# US 10,373,743 B1 · Modular bus bar insulator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,743 B1 - Document ID: US10373743B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/146,239 - Filed: 2018-09-28 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-12 - Applicants: Travis James Cronkrite - Inventors: Travis James Cronkrite - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373743B1 ## CPC - H01B 17/56: Insulating bodies - H02B 1/04: Mounting thereon of switches or of other devices in general, the switch or device having, or being without, casing - H02B 1/056: Mounting on plugboards - H02B 1/20: Bus-bar or other wiring layouts, e.g. in cubicles, in switchyards (installations of bus-bars H02G5/00) - H02B 1/48: Mounting of devices therein - H01B: CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES (selection for magnetic properties H01F1/00; waveguides H01P {; printed circuits H05K}) - H02B: BOARDS, SUBSTATIONS OR SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SUPPLY OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER ## Abstract An insulator for a bus bar of a breaker panel may be modularly sacrificed for the installation of a breaker. The ability to modularly sacrifice insulating portions enables protection of the electrical service worker while installing a new breaker panel or modifying an existing breaker panel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An insulator apparatus, comprising: a plurality of insulator modules formed of an insulator material, each insulator module: corresponding to a respective portion of a bus bar apparatus in a breaker panel; formed to receive its respective portion of the bus bar apparatus and to provide insulation protection from the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus when receiving the bus bar apparatus; and defined by a periphery that corresponds to a periphery of one or more circuit breakers that can attach to the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus; separation regions defining the peripheries of the insulator modules, each separation region having a shear strength less than a shear strength of the portion of the insulator material within the peripheries of the insulator modules such that, when the bus bar apparatus is received by the insulator apparatus, each insulator module may be individually separated from the insulator apparatus to expose the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus to which it corresponds so that the respective portion of the bus bar so exposed may receive one or more circuit breakers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The insulator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulator module is formed to affix to receive its respective portion of the bus bar apparatus by being formed to receive one or more conductive bus tabs of the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The insulator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation regions are formed of the insulator material and integrally formed with the plurality of insulator modules. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The insulator apparatus of claim 2, wherein the separation regions are perforations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The insulator apparatus of claim 2, wherein the separation regions have a thickness that is less than a thickness of the insulator material within the peripheries of the insulator modules. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The insulator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulator material is a flexible elastomer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The insulator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulator material is one of neoprene rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, or silicone rubber. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The insulator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulator material is a thermoplastic. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The insulator apparatus of claim 1, wherein each respective portion of the bus bar apparatus is a hot bus bar. ### Claim 10 A circuit breaker panel, comprising: a breaker box; and a bus bar apparatus within the main breaker box, the bus bar apparatus including a pair of opposed hot bus bars, each of the hot bus bars including a plurality of respective portions that can electrically couple to a circuit breaker when the circuit breaker is received in the breaker box; and an insulator apparatus, comprising a plurality of insulator modules formed of an insulator material, each insulator module: corresponding to a respective portion of the opposed hot bus bars; formed to receive its respective portion of the bus bar apparatus and to provide insulation protection from the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus when receiving the bus bar apparatus; and defined by a periphery that corresponds to a periphery of one or more circuit breakers that can attach to the respective portion of the hot bus bars; separations regions defining the peripheries of the insulator modules, each separation region having a shear strength less than a shear strength the portion of the insulator material within the peripheries of the insulator modules such that, when the bus bar apparatus is received by the insulator apparatus, each insulator module may be individually separated from the insulator apparatus to expose the respective portion of the hot bus bars to which it corresponds so that the respective portion of the hot bus bars so exposed may receive one or more circuit breakers. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The circuit breaker panel of claim 10, wherein the each insulator module is formed to receive the bus bar apparatus by being formed to receive one or more conductive bus tabs of the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The circuit breaker panel of claim 10, wherein the separation regions are formed of the insulator material and integrally formed with the plurality of insulator modules. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The circuit breaker panel of claim 10, wherein the separation regions are perforations. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The circuit breaker apparatus of claim 10, wherein the separation regions have a thickness that is less than a thickness of the insulator material within the peripheries of the insulator modules. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The circuit breaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the insulator material is a flexible elastomer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The circuit breaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the insulator material is one of neoprene rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, or silicone rubber. ### Claim 17 An insulator system, comprising: one or more insulator modules formed of an insulator material, each insulator module: corresponding to a respective portion of a bus bar apparatus in a breaker panel; formed to receive the bus bar apparatus in the breaker panel to cover its respective portion of the bus bar apparatus and to provide insulation protection from the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus when receiving the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus; and defined by a periphery that corresponds to a periphery of one or more circuit breakers that can attach to the respective portion of the bus bar apparatus.