US1407117A

US1407117A - Refillable fuse plug

Info

Publication number: US1407117A
Application number: US333749A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest H Baxter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1919-10-27
Filing date: 1919-10-27
Publication date: 1922-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 1939-02-21

Description

E. H. BAXTER.

REFILLABLE FUSE PLUG.

APPucATmN FILED ocT.27.1919.

1,40'7,1 17, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

UNITED STATES ERNEST H. BAI'ER, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REIL'LBLE FUSE PLUG.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Application tiled October 7, 1911. Serial No. 333,749.

To all whom t may concer/n.:

Be it known that I, EiaNns'r Il. Baaren, a citizen of the United States, residing Chicago, in the county oi Cool; and State o1c Illinois, have invented a certain n w and useful Improvement in Refillable lluse Plugs, of which the following is a iull, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication.

My invention relates to fuse plugs and more particularly to a fuse plug in which the fuse element may be renewed aiter being burned out.

In most of the lighting circuits in use at the present day and in many ot the smaller electric circuits fuse plugs are used which have the general form of the screw plug on the ordinary electric lamp bulb. These plugs are screwed into a socket having electrical connections like those of an ordinary lamp socket. The fuse contained within the plug Vis adapted to conduct a certain amount or' current without melting. It the current eX- ceeds the amount for which the fuse is intended the fuse burns out and a new plug must be inserted. The fuse itseli2 terms only a small portion of the fuse plug but the entire plug must,v at the present time, be thrown away because the plug is not so constructed that an amateur or a person unskilled in the electrical art can reinser't a new fuse. T irowing away the entire plugwhen only the tuse is destroyed entails a greatloss. It is an object of this invention to avoid this loss by providing a fuse plug having means whereby a new fuse may be inserted by any person notslrilled in the artr and without the use oit any but ordinary implements. It is a furn ther object of the invention to provide a fuse plug of the character set i'orth which is inexpensive to manufacture, servicable in use and is lire-proof as is necessary in plugs of this kind.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a. 'fuse plug in which the usual glass or isinglass cover plate may be removed so that access may be had to the interior ci the plug for re-inserting a new fuse.

With these and other objects in view which will be apparent from the detailed description which follows I have disclosed in the drawings two 'forms which my invention may talre, which forms are the best known to me at the present time. However, it is to be understood that by this specification and tnei accompanying drawings I do not intend to i.nnit myself to the speciiic construction disclosed but intend to avail myself of any modifications which fall within the claims appended to this speciiication.

In the drawings the same reference characters have been used to designate the same artsthroughout the several views. In these drawings- F ig. l is a central section taken on line of F ig. 3 through the preferred from ci my improved fuse plug;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a slightly modified means for attaching the tree end of the fuse;

JFig. 3 is an end view oi the plug` viewing iroin the contact end; t' l Fig. 4t is a perspective view ot the 'tuse holding element;

lFig. 5 is a perspective view ciE the renewable fuse.

In the drawings the reference character i0 designates the porcelain body portion oit the plug. rllhe body is provided with exterior threads il, the purpose or which will be set forth later. The body is enlarged above the threads ll as shown at l2 in Fig. l and this enlarged portion has exterior lthreads L3 which are adapted to be engaged by athreaded cover member lei. This cover member has a circular opening l5 in its top and is adapted to hold a piece of glass or isinglass 16 against the end of the body in order to close this end of the body. ri`he body lO has a hollow interior as shown in Fig. l and when it is desired to gain access to the interior of the bod is only necessary to unscrew the cover in rnber lft and remove it together with the gla i6.

The other end ci the body l0 is provided with the circular opening 17 which is adapted to receive a collar 18 having a threaded interior. The collar i8 is conveniently held in place in the body l0 by having its 'ends bent outwardly around the body member a shown in Fig. l ot the drawings.

One side of the body member is provided with an opening 19 and positioned within this opening is the clamping portion ot a Jruse holding element 20. The lower portion l oi' .the use holding element is shaped or corrugated as shown in Figs l and 4 so that it may fit over the threads ll of the body member l0. rhe upper portion of the fuse holding element which I termed the clamping portieri and which is designated by the numeral 22 is bent substantially into the shape of a W and has a holding portion 22a as will be clear from Fig. 4 ot the drawings. The free end ot the fuse holding element pro] ects laterally and forms a linger piece 23 which is positioned adjacent the enlarged portion 12 of the body 10 as will be clear from Fig. 1.

Encircling the body member l() is a threaded ring-like member 24 which engages the threads 11 on the body member 10 and whose exterior threads are adapted to engage'the threads of the soc-ret in which the plug is used. The parts are assembled by first positioning the clamping portion 22 in the opening 19 andthe portion 21 over the threads 11 ot the body member. The member 24 is then screwed onto the body member until the shoulder 25 formed thereon engages the shoulder 26 formed on the body member 10. The member 24 vfits the body 10 with a tight fit so that additional holding means are not necessary in order to retain the parts in the desired relation.

The parts above described constitute the permanent portion of my improved plug. It is intended that the purchaser shall be compelled to buy the plug portions described above, only once and, thereafter when the plug burns out a new -fuse will be inserted which fuse will now be described.

