AN IMPROVED PUSH-IN TYPE CHANNEL GRIPPER Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a new concept of push-in type channel gripper and more particularly Improved method for quick fixing/release of Channel/Slatwall Gripper, which lends itself to be fitted/released in quick, easy, convenient and cost-effective way for various application in signage, storage and display systems etc.
Background of the Invention :
In general, it has been the age old practice to fit any object in a channel is to use the standard Square neck Tee-Bolt with other accessories for quick fitment of the Bolt by inserting the Bolt along the channel and then turning it by 90 degree. In this process the square neck gets lodged in the channel/slatwall, thereby preventing the Bolt to any rotation when tightening the Nut over the Bolt. In the present art known for such Push-in type Channel Grippers as shown in Fig.-01, while the above mentioned age old practice of using square necked Tee-Bolt with stepped thread has been utilized, with addition of a spring interposed between a washer and the locking nut. In the operation the extended Fitments fitted to the reduced threaded end of the Tee-Bolt fitting is Pushed against spring pressure along the channel slot and at the same time is rotated 90 degree to bring one side of the square neck in alignment with the channel slot and then pressure is released, so that the square neck gets lodged in the channel slot, thus preventing the Tee-Bolt any rotation when the locking nut is tightened. While releasing or moving the fitment along the Tee-slot without disengagement, the Locking Nut is unscrewed and then the fitment is moved. For disengagement the fitment is turned 90 degree after pushing the fitment. The following are the difficulties from these type of mechanism/operations:
1) While inserting/releasing the fittings from channel, constant pressure/push to be maintained till rotating the fittings to 90 degrees.

2) For engaging the square neck in the channel, a good judgement for rotating to 90 degrees is required. For releasing also similar judgement is required.
3) As the stepped threaded Tee-Bolt member is simply screwed to other extended fittings, while rotating the Tee-Bolt in anti-clockwise direction, it gets loosened, thus hampering operations.
4) As the spring of the mechanism sits on the Locking Nut, while moving the Mechanism along the channel on release of the Locking Nut, the spring pressure varies with movement of the Locking Nut, thus resulting in loose gripping of the mechanism with full loosening the Locking Nut.
5) Because of two recess in the Lock Nut, the thread engagement of Lock Nut with Tee-Bolt is small which may lead to slippage of thread while locking.
Summary of the invention
To solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an objective of the present invention to make the present invention more advantageous, user friendly and more technical than the conventional systems. The present Invention of an improved push-in type channel gripper provides the user quick, convenient and cost-effective way convenient and cost-effective way for various applications in signage, storage and display systems etc., compared to the present practices or the conventional methods.
To overcome these difficulties, the present Invention aims at a mechanism to provide effortless, foolproof, ease, effective and good feeling in operation of the mechanism.
A Tee-Bolt without square neck, with two cut slot on the Bolt head is used in conjunction with a Lock washer specially configured to hold the Tee-Bolt in locking and released position.
The especially configured Lock Washer with Lugs and Triangular Ridges are used in conjunction with a slotted head Tee-Bolt (without any square neck) to ensure the Tee-Bolt fitted to any extended Body fitting from any rotation, when the Lock Washer gets

locked in the Channel slot through Lugs and the Tee-Bolt getting locked in the Lock Washer Lugs gap.
The spring, independent of the Lock Nut, rests on the extended Body fitting to which the Tee-Bolt is fitted. As a result when the Lock Nut is loosened to move the Body fitting along the Channel, a constant spring pressure is maintained in holding the Body fitting mechanism on the Channel
The Tee-Bolt fitted to the extended Body fitting is additionally secured with a Locking Screw fitted through the Body (extended fitting) thus preventing loosening of the Tee-Bolt in anti-clockwise rotation.
In operation of the Body-fitting mechanism, starting with released position, the elongated head of the Tee-Bolt remains aligned with two Lugs of the Lock Washer, the Ridges on the Lugs remaining engaged with the Slots on Tee-Bolt head.
The two Lugs of the Lock Washer aligned with the Channel Slot, inserted in the Channel with a push and a slight twist of the Body dislodge the Tee-Bolt head from the aligned position, and then with continued rotation of the Body Fitting without any further push/pressure, the Tee-Bolt head gets in the 90 degree position with a click sound and is locked in the gap between the Lugs of the Lock Washer, and at the same time rests on the inner edge of the Channel Slot, thus preventing rotation of the Tee-Bolt while tightening the Lock Nut against the Lock Washer.
For release of the Body fitting mechanism, reverse sequence is followed, i.e. with push and slight twist in either clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, the Tee-Bolt head gets dislodged form the locking position and with further continued simple rotation without pressure, the Tee-Bolt head gets in the aligned position with the Lock Washer Lugs again with a click sound, when the Body fitting can be removed from the Channel.

