Cover for battery compartment and communications port

• US 5,605,467 A
• Filed: 01/19/1995
• Issued: 02/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Fischer, Kenneth M., Beck, H. Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Byrd, Eugene G.
• Application Number:
  US08/375,454
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 439/138, 439/148, 439/135, 439/142, 439/301
• US Class Current: 439/148
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 71/7409 Interchangeable elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0264 Protective covers for terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/447 Shutter or cover plate
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/16 for telephony

Abstract

A cover for a communications port and an aperture at a surface of an electrical switching device includes a cover mechanism for covering at least the communications port and the aperture; and a plug having a proximate end attached to the cover mechanism and having a distal end for insertion within a recess of the communications port. Alternatively, an electrical switching device comprises separable contacts; a housing for the separable contacts including a surface having an aperture and a communications port with a recess; a cover mechanism for covering at least the communications port and the aperture; and a plug having a proximate end attached to the cover mechanism and having a distal end for insertion within the recess of the communications port.

Claims

1. A cover for a communications port and an aperture at a surface of an electrical switching device, the communications port having a recess having a shoulder, said cover comprising:

cover means with an opening for covering at least the communications port and the aperture; and

plug means having a proximate end attached to said cover means and having a distal end for insertion within the recess of the communications port, said plug means including latch means connected to the distal end of said plug means having a detent insertable into the recess of the communications port in order to engage the shoulder of the recess and secure said cover means to the communications port, the latch means being a leaf spring means having a fixed end cantilevered from the distal end of said plug means and having a free end which protrudes through the opening of said cover means, the free end of the leaf spring means being movable toward said plug means in order to disengage the detent of said plug means from the shoulder of the recess of the communications port, said cover means including frangible locking means for holding the leaf spring means away from said plug means in order to prevent disengagement of the detent of said plug means from the shoulder of the recess of the communications port, the frangible locking means being adjacent the opening of said cover means and passing around the leaf spring means for holding the leaf spring means, and being breakable in order to permit disengagement of the detent of said plug means from the shoulder of the recess of the communications port.

2. The cover as recited in claim 1 wherein the frangible locking means includes a transverse wall having two holes and also includes a wire which passes through the two holes of the transverse wall and around the leaf spring means, the wire having two ends which are secured together in order to hold the leaf spring means away from said plug means.

3. An electrical switching device, comprising:

separable contact means;

a housing for said separable contact means including a surface having an aperture and a communications port with a recess;

cover means for covering at least the communications port and the aperture; and

plug means having a proximate end attached to said cover means and having a distal end for insertion within the recess of the communications port, the recess of the communications port having a shoulder, said plug means includes latch means connected to the distal end of said plug means having a detent insertable into the recess of the communications port in order to engage the shoulder of the recess and secure said cover means to the communications port, said cover means having an opening, the latch means being a leaf spring means having a fixed end cantilevered from the distal end of said plug means and having a free end which protrudes through the opening of said cover means, the free end of the leaf spring means being movable toward said plug means in order to disengage the detent of said plug means from the shoulder of the recess of the communications port, said cover means including frangible locking means for holding the leaf spring means in order to prevent disengagement of the detent of said plug means from the shoulder of the recess of the communications port.

4. The electrical switching device as recited in claim 3 wherein the frangible locking means is adjacent the opening of said cover means, passes around the leaf spring means for holding the leaf spring means, and is breakable in order to permit disengagement of the detent of said plug means from the shoulder of the recess of the communications port.

5. The electrical switching device as recited in claim 4 wherein the frangible locking means includes a transverse wall having two holes and also includes a wire which passes through the two holes of the transverse wall and around the leaf spring means, the wire having two ends which are secured together in order to hold the leaf spring means away from said plug means.

6. The electrical switching device as recited in claim 3 wherein said housing also includes a battery compartment which is accessible through the aperture;

wherein said cover means has a first portion and a second portion;

wherein the first portion covers the battery compartment and the aperture; and

wherein the opening of said cover means is in the second portion which is attached to said plug means.

7. The electrical switching device as recited in claim 6 wherein the battery compartment holds a battery;

and wherein the first portion of said cover means includes means for retaining the battery within the battery compartment.

8. The electrical switching device as recited in claim 7 wherein the means for retaining the battery is a flange connected to the first portion of said cover means, the flange being generally perpendicular with respect to the first portion of said cover means.

9. The electrical switching device as recited in claim 8 wherein the battery compartment has two corners opposite from a wall which forms with the two corners a generally rectangular opening for the battery;

wherein the first portion of said cover means has two posts for resting on the two corners and a transverse wall for resting on the wall of the battery compartment; and

wherein the transverse wall of said cover means is generally transverse with respect to the flange of said cover means.