Ambidextrous locking clamp system

摘要

An ambidextrous locking clamp system for providing a user the ability to use the right or left hand to engage and disengage a ratcheting means on the clamp. The locking clamp has hingedly connected first and second elongated members each with a finger engaging member, a working head, and a latching member featuring a flexible arm and ratcheting teeth. One of the latching members has its ratcheting teeth facing toward the working heads, and the other latching member has its ratcheting teeth facing away from the working heads. The ratcheting teeth are engaged by moving the finger engaging members toward each other thereby flexing the flexible arms. The ratcheting teeth are disengaged by sliding them in a motion perpendicular to a ratcheting teeth engaging motion thereby flexing of the first and second members away from each other with an opposing force applied to the finger engaging members.

主权项

1. An ambidextrous locking clamp for allowing a right hand or left hand user to operate the clamp, said ambidextrous locking clamp comprising: a first member having an elongated flexible body, a working head, a finger engaging member opposite said working head, and a first latching member, said first latching member comprising a flexible arm, and a head including ratcheting teeth thereon located at an end of said flexible arm, said ratcheting teeth being configured so as to face away from said working head; and a second member having an elongated flexible body, a working head, a finger engaging member opposite said working head, and a second latching member, said second latching member comprising a flexible arm, and a head including ratcheting teeth thereon located at an end of said flexible arm, said ratcheting teeth being configured so as to face toward said working head of said second member, said first and second members being pivotably connected so that said working heads of said first and second members face each other and are moved toward each other when said finger engaging members of said first and second members are moved toward each other; wherein said ratcheting teeth of said first and second latching members being orientated so as to be releasably engagable with each other when said finger engaging members of said first and second members are moved toward each other; wherein said flexible arms of said first and second latching members are configured to flex in opposite directions and parallel with a longitudinal axis of said first and second members when said ratcheting teeth overlap one another in succession to increase tension; wherein said ratcheting teeth of said first and second latching members are adapted to disengage by sliding said ratcheting teeth apart in a motion perpendicular to a ratcheting teeth engaging motion thereby flexing said first and second members away from each other when an opposing force is applied to said finger engaging members by pushing with a thumb of an operating hand of a user on one of said finger engaging members and pulling with fingers of the operating hand on the other said finger engaging member thereby slidably separating said ratcheting teeth; wherein said flexible arm of said second latching member is a first flexible arm extending away from said second member at a first angle in relation to a longitudinal axis of the second member, and a second flexible arm extending from a distal end of said first flexible arm away from said first flexible arm at a second angle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the second member, said second angle being different from said first angle, the first flexible arm and second flexible arm are flexible allowing for the free travel of the ratcheting head, with respect to the second finger engaging member, and wherein said head of said second latching member being located at a free end of said second flexible arm, said distal end of said first flexible arm being in spaced relation with said second member.