Modular watthour meter socket and test switch
AssigneeMeter Devices Company, Inc.
InventorsNorman D. Cook, Christopher D. Napier, Robert B. Embly, Darrell Robinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A modular meter socket is releasably mountable in a housing. Support clips are disposed in the housing by fixing a mounting plate carrying the clips in the enclosure. A mounting panel fixedly carries the meter socket and is attached to the clips without the use of tools operative fasteners or additional fasteners. Alternately, a meter socket and a bypass device are unitarily mounted on a mounting panel for attachment to the clips in the housing. The meter socket and the bypass device may be mounted on separate panels, each attached to the clips in the housing without additional fasteners.
Claims23
An electrical power service apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a wall;
- a meter socket having contacts for electrical connection to blade terminals of a watthour meter;
- a panel supporting the meter socket;
- a plurality of clips in a preset arrangement carried in the housing, each clip having one portion spaced from the wall of the housing to define an opening for downwardly slidably receiving and supporting the panel in the housing without tool operative fasteners;
- and
- at least one of the clips positioned in the housing to engage a bottom edge of the panel.
A method for constructing an electrical power service apparatus comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing having a wall;
- providing a meter socket on a panel;
- providing a plurality of clips integrally formed from the wall and defining an opening for downwardly slidably attaching the panel to the housing without tool operative fasteners;
- and
- providing at least one of the clips positioned in the housing to engage a bottom edge of the panel.
An electrical power service apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a wall;
- a meter socket having contacts for electrical connection to blade terminals of a watthour meter;
- a panel supporting the meter socket;
- a mounting plate mounted to the wall of the housing;
- clips and apertures carried on the mounting plate and the panel for releasably attaching the panel carrying the meter socket to the housing without tool operative fasteners;
- and
- a tool receiving aperture formed in the mounting plate and positioned along one edge of the panel adapted to receive a tool for disengaging the plate from the receiving means.
A method for constructing an electrical power service apparatus comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing;
- providing a meter socket on a panel;
- fixing a mounting plate in the housing;
- providing a plurality of clips integrally formed from the mounting plate, each clip defining an opening adjacent the mounting plate for downwardly slidably attaching the panel to the housing without tool operative fasteners;
- and
- providing at least one of the clips positioned in the housing to engage a bottom edge of the panel.
An electrical power service apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a wall;
- a meter socket having contacts for electrical connection to blade terminals of a watthour meter;
- a panel supporting the meter socket;
- a plurality of clips in a preset arrangement carried in the housing, each clip having one portion spaced from the wall of the housing to define an opening for downwardly slidably receiving and supporting the panel in the housing without tool operative fasteners;
- and
- an aperture formed in the wall of the housing and positioned along one edge of the panel, the aperture adapted for receiving a tool to disengage the panel from the clips.
An electrical power service apparatus including a panel carrying at least one of a meter socket having contacts for electrical connection to blade terminals of the watthour meter and a bypass switch for bypassing meter socket contacts, mounted on a panel, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a wall;
- and
- a plurality of clips integrally formed in a preset arrangement from the wall of the housing, each clip having one portion spaced from the wall of the housing to define an opening for downwardly slidably receiving and supporting the panel in the housing, at least one of the clips positioned in the housing to engage a bottom edge of the panel.
An electrical power service apparatus including a panel carrying at least one of a meter socket having contacts for electrical connection to blade terminals of the watthour meter and a bypass switch for bypassing meter socket contacts, mounted on a panel, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a wall;
- a mounting plate mounted to the wall of the housing;
- and
- a plurality of clips integrally formed in a preset arrangement from the mounting plate, each clip having one portion spaced from the mounting plate to define an opening adapted for downwardly slidably receiving and supporting the panel in the housing, at least one of the clips positioned in the housing to engage a bottom edge of the panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.