US 5,571,031 A · Watthour meter mounting apparatus with improved electrical connections · patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A watthour meter mounting apparatus, such as a socket, socket adapter and the like, has a flash shield completely enclosing the jaw contacts of the apparatus. Slots are formed in the flash shield to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into connection with the jaw contacts. In one embodiment, a socket adapter housing includes front and back plates which are joined together and form a cavity therebetween in which the jaw terminals and the electrical conductors are disposed. Raised receptacles formed in the first plate loosely receive the jaw contacts mounted on one end of the conductors. In another embodiment, an insulating housing is mounted over the jaw contacts in a socket or socket adapter, with slots formed in the housing to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into a jaw contact disposed within the housing. The housing may be formed with one large cavity surrounding all of the jaw terminals or a plurality of separate receptacles, each surrounding at least one jaw contact. The conductors may be formed of rigid bus bar for increased current carrying capability. Each jaw contact can be formed of separate contact clips biased toward each other by separate spring clips riveted to one end of each conductor. A terminal slidably receives the other end of each conductor as well as a line/load external conductor.

Claims65

Dependent claims

A watthour meter socket adapter for use with a watthour meter having a plurality of blade terminals, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing, the housing including:
a watthour meter receiving portion;
and
a terminal portion spaced from the watthour meter receiving portion;
a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the watthour meter receiving portion of the housing, each contact receiving one blade terminal of a watthour meter in a snap-in connection;
a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in the terminal portion of the housing and receiving one of an external electrical power line conductor and an electrical load conductor connected to an external load;
and
a plurality of electrical conductors, each connected to and extending between one contact and one terminal in the housing in a co-planar, non-overlapped arrangement, the electrical conductors being in the form of rigid, polygonal-shaped bus bars, each having a first pair of opposed exterior surfaces of a first length, and a second pair of opposed exterior surfaces angularly disposed from the first pair of exterior surfaces and having a length no greater than the first length of the first pair of exterior surfaces, one electrical contact mounted on the first pair of exterior surfaces, the first pair of exterior surfaces of each electrical conductor being co-planarly aligned with an axial extent of the blade terminals of a watthour meter insertable into the housing.

5 more elements

A watthour meter socket adapter for use with a watthour meter having a plurality of blade terminals, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing, the housing including:
a watthour meter receiving portion;
and
a terminal portion spaced from the watthour meter receiving portion;
a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the watthour meter receiving portion of the housing, each contact receiving one blade terminal of a watthour meter in a snap-in connection;
a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in the terminal portion of the housing and receiving one of an external electrical power line conductor and an electrical load conductor connected to an external load, at least one of the electrical terminals including:
a collar formed as a one-piece unitary member having axially opposed ends;
a first through bore extending axially between the opposed ends of the one-piece member sized to receive an external electrical conductor therein;
means for securing an external electrical conductor in the first bore;
and
a second through bore extending axially between the opposed ends of the one-piece member for slidably receiving a first end of one of the electrical conductors, the second bore disposed parallel to and communicating with the first bore between the opposed ends of the collar to enable contact between an external electrical conductor disposed in the first bore and the first end of one of the electrical conductors disposed in the second bore;
and
a plurality of electrical conductors, each connected to and extending between one contact and one terminal in the housing, the electrical conductors being in the form of rigid, polygonal-shaped bus bars, each having a first pair of opposed exterior surfaces of a first length, and a second pair of opposed exterior surfaces angularly disposed from the first pair of exterior surfaces and having a length no greater than the first length of the first pair of exterior surfaces, one electrical contact mounted on the first pair of exterior surfaces the first pair of exterior surfaces of each electrical conductor being co-planarly aligned with an axial extent of the blade terminals of a watthour meter insertable into the housing.

10 more elements

A watthour meter socket adapter for use with a watthour meter having a plurality of blade terminals, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing, the housing including:
a watthour meter receiving portion;
and
a terminal portion spaced from the watthour meter receiving portion;
a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the watthour meter receiving portion of the housing, each contact receiving one blade terminal of a watthour meter in a snap-in connection, at least one of the electrical contacts including:
first and second, separate, spaced contact clips fixedly joined to the first pair of exterior surfaces, respectively, of each electrical conductor;
and
biasing means, engageable with an exterior surface of each of the first and second contact clips, for biasing an end of each of the first and second contact clips toward each other;
a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in the terminal portion of the housing and receiving one of an external electrical power line conductor and an electrical load conductor connected to an external load;
and
a plurality of electrical conductors, each connected to and extending between one contact and one terminal in the housing, the electrical conductors being in the form of rigid, polygonal-shaped bus bars, each having a first pair of opposed exterior surfaces of a first length, and a second pair of opposed exterior surfaces angularly disposed from the first pair of exterior surfaces and having a length no greater than the first length of the first pair of exterior surfaces, one electrical contact mounted on the first pair of exterior surfaces, the first pair of exterior surfaces of each electrical conductor being co-planarly aligned with an axial extent of the blade terminals of a watthour meter insertable into the housing.

