US1918296A

US1918296A - Indicating device

Info

Publication number: US1918296A
Application number: US359440A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alwin G Steinmayer
Original assignee: Line Material Co
Current assignee: Line Material Co
Priority date: 1929-05-01
Filing date: 1929-05-01
Publication date: 1933-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 1950-07-18

Description

July 18, 1933. A. G. sTElNMAYER INDICATING DEVICE Filed May' l. 1929 /o/VW @UM w mf@ i. M wk CQ Patented July 18, 1933 `l IUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALWIN G. STEINMAYER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN'E ASSIGN- MENTS, TO LINE MATERIAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE INDICATING DEVICE Application led May 1, 1929. Serial No. 359,440.

j useful improvements -in indicating devices l for fuses and refers more particularly to a device for indicating whether 'or' not an eX pulsion fuse is blown.

' The design and mode of operation of eX- pulsion fuses' has made the application of reliable indicating means extremely diiiicult and devices heretofore produced for this type of service have been more or less impractical. Another difficulty encountered in the provision of an indicating device for expulsion fuses, is the necessity for a means of indication which can be readily seen from the ground when the fuse is mounted at the top of a pole,- as it usually is.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved indicating device especially adapt-ed foi-,use with expulsion fuses, which in no way complicates the structure of the fuse or its housing, and which may-bc readily discerned from the ground.

Another object of this invention resides in` the provision of an indicating device which is applied directly to the fuse element, whereby rupture of the fuse eXpels the indicating device, the absence of an indicator at the fuse thus showing that the fuse has blown.

And a further object of this invention resides in the provision of an indicating device which is adapted to be connected with the fuse. element of an expulsion fuse by a wire or the like preferably of some metal which does not solder readily, so' that in all instances of rupture the indicating devicewill be eX- pelled from the fuse and there will be :no tendency of the wire becoming soldered to any remaining portion of the fuse element.

AWith the above and other objects in view whichwill appear asthe description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly delined bythe appended claims it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated two complete examples of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pole top having a number of expulsion fuses mounted thereon provided with my improved indicating device, one of the expulsion fuses being illustrated without an indicator which shows that said fuse has been blown;

Figure 2 is an elevational view with parts broken away and in section of the fuse proper illustrating the manner of attaching the indicating device; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a Inodiied form of indicating device.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts, 5 designates a pole to which a cross arm 6 is fixed and on which a. plurality of expulsion fuses 7 are mounted. rIhe expulsion fuses are of the conventional type and include housings 8, the backs of which are provided with suitable brackets (not shown) by which the housings are supported from the cross arm 6, their open fronts being closed by covers 9 upon which the fuses proper 10 are mounted, and each fuse being connected by lead wires 11 with the particular circuit it is intended to protect against over-load.

The fuse proper 10 comprises the usual insulating tube 12 having contact'members 13 and 14 adjacent its ends which are adapted to be electrically bridged by a fuse element 15, the lower end of which projects through the openbottom of the tube and is directed upwardly along the outside of the tube to be connected with the adjacent contact member 14.' The upper portion of the fuse clement preferably has a portion thereof reduced in cross section, as at 16.

The indicating device consists of a sphere 17 of any suitable material such as glass or wood which is preferably brightly painted or otherwise colored and is connected with the fuse element 15 by means of a wire 18.,

' as aluminum or the like, to

One end of the wire 18 is fixed to the indicator sphere and its other end is hooked through an aperture formed in the fuse element adjacent its portion of reduced cross section. The wire 18 is preferably formed of metal which does not solder easily, such preclude the possibility of its becoming soldered to any remaining part of the element upon rupture of the fuse, and as it'is connected with the element adjacent its portion of reduced cross section, it will be readily apparent that in every case of rupture the indicator sphere will be blown clear of the fuse. The absence of an indicator thus shows that the fuse has blown.

If desired, the sphere 17 may be replaced by an indicator such as shown in Figure 3,

` which consists of a tab 19 of brightly colored improved indicating means for expulsion Celluloid or the like.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it Will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention of the character described appertains, that I provide an fuses and the like, which may be easily applied and which-affords a reliable indication as to the condition of the fuse.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a fuse structure of the character described having a fuse tube anda fuse element positioned therein, of a normally visible indicating member, and means carried by the indicating member and v passed into the fusetube to be connected with the fuse element intermediate the ends of said element whereby the indicating member is supported entirely by the fuse element and rupture of the fuse element causes said-in dicating member to be blown clear of the fuse structure.

2. The combination with a fuse struct-ure having a fuse tube and a fuse element positioned therein, said fuse elementhaving a portion of reduced cross section to determine` the location of its initial rupture, of indicating means normally visible beneath the fuse structure, and a support for the indicating means extending into the fuse tube and attached to the fuse element adjacent said portion of reduced cross section whereby rupture of the fuse element taking place initially at said portion of reduced cross section positively ruptures the connection between the support for the indicating means and the fuse element and blows the indicating means clear of the fuse structure. I

3. The combination with an expulsion fuse structure of the character described having a fuse tube and a fuse element within the tube and adapted to be blown from the tube upon rupture of the fuse, of' indicating means adapted to indicate whether or not the fuse has been ruptured and including an indicating member, and attaching means exa tube and a insee-lement therein to be eX-.

pelledtherefrom upon rupture of the fuse, of indicating means connected with the fuse element by a wire of metal not easily soldered to precludel the possibility of the indicating means being supported by a remaining portion of the fuse element after rupture thereof.

ALWIN G. STEINMAYER.