ELECTRICAL TESTING INSTRUMENT STRUCTURE

• US 3,757,218 A
• Filed: 12/13/1971
• Issued: 09/04/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anthony Daniel Oliverio, Marvin Levi Ward
• Original Assignee: Anthony Daniel Oliverio, Marvin Levi Ward
• Inventors: Oliverio, Anthony Daniel, Ward, Marvin Levi
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Alfred E.
• Application Number:
  US05/207,264
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 324/149,156,72.5 D26/1Q
• US Class Current: 324/156
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/145 Indicating the presence of current or voltage

Abstract

An electrical instrument for measuring or testing electrical characteristics, such as resistance or voltage, of test circuits is provided with a probe having an electrical contact tip for engaging a portion of such a test circuit. The contact tip is electrically connected to the instrument'"'"''"'"'s measuring circuitry by an elongated, flexible cable for communicating electrical signals therebetween. An instrument housing serves to contain the measuring circuitry and has surrounding walls which define an encircling trough with a continuous cable receiving opening facing outwardly of the housing. The trough is of sufficient width and depth to receive a substantial portion of the intermediate length of the cable so that the cable may be stored in the trough, as by wrapping or reeling the cable around the housing while being received in the trough. The housing is preferably formed as a three piece structure including a bottom member and an intermediatemember which cooperate together to define a battery storage compartment and an adjacent ground lead storage compartment, with the two compartments being surrounded by the cable receiving trough. The intermediate member has provisions for supporting a printed circuit board, or the like, containing the instrument'"'"''"'"'s measuring circuitry in a compartment defined between the cover and the intermediate member.

Claims

1. An instrument for use in determining electrical characteristics of test circuitry, said instrument comprising a housing having top and bottom walls interconnected by a plurality of sidewalls, circuit means disposed within said housing for providing output signals which vary as function variations in the electrical characteristics of the test circuitry, a probe movable between a storage position adjacent to said housing and a test position in which said probe is spaced from said housing and is engageable with the test circuitry, cable means for conducting input signals from said probe to said circuit means, and recess means within said housing adjacent to said bottom wall for receiving a plurality of turns of said cable means to retain said cable means in a coiled condition within said housing when said probe is in the storage position, said recess means including a continuous opening extending around said housing adjacent to said bottom wall and exposed to the exterior of said housing to enable said cable means to be coiled around said housing within said recess means.

2. An instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein said recess means includes an inner wall, said cable means includes an outer end portion connected to said probe and an inner end portion connected to said housing at an innermost porTion of said recess means.

3. An electrical measuring instrument for measuring electrical characteristics of a test circuit with a probe having an electrical contact tip for engaging a portion of the test circuit and electrically connected to said measuring instrument by an elongated, flexible cable for communicating electrical signals therebetween and including a housing for said instrument having walls defining an encircling trough with a continuous cable receiving opening facing outwardly of and exposed to the exterior of said housing, said trough being of sufficient width and depth to receive a said cable through said opening in such a manner that substantially all of the intermediate length of said cable may be stored and retrieved from said trough by reeling and unreeling said cable into and from said trough.

4. An electrical measuring instrument as set forth in claim 3 wherein said housing includes wall means defining a compartment located above said trough for containing electrical circuit means;

means for connecting the end of said cable opposite from said probe to said circuit means in such a manner that said cable extends into said trough at an inner location so that said cable may be stored in said trough by reeling said cable upon itself in an increasing encircling relationship starting from and extending outwardly of said inner location.

5. An electrical measuring instrument for testing electrical characteristics of a test circuit, said electrical measuring instrument comprising a probe having a contact tip for electrically engaging a portion of the test circuit, an elongated flexible cable for communicating electrical signals between an instrument measuring circuit and said contact tip, a housing for said instrument measuring circuit including a bottom member, an intermediate member secured to said bottom member and a cover member secured to said intermediate member, spacing means interposed between said bottom member and said intermediate member for defining a spacing therebetween greater than the width of said cable, said spacing means being located inwardly from the peripheral edge of said bottom and intermediate members so as to define therebetween an endless cable receiving trough having a continuous outwardly facing opening exposed to the exterior of said housing for receiving said cable through said opening in such a manner that substantially all of the intermediate length of said cable may be stored in said trough by wrapping said cable about said housing so as to be received within said trough.

6. An instrument as set forth in claim 5 wherein said intermediate member and said cover are configured to define a measuring circuit compartment therebetween, means for supporting said instrument measuring circuit in said circuit compartment, cable connecting means for connecting said cable with said circuit means, said connecting means being located adjacent said spacing means at a location peripherally inward from said peripheral edges so that said cable may be stored in said trough with said cable being reeled about and received in said trough in increasing layers extending outwardly toward said peripheral edges.

7. An instrument as set forth in claim 5 wherein said bottom member and intermediate member are configured to define a battery compartment therebetween.

8. An instrument as set forth in claim 5 wherein said housing has a sidewall having an aperture defined therein of sufficient size that said probe may be inserted therethrough into said housing, said intermediate member having means defining an elongated cavity and positioned relative to said wall aperture for receiving and supporting said probe when inserted into said housing through said aperture.

