bottom in Fig. 5, and also in other figures, it is convenient to designate that portion as the bottom and the opposite portion the top and the other two faces as the sides. The open face I call the front and the opposite face the back.

Using such conventional designation, the bottom member H carries a downwardly extending lip l2 at its front edge and an inclined lip l3 extending forwardly from its rear edge into the clamp above such bottom portion. This bottom portion is also shown as carrying a pair of upstanding parallel side Wings [4. At the rear edge of the bottom portion are a pair of upright arms l5 forming the back of the device and at their upper ends carrying the forwardly projecting top portion Hi. This top portion is bent first upwardly and then downwardly at I! to provide a closely doubled rib and then by a U-bend I8 finally carries the upturned lip l9.

Such a clamp is mounted in the opening a of the box by first passing the lip l2 through the opening and then pressing the portion IS inwardly so that the lip l9 may enter the opening. after which, upon release of the pressure, the resilience of the portion I6 causes the lip 19 to pass behind the wall of the box.

Fig. 1 indicates at the left hand side the action in putting the clamp in place and at the right hand side the clamp after it has been mounted. It is accordingly a very simple and rapid action to install the clamp on the box. The side wings M of the clamp provide convenient smooth surfaces for grasping-it, if desired, and as heretosurface engagement with the cable.

fore stated it maybe mounted with its so-called top or bottom or either side uppermost.

It will be noticed that the double band I! on the spring arm of the clamp furnishes a lateral abutment engaging the outer face of the box wall and thus serves to locate the clamp in that region. In the opposite region, it is located by engagement of the front edge of the clamp with the outer wall of the box,

After .theclamphas been mounted the cable may be inserted'through the opening between the upright portions I5 of the back and pass out of the open front of the clamp into the connection box, as shown in the case of -the.- cable- Gin:- Fig. 1. In this passageway the cable extends across the inwardly projecting tongue I3 and:across=the U-bend I8 on the other sideotthe cable. As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the spring tongue I3 is formed to bite into insulation of the cable and -by pressing it against the abutment provided by the U-bend I-8uforms an automatic lock for the cable;. so that=the-mere insertion of the cable causes "it totbe retained. in proper position for subseguent connection of its conductors within thebox.

"Accordingly, :the. operator need do no more than shovethecable through-the mounted clamp. The" clamp then. holds the cable and thecable insures the clamp remaining in position in-the box. The parts can onlytb'e released by inserting a suitable-tool, likea: screw-driver, through the open-side of. the clamp between theton'gue-I 3 and thecables The clamp,- while small enough tohflVedts-Tetaining lips- I tend I-Spassed into the conventional opening in the connect-ionbox; has a-large enough interior to receive cables .of'th'e maximum size employed with such box, aswell-as the smaller cable-illustrated-in Fig; l. Suchlarger cable is shown at in Fig. 4: and like'the cable Cof Fig. 1 it isretained by the edge'ofwthe'spring tongue I3 engaging the cable-onone side: andthe U-bend IBengagingit on the other.

For some purposesit is desirable to'avoid the automatic clamping of'the cable upon itsin- 'ser-tion but tomake the'holding morereadily under the control otthe operator. When that is desired I modify the clamp; as-shownin- Figs. 6 and 7, so that instead ofthe-internal'tongue imbedding itself in'the'cable I provide'a tongue I 20 curved downwardly at its freeend to have a This is shown with the cable C in'Fig. 6.- In this case, I force the tongue-against the cable by a; screw -12I threadedin-thebody H of theclamp.-

As the.clampholdsitself-in am position selected, thescrew Z n-may face in the most convenient directionfor the operator to" clamp-or release the'cable as desired.

My clamp ofthe-form shown-in Figs. 1 to ":may be made completezfrom asing-le'bla-nk cf'sheet metal, and the clamp of. Figs. '6 and '7 may be made from such sheet metal blank with therexception of the screw threaded through the body of' theblank. .Such a blank is shown in Fig. .8..-

where the.-different parts bear the same reference numerals :as Fig. 5. When theblank is died out in the form shown:in:Fig; 8, theiU shaped slit 25 may be made at the.;same time and'thus form the :tongue I3. .Also if-the blankistolformh the-clampzof Figs. Band 7 the opening 26-for the screw may. be: madeat the same time.

Another operationbends the wing portions I4 along: the broken lines designated X, bends the I portion. I5 upwardlyat rightanglcsalong thedine.

designated Y and bends the tongue I3 still further along such line so that it lies diagonally over the portion II. Then the portion I6 is bent over on the line Z into approximate parallelism with the bottom I I. At some stage the so-called top portion I6 is bent on itself along lines indicated at W to produce the rib I7, and likewise at some stage the lips I2 and I9 are bent in the proper direction. The order in which these various bending steps are performed is of no special importance, and may be selected as most convenient.