8 more elements

A watthour meter socket adapter for use with a watthour meter having a plurality of blade terminals, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing, the housing including:
a watthour meter receiving portion;
and
a terminal portion spaced from the watthour meter receiving portion;
a plurality of electrical terminals mounted in the terminal portion of the housing;
a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the watthour meter receiving portion of the housing, each contact receiving one blade terminal of a watthour meter in a snap-in connection;
a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in the terminal portion of the housing and receiving one of an external electrical power line conductor and an electrical load conductor connected to an external load;
electrical conductors connected to and extending between one contact and one terminal in the housing, the electrical conductors being in the form of polygonal-shaped bus bars;
the bus bars have a rectangular cross section formed of a first pair of opposed major exterior surfaces co-planarly aligned with an axial extent of the blade terminals of a watthour meter insertable into the adapter and a second pair of opposed major exterior surfaces having a shorter length than the first pair of exterior surfaces;
the terminals each including:
a collar having first and second portions integrally formed as a one-piece, unitary member, the first and second portions extending between axially opposed ends of the collar;
the first portion having a first axially extending, through bore extending therethrough sized to receive an external electrical conductor therein;
the second portion having a second axially extending, through bore extending therethrough for slidably receiving one end of one of the electrical conductors, the second bore communicating with the first bore to enable contact between an external electrical conductor inserted in the first bore and one of the second pair of exterior surfaces at the first end of one of the electrical conductors inserted in the second bore;
means for securing an external electrical conductor and one of the electrical conductors in electrical contact with each other in the collar;
each electrical contact including first and second, separate, spaced contact clips disposed in registry with the first pair of exterior surfaces of each conductor;
biasing means, engageable with each of the first and second contact clips, for biasing an end of each of the first and second contact clips toward each other;
and
means for fixedly joining the first and second contact clips and the biasing means to each conductor.

15 more elements

In an electrical apparatus having a housing receiving electrical connections to a first external electrical circuit and for receiving a separate electrical device in a plug-in electrical connection to the electrical connections to the first external electrical circuit, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of electrical conductors disposed on a wall in the housing, each electrical conductor formed of a rectangular-shaped bus bar having first and second ends and formed of a first pair of major opposed exterior surfaces extending perpendicularly from the wall in the housing and a second pair of opposed exterior surfaces having a length smaller than a length of the first pair of exterior surfaces;
electrical terminal means, mounted on the first end of each conductor, for electrically connecting each conductor to a first external electrical circuit;
and
electrical contact means, mounted on the first pair of exterior surfaces at the second end of each electrical conductor, for receiving an electrical device in a plug-in electrical connection;
and wherein
the electrical conductors extend in a coplanar, non-overlapped arrangement in the housing between the electrical terminal means and the electrical contact means.

3 more elements

A watthour meter socket adapter for use with a watthour meter having a plurality of blade terminals, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing, the housing including:
a watthour meter receiving portion;
and
a terminal portion spaced from the watthour meter receiving portion;
a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the watthour meter receiving portion of the housing, each contact receiving one blade terminal of a watthour meter in a snap-in connection;
a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in the terminal portion of the housing, each receiving one of an external line and load conductor;
and
a plurality of electrical conductors, each connected to and extending between one electrical contact and one electrical terminal in the housing;
the electrical contacts comprising:
a collar receiving an end of one of the electrical conductors in a fixed connection;
a planar end portion integrally formed with the collar;
first and second spaced, substantially coplanar, angularly bent jaws extending from the end portion;
and
a third angularly bent jaw extending from the end portion and disposed between the first and second jaws, an outer end of the third jaw spaced from aligned outer ends of the first and second jaws to define a watthour meter blade receiving slot between the first second jaws, and the third jaw.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/521,008Filed 30 Aug 1995 · continuation
Priority: 22 Mar 1994
Granted: 5 Nov 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H01R 13/113
Resilient sockets: co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section
G01R 11/04
Constructional details: housings; Supporting racks; Arrangements of terminals
H01R 4/36
Utilising a screw or nut clamping member: conductive members located under tip of screw
H01R 13/15
Contact members: pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure

Family

Serial216,261Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Mar 1994
US 5,571,031 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere