US1918525A - Panel board - Google Patents

Description

July 18, 1933. R R. ECKENRODE ET AL 1,913,525

PANEL BOARD Original Filed March 23, 1925 Emails.

d, /7 jguen/clg:

Patented July 18, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE ROY R. ECKENRODE AND LEONARD 12-. EDGAR-DUE, OF DETROIT, lvIICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO SQUARE I) COIVIPANY, 015 DETROIT, ITIIGHIGAN, A CORPORATION 01* MICHIGAN PANEL BOARD Application filed. March .33, 1925, Serial No. 17,525. Renewed May 2, 1931.

Our invention relates to electrical appliances and it has particular relation to the provision of mounting means for supporting conducting portions of such appliances.

In electrical appliances such as panel boards, switch boxes, fuse boxes, and other like apparatus, it is frequently necessary to change the capacity of the particular appliance or certain circuits in said appliance.

This necessitates a rearranging of the parts v within the appliance to accommodate larger or smaller fuses,-switch blades, or the like, as the case may require. Heretofore it has been necessary, inorder to vary the capacity of switch blades, or the other above-mentioned current carrying parts, particularly so far as the changing of the fuse size is concerned, to practically dismantle the appliance in order to effect such a change.

In a copending application of A. P. Ball, Serial No. 623,356, and owned by the assignee of the present application, there is described a system of unit base mountings wherein individual bases accommodate the various conducting parts of an electrical switch or the like. These parts may be either mounted directly on the back of the appliance, or may be held thereon through the interrelation of shoulders on the bases and an apertured se curing plate which extends over such shoulders, and which, when it is fastened to the back of the appliance, secures the unit bases in place. By thus arranging the conducting elements of an appliance on individual base units, the repair or replacement of the various parts of the switch, or other appliance, is clearly facilitated. 6

Our invention relates to a further improvement in the idea of unit-hase-mouiitings whereby not only are the said unit bases held in position in the same manner as, and thereby derive the benefits of, the mountings as shown in said copending application, but they also provide for a very flexible panel board, or switch box unit so far as changing the capacity or other factors of said appliance. p

, Our invention resides in the-provision of a securing plate in which the apertures are of greater dimension in a longitudinal direction ment of any than the base units which are secured in the appliance by said securing plates. Such a provision of a slot, longer than the base unit held in said slot, provides for a marked increase in the flexibility of the switch board or switch. Y

For a better understanding of our invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational, perspective view of a panel board embodyine our invention;- and Fig. 2 is a plan perspective view of a switch box embodying the same invention.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, a panel board comprises the usual outer frame member 10, and an interior casing or box member 11 provided in said frame. A backplate 12 extends across the back of the switch board frame forming a. box-like outer por-. t-ion for the switch board.

Fig. 2 will now be described, since our invention will be more readily understood by referring to the two appliances ointly, and, moreover, because the relation of the securing plate and the unit bases may be more easily explained in connection with Fig. 2. An appliance, or switch box 13, comprising side walls 14l1l, walls 1515 and a back wall 16, is shown in this figure. A plurality of base units 17 formed of insulating material are disposed in the box, while mounted on said base units 17 are a plurality of current conducting members-wire connectors 18, switch blade clips 19, switch blades 20, fuse clips 2121a, fuses 22 and wire clips 23.

In other words, there is illustrated, as a complete and operative entity, the ordinary switch in a box provided with fuses of proper capacity. It will be observed that replaceof the conducting parts is facilitated by reason of the mounting of such parts on the individual unit bases. It will, moreover, be observed that the bases upon which the contacts are mounted are secured to the back 16 of the box by reason of the engagement therearound of a securing plate 24, which may be of sheet metal or other suitable material. The latter has slots therein of a size equal atleast to the area of the upper portion of the unit bases whereby the securing of the plate over the bases and the thereafter attachment of the plate to the back of the switch box results in the mounting of the base units as shown. It should, moreover, be observed that when the units are mounted in this fashion there is no danger of a short circuit with any portion of the meter box, since the insulating bases are secured in the box without any conducting members, such as screws, etc., being used to secure said bases to the back of the box.

Fuse clips 21a are mounted on the lower base units 17. It will be noted that the slots 25-25, in which said lower fuse-clip bases are mounted, are elongated beyond the length of the unit bases mounted therein. If, therefore, one desires to puta smaller capacity fuse in the switch box, namely, one shorter than the fuses 22 which are shown, it is only necessary to slightly loosen the plate 24, and slide the base unit 17 to the upper end of the slot, at which point it will accommodate the shorter fuse.