For movement of the mechanism along the Channel, the Lock Nut is loosened, when the Body fitting mechanism can be moved along the Channel with constant spring pressure(irrespective of the amount of loosening of the Lock Nut), without disengagement of the Tee-Bolt head from the Channel Slot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:
Fig. 1 shows a typical Push-in type Channel/Slatwall Gripper using square neck Tee-Bolt currently known as present art, with mechanism and difficulties as explained in the Background of the present Invention.
Fig. 2 shows the general arrangement of the present Invention of Improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper in during insertion/locking position and an assembled View (3-D), for typical application, as briefly explained in summary of the Invention.
Fig. 3 shows construction of various parts of the present Invention of Push-in Gripper, i.e. plain Tee-Bolt with slotted head, Lock Nut, specially formed Lock Washer, Spring, Locking Screw, Spring and Body-fitting for a typical operation.
Fig. 4 shows the 3-dimentional views of the assembled fitting and the individual components, i.e. the Body, Tee-Bolt , Lock Nut, Lock Washer, Locking Screw and Spring, highlighting the operational features.

Fig. 5 shows the cross-sectional views of the present Invention of Push-in Gripper in (a) Normal Rest/Released position, (b) During Insertion position, (c) in Locking position with the Channel and (d) Cross-sectional view of the channel.
Fig. 6 shows some of the typical applications pf the present Invention of Push-in type Gripper.
Brief Description :
The present invention is explained in greater detail below. This description is not intended to be a detailed catalogue of all the different ways in which the invention may be implemented, or all the features that may be added to the instant invention. For example, features illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments, and features illustrated with respect to a particular embodiment may be deleted from that embodiment. In addition, numerous variations and additions to the various embodiments suggested herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the instant disclosure, which do not depart from the instant invention. Hence, the following specification is intended to illustrate some particular embodiments of the invention, and not to exhaustively specify all permutations, combinations and variations thereof.
The above objective and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail-preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings.
Referring to Fig. 03-item-01, the Tee-Bolt has two slots - (a) for engagement with the triangular Ridges( item-03-b) of the Lock Washer in the Normal Rest/Released position. The Tee-Bolt (item-01) is fitted through its external thread-(b) into the internal thread-(b) of the Body (item-06). To prevent from loosening in anti-clockwise rotation, the Tee-Bolt is further secured by the Locking Screw (item-05) threaded through the Body to the

internal thread (c) of the Tee-Bolt. The Locking Screw head rests on the seat (c) of the Body (item-06).
The Lock Washer (item-03) has two Lugs (a) of width to suit the Channel Slot width, the height of the Lugs so measured, that in the locking or engagement position with the Channel, the Lock Washer is prevented from any rotation when the Lugs get engaged in the Channel Slot, the Tee-Bolt head gets lodged between the Lugs and does not slip out when the Lock Nut (item-02) is tightened. Further when the Tee-Bolt head drops from the Lugs into the gap (item-03-c) and sits on the Channel throat a distinct click sound is heard, confirming the right orientation of the Tee-Bolt head.
Two Ridges (b) on the Lock Washer Lugs helps in locking the Tee-Bolt Head with a click sound in the Normal Rest/Released position, again confirming the right orientation of the Tee-Bolt head prior withdrawal of the Body fitting from the Channel Slot.
In the sequence of assembly the single recessed Lock Nut (item-02) with threaded end (a) upward is engaged with external thread (a) of the Body (item-06) and screwed up till it butts against the shoulder (d) of the Body. The Spring (item-04) is seated between the surface (d) of the Lock Washer and the face(e) of the Body(item-06). The Tee-Bolt head slots (item-01-a) keeping engaged with the Lug-Ridges(item-03-b), is threaded into the Body end internal thread fully home and then secured by the Locking Screw, inserted through the Body to the Tee-Bolt internal threaded end.
The assembled state which is also the state of Normal Rest/Released Position is shown in Fig.05-(a). In normal handling/ storage etc. the Tee-Bolt head remains locked with the Lock Washer's Lug-Ridges and the spring remains fully guarded by the Lock Nut, to prevent ingress of any foreign material etc. into it.
If the Tee-Bolt head gets unseated from the Ridges and falls in the gap between Lugs, it should be restored to its Normal Rest/Released Position before using, by pushing the