The fuse comprises a screw-like member 2.7 which is provided with a slotted head 28 upon which may be impressed the numeral designating the amount of' current for which the fuse is adapted. The screw 27 is split as shown at 29 and is adapted to receive between the prongs so `formed one end of the fuse 30. The end which I designate 31 is made slightly wider than the fuse 30 so that it may be more readily secured within the slot 29. This securing may be effected by making the slot 29 slightly narrower than the thickness of the end 3,1 and forcing the end 31 into the slot or the ends of the screw 27 may be bent into firm contact with the end 31 after it is inserted in the slot.

The other end 32 of the fuse is also enlarged and is adapted to be held by the clamping portion 22 ot the fuse holding element. By pressing down on the finger piece 23 by means of the finger or any suitable instrument the ends 33 of the clamping portion are spread apart so that the fuse may be inserted between them. lVhen the finger is released the ends 33 will spring toward each other and firmly hold the end ot the fuse between them.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a slightly modified means for holding the end of the fuse in position. The body member 10a is. provided with exterior threads 11a which are engaged by the threaded ring-like member 24 as in the previous modification. The holding element 20a has its upper end bent inwardly through an opening provided in the body member 10a and this bent over portion 35 is provided with a threaded opening as shown in Fig. 2. Above the portion 35 is a clamping plate 36 having a suitable opening which is adapted to receive a screw 37 which engages the threaded opening in the portion 35. After the end 32 of a fuse has been inserted between the clamping member 36 and the portion 35 the screw 37 is tightened and this serves to securely hold the end of the fuse in position. The cover 14 and the glass 16 are the same as for the modification first described.

lVhile I have described the body members 10 and 1()a as made of porcelain I do not intend to limit myself to the use of' this specific material but intend to avail myselii of all materials having the required insulating properties. The cover 14, the ring-like member 24 and the collar 18 are preferably made of the usual brass material but other materials may be used. The fuse holding elements 2O and 2O1 are preferably made of zinc but any conducting material which resilient enough to afford the clamping action of the ends 23 may be used instead. A lso while I have shown the fuse 30 formed with a narrower body port-ion and cnlarged ends, this construction is merely a convenient one and is not the only one which may be used with the plug described. The invention does not reside in any selection of materials but consists of a fuse plugwherein the tuse may be readily renewed by persons not skilled in the electrical art.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure b v United States Letters Patent is:

1. A fuse plug of the character set forth comprising a body member, a removable cover therefor, a fuse holding element carried by the body member and detachably clamped to the side thereof, and a fuse adapted to be freely inserted into said holding element.

2. fuse plucf of the character set -forth, comprising a bo y member having an opening in one end thereof and a second opening in the side wall thereof, a readily removable 'fuse secured in said end opening, and clamp-- ing means in the opening in the side wall of said body member for detachably securing the other end of said fuse in said opening.

3. A renewable fuse plug comprising a body member, a removable cover therefor, an opening in one end of the body member, a fuse detachably held in said opening, and a fuse holding element carried by and projectlng through an opening in said member and adapted to detachably hold one end of said fuse in said latter opening.

4. A fuse plug of the character described comprising a body member having an opening therethrough, a fuse holding element for readily detachably holding a tuse having a clamping portion projecting through said opening, an opening in the end of said body member and a. fuse detachably held in said end opening and having its free end detachn ably secured to said holding element.

5. A renewable fuse plug of the character i described comprising a body member having an eXteriorly threaded portion and an open` ing in one of its sides, a fuse holding elcment projecting through said opening and over-lying the threads on said body member, and a ring-like member having Jthreads adapted to engage the threads of said body member to clamp said fuse holding element against the body member.

6. A renewable fuse plug comprising a body member having an exteriorly threaded portion and an opening in one of its sides, a fuse holding element for readily detachably holding a fuse projecting through said opening and overlying the threads on said body member, a threaded'ringlike member engaging the threads of said body member and clamping said fuse holding element against the body member, a threaded collar secured in one end of said body member, and a fuse member carrying a screw portion adapted to engage said threaded collar, said fuse member having its free end detachably secured to said fuse holding element.

7. A fuse holding element for a renewable fuse plug of the character set forth comprising acorrugated portion and a clamping portion, said clamping portion being pro.- vided with a finger piece and clamping ends, the parts being so constructed that when said finger piece is moved said ends will be separated to receive a fuse between them.

8. A renewable fuse plug comprising a body member having an opening in one of its ends, a ring of conducting material surrounding said body member, a fuse holding element electrically connected to said ring and having a clamping portion projecting through an opening in said body member, and a fuse adapted to be detachably secured in said first named opening and to have its free end detacha-bly secured to said holding element.

9. A fuse plug of the character set forth, comprising a body member having an opening in one end thereof and a second opening in the side wall thereof, a readily removable fuse having a screw threaded member on one end thereof adapted to be Ysecured in said end opening, and clamping means for detachably securing the other end of said fuse in the opening in the side wall of said body member.

10. A fuse plug of the character set forth, comprising a body member having an open ing in one end thereof and a second opening in the side wall thereof, a readily removable fuse having a screw threaded member on one end thereof adapted to be secured in said end opening, and clamping means for detachably securing the other end of said fuse in the opening in the side wall of said body member, said clamping means having an angular portion about which said fuse may be bent.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 23rd day of October, A. D. 1919.

ERNEST H. BAXTER.