Granted Patent B2

US 7,422,245 · App. 11/285,687 · Granted Sep 9, 2008

Abstract

Claims (21)

1. A clamp and hose assembly comprising:

a hose,

a clamp including a band and a screw housing mounted to said band with a screw disposed in said screw housing, said screw engaging said band for tightening said band on said hose;

a cover bracket having an opening receiving said screw housing, said cover bracket including a cover portion for the screw housing and a base portion extending from the cover portion, said base portion comprising a pair of runners spaced apart by said opening, each runner including an inner edge adjacent to said opening and defining a portion of the opening's length, an outer edge distal to said opening, a bonding surface proximal the outer edge, and at least one channel between the bonding surface and the inner edge, said channel being in said runner and spaced a distance from said inner edge, said inner edges of said pair of runners positioned facing one another across said opening that spaces apart the pair of runners; and

an adhesive applied to the bonding surface.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the runners are curved.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the curvature of the runners is approximately the same curvature as the hose.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the cover portion has an inverted U-shaped cross-section.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the cover portion includes an inside surface having an inset that retains the screw housing within the cover portion when the screw is operated.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the bonding surface of each runner is angled, such that when the bonding surface is pressed against the hose the adhesive is forced outwardly away from the screw and screw housing.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one channel of each runner includes an aperture, such that when the adhesive fills the channel, the adhesive is directed through the aperture without interfering with the screw or screw housing.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the cover is made from nylon or high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

9. A cover bracket for attaching a clamp having a screw and screw housing to a hose, the cover bracket comprising:

a cover portion having a first sidewall, a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall, and an opening between and running the length of the first and second sidewalls to receive the screw housing;

a base portion comprising a first runner and a second runner spaced apart by the opening, wherein the first runner extends from the first sidewall of the cover portion and the second runner extends from the second sidewall of the cover portion, wherein the first and second runners include opposing inner edges across said opening, said inner edges lie adjacent to and along said opening, an outer edge distal to said opening, and a bonding surface proximal the outer edge, wherein at least one of the first runner and second runner includes a channel between the bonding surface and the inner edge and an adhesive applied to the bonding surface, said channel being in said runner and spaced a distance from said inner edge.

10. The cover bracket of claim 9 wherein the runners are curved.

11. The cover bracket of claim 9 wherein the cover portion has an inverted U-shaped cross-section.

12. The cover bracket of claim 9 wherein the cover portion includes an inside surface having an inset that retains the screw housing within the cover portion when the screw is operated.

13. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the bonding surface of each runner is angled, such that when the bonding surface is pressed against the hose the adhesive is forced outwardly away from the screw and screw housing.

14. The cover bracket of claim 9 wherein at least one channel of each runner includes an aperture, such that when the adhesive fills the channel the adhesive is directed through the aperture without interfering with the screw or screw housing.

15. The cover bracket of claim 9 wherein the bracket is made from nylon or HDPE.

Assignments (15)