Lock Washer towards the Lock Nut and bringing the Lug- Ridges under the Tee-Bolt head aligning the Bolt head slots with the Lug-Ridges and releasing the Lock Washer.
During insertion as shown in Fig.05-(b), the Lock Nut is fully screwed back lightly touching the shoulder of Body (item06-d of Fig.03), holding the Body, the Lock Washer Lugs are inserted through the Channel Slot by pushing the Body through Lock Washer as far as it goes(Face 'e' of the Body butting against face 'e' of the Lock Washer), with a slight rotation (could be in either direction), so as to dislodge the Tee-bolt head from the Ridges. The pressure is then released and the Body is simply rotated (without applying any pressure), till the Bolt head gets locked between the Lugs and at the same time dropping on the inner edge of the Channel Slot(Fig.-05-(d)-a), when the Body can't be rotated further. In between two click sound (one for dropping of the Bolt head from Ridges top to flat surface of the Lugs and the second for dropping of the Bolt head from Lugs to inner edge of Channel Slot) in quick succession can be heard, confirming the locking position of the Bolt head as shown in position Fig.05-(c). The Lock Nut is then screwed down on the Lock Washer collar to complete the locking operation.
For moving the Body-fitting along the Channel Slot without disengaging the Tee-Bolt head from the locking position, the Lock Nut is screwed back, when the Body- Fitting can be freely moved along the Channel, with constant spring pressure, irrespective of the amount of loosening of the Lock Nut. After moving the Body-fitting to new position, the Lock Nut is again screwed back on the collar of the Lock Washer for final locking.
For removing the Body Fitting from the Channel, the reverse sequence is followed i.e.:
i) The Lock Nut is loosened fully back,
ii) The Body is pushed as far as it goes (i.e. Face 'e' of Body butting against face 'e' of a lock Washer) and then a little twist (either Clockwise or anticlockwise) is given to dislodge the Tee-Bolt head from Channel locking position . The pressure on the Body is then released and the Body rotation

is continued till the Tee-Bolt head gets locked on the Ridges (item 03-b of Fig.03) with a click sound, when the Body can't be rotated further, and the Body-fitting can be easily withdrawn from the Channel Slot. The Body-fitting assembly again comes back to the NormalRest/Released Position as shown in Fig.05-(a).
The Body (item-06 of Fig.03) can take any shape for other extended Fittings, retaining the features (a),(b),(c),(d) and (e) same for all applications.
The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention, and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. . In the claims that follow, the indefinite article "A", or "An" refers to a quantity of one or more of the item following the article, except where expressly stated otherwise. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

We claim:
1. An improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper comprising of a plain Tee-Bolt with slotted head; Lock Nut, specially formed Lock Washer; Spring; Locking Screw; Spring and Body-fitting for a typical operation.
2. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, wherein the said Tee-Bolt is without square neck with two cut slot on the Bolt head which is used in conjunction with a Lock washer.
3. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, wherein the said Lock washer is specially configured to hold the Tee-Bolt in locking and released position.
4. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, wherein the said spring rests on the extended Body fitting to which the Tee-Bolt is fitted, independent of the Lock Nut.
5. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, wherein the said Tee-Bolt is fitted to the extended Body fitting which is additionally secured with a Locking Screw fitted through the Body (extended fitting) thus preventing loosening of the Tee-Bolt in anti-clockwise rotation.
6. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, for tightening of the Body fitting mechanism, the two Lugs of the Lock Washer aligned with the Channel Slot, inserted in the Channel with a push and a slight twist of the Body dislodge the Tee-Bolt head from the aligned position, and then with continued rotation of the Body Fitting without any further push/pressure, the Tee-Bolt head gets in the 90 degree position with a click sound and is locked in the gap between the Lugs of the Lock Washer, and at the same time rests on the inner edge of the Channel Slot, thus preventing rotation of the Tee-Bolt while tightening the Lock Nut against the Lock Washer.
7. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, for release of the Body fitting mechanism, with push and slight twist in either clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, the Tee-Bolt head gets dislodged form the locking position and with further continued simple rotation without pressure, the Tee-Bolt head gets in the aligned position with the Lock Washer Lugs again with a click sound, when the Body fitting can be removed from the Channel.
8. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in claim 1 or any preceding claims, for movement of the mechanism along the Channel, the Lock Nut is loosened, while the Body fitting mechanism can be moved along the Channel with constant spring pressure (irrespective of the amount of loosening of the Lock Nut), without disengagement of the Tee-Bolt head from the Channel Slot.
9. The improved Channel/Slatwall Gripper as claimed in any of the above claims substantially as described in the specification and illustrated in accompanying drawings.