S to B watthour meter socket adapter

• US 5,586,913 A
• Filed: 01/11/1995
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ekstrom Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ekstrom Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Robinson, Darrell, Loehr, Karl, Pruehs, Allen V., Learmont, Robert O.
• Primary Examiner(s): PIRLOT, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US08/371,015
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 439/517, 439/638-654, 439/508, 361/370, 361/373
• US Class Current: 439/638
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/94 Holders formed as intermediate parts for linking a counter-part to a coupling part
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/03 for energy meters

Abstract

A watthour meter socket adapter includes a plurality of rigid electrical conductors non-attachedly disposed in a housing. An electrical contact is mounted on a first end of each electrical conductor and is positioned within the housing for receiving a blade terminal of a watthour meter therein. A second end of each electrical conductor extends externally of the housing for insertion into terminals mounted in a watthour meter socket. An insulating sleeve mounted in the housing surrounds the portion of the electrical conductors extending externally of the housing, with the second ends of the electrical conductors extending outward from the sleeve. An electrically insulating plate is mounted within the housing spaced from a base of the housing. Apertures formed in the insulating plate receive individual electrical contacts on the conductors for positioning the electrical contacts and the electrical conductors within the housing to receive a blade terminal of a watthour meter.

Claims

1. A watthour meter socket adapter for mounting a watthour meter having a plurality of outwardly extending blade terminals in a watthour meter socket including a plurality of terminals connected to electrical power line and load conductors, the watthour meter socket adapter comprising:

a housing having a base and an annular sidewall extending from the base and terminating in a watthour meter mounting flange;

a plurality of rigid electrical conductors disposed within the housing, each electrical conductor having first and second ends;

an electrical contact mounted on the first end of each electrical conductor for receiving one blade terminal of a watthour meter therein, each electrical contact including;

first and second spaced contact clips disposed in registry with each electrical 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 the electrical conductors;

an aperture formed in the sidewall; and

a portion of each electrical conductor and the second end of each electrical conductor extending through the aperture externally from the housing for electrical connection of the second end of each electrical conductor to one terminal in a watthour meter socket.

3. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 wherein:

each of the first and second contact clips comprises;

a first, planar end portion; and

a second jaw portion integral and continuous with the first end portion and bending in a first direction from the first end portion and then in a second direction toward a plane containing the first end portion.

4. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 further comprising:

electrically insulating sleeve means, mounted to the housing and communicating with the aperture in the sidewall, for electrically insulating the portions of the electrical conductors extending through the aperture, the second ends of the electrical conductors extending externally of the sleeve means.

6. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 wherein:

each electrical conductor has a polygonal cross section.

7. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 6 wherein:

each electrical conductor has a rectangular cross section.

8. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 wherein:

the electrical conductors are non-attachedly disposed within the housing of the socket adapter.

9. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 8 further comprising:

means for positioning the electrical contact formed on the first end of each electrical conductor to receive a blade terminal of a watthour meter in a snap-in connection.

10. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 9 wherein:

each electrical conductor has a step spaced from the second end to form the second end with a reduced cross section relative to the larger cross section of a remainder of each electrical conductor.

11. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 9 wherein the positioning means comprises:

an electrically insulating plate fixedly mounted in the housing of the watthour meter socket adapter and spaced from the base to define a cavity in which the electrical conductors are disposed; and

a plurality of apertures formed in the insulating plate, each aperture receiving one electrical contact of one electrical conductor therethrough.

12. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 11 wherein the positioning means further comprises:

electrically insulating sleeve means, attached to the housing and communicating with the aperture in the sidewall, for electrically insulating the portions of the electrical conductors extending through the aperture in the sidewall, the second ends of the electrical conductors extending externally of the sleeve means.

13. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 12 wherein the sleeve means comprises:

an enclosure having an interior space and an end wall; and

aperture means, formed in the end wall, for receiving and positioning the second ends of the electrical conductors extending therethrough.

14. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 11 further comprising:

a plurality of hollow receptacles formed in and extending outward from the insulating plate;

the interior of the receptacles opening to the cavity between the base and the insulating plate;

one of the electrical contacts being disposed in each receptacle; and

an aperture formed in each receptacle for receiving a terminal of a watthour meter therethrough into electrical contact with the electrical contact disposed within the receptacle.

15. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 14 wherein:

each electrical contact is loosely disposed in a receptacle.

16. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 14 wherein each receptacle comprises:

a side wall extending from the insulating plate and terminating in an outer end wall;

the aperture being formed in the end wall.

17. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 16 wherein:

at least certain edges of the end wall surrounding the aperture tapering inward from an exterior surface of the end wall toward the aperture.

18. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one ground surge plate mounted on the watthour meter mounting flange of the housing;

an electrical conductor connected to the at least one ground surge plate at one end and to a ground contact in the housing receiving a ground terminal of a watthour meter; and

a pin mounted in and extending through the sidewall of the housing and having an outer end disposed externally of the housing for connection to ground in a watthour meter socket, the pin electrically connected to the conductor and the at least one ground surge plate.

19. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 18 wherein the at least one ground surge plate comprises:

a first leg mounted over the watthour meter mounting flange on the housing, and a second leg depending from the first leg and overlaying the annular side wall of the housing and disposed within the watthour meter receiving portion of the housing.

20. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 18 wherein:

the pin is releasibly connectible to a plug-in connector attached to ground in a watthour meter socket.

21. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 18 further comprising:

another ground surge plate mounted on the mounting flange of the housing and spaced from the at least one ground surge plate; and

an electrical conductor connected to the another ground surge plate at one end and to the common ground contact in the housing receiving a ground terminal of a watthour meter.

22. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 wherein the first and second contact clips each comprise:

a plate-like member having a planar first end portion, an intermediate portion extending at a predetermined angle from the plane containing the first end portion; and

a second end portion extending at a predetermined angle from an end of the intermediate portion.

23. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 22 wherein:

a conductor contacting edge is formed at the juncture of an end of the intermediate portion and the second end portion of each of the first and second contact clips.

24. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 22 wherein:

the second end portion extends at an angle less than or equal to substantially 15°

from a plane extending parallel to a plane containing the first end portion and through the juncture of the end of the intermediate portion and the second end portion of each of the first and second contact clips.

25. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 1 wherein the biasing means comprises:

first and second spring clips, respectively disposed in registry with the first and second contact clips.

26. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 25 wherein:

a slot is formed in each of the first and second spring clips extending from the second end portion to the central portion and dividing the second end and the intermediate portions into two spaced portions.

27. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 25 wherein the joining means comprises:

aligned apertures formed in the second end of the electrical conductor, the first and second spring clips and the first and second contact clips;

rivets fixedly mounted in the aligned apertures to force the central portion and the first end portion of the first and second spring clips into substantial registry with the first and second contact clips, respectively, and the first and second contact clips into registry with opposed surfaces of the second end of the electrical conductor to forcibly bias the first and second spring clips into engagement with the first and second contact clips, respectively, to urge the second end portions of the first and second contact clips toward each other.

28. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 25 further comprising:

means for joining the first and second spring clips and the first and second contact clips, respectively, to the first end of each conductor.

29. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 25 wherein the first and second contact clips each comprise:

a plate-like member having;

a planar central portion;

a first end portion extending at a predetermined angle from one end of the central portion;

an intermediate portion extending at a predetermined angle from an opposite end of the central portion in the same direction away from a plane containing the central portion as the first end portion; and

a second end portion extending at a predetermined angle from an end of the intermediate portion toward the plane containing the central portion.

30. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 29 wherein the first end portion is at a substantially 15°

angle with respect to the central portion.

31. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 30 wherein the intermediate portion is at a substantially 15°

angle from the central portion.

32. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim 31 wherein the second end portion is at a substantially 30°

angle from the end of the intermediate portion.

2. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim wherein:

each electrical conductor has a step spaced from the second end to form the second end with a reduced cross section relative to the larger cross section of a remainder of each electrical conductor.

5. The watthour meter socket adapter of claim wherein the sleeve means comprises:

an enclosure having an interior space and an end wall; and

aperture means, formed in the end wall, for receiving and positioning the second ends of the electrical conductors extending therethrough.