Electrical power service apparatus with external circuit breaker rocker switch reset

• US 7,458,846 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E J Brooks Company
• Original Assignee: Ekstrom Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Robinson, Darrell, Pruehs, Allen, Loehr, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams; Neil
• Application Number:
  US11/668,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 439/146, 439/517, 361/659, 361/661, 361/663, 361/668
• US Class Current: 439/517
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 11/04 Housings; Supporting racks; Arrangements of terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/648 Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices , e.g. anti-static shielding coaxially arranged shields H01R24/38

Abstract

A watthour meter socket adapter includes a housing having internal jaw contacts and external blade terminals. A power switch is electrically connected between the jaw contacts and the blade terminals. A rocker member on the power switch faces a side of the housing. An actuator is mounted in the housing and has a first end coupled to the rocker member for simultaneous movement of the rocker member and the actuator. A second end of the actuator extends through an aperture in the side of the housing allowing external manipulation of the actuator and the rocker member to indicate and/or manipulate the on and off state of the power switch. An electrically insulating safety shield may be mounted over the exposed portions of the jaw contacts and the conducting elements in the housing. Optional lock features may be provided to lock the actuator in the “on” or “off” positions.

Claims

1. A watthour meter socket adapter mountable in a socket having a plurality of jaw contacts and receiving a watthour meter, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing having a base and a sidewall;

a power switch disposed in the housing, the power switch having a rocker member;

an aperture formed in the sidewall of the housing; and

an actuator pivotally disposed in the housing, the actuator having a first portion coupled to the rocker member on the power switch for joint movement of the rocker member and the actuator, the actuator having a second portion, at least a portion of the second portion extending through the aperture in the sidewall and terminating in a user engagable member.

2. The adapter of claim 1 wherein:

the user engagable member of the actuator is a lever.

3. The adaptor of claim 1 wherein:

the first portion and the rocker member have engageable surfaces.

4. The adapter of claim 3 wherein the engageable surfaces comprises first and second spaced fingers engaging the rocker member of the power switch.

5. The adapter of claim 1 wherein the first portion comprises:

first and second spaced fingers capturing the rocker member of the power switch.

6. The adapter of claim 1 wherein the actuator further comprises:

a stem pivotally mounted in the housing.

7. The adapter of claim 6 further comprising:

a sleeve fixedly extending from the base of the housing, the stem pivotally mounted about the sleeve.

8. The adapter of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of electrical blade terminals dispersed in and extending outward from the base of the housing for releasable insertion into jaw contacts of a socket;

a plurality of jaw contacts mounted in the housing adapted for electrically receiving blade terminals of a watthour meter;

a shield mounted in the housing and disposed over the jaw contacts; and

apertures formed in the shield allowing passage of watthour meter blade terminals through the shield and into engagement with the jaw contacts in the housing.

9. The adapter of claim 8 wherein:

the power switch is a power disconnect device having electrical contacts connected to the blade terminals and the jaw contacts in the housing.

10. The adapter of claim 8 further comprising:

an aperture formed in a side of the shield; and

the first portion of the external actuator extending through the aperture in the side of the shield.

11. The adapter of claim 1 further comprising:

a pivot axis of the rocker member being substantially parallel to a pivot axis of the actuator.

12. The adapter of claim 1 further comprising:

a pivot axis of the rocker member and a pivot axis of the actuator being substantially perpendicular to the base of the housing.

13. The adapter of claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises:

a flange extending from the user engagable member and substantially closing the aperture in all positions of the actuator.

14. The adapter of claim 1 further comprising:

a lock member carried on the housing and locking the user engagable member of the actuator in at least one of a first and a second position.

15. The adapter of claim 14 further comprising:

the lock member including a flange mounted on the housing and having an aperture;

an aperture formed in the user engagable member;

a lock mountable through the apertures in the user engagable member and the flange.

20. The adapter of claim 14 further comprising:

a lock member carried on the housing and locking the user engagable member of the actuator in at least one of a first and a second position.

21. The adapter of claim 20 further comprising:

the lock member including a flange mounted on the housing and having an aperture;

an aperture formed in the user engagable member;

a lock mountable through the apertures in the user engagable member and the flange.

16. A watthour meter socket adapter mountable in a socket having a plurality of jaw contacts and receiving a watthour meter, the socket adapter comprising:

a housing having a base and a sidewall;

a power switch disposed in the housing, the power switch having a rocker member having a pivot axis substantially perpendicular to the base of the housing;

an aperture formed in the sidewall of the housing; and

an actuator pivotally disposed in the housing with a pivot axis substantially parallel to the pivot axis of the rocker switch, the actuator having a first portion including first and second spaced fingers coupled to the rocker member on the power switch for joint movement of the rocker member and the actuator, the actuator having a second portion, at least a portion of the second portion extending through the aperture in the sidewall and terminating in a user engagable lever.

17. The adapter of claim 16 wherein the actuator further comprises:

a stem pivotally mounted in the housing.

18. The adapter of claim 17 further comprising:

a sleeve fixedly extending from the base of the housing, the stem pivotally mounted about the sleeve.

19. The adapter of claim 16 wherein the actuator comprises:

a flange extending from the user engagable member and substantially closing the aperture in all positions of the actuator.