The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 20, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 07, 1999
David J. Van den Branden, Chicago, IL (US);
Paul C. Evans, Chicago, IL (US);
Michael D. McCoy, Buena Vista, CO (US);
Dale E. Fahnstrom, Chicago, IL (US);
Burt F. Mendelson, Northbrook, IL (US);
Lawrence J. Pomerleau, Lake Zurich, IL (US);
Charles Dresner, Northbrook, IL (US);
Kelly Whittier, Waukegan, IL (US);
Christopher V. Conley, Chicago, IL (US);
Scott A. Ternovits, Chicago, IL (US);
Maureen A. O'Connor, Chicago, IL (US);
Kenlin Group, Inc., Highland Park, IL (US);
Abstract
A versatile user-adjustable clamp for clamping accessories to the panels of ready-to-assemble furniture articles, and other surfaces such as countertops, has a main body member, a jaw member, and a knob. The main body member has a substantially spool-shaped section with accessory interface means at opposing ends thereof, and a rectangular section that projects tangentially from the spool-shaped section. The spool-shaped section of the main body member telescopingly receives the jaw member, and has a knob-receiving aperture. The knob is rotatably secured within the knob aperture and provides a means for actuating the telescopic movement of the jaw member relative to the main clamp body. The jaw member includes a flat surface interface that is oriented parallel to the rectangular section of the main clamp body, and has a separate accessory interface means therein. This separate accessory interface means can include a snap-lock feature, allowing users to confirm that the clamp is securely fastened to an associated accessory. The clamp can be used as a hinge when rotatably mounted to a pair of hinge-halves that comprise a further accessory interface means, using the first two accessory interface means.