Abstract: A non-marring lifting clamp for articles such as metal plates has a pair of opposed jaws mounted on opposite sides of a slot formed in the side plates of the clamp body with one of the jaws being pivotally mounted for opening and closing movements relative to the other jaw, and a lifting shackle being mounted for guided movement in the clamp body. A linkage assembly in the body couples the shackle to the pivotally mounted gripping jaw to urge the gripping jaw toward the other jaw when a lifting force is applied to the shackle. The linkage assembly includes a swing link connected to move the gripping jaw and a control link pivoted to the clamp body with a connecting mechanism coupling the control link both to the shackle and to the swing link.

Abstract: A screw-type lifting clamp comprising a generally U-shaped clamp body having a pair of spaced, opposed projections defining a generally vertically downwardly facing material receiving slot, a lifting shackle attached to said clamp body, a screw threadedly received through a first such body projection and being threadedly movable toward and away from the second body projection, a jaw pivotally mounted to the second body projection for pivotable movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the screw axis, and resilient means urging the jaw to a horizontal position. The pivotable jaw includes vertically spaced teeth defining a gripping surface which is convex in a vertical plane and has a radius of curvature greater than the horizontal distance between the jaw pivotal axis and the jaw gripping surface when that jaw is horizontal.