US3778740A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Protectors for electric circuits
Assignee: Cooper Industries LLC
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Filing: 1972-03-17
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Granted: 1973-12-11
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Expires: 1992-03-17
Abstract
Abstract An electric fuse has a cup-like housing that is subdivided into two separate compartments by a partition; and each compartment has a fusible element therein which is embedded within arcextinguishing material. A portion of the partition projects beyond the cup-like housing to enter a slot in a fuseholder to automatically align the terminals of the electric fuse with the fuse-receiving terminals of the fuseholder. An indicating lamp is connected in parallel with one of the fusible elements, and a second indicating lamp is connected in parallel with the other fusible element; and the conductors which connect those indicating lamps to the load terminals of the fuseholder are spaced far enough apart to prevent ''''arc over'''' but are close enough to each other to capacitively couple those lamps together in the event a transitory fault causes both of those fusible elements to blow and both of those lamps to become illuminated.
Inventors
- 👤 A Gaia
- 👤 A Urani
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 07:51
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01H; H01H85/00; H01H85/02; H01H85/04; H01H85/041; H01H85/044; H01H85/045; H01H85/0452; H01H85/20; H01H85/205; H01H85/30; H01H85/32
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
306 words
A fuseholder which has a housing, a line terminal which is accessible at one side of said housing, a load terminal which is accessible at a second side of said housing, a second line terminal which is accessible at said one side of said housing, a second load terminal which is accessible at said second side of said housing, fuse-receiving terminals which are disposed within said housing and which are intermediate the first said line terminal and the first said load terminal and which are spaced away from said first said line terminal and also are spaced away from said first said load terminal, and further fuse-receiving terminals which are disposed within said housing and which are intermediate said second line terminal aNd said second load terminal and which are spaced away from said second line terminal and also are spaced away from said second load terminal, the accessibility of said line terminals at said one side of said fuseholder and the accessibility of said load terminals at said other side of said fuseholder minimizing the likelihood of any arcing between one of said line terminals and one of said load terminals, the spacing between the first said and said second line terminals being substantially greater than the spacing between the fuse-receiving terminal connected to the first said line terminal and the further fuse-receiving terminal connected to said second line terminal, whereby the likelihood of any arcing between said line terminals and any line conductors connected thereto is minimized, the spacing between the first said and said second load terminals being substantially greater than the spacing between the fuse-receiving terminal connected to the first said load terminal and the further fuse-receiving terminal connected to said second load terminal, whereby the likelihood of any arcing between said load terminals and any load conductors connected thereto is minimized.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
306 words
A fuseholder which has a housing, a line terminal which is accessible at one side of said housing, a load terminal which is accessible at a second side of said housing, a second line terminal which is accessible at said one side of said housing, a second load terminal which is accessible at said second side of said housing, fuse-receiving terminals which are disposed within said housing and which are intermediate the first said line terminal and the first said load terminal and which are spaced away from said first said line terminal and also are spaced away from said first said load terminal, and further fuse-receiving terminals which are disposed within said housing and which are intermediate said second line terminal aNd said second load terminal and which are spaced away from said second line terminal and also are spaced away from said second load terminal, the accessibility of said line terminals at said one side of said fuseholder and the accessibility of said load terminals at said other side of said fuseholder minimizing the likelihood of any arcing between one of said line terminals and one of said load terminals, the spacing between the first said and said second line terminals being substantially greater than the spacing between the fuse-receiving terminal connected to the first said line terminal and the further fuse-receiving terminal connected to said second line terminal, whereby the likelihood of any arcing between said line terminals and any line conductors connected thereto is minimized, the spacing between the first said and said second load terminals being substantially greater than the spacing between the fuse-receiving terminal connected to the first said load terminal and the further fuse-receiving terminal connected to said second load terminal, whereby the likelihood of any arcing between said load terminals and any load conductors connected thereto is minimized.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
167 words
A fuseholder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said line terminals are the exteriorly-located ends of conductors which are substantially L-shaped in configuration, wherein the feet of said L-shaped conductors confront and extend toward each other and space the remaining portions of said L-shaped conductors apart appreciable distances, wherein said feet of said L-shaped conductors are connected to two of said fuse-receiving terminals, wherein said load terminals are the exteriorly-located ends of further conductors which are substantially L-shaped in configuration, wherein the feet of said further L-shaped conductors confront and extend toward each other and space the remaining portions of said further L-shaped conductors apart appreciable distances, wherein said feet of said further L-shaped conductors are connected to two of said fuse-receiving terminals, and wherein said feet of the first said L-shaped conductors and of said further L-shaped conductors space said remaining portions of said first said L-shaped conductors and of said further L-shaped conductors further apart than the spacing between the first said two fuse-receiving terminals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