9. An electrical measuring instrument for testing electrical characteristics of a test circuit, said electrical measuring instrument comprising a probe having a contact tip for electrically engaging a portion of the test circuit, an elongated flexible cable for communicating electriCal signals between an instrument measuring circuit and said contact tip, a housing for said instrument measuring circuit including a bottom member, an intermediate member secured to said bottom member and a cover member secured to said intermediate member, spacing means interposed between said bottom member and said intermediate member for defining a spacing therebetween greater than the width of said cable, said spacing means being located inwardly from the peripheral edges of said bottom and intermediate members so as to define therebetween an endless cable receiving trough having a continuous outwardly facing opening for receiving said cable in such a manner that substantially all of the intermediate length of said cable may be stored in said trough by wrapping said cable about said housing so as to be received within said trough, terminal means for releasably receiving one end of a conductor lead for use in electrically engaging another portion of a circuit to be tested, said intermediate member having wall means defining a conductor lead storage compartment facing said bottom member, said bottom member having an opening formed therein in registry with said storage compartment so that a said conductor lead may be placed in said compartment for storage.

10. An instrument housing as set forth in claim 9 wherein said opening and said storage compartment are configured of sufficient size whereby said opening and compartment cooperate to define a carrying handle for said housing.

11. A portable electrical measuring instrument for measuring electrical characteristics of a test circuit and comprising:

housing means for said instrument having a bottom member and a plurality of interconnected sidewalls circumscribing and spaced from said bottom member, means for supporting a plurality of batteries disposed in said housing so as to be supported in abutting engagement with said bottom member, means defining a cable receiving trough between said sidewalls and said bottom member so that said trough extends inwardly of said sidewalls and has an opening exposed to the exterior of said housing, electric circuit means disposed in said housing and spaced from said bottom member, means for electrically connecting said circuit means to said batteries, a probe having an electrical contact tip, an elongated flexible cable having conductor means extending between said contact tip and said electric circuit means for conducting electrical signals therebetween, said cable being movable from a storage location disposed in said trough to an extended position at which said probe is spaced from said housing with a substantial portion of the length of said cable extending therebetween.

12. A portable electrical measuring instrument as set forth in claim 11 wherein said housing means further includes support means for supporting said electrical circuit means in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship with said bottom member.

13. A portable electrical measuring instrument as set forth in claim 12 wherein said housing means further includes an intermediate member spaced from said bottom member and adapted to be in abutting engagement with said batteries for cooperating with said bottom member to define a battery compartment to retain said batteries in place.

14. A portable electrical measuring instrument as set forth in claim 11 wherein said housing means includes a top member connected to said interconnected sidewalls so as to define a cover, means for receiving said probe at a location intermediate said top and bottom member, one of said interconnected sidewalls having means defining an opening communicating with said probe receiving means.

15. A portable electrical measuring instrument for measuring electrical characteristics of a test circuit and comprising:

housing means for said instrument having a bottom member and a plurality of interconnected sidewalls circumscribing and spaced from said bottom member, means for supporting a plurality in said batteries disposed inSaid housing so as to be supported in abutting engagement with said bottom member, means defining a cable receiving trough between said sidewalls and said bottom member so that said trough extends inwardly of said sidewalls, electric circuit means disposed in said housing and spaced from said bottom member, means for electrically connecting said circuit means to said batteries, a probe having an electrical contact tip, an elongated flexible cable having conductor means extending between said contact tip and said electric circuit means for conducting electrical signals therebetween, said cable being movable from a storage location disposed in said trough to an extended position at which said probe is spaced from said housing with a substantial portion of the length of said cable extending therebetween, said housing means includes a top member connected to said interconnected sidewalls so as to define a cover, means for receiving said probe at a location intermediate said top and bottom member, one of said interconnected sidewalls having means defining an opening communicating with said probe receiving means, said probe carries display means thereon for displaying representations of said electrical characteristics;

bench display terminal means for connecting an auxiliary test lead with said probe contact tip when said probe is stored in said probe receiving means so that said display means is exposed whereby said instrument may be converted from a remote probe display instrument to a probe stored bench display instrument.

16. A portable electrical measuring instrument for measuring electrical characteristics of a test circuit and comprising:

housing means for said instrument having a bottom member and a plurality of interconnected sidewalls circumscribing and spaced from said bottom member, means for supporting a plurality of batteries disposed in said housing so as to be supported in abutting engagement with said bottom member, means defining a cable receiving trough between said sidewalls and said bottom member so that said trough extends inwardly of said sidewalls, electric circuit means disposed in said housing and spaced from said bottom member, means for electrically connecting said circuit means to said batteries, a probe having an electrical contact tip, an elongated flexible cable having conductor means extending between said contact tip and said electric circuit means for conducting electrical signals therebetween, said cable being movable from a storage location disposed in said trough to an extended position at which said probe is spaced from said housing with a substantial portion of the length of said cable extending therebetween, terminal means electrically connected to said electrical circuit means and disposed on one of said sidewalls for releasably engaging one end of an elongated test conductor having an opposite end for use in engaging a portion of a test circuit so that both said cable conductor means and said conductor communicate electrical signals between a said test circuit and said electrical circuit means, said housing means including means defining a test conductor storage compartment for storing said test conductors when not in use, said bottom member having an opening defined therein communicating with said storage compartment.