Ekstrom Industries, Inc.

Robert O Learmont

Darrell A Robinson

Allen V Pruehs

Robert Goozen

Karl R Loehr

Michael E Lewis

John T Shincovich

Albert K Langdon

Jan K Michalek

John Williams

Ebrahim Shahrodi

Norman C Baldwin

Keith C Dropiewski

A watthour meter socket adapter electrically connects an external sealing ring and/or a metal cover ring on a watthour meter to ground. A surge ground conductor is mounted on an end mounting flange of the socket adapter housing and extends within and is joined to the housing by a first metal fastener. One end of the first metal fastener extends exteriorly of the housing and supports a first metal tab which is engaged by the metal sealing ring. A second metal fastener extends through the surge ground conductor and supports a second external tab engagable with a grounded meter socket cover. Alternately, a tab extends integrally from an upper end of the surge ground conductor for engagement with the sealing ring. In another embodiment, an annular surge ground conductor is mounted within an annular sidewall of a watthour meter socket adapter housing. A flange extends from one end of the surge ground conductor through a slot in a terminal cover into proximity with a sealing ring mountable about a mounting flange on the housing and a mating mounting flange carrying a metal cover ring on a watthour meter. A wire seal is passable through the flange and the sealing ring to electrically connect the metal cover ring on the watthour meter, the sealing ring and the flange on the surge ground conductor to a ground connection.

Apparatus for grounding external metal watthour meter component

A watthour meter socket adapter 310 includes a plurality of current jaw contacts 290 and potential jaw contacts 10 mounted between front and rear housings 314, 312, with each jaw contact 290, 10 surrounding by a receptacle 422, 70 in the front housing 314. An aperture in each receptacle 422, 70 allows insertion of a meter blade terminal into the jaw contact. An electrical conductor extends from each jaw contact 290, 10 to an individual terminal 102 mounted in a terminal portion of the front and rear housings 314, 312. Apertures in the front housing 314 allow insertion of a tool into engagement with a fastener 112 carried on each terminal 290, 10 for fixedly joining a terminal clip 116 mounted a conductor 132 extending from the jaw contacts to an external conductor 138 inserted through openings in the bottom of the front and rear housings. The potential jaw contacts 10 are in the form of three linearly spaced fingers 12, 14, 20, with two of the fingers 12, 14 being spaced apart by an intermediate third finger 20, and projecting to one side of the jaw contact, opposite from the outer end of the intermediate, third finger to define a slot for receiving a potential meter blade terminal. A flange 30 and a tab 42 are formed on each potential jaw contact 10 for attaching a plurality of external conductors 44, 41 to each potential jaw contact 10. Another set of apertures formed in the front housing 314 allow access of at least a pair of electrically connected shorting pins 164 coupled to two terminal clips 116 and aligned with the apertures to electrically connect a pair of electrical conductors, jaw contacts and terminals in the housing.

Watthour socket adapter with improved electrical connections

Instantaneous current and voltage values are digitized at each of a plurality of electrical utility customer sites and integrated by a processor to calculate electrical power consumed at each customer site. A communication interface couples the processor at each customer site to a central processor in a central utility site to communicate the power consumed values of each customer site to the central utility site. In a preferred embodiment, the automatic meter reader apparatus is mounted in an electrical watthour meter socket adapter which plugs into a watthour meter socket at each customer site. Telephone modem circuitry mounted in the socket adapter connects to telephone lines to communicate calculated power values from each customer site to the central utility site.

Remote automatic meter reading apparatus

A watthour meter adapter includes jaw contacts for receiving blade terminals of a plug-in watthour meter. Apertures formed in an annular side wall of the adapter housing receive external line and load conductors therethrough. A terminal block disposed within the annular side wall at a lower portion of the housing receives the external line and load conductors as well as internal electrical conductors connected at opposite ends to the jaw contacts. A slot formed in a bottom wall of the housing receives a fastener to mount the housing to an external support surface. The terminal block and terminal connections as well as the mounting fastener are completely contained within and covered by a watthour meter when a watthour meter is mounted on the adapter.

Watthour meter socket adapter for replacing an OB watthour meter

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.

S to B 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

Walled Lake, MI, United States of America

Robert O Learmont