The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 28, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 25, 1999
Jürgen Girke, Radolfzell, DE;
Karl-Heinz Wohlfahrt, Radolfzell, DE;
Abstract
A fuse box for motor vehicles includes a housing that is adapted to contain electrical fuses mounted to a common busbar for connecting one end of the fuses directly to a pole of an electric battery in the vehicle. The housing includes lateral surfaces for providing torsional protection to the fuses against twisting or bending when the nuts holding the fuses in place are tightened. Screening zones are defined in the housing for screening off fusable portions of the fuses so that melted material is prevented from migrating into the housing beyond the screening zone where the melted material may cause damage. Mechanical coding structures are provided in the housing to ensure that only cable terminals having a shape corresponding to the coding structures can be installed in selected regions of the fuse box. This prevents inadvertent misuse of cross-connection of cables having inadequate or excessive current carrying capacity. A removable intermediary bottom member carries the lateral surfaces, screening zones and other mechanical coding structures so that the subject fuse box can be easily reconfigured.