It will be understood from the above description that my clamp may be very cheaply constructed. For this purpose I consider stainless steel of about 20 gauge quite satisfactory. The clamps are of light weight, easily carried to the place of use, and have ample strength. They may be instantaneously mounted in place and enable the operator with one hand to place the cable in position for the subsequent operation of making the connections.

I claim:

l. A holding devicefor a cable comprising a clamp-open at the front andrear-forthe passage of-a cable, an inwardly projecting integral spring portion of theclamp to engage the cable, and a pair of oppositely extending-lips carried by the clamp, one Of which is held by a spring leaf, whereby the lips may be passed through an opening in asupportingwa-ll and thereafter engage the inner face-of thewall.

2. 'A- device for holding a cable comprising a clamp having a 'bottom portion, a top portiontand a rear portion the latter with an opening through it,-one of said: portions having a part. projecting inwardly to engage a cable passing through said opening, upward and downward projecting lips carried by the top and bottom portions, one of 40 said portions being a spring leaf, whereby the lips may be forced toward each other to pass through an opening ina support, one of said portionshaving a projecting rib adapted toengage the outer face of the support.

3. A device for holding an electric cable comprising an open clamp having a portion with a lip at the front and an inwardly projecting inclined tongue at the rear, said clamp having a spring portion adapted to overlie the tongue spaced from it toreceive a cable between them and carrying a lip extendin in theopposite direction from the 'lip projecting from the firstmentioned portion. 4

4. A holding device for an electric cable comprising an open box-like clamp having a bottom portion with a downturned lip at its front edge an and upwardly and inwardly extending tongue at its rear edge, a top portion in the'form of a spring leaf having an upwardly extending lip at its front edge, and anopen rear portion connecting the'bottom portion on top portion.

5. A holding device for a cable and adapted to be secured to a connection box, said holding device comprising an open clamp having a pair'of oppositely projecting lips, one of which is carried by a spring leaf, whereby the lips may be passed through an opening in the wall of a connection box'and thereafter spread-behind said wall,.said clamp having, an inwardly projecting abutment to. engage one side of the cablepassing through it and an oppositely projecting spring'tongue to it to a connection box, said clamp having an abutment to engage one side of the cable and an inwardly projecting spring tongue to engage the other side, said tongue having an abrupt edge facing the cable and adapted to bite into the insulation thereof.

'7. A device for holding in position an electric cable comprising a single piece of sheet material bent to present a bottom portion with a downwardly extending lip adapted to lie on the interior of a connection box, an open rear portion through which the cable may pass, and a spring top portion carrying an upwardly extending lip adapted to be pressed toward the bottom portion to pass through an opening in the box and thereafter lie on the inner side of the box wall, and a spring tongue carried at the rear edge of the bottom portion and extending into the clamp and adapted to engage the cable.

8. A hollow cable clamp of approximately cubical form having a bottom and two opposite sides and a rear side all connected to the bottom, and a top connected to the rear side and narrow enough to be depressible between said two opposite sides, a downwardly extending lip at the front edge of the bottom and an upwardly extending lip at the front edge of the top, the rear side having an opening and the front being open for the passage of a cable, and means carried by the clamp to engage and clamp the cable.

9. A device for holding an electric cable to a connector box comprising a bottom portion, two opposite side portions connected to the bottom portion and free at their front, rear and top, a rear portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion, a top portion projecting forwardly from the rear portion and narrower than the space between the side portions so that it may be depressed between them, a spring tongue formed out of the rear portion and bent forwardly from the lower edge of the rear portion leaving an opening in the rear portion adapted for the passage of a cable between the spring tongue and the spring top portion, a downwardly projecting lip at the forward end of the bottom portion, and

an upwardly projecting lip at the forward end of the top portion.

10. A hollow cable clamp formed of a single piece of resilient sheet material bent into approximately cubical form to present a bottom and two opposite sides and a rear side all connected to the bottom, and a top connected to the rear side and narrow enough to be depressible between said two opposite sides, a downwardly extending lip at the front edge of the bottom and an upwardly extending lip at the front edge of the'top, and a spring tongue within the clamp adapted to engage the cable, said tongue being formed by partial severance and forward bending from the rear side, such cut out portion of the rear side providing an opening therethrough for the passage of the cable, the front being also open.

11. A hollow cable clamp formed of a single piece of resilient sheet material bent into approximately cubical form to present a bottom and two opposite sides and a rear side all connected to the bottom, and a top connected to the rear side and narrow enough to be depressible between said two opposite sides, a downwardly extending lip at the front edge of the bottom and an upwardly extending lip at the front edge of the top, and a spring tongue within the clamp adapted to engage the cable, said tongue being formed by partial severance and forward bending from the rear side, such out out portion of the rear side providing an opening therethrough for the passage of the cable, the front being also open.

ELWOOD D. STOYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,644,302 Ledbetter Oct. 4, 1927 1,644,311 Davis et a1 Oct. 4, 1927 1,793,880 Thomas Feb. 24, 1931 1,793,882 Yanchenko Feb. 24, 1931

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