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:
Oct. 16, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 21, 1999
Daniel David Dobrinski, Raymond, NH (US);
Keith Francis Mello, Manchester, NH (US);
FCI USA, Inc., Etters, PA (US);
Abstract
A grounding connector includes a frame with upper and lower arms cantilevered from a center section to form a channel adapted to receive a section of a structural steel member. The frame has a conductor receiving region in each of the cantilevered arms, each conductor receiving region being a slot extending through the frame having a longitudinal axis aligned substantially parallel to the frame. The conductor receiving slot on one side of the frame is sized to receive a conductor of a first size and the conductor receiving slot on the other side is sized to receive a conductor of a different size. The conductor receiving regions are located so that when the upper arm and the lower arm are compressed to grip the section of the structural steel member received in the channel, the conductor is crimped to the frame. In another embodiment, the upper and lower arms of the frame have opposed surfaces for engaging the flange of the structural member and at least one of the opposed surfaces has an elongated protrusion such that when the frame is caused to clasp the flange of the structural member, the protrusion provides a slight interference between the width of the U-shaped frame and the thickness of the flange of the structural member. In other instances, opposed elongated protrusions are substantially coplanar and may be aligned substantially parallel to the frame or substantially transverse of the frame.