Modular clamping system

Abstract

A clamping system includes a housing, a clamping lever pivotally coupled relative to the housing, a clamping arm pivotally coupled relative to the housing and the clamping lever, and an expandable link coupled to the clamping arm. The clamping lever and the clamping arm are rotatable from an open position to a closed position. A method of mounting a device on a substrate using the clamping system is also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of mounting a device on a substrate, the method comprising:
 inserting a clamping system of the device at least partially into an opening in the substrate;   actuating a clamping lever to rotate a clamping arm toward a closed position; and   causing, via the actuating of the clamping lever, the clamping arm to rotate from a position within the opening in the substrate to a position over an interior surface of the opening of the substrate, and simultaneously moving the clamping arm toward the closed position such that a portion of the clamping arm comes into contact with the interior surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 causing, via the actuating of the clamping lever, the clamping arm to move from an open arm position to a closed arm position using a track configured for guiding movement of the clamping arm. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the track is configured such that the movement of the clamping arm from the open arm position to the closed arm position includes rotational and translational movement. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein moving the clamping lever from an open lever position to a closed lever position moves a clamping assembly to an over-toggle position, the over-toggle position configured to prevent the clamping lever from rotating toward the open lever position when the clamping lever is in the closed lever position. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  where moving the clamping lever from an open lever position to a closed lever position comprises expanding an expandable link biased to pull the clamping arm toward a closed arm position when the clamping lever is in the closed lever position. 
     
     
         6 . A method of mounting a structure on a substrate having a hole, the method comprising: inserting the structure in the hole, the structure coupled to at least one clamping system in an open position, the at least one clamping system comprised of:
 a housing;   
       a link assembly comprising:
 a right first link pivotally coupled to the housing, 
 a left first link pivotally coupled to the housing, and 
 
       a second link pivotally coupled to the right first link and the left first link, and slidably coupled to the housing; 
       a clamping assembly, wherein a portion of the clamping assembly is encased within the housing and configured to slidably move within the housing, the clamping assembly further comprising a clamping arm coupled to an expandable link, the expandable link coupled to the second link;
 a clamping lever pivotally coupled to the second link, the second link pivotally coupled to the housing, wherein the clamping arm is in an open arm position when the clamping lever is in an open lever position, the open arm position including the clamping arm located entirely within a perimeter of the hole when the structure is inserted in the hole and the clamping arm not in contact with the substrate, and whereby moving the clamping lever to a closed lever position moves the clamping arm to a closed arm position such that the clamping arm is located at least partially outside the perimeter of the hole and contacts the substrate; 
 
       moving the clamping lever from the open lever position to the closed lever position, resulting in a movement of the clamping arm from the open arm position to the closed arm position. 
     
     
         7 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , wherein the housing includes a track configured for guiding movement of the clamping arm from the open arm position to the closed arm position. 
     
     
         8 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 7 , wherein the track is configured such that the movement of the clamping arm from the open arm position to the closed arm position includes rotational and translational movement. 
     
     
         9 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , wherein the clamping arm is a dog-ear shape. 
     
     
         10 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , the at least one clamping system further comprising an extender coupled to an end of the clamping arm not coupled to the housing. 
     
     
         11 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 10 , wherein a surface of the extender opposite to the side of the extender coupled to the clamping arm includes a textured surface. 
     
     
         12 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , wherein an end of the clamping arm not coupled to the housing includes a textured surface. 
     
     
         13 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , wherein a screw couples the clamping arm to the expandable link. 
     
     
         14 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , wherein the housing includes a left slot and a right slot parallel to the left slot and on an opposite side of the housing, and the coupling of the expandable link to the second link further includes a cross pin coupled to the expandable link and pivotally coupled to the second link, the cross pin located perpendicular to the left slot and the right slot, with a right end engaged in the right slot and a left end engaged in the left slot, wherein the clamping lever is moving from the open lever position to the closed lever position results in the cross pin moving the expandable link in a direction of the left slot and the right slot. 
     
     
         15 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate of  claim 6 , the structure including a flange, wherein the substrate is clamped between the flange and the clamping arm when the clamping arm is in the closed arm position. 
     
     
         16 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate according to  claim 6 , wherein moving the clamping lever from the open lever position to the closed lever position moves the clamping assembly to an over-toggle position, the over-toggle position configured to prevent the clamping lever from rotating toward the open lever position when the clamping lever is in the closed lever position. 
     
     
         17 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate according to  claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
 moving the clamping lever from the closed lever position to a stored position, wherein the over-toggle position prevents the clamping arm from moving when the clamping lever is moved from the closed lever position to the stored position.   
     
     
         18 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate according to  claim 16 , wherein the link assembly and the clamping assembly are configured such that moving of a clamping lever pivot joint, the clamping lever pivot joint coupling the clamping lever to the second link, away from the structure when the at least one clamping system is in an over-toggle position results in a release of the over-toggle position and movement of the clamping arm away from the substrate, and further comprising the step of:
 moving of the clamping lever pivot joint away from the structure, resulting in the release of the over-toggle position and movement of the clamping arm away from the substrate.   
     
     
         19 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate according to  claim 6 , wherein the expandable link is a spring. 
     
     
         20 . The method of mounting the structure on the substrate according to  claim 19 , wherein the expandable link is biased to pull the clamping arm toward the closed arm position when the clamping lever is in the closed lever position.