In this way the switch box ismade eX- tremely flexible so far as Varying the capacity thereof is concerned, and this idea of flexibility is one of the essential features of our invention.

,Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the same idea may be used in imparting flexibility to a switch board, panel board, or cutout box. We have designated the corresponding parts in this figure by the same reference numerals as are used to describe analogous parts in Fig. 2.

A plate 24 is utilized to fit over the shoulders of the base units 17 and thereby secure said base units to the back of the appliance. But bars 2626 are provided longitudinally of the appliance. These bars may be connected to cross straps 2727, as is required, by connecting screws which extend from said bars into contact with said cross straps 27. a

It will be observed that the slots 25 in the securing plate 24 are longer than the base units 17 positioned in said slots. When, therefore, it is desired to replace the larger fuses 22 by fuses 29 of less capacity, it is only necessary to slide said base units along the slots. to comprehend the length required by the fuses to be substituted.

From the above description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that we have invented a system of unit base mountplates whereby the fuse capacity in any circuit may be readily changed with a minimum expenditure of effort.

lVhile we have described but two embodiments of our invention, it is apparent that many modifications thereof may occur to those skilled in the art, and we desire, therefore, that this invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an electrical appliance in which fuses of varying capacities are inserted in accordance with the capacity of the appliance, fuse-clip mountings comprising insulating'base units, means for securing said base units in said appliance comprising an apertured plate, said base units being mounted thereby in said appliance, and means permitting the shifting of said units in said apertures to accommodate fuses of varying lengths.

2. In an electrical appliance in which it is desired to interchangeably accommodate fuses of Varying capacities and lengths, fusereceiving means comprising clips, unit insulating bases supporting said clips and having shoulders thereupon, securing means for attaching said bases in said appliance, without conducting part-s passing from said bases to said appliance, comprising an apertured plate fitting over the shouldered portion of said units, the apertures in said plate being longitudinally greater in dimension than the length of said bases, and means permitting the shifting of said bases along said apertures to vary the length between said fuse-clip supporting means, and thereby ac commodate fuses of varying capacity.

3. In a. switch, a casing, insulating terminal blocks having shoulder portions formed thereupon, and a perforate member which is secured to said casing and is fitted down over said blocks, thereby holding said shoulder portions between said casing and itself, the perforations of said member being substantially larger in one dimension than said blocks, whereby the positions of said blocks may be adjusted with respect to said casing and said perforate member.

4. In combination, electrical terminal mountings comprising units for each of the terminals, each unit having a head portion, and a single member for lying over said head portions to hold said units in place, said single member having means to permit adjustment of the positions of said units.

5. In combination, a support, a plurality of electrical terminal mounts comprising blocks of insulation and a plate for spacing and securing said blocks to said support, said plate having means to permit adjustment of the positions of said blocks.

6. Electrical terminal mountings comprising blocks of insulation and a plate for maintaining said blocks spaced by a contactual engagement only, said plate having means to permit adjustment of the positions of said blocks.

7. Electrical terminal mountings comprising blocks of insulation and a single member for holding said blocks spaced by lying over a portion thereof, said member having means to permit adjustment of the positions of said blocks.

8. Electrical terminal mountings comprising a support upon which a plurality of blocks are arranged and a single fastening member having a gripping contact holding said blocks in position, said fastening memher having means to permit adjustment of the positions of said blocks.

9. In a device of the class described, a support, a plate, a plurality of individual mounts between said support and said plate, said mounts being held in spaced relation by said plate, and said plate having means to permit adjustment of the positions of said mounts.

10. In an electrical appliance having current carrying parts, such as fuses, embodied therein, means for receiving said parts, and means for securing said receiving means in adjusted relative positions, said securing means being releasable from the front of the appliance to permit such relative adjustment whereby the reception of parts of various sizes and capacities is accommodated.

11. In an electrical appliance having current carrying parts, such as fuses, embodied therein, means for receiving said parts by insertion thereof in a direction normal to the face of the appliance, and means for securing said receiving means in adjusted relative positions, said securing means being relcasable to permit such relative adjustment whereby the reception of parts of various sizes and capacities is accommodated.

ROY R. EGKENRODE. LEONARD R. BOGARDUS.

Images