US Patent 7770937 Stepped ball joint pipe clamp and pre-attachment components therefor

A pipe clamp that is used over a ball joint formed between a balled end of a first pipe and a flared end of a second pipe. The pipe clamp has a band and a tightening mechanism. The band extends axially from a first edge to a second edge, and extends circumferentially from a first end to a second end. The band has a step formed circumferentially in a body of the band between the first and second edge. The step accommodates a stepped seam that is produced between the balled end and the flared end when they are overlapped with respect to each other. The tightening mechanism draws the first and second ends of the band toward and away from each other in order to respectively tighten and loosen the pipe clamp.