GB1601937A - Mounting brackets - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO MOUNTING BRACKETS (71) We, STROMBERG GREEST LIM ITED, a British Company of Electra Works, Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 7HQ, Staffordshire, England, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention is concerned with mounting brackets, particularly brackets for mounting aerial masts onto flat fixtures.

A mounting bracket has been proposed which is formed from a sheet metal initially flat blank substantially rectangular shape, and which has a pair of tongues pressed up at right angles from the plane of the blank and shaped to define a support for an aerial mast.

The strength of the base of the bracket is reduced because of the pressed out tongues and the bracket relies for its strength principally on the thickness of the metal used. The tongues have holes to receive locking pins which also pass through the mast.

When a locking pin passes through the mast and the tongues and is tightened, the mast tends to be crushed and is therefore not held securely. The holes in the mast for the 'ocking pins also weaken the mast.

The object of the invention is to provide a mounting bracket which is simple to construct and inexpensive.

According to the present invention there is provided a mounting bracket for attaching a tubular member relatively to a fixture having a planar face, so that the axis of the tubular member extends perpendicular to the said planar face, the bracket having flange means with provision for securement to said fixture on said planar face thereof and a portion, integral with the flange means, of generally U-shaped configuration to receive the tubular members and having clamping means connected between the two limbs of the U shaped portion to draw them together to clamp the tubular member.

Preferably also the mounting bracket is formed from a blank wherein said flange means is defined at one end and said portion to receive the tubular member is at the other end, said flange means and said portion being connected by a narrow zone of the blank defined by a pair of aligned elongated slots extending inwardly from the respective sides of the blank.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing a tubular member on a mounting bracket, constructed according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the blank from which the mounting bracket is formed.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings a mounting bracket has a one piece sheet metal member. This comprises a pair of coplanar flanges 10 for mounting the bracket on a planar face of a fixture. The longitudinal dimensions of these flanges 10 extend at right angles to one another. Each of the flanges 10 has a pair of longitudinally spaced holes 12 which are to receive bolts (not shown) for mounting the bracket.

The mounting bracket further comprises a portion 14 which is of substantially U-shaped configuration, limbs 16 of the portion 14 being arranged to engage around a tubular member such as an aerial mast 18, such that the axis of the mast 18 extends perpendicularly with respect to the planar face of the fixture, with the free ends of the limbs 16 extending beyond the mast 18. Each of the limbs 16 has, adjacent to its free end, a hole 20, a bolt 22 being provided to extend through the aligned holes 10 in the limbs 16 to engage with a locking nut 24, such that the limbs 16 can be drawn together to clamp the portion 14 securely onto the mast 18. It will be appreciated that the portion 14 exerts a distributed and even pressure on the mast 18 and will not therefore crush the mast 18.

The flanges 10 and the portion 14 are integral with one another, being formed from an initially flat sheet metal pressed blank as shown in Figure 2. The flanges 10 are formed at one end of the blank and are separated from the portion 14 by means of a pair of aligned slots 30 extending inwardly from the respective sides of the blank. The two flanges 10 are separated by a central cut-out 32 extending inwardly from said one end of the blank and terminating at a straight fold line extending across the blank and which is the fold line defining the flanges 10. At the other end of the blank there is provided a tongue 36 which is formed from a cut-out corresponding to the cut-out 32 on an adjacent identical blank formed from sheet or strip material.

To form the bracket from the blank the flanges 10 are bent in the same direction about the fold line 34. The blank is bent to an arcuate from above its central longitudinal axis such that the flanges 10 project at right angles to one another through remaining coplanar, and the limbs 16 being further bent into the substantially U-shaped configuration.

The bracket is preferably made from 12 or 14 Standard Wire Gauge mild steel and a strengthening web 38 is provided substantially centrally of each flange 10 on the fold line 34 by deforming the material of. the blank.

The use of a nut and bolt as the clamping means enables the cost of producing the bracket to be kept low in comparison with brackets which utilise for example U-bolts.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A mounting bracket for attaching a tubular member relatively to a fixture having a planar face, so that the axis of the tubular member extends perpendicular to the said planar face, the bracket having flange means with provision for securement to said fixture on said planar face thereof and a portion, integral with the flange means, of generally U-shaped configuration to receive the tubular member and having clamping means connected between the two limbs of the Ushaped portion to draw them together to clamp the tubular member.

2. A mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 in which the flange means comprises a pair of spaced coplanar flanges with holes for accepting fastenings.

3. A mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 which is formed from a blank wherein said flange means is defined at one end and said portion to receive the tubular member is at the other end, said flange means and said portion being connected by a narrow zone of the blank defined by a pair of aligned elongate slots extending inwardly from the respective sides of the blank.

4. A mounting bracket as claimed in claim 3 as dependant upon claim 2 in which the pair of flanges are separated by a central cut-out in the end of the blank said cut-out terminating on a straight fold line defining the edges of the flanges.

5. A mounting bracket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the clamping means to draw the two limbs of the U-shaped portion together comprises a nut and bolt combination, the bolt being arranged to extend through aligned apertures in the limbs of the U-shaped portion.

6. A mounting bracket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. distributed and even pressure on the mast 18 and will not therefore crush the mast 18. The flanges 10 and the portion 14 are integral with one another, being formed from an initially flat sheet metal pressed blank as shown in Figure 2. The flanges 10 are formed at one end of the blank and are separated from the portion 14 by means of a pair of aligned slots 30 extending inwardly from the respective sides of the blank. The two flanges 10 are separated by a central cut-out 32 extending inwardly from said one end of the blank and terminating at a straight fold line extending across the blank and which is the fold line defining the flanges 10. At the other end of the blank there is provided a tongue 36 which is formed from a cut-out corresponding to the cut-out 32 on an adjacent identical blank formed from sheet or strip material. To form the bracket from the blank the flanges 10 are bent in the same direction about the fold line 34. The blank is bent to an arcuate from above its central longitudinal axis such that the flanges 10 project at right angles to one another through remaining coplanar, and the limbs 16 being further bent into the substantially U-shaped configuration. The bracket is preferably made from 12 or 14 Standard Wire Gauge mild steel and a strengthening web 38 is provided substantially centrally of each flange 10 on the fold line 34 by deforming the material of. the blank. The use of a nut and bolt as the clamping means enables the cost of producing the bracket to be kept low in comparison with brackets which utilise for example U-bolts. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A mounting bracket for attaching a tubular member relatively to a fixture having a planar face, so that the axis of the tubular member extends perpendicular to the said planar face, the bracket having flange means with provision for securement to said fixture on said planar face thereof and a portion, integral with the flange means, of generally U-shaped configuration to receive the tubular member and having clamping means connected between the two limbs of the Ushaped portion to draw them together to clamp the tubular member.

2. A mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 in which the flange means comprises a pair of spaced coplanar flanges with holes for accepting fastenings.

3. A mounting bracket as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 which is formed from a blank wherein said flange means is defined at one end and said portion to receive the tubular member is at the other end, said flange means and said portion being connected by a narrow zone of the blank defined by a pair of aligned elongate slots extending inwardly from the respective sides of the blank.

4. A mounting bracket as claimed in claim 3 as dependant upon claim 2 in which the pair of flanges are separated by a central cut-out in the end of the blank said cut-out terminating on a straight fold line defining the edges of the flanges.

5. A mounting bracket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the clamping means to draw the two limbs of the U-shaped portion together comprises a nut and bolt combination, the bolt being arranged to extend through aligned apertures in the limbs of the U-shaped portion.

6. A mounting bracket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.