216 words
An electric fuse which comprises a housing, a partition that subdivides said housing into two compartments and that projects outwardly beyond said compartments to constitute an aligning blade, a closure for said housing which has a slot therein that telescopes over said aligning blade, said closure having spaced fuse terminals at one side of said slot that have portions thereof disposable within one of said compartments within said housing and having further spaced fuse terminals at the other side of said slot that have portions thereof disposable within the other of said compartments within said housing, a fusible element that spans the space between said portions of the first said fuse terminals and that is disposable within the first said compartment within said housing, a second fusible element that spans the space between said portions of said further fuse terminals and that is disposable within said second compartment within said housing, said partition keeping any metallic vapors evolved during the fusing of either of said fusible elements from passing into the other compartment within said housing, said aligning blade being disposable within a slot in a fuseholder to automatically align the first said fuse terminals with fuse-receiving terminals therefor in said fuseholder and to align said further fuse terminals with fuse-receiving terminals therefor in said fuseholder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
216 words
An electric fuse which comprises a housing, a partition that subdivides said housing into two compartments and that projects outwardly beyond said compartments to constitute an aligning blade, a closure for said housing which has a slot therein that telescopes over said aligning blade, said closure having spaced fuse terminals at one side of said slot that have portions thereof disposable within one of said compartments within said housing and having further spaced fuse terminals at the other side of said slot that have portions thereof disposable within the other of said compartments within said housing, a fusible element that spans the space between said portions of the first said fuse terminals and that is disposable within the first said compartment within said housing, a second fusible element that spans the space between said portions of said further fuse terminals and that is disposable within said second compartment within said housing, said partition keeping any metallic vapors evolved during the fusing of either of said fusible elements from passing into the other compartment within said housing, said aligning blade being disposable within a slot in a fuseholder to automatically align the first said fuse terminals with fuse-receiving terminals therefor in said fuseholder and to align said further fuse terminals with fuse-receiving terminals therefor in said fuseholder.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
104 words
An electric fuse as claimed in claim 3 wherein said housing has an outwardly-extending annular recess therein adjacent the open end thereof and wherein the periphery of said closure is disposed within said outwardly extending annular recess, said partition Having portions thereof at the level of and merging smoothly into said outwardly extending annular recess and underlying portions of said closure which are between the ends of said slot and said periphery of said closure, and sealing material that seals the joint between said slot and said aligning blade and seals the joint between said periphery of said closure and said outwardly-extending annular recess.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
142 words
An electric fuse as claimed in claim 3 wherein arc-extinguishing material substantially fills said one compartment in said housing and engages and surrounds the first said fusible element, wherein further arc-extinguishing material substantially fills said second compartment in said housing and engages and surrounds said second fusible element, wherein sealing material closes an opening in said closure which is in register with said one compartment in said housing and through which the first said arc-extinguishing material was introduced into said one compartment, wherein sealing material closes a second opening in said closure which is in register with said second compartment and through which said further arc-extinguishing material was introduced into said second compartment, and wherein said closed openings in said closure are disposed between said fuse terminals, whereby said fuse terminals will protect the sealing material within said openings from nearby objects.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
72 words
An electric fuse as claimed in claim 3 wherein said fuse terminals project outwardly beyond said closure and are engageable with fuse-receiving terminals in a fuseholder, and wherein said fuse terminals coact with said fuse-receiving terminals in said fuseholder to hold said closure immediately adjacent the surface of said fuseholder, whereby said fuseholder will act to protect said closure from injury whenever said electric fuse is in assembled relation with said fuseholder.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
128 words
