Ekstrom Industries, Inc.

Robert Goozen

Darrell A Robinson

Allen V Pruehs

Robert O Learmont

Michael E Lewis

Karl R Loehr

Albert K Langdon

John T Shincovich

John Williams

A housing carries an electrical disconnect switch having movable contacts. A cover is mounted on the housing and has an opening allowing access to a control lever of the disconnect switch. Electrical conductors are connected to the disconnect switch within the housing and have a blade terminal portion extending exteriorly of the housing for connection to jaws carried on an electrical component mountable in an electrical watthour meter socket. Degassing ports are formed between the cover and the sidewall of the housing to allow any arcing gasses generated within the interior of the housing to escape from the housing. A handle is mounted centrally on the cover. An ejector handle is movably mounted on the cover and carries an ejector arm to separate the housing from an attached electrical component. A method of removing and remounting a watthour meter in a meter socket is provided, including sequence steps printed on the face of the housing.

Disconnect watthour meter socket adapter

A watthour meter mounting apparatus, such as a socket, socket adapter and the like, has a safety shield completely enclosing the jaw contacts of the apparatus. Slots are formed in the safety shield to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into connection with the jaw contacts. In one embodiment, a socket adapter housing includes front and back plates which are joined together and form a cavity therebetween in which the jaw terminals and the electrical conductors are disposed. Raised receptacles formed in the first plate loosely receive the jaw contacts mounted on one end of the conductors. In another embodiment, an insulating housing is mounted over the jaw contacts in a socket or socket adapter, with slots formed in the housing to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into a jaw contact disposed within the housing. The housing may be formed with one large cavity surrounding all of the jaw terminals or a plurality of separate receptacles, each surrounding at least one jaw contact. The conductors may be formed of rigid bus bar for increased current carrying capability. Each jaw contact can be formed of separate contact clips biased toward each other by separate spring clips riveted to one end of each conductor. A terminal slidably receives the other end of each conductor as well as a line/load external conductor.

Watthour meter mounting apparatus with safety shield

A watthour meter mounting apparatus, such as a socket, socket adapter and the like, has a flash shield completely enclosing the jaw contacts of the apparatus. Slots are formed in the flash shield to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into connection with the jaw contacts. In one embodiment, a socket adapter housing includes front and back plates which are joined together and form a cavity therebetween in which the jaw terminals and the electrical conductors are disposed. Raised receptacles formed in the first plate loosely receive the jaw contacts mounted on one end of the conductors. In another embodiment, an insulating housing is mounted over the jaw contacts in a socket or socket adapter, with slots formed in the housing to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into a jaw contact disposed within the housing. The housing may be formed with one large cavity surrounding all of the jaw terminals or a plurality of separate receptacles, each surrounding at least one jaw contact. The conductors may be formed of rigid bus bar for increased current carrying capability. Each jaw contact can be formed of separate contact clips biased toward each other by separate spring clips riveted to one end of each conductor. A terminal slidably receives the other end of each conductor as well as a line/load external conductor.

Watthour meter mounting apparatus with improved electrical connections

A terminal cover removably mountable on a watthour meter socket adapter includes an arm having an outwardly extending flange which is disposed in proximity with a sealing ring when the sealing ring is disposed about the mating mounting flange of a watthour meter and the rim of the socket adapter to lockingly mount the terminal cover on the socket adapter via the lock device carried by the sealing ring. In one embodiment, the flange on the arm has a predetermined length to engage a notch in the sealing ring to prevent rotation of the sealing ring. In another embodiment, the length of the flange on the arm is selected such that the flange lies between the sealing ring and the socket adapter housing to lockingly retain the terminal cover on the socket adapter housing when the sealing ring is locked about the mounting flange of the watthour meter and the rim of the socket adapter. In another embodiment, the terminal cover includes an outwardly extending filler portion which has an arcuate wall formed at an outer end. An annular flange and peripheral rim on the end of the arcuate wall forms a continuous extension of the annular flange and the rim on the side wall of the socket adapter housing. The terminal cover is locked in place on the socket adapter housing via the locking device used to lock the sealing ring about the socket adapter housing and the watthour meter.

Watthour meter socket adapter with lockable terminal cover and sealing

A service disconnect adapter mounted between a plug-in meter socket and a watthour meter. The service disconnect adapter has blades mounted on a base which engage terminals in the socket. Watthour blade receiving fingers are formed in the service disconnect adapter to receive and frictionally engage watthour meter blades. The service disconnect adapter electrically isolates the socket load terminals from the watthour meter blades to disconnect the watthour meter from the load side terminals of the socket. The blades are angularly offset from the watthour meter blade receiving fingers in the adapter to mount the watthour meter at an angle from its normal mounting position. A pair of electrically conductive jumpers are mounted on and extend through the base in the adapter and are electrically connectible between the socket line terminals and the selected ones of the watthour meter contact blades to connect electric power to the watthour meter while the watthour meter load contact blades are disconnected from the socket load terminals.

Service disconnect and meter storage adapter

A watthour meter socket adapter includes a housing with electrical contacts which receive the terminals of a watthour meter and terminals which are insertable into the contacts of an electrical watthour meter socket. First and second seal connectors sealingly connect the adapter housing to the socket and a watthour meter to the adapter housing to control access to the socket, adapter and watthour meter. The interface connection includes an electrical connector mounted in an enclosure and connected to the contacts in the adapter housing to provide electrical power to an external interface. A third seal is connected and attached to the enclosure to control access to the electrical connections housed therein. In one embodiment, the enclosure is separate from and mounted on the adapter housing. In another embodiment, the enclosure is in the form of a sleeve mounted internally within the adapter housing with an open end allowing connection to an external electrical device. A body housing a voltage convertor is removably insertable into the sleeve in the socket adapter housing to convert the electrical power provided to the electrical power connector from AC to DC and to a different voltage level.

Growing community of inventors

St. Clair, MI, United States of America

Robert Goozen