Universal mounting antenna clamp

Nov. 13, 1951 μ. j. blaugrund 2,575,254

UNIVERSAL MOUNTING ANTENNA CLAMP

Filed April 1, 1949

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attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

Patented Nov. 13, 1951

2,575354

2,575,254

UNIVERSAL MOUNTING ANTENNA CLAMP i Marvin J. Blaugrund, Shaker. Heights, Ohio

Application April 1,1949, Serial No. 84,965

Claims.

This invention relates generally to mounting (Cl. 248—43) •devices adapted to secure antenna in position arid . Fig. 4. is a top plan« view, of the «antenna clamp •more particularly to a mounting «device for? video aritennae which is so «designed-arid-«constructed as to be universally adjustable.

:: secured to achimney orbuilding corner.

Fig. 5· is a cross; sectional view taken on line

5—5of Fig. 2, the· screws not being Shown.

Fig; 6 is a? fragmentary cross-sectional view «taken on line 6—6 of: Fig; 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary ; cross-sectional «view ~ taken on: line: 7-^7 of Fig. 6.

« Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 the antennae clamp comprises-four, major components, a base plate I, a triangular brace 2, a clamp bar 3, and a «clamp· bar.: extension «4.

The plate: I. is a rectangular metal piece. two • erids of which arebent..inwardly :atil80.°t to· form

In installing antennae «for «videoreceivers arid •the like, it is of tentimes -necessary to mount the antennae on sloping surfaces, on vertical-surf faces,· on· the corners of. buildings or-chimneys, and beneath overhanging eaves. The particular » location of the antennae is dictated by several factors, the primary consideration being the de’ sirability of ob taining optimum reception.

‘Most antennae are -provided· with a mounting 'plate at the base thereof,and this plate -may* be ’¹⁵ - retainers 5 which· overlie the: body ofstheplate: i ‘pivotally secured to the antennae so· as to permit some angular adjustment thereof. However, it is/my’experience that such mounting-plates -are in far too many instances-inadequate to-permit proper installation of the antennae. When faced with an awkward installation problem,' the installer must contrive a suitable- mounting-using Odd pieces of lumber-and the like, which· result- in an unsightly· and, often, flimsy antennae installation.

• arid are spaced vertically therefrom. · LongiIt is a primary object of my invention to pro' vide an antenna mounting «which/by-suitable-ar’rangement⁵ of the· parts¹ thereof, can-be-adjusted to any⁵ and all positions desired relatively to the -antennae.

Another object of my invention is to provide an ' antennae clamp of the character described; which : is adaptable to installation on vertical and inclined surf aces of the type 'heretofore mentioned, as well as on chimney corners.

tudinal slots 6« are formed in the plate i · at the ends thereof and when the ends havebeenbent, back upon themselves in the manner-heretofore 20 described, each««slot*6«deflnes an aperture.which extends through the retainer 5 and body of the •plate !.

'The plate I is also provided with a plurality of spaced openings 7« Which,-.as will more fully-ap-pear hereinafter, are utilized in securing the plate ••to the surfaces· on Which it is mounted.

•25

The brace 2 has two integral leg portions 8 which extend at right angles to each other from The end Of each their juncture point or apex 9.

*30 leg portion 8 is bent 45° to form a flange portion -10 which is slotted as at 11.

The flanges iO are slidable into the space between the body of plate I and the retainers 5 so that the brace· 2 «may be readily assembled =35 with the base plate ί or may be quickly disasStill another object of my invention is to provide-an antennae clamp which consists of a few relatively inexpensive easily manufactured parts, which is nonetheless sturdily constructed and well adapter for its intended use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

the- accompanyingdrawings/forminga· part '0f-'this speciflcation”ahd in«which’-like -numerals «45-sided cylindrical body -portion I5««arid*substan•are-employed to designate dike parts· throughout the same, '-'“Fig. 1 is an elevation viewof an-antennae· clamp '•embodying'the-features of my invention as it-appears when-mounted= on a window ledge or the -50 · thereon by nuts 18. The nut and. bolt can be malike/beneath-anoverhang.

Fig. 2 is another view in-elevation'showing the -antennae clamp mounted on an inclined surface.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the antenna clamp ’mounted'on a- horizontal· stiff ace.

sembled therefrom. * When thus· assembled,-the slots 11 in the flanges 10 intersect or traverse the •slots 6 in the base plate ί so as to permit fastening means, such as screws 12, to-be passed there• 40 through.

•The legs· 8 are also provided with spaced openings 13 for a- purpose to* be hereinafter described.

At the juncture 9 of the legs 8 is· secured, as. by welding, a clamping sleeve 14having annopenItially parallel ear portions· 16 which project outwardly from the body 15. The ears 16 are provided with aligned openings which permit bolts 17 to be passed through the ears arid be retained nipulated to draw the ears⁵16 toward each other arid thus to constrict the sleeve ! 4« and cause it to frictionally grip or «clamp a cylindrical- member lying=· therein; =The sleeve body 15 has sufficient inherent resiliency to -expand or return to -its

2,575,254 initial size when the tension effected by the bolts 17 and nuts 18 is relieved.

The clamping sleeve 14 is adapted to receive either the clamp bar 3 or the clamp bar extension 4, interchangeably, the only distinction between the members being that the extension 4 is of greater overall length than the bar 3. Depending upon the particular conditions encountered in the installation of the antennae, one or the other of these members may be secured to the brace 2, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The clamp bar 3 consists of a short length of tubing forming a body 19 to one end of which is secured as by welding a clamping sleeve 20, identical in all respects to the clamping sleeve 14 previously described. The sleeve 20 is so mounted that its longitudinal axis is normal to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body t9.

The clamp bar extension 4 consists of a length of tubing forming a body 21 which is longer than the body 19 of the bar 3. To one end of the body 21 is secured, as by welding, a clamping sleeve 22 which is identical in all respects to the sleeves 14 and 20. The sleeve 22 is mounted so that its longitudinal axis is normal to the axis of the tubular body 21.

In order to satisfactorily accommodate antennae shafts which may be of smaller diameter than is customarily encountered, I also provide an adapter 23 which is shown in Fig. 3. The adapter is an open-sided cylindrical sleeve which has an external diameter of slightly smaller dimension than the internal diameter of the clamping sleeves 20 or 22. It nests loosely in either of the clamping sleeves and is constricted in response to constricting movement of the sleeve body 15.

I will now describe the manner of use of my universal mounting antennae clamp.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated an antennae installation on a dormer ledge in which it is necessary that the antennae T be located far enough away from the ledge to clear the overhang. In utilizing the antenna clamp, the base plate f is first secured to the ledge by the screws 12, the plate extending longitudinally in a direction corresponding to the width of the ledge.

The brace 2 is then assembled to the plate I, the retainers 5 thus overlying the flanges ID of the brace. Screws 12 are then passed through the slots 6 and 11 and serve to secure the assembled components to the ledge.

As it is desired to locate the antennae T away from the wall, the long clamp extension bar 4 is placed in the clamping sleeve 14 of the brace 2 and secured therein by tightening the screws 17, the bar 4 being first rotated so that the axis of the clamping sleeve 22 is horizontal. The clamping bar 3 is then placed in the clamping sleeve 22 and is rotated until the. axis of the clamping sleeve 20 is vertical. The clamping sleeve 22 is then constricted by means of the screws 17 to grip the body 19 of the bar 3. The antennae T can then be positioned vertically in the clamping sleeve 20 and secured by tightening the screws 17.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated an antennae installation involving the same conditions as those shown in Fig. 1, except that in this instance, the surface on which the base plate I is mounted is not of sufficient width to permit a laterally extending mounting. It is therefore required that the plate I and the brace 2 be mounted in the manner shown, the axis of the clamping sleeve 14 being parallel to the mounting surface.

The clamping bar 3 is now secured to the brace 2 with the axis of the clamping sleeve 20 lying in a horizontal plane, but normal to 5 the axis of the sleeve 14.

The extension bar 4 is then secured to the bar 3 with the axis of its clamping sleeve 22 extending vertically, permitting the antennae to be secured thereto.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated 'the manner of mounting on a horizontal surface, the assemblage of parts being the same as those of the mounting shown in Fig. 2. It will be apparent, that this same assemblage of parts is easily adaptable 15 to an installation on a vertical surface, it being necessary only to rotate the clamping bar 3 to a position 90° removed from that shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a very practical application of my universal mounting antennae 20 clamp which evidences its adaptability to various conditions encountered by installers. In this instance, a chimney has been selected as the best place for mounting the antennae. In this installation, the base plate 1 is not used, the 25 brace 2 being secured directly to the corner of the chimney by the screws 12 which pass through the openings 13 provided in the legs 8 of the brace.

If additional security of mounting is desired, 30 a strap S may be looped through the slots II in the flanges 10 of the brace 2 and drawn tightly in encirclement about the chimney. In some instances it is necessary to use only the screws 12 to secure the brace 2 to the chimney, 35 however, in other cases, it is not feasible to use the screws and reliance must be had solely on the strap.

This form of mounting may obviously be utilized with equal facility on the corner of a build40 ing or the like.

The antennae may, in this instance, be secured directly in the clamping sleeve 14, or if preferred, any combination of one or both of the bars 3 and 4 may be used in the manner heretofore described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that my invention possesses great versatility in being adaptable to a great variety of βθ antennae installations. It will be noted that the clamp bar 3 and the extension bar 4 are each rotatable about their own longitudinal axes as well as being slidable longitudinally in the clamping sleeves in which they are to be secured. Thus’ 55 the antenna clamp is adjustable both for length and for direction.

In will also be noted that my universal mounting antennae clamp consists of a reltively few inexpensive easily manufactured parts which lend 50 themselves readily to quantity production. In this connection, it will be apparent that the clamp I have described need not be made exactly in the manner illustrated. For example, it is entirely feasible to make the brace 2 out of two 55 pieces, each forming one leg 3 and one-half portion of the clamping sleeve 14, the legs being suitably joined or secured at the apex point 9 as by screws or welding. Other manufacturing economies of a similar nature may likewise suggest 70 themselves to those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and ar75 rangement of parts may be resorted to, without

2,578,264 departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.