A fuseholder which has a plurality of fuse-receiving terminals therein, each of said fuse-receiving terminals having a generally-cylindrical end with a tulip-type socket therein, having a small-diameter end, and having an intermediate portion with a diameter smaller than the diameter of said generally cylindrical end but larger than the diameter of said small-diameter end, connecting terminals that have portions thereof disposed externally of said fuseholder and that have portions thereof disposed within said fuseholder and that have openings in the internally disposed portions thereof, said openings in said internally disposed portions of said connecting terminals accommodating and encircling said intermediate portions of said fuse-receiving terminals, and solder engaging and electrically bonding together said internally disposed portions of said connecting terminals and said intermediate portions of said fuse-receiving terminals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
128 words
A fuseholder which has a plurality of fuse-receiving terminals therein, each of said fuse-receiving terminals having a generally-cylindrical end with a tulip-type socket therein, having a small-diameter end, and having an intermediate portion with a diameter smaller than the diameter of said generally cylindrical end but larger than the diameter of said small-diameter end, connecting terminals that have portions thereof disposed externally of said fuseholder and that have portions thereof disposed within said fuseholder and that have openings in the internally disposed portions thereof, said openings in said internally disposed portions of said connecting terminals accommodating and encircling said intermediate portions of said fuse-receiving terminals, and solder engaging and electrically bonding together said internally disposed portions of said connecting terminals and said intermediate portions of said fuse-receiving terminals.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
A fuseholder as claimed in claim 7 wherein a circuit board has openings which telescope over said small-diameter ends of said fuse-receiving terminals, said circuit board having conductors thereon which are soldered to said small-diameter ends of said fuse-receiving terminals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
66 words
A fuseholder as claimed in claim 7 wherein said connecting terminals are generally L-sahped and have said openings therein, which receive said intermediate portions of said fuse-receiving terminals, in the feet thereof, said feet of said connecting terminals confronting and extending toward each other to displace the remaining portions of said conducting terminals from each other by distances greater than the distances between said fuse-receiving terminals.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
58 words
A fuseholder as claimed in claim 7 wherein said connecting terminals have offsets intermediate the ends thereof, said offsets disposing said externally disposed portions of said connecting terminals adjacent the rear of said fuseholder and thereby displacing said externally disposed portions of said connecting terminals rearwardly of any panel with which the front of said fuseholder is associated.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
243 words
A fuseholder which has a body of iNsulating material with a plurality of passages extending therethrough, fuse-receiving terminals disposed within said passages through said body of insulating material and having the rear ends thereof projecting into a recess adjacent the rear of said body of insulating material, a line terminal extending into said recess in said body of insulating material, a load terminal extending into said recess in said body of insulating material, a circuit board disposed within said recess in said body of insulating material, said line terminal having an opening therein which is disposed within said recess in said body of insulating material and which encircles the rear end of one of said fuse-receiving terminals, a conductor on said circuit board which has an opening therein that encircles said rear end of said one fuse-receiving terminal, said load terminal having an opening therein which is disposed within said recess in said body of insulating material and which encircles the rear end of another of said fuse-receiving terminals, a second conductor on said circuit board which has a second opening therein that encircles said rear end of said second fuse-receiving terminal, solder which electrically connects said line terminal and the first said conductor on said circuit board to said rear end of said one fuse-receiving terminal, and further solder which electrically connects said load terminal and said second connector on said circuit board to said rear end of said second fuse-receiving terminal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
243 words
A fuseholder which has a body of iNsulating material with a plurality of passages extending therethrough, fuse-receiving terminals disposed within said passages through said body of insulating material and having the rear ends thereof projecting into a recess adjacent the rear of said body of insulating material, a line terminal extending into said recess in said body of insulating material, a load terminal extending into said recess in said body of insulating material, a circuit board disposed within said recess in said body of insulating material, said line terminal having an opening therein which is disposed within said recess in said body of insulating material and which encircles the rear end of one of said fuse-receiving terminals, a conductor on said circuit board which has an opening therein that encircles said rear end of said one fuse-receiving terminal, said load terminal having an opening therein which is disposed within said recess in said body of insulating material and which encircles the rear end of another of said fuse-receiving terminals, a second conductor on said circuit board which has a second opening therein that encircles said rear end of said second fuse-receiving terminal, solder which electrically connects said line terminal and the first said conductor on said circuit board to said rear end of said one fuse-receiving terminal, and further solder which electrically connects said load terminal and said second connector on said circuit board to said rear end of said second fuse-receiving terminal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-12-10 | 1977-06-11 | 1977-12-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-10 | 1981-06-11 | 1981-12-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-10 | 1985-06-11 | 1985-12-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |