Fuse holder

In a fuse holder for cartridge type electrical fuses having end terminals and comprising an insulated fuse holder body having a central first passage for accepting an inserted fuse, end terminal contacting means disposed at the rear or interior end of said passage for making an electrical contact to the inserted first end of said fuse and providing a conducting path therefrom for lead attachment outside said fuse holder body, a knob assembly comprising an insulating knob carrying a conducting sleeve therein configured to engage and electrically contact the front or opposite end of said fuse, said knob, said sleeve and said first passage configured such that said sleeve and portions of said knob can be insertingly accepted by said body to capture said fuse between said sleeve and said end contacting terminal means, and retention means for holding said knob assembly in place after the insertion of said sleeve and said fuse in said first passage, the improvement comprising:

• an electrically conducting one-piece side terminal mounted on the outside of said body, said body being configured with unitary complementary anchoring portions to secure said side terminal to said body by snap-in engagement thereof, said fuse holder body having at least a pair of side passages oppositely disposed about the axis of said first passage and passing from the outside of said fuse holder body to said first passage, said side terminal being configured with at least a pair of inwardly projecting contacting means disposed to project inwardly into said side passagese, and said sleeve includes at least a pair of engaging means disposed to pressingly contact said inwardly projecting contacting means through said side passages when said sleeve of said knob assembly is inserted into said body, and retained by said retention means.

In a fuse holder for cartridge type electrical fuses having end terminals and comprising an insulated fuse holder body having a first passage for accepting an inserted fuse, end terminal contacting means disposed at the rear or interior end of said passage for making an electrical contact to the inserted first end of said fuse and providing a conducting path therefrom for lead attachment outside said fuse holder body, a knob assembly comprising an insulating knob carrying a conducting sleeve therein configured to engage and electrically contact the front or opposite end of said fuse, said knob, said sleeve and said first passage configured such that said sleeves and portions of said knob can be insertingly accepted by said body to capture said fuse between said sleeve and said end contacting terminal means, and retention means for holding said knob assembly in place after the insertion of said sleeve and said fuse in said first passage, the improvement comprising:

• an electrically conducting one-piece side terminal mounted on the outside of said body and having radially internally projecting anchoring means, said body being configured with unitary complementary anchoring portions to secure said side terminal to said body by radially inward snap-in engagement thereof with said anchoring means, said body being configured with at least one radially extending side passage passing from the outside of said fuse holder body to said first passage, regions of said sleeve and regions of side terminal being configured for mutual engagement through said at least one side passage whereby electrical connection is achieved between said side terminal connection and said sleeve to make electrical connection with said front end of said fuse, and said radially internally projecting anchoring means of said side terminal being separate from the regions of said side terminal opposite said at least one side passage of said body.

In a fuse holder for cartridge-type electrical fuses having cylindrical contacts with substantially planar ends at a first and second end thereof, said fuse holder including an insulating fuse holder body having a first passage extending at least partially thereinto and configured to accept and confine an inserted fuse to reside with said first terminal end disposed proximate to the inner end of said passage, a knob assembly engageable with said body, said knob assembly including fuse engaging means for capturing an inserted fuse at said second end and for making electrical contact with said terminal thereat and for providing axial pressure to force said fuse into said first passage when the knob assembly is engaged with said body, said body having front terminal means for providing an electrical connection from outside said fuse holder body to said fuse engaging means, the improvement comprising:

• rear terminal means for providing an electrical connection from outside said fuse holder body to said first terminal end of said inserted fuse, said fuse holder body being configured with a radially extending second passage proximate to the interior end of and communicating with said first passage, said rear terminal means being externally mounted on said fuse holder body and having a terminal lug portion outside of said body and of arbitrary dimension with respect to the size of said first passage, and a body-engaging and fuse terminal contacting portion configured to pass into said body through said second passage and lock by snap-in anchoring connection with said body to reside disposed in said first passage to make contact with the terminal at said first end of said fuse.

In a fuse holder for cartridge type electrical fuse having end terminals with end faces and comprising an insulated fuse holder body having a first passage extending therethrough for accepting an inserted fuse, end terminal contacting means disposed at the interior end of said passage for making an electrical contact to the inserted first end of said fuse and providing a conducting path therefrom or lead attachment outside said fuse holder body, a knob assembly comprising an insulating knob carrying a conducting sleeve therein, said sleeve configured to engage and electrically contact the front end of said fuse, said knob, said sleeve and said first passage configured such that said sleeve and portions of said knob can be accepted by said body to capture said fuse between said sleeve and said end contacting terminal means, and retention means for holding said knob assembly in place after the insertion of said sleeve and said fuse in said first passage, the improvement comprising:

• an electrically conducting one-piece side terminal mounted on the outside of said body, said side terminal providing external electrical connection to said sleeve when said sleeve is inserted in said body, and having radially inwardly extending anchoring means, said body being configured with complementary anchoring portions to secure said side terminal to said body on radially inward snap-in engagement thereof, said body being configured with at least one radially extending side passage passing from the outside of said fuse holder body to said first passage, regions of said sleeve and regions of side terminal being configured for mutual engagement through said at least one side passage whereby electrical connection is achieved between said side terminal connection and said sleeve to make electrical connection with said outer end of said fuse, and said side terminal being provided with slot means disposed opposite said at least one side passage, and said sleeve is provided with radially outwardly extending blade means configured for rotational touching engagement with at least one wall defining said slot means by rotation of said knob assembly after insertion thereof into said body.

In a fuse holder for cartridge type electrical fuses having end terminals, said fuse holder comprising an insulated fuse holder body having a first passage extending at least partially therethrough for accepting an inserted fuse, end terminal contacting means disposed at the rear or interior end of said central passage for making an electrical contact to the inserted first end of said fuse and providing a conducting path therefrom for lead attachment outside said fuse holder body, a knob assembly comprising an insulating knob carrying a conducting sleeve therein, said sleeve configured to engage and electrically contact the outer or front end of said fuse, said knob, said sleeve and said first passage configured such that said sleeve and portions of said knob can be insertingly accepted by said body to capture said fuse between said sleeve and said end contacting terminal means, and retention means for holding said knob assembly in place after the insertion of said sleeve and said fuse in said first passage, the improvement comprising:

• an electrically conducting one-piece side terminal on the outside of said body, said side terminal having at least one portion projecting radially inward through a passage in said body and presenting axially extending contact surfaces for making good electrical contact with said sleeve, said radially inward projecting portion of said side terminal also forming axially facing shoulder means constituting said knob assembly retension means.

In a fuse holder for cartridge type electrical fuses having end terminals and comprising an insulated fuse holder body having a first passage for accepting an inserted fuse, end terminal contacting means disposed at the rear or interior end of said first passage for making an electrical contact to the inserted first end of said fuse and providing a conducting path therefrom for lead attachment outside said fuse holder body, a knob assembly comprising an insulating knob carrying a conducting sleeve therein, said sleeve being configured to engage and electrically contact the opposite or front end of said fuse, said knob, said sleeve and said first passage being configured such that said sleeve and portions of said knob can be insertingly accepted by said body to captively retain said fuse between said sleeve and said end contacting terminal means, the improvement wherein said body carries an electrically conducting side terminal having exposed on the inside of said body passage a rearwardly facing knob assembly retension shoulder means and at least one axially extending contact surface, relient means for urging a portion of said sleeve axially forward against said retention shoulder means of the side terminal when the knob assembly carrying a fuse is fully inserted into said body and positioned to be retained therein, the knob assembly then being depressible rearwardly against the force of the resilient means over a range of axial positions with respect to said side terminal in response to an inward axial force applied to said knob assembly, and said sleeve includes an axially extending contact surface disposed to provide a continuous wiping, pressing contact with said axially extending contact surface of said side terminal over said range of axial positions of said knob assembly when it is depressed from its retained position.