US930606A - Adaptable terminal contact for safety-fuses. - Google Patents

Description

V. F. MORGAN. ADAPTABLE TERMINAL CONTACT FOR SAFETY FUSES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 7, 1906.

Fig. 1

Patented Aug. 10, 1.909.

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Autumn "reame conrhc'r Fee sataewueies.

\ Specffication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, led-e.

Application filed infarct. 7, 1906. serial it). teases.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, Vrc'roa F. Moe-can, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hartford; in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain I newand useful Improvements in- Adaptable Terminal Contacts for Safety Fuses, of p which the following is a full, clear, and exact v with fuse terminalscomrnonl-y cail'e ferrules.

specification.

This inventionrelates to terminal contacts for electrical devices, and. is particularly adapted for use in connection with Standard inclosed safety fuses, the object being to provide simple and effective means tor connect in such fuses to circuit terminals laced. at di 'ering distances apart. These incl'ose'd safety fuses consist of a fusible conductor,in--

cased in a suitable inciosing' tube, r'o vid'ed at their ends. The fuse terniinals are con" nected with, or form 'electric'al extensions of the fusible conductors, and are fixed at the ends of the fuse. They usually have flat slotted contact porti'o'ns which enga e with fixed circuit contacts to which the an s of the circuit wires are electrically connected. According'to present methods these fuse terminals are clamped to the fixed circuit contacts by shrews passing through the slots, and it is therefore necessary to have the fuses specially constructed to fit Varying arrangements'and spacings of the fixed circuit terminalc'onta'cts. For example, one of these fuses having terminals to.fit contacts four inches apart cannot be used in contacts only three inches apart. Hence it has been found necessary in the past to make a large number of fuses,

varying in lengthwise dimensions; to adapt them for use on the different fittings in (301m A mon use, which vary greatly in their center distance 0.

This is particularl the case Where panel boards or cut-outs have beenfor the clamping screws of the circuit contacts have already been established. This is accomplished in this invention by fitting the fuse \Vith fiise terminal contacts which are adjustable lengthwise on the fuse itself.

Figure 1 is a lan view of a standard ferrule contact inc o's'ed fuse; shown in connection Withni-y improvedterminal contacts. Fig. 2 is a side view projected from Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is an end view projected from Fig.- 2. Fig; 4 is a side view of a modified form of the invention, one of the terminal contacts being shown incross section. Fig. 5 is an end view projected from Fig. 4. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1', the fuse tube .6, having the ferrule- like fuseter minals 7 and 8, is shown in connectibnwi th my improye'd terminal contacts 9 and 10. The bas'eportiohs of these contacts are provided With the slots 11 and 12, for receiving I the screws 13 and 14. The-slot 11 is herein shown to be disposed crossvvise of the con 'tact,.yvhi le the slot 12 is disposed longitudinally at its contact, these being details Which may be varied to any desired extent. It will be understood that the screws 13 and 14 tap into the circuit contact binding posts br other membersto which the ends of the circuit Wires are attached or connected. The body portions 17 and 18' of the terminal contacts 9 and are made to embrace the fuse terminals 7 and'8, and can be moved longitudinally thereon; and the body portions 17 and 18 of the terminal contacts are clamped and fixed to place upon the fuse terminals by means of the screws 20, either before or after the terminal contacts have been located in position on the circuit contacts.

In the rnbdification shown in Figs. d and 5' p the fuse terminals and 26 are provided with screw'threads which fit the body pertions 27 and 28 of the terminal contacts '30 and 31. The base portions 82 and 33 are or may be similar to the corresponding portions 9 and '10 of the preceding figures, and obviously these base portions maybe flattened as herein shown, or may be curved, or in any other Way adapted to conform toand clamp upon their associated supports. The contacts 30 and 31 are hereln shown as'being adapted to be made from sheet metah the extension bein cupped or struck-up by dies from the flat s eet of metal from which the terminal contact is made. The body portions 27 and 28 of the terminal contacts are tapped to receive thescrew threads of the fuse-terminals 25, and those screw threads may be both of the same hand, or one may be left-handed and the other right-handed. In the latter case the contacts may be ad- 1' justed to their proper distance apart by merelyturning the fuse upon its axis. But

where the screw threads are for the same hand it will generally be necessary to adjust each of the terminal contacts separately.

As shown in Fig. 1, it is evident that the center to center distance 0 between ,the screws 13 and 14 may by this invention be varied to a considerable extent in both directions. In other words, the screws may be much nearer togetheror much farther apart than is shown in Fig. 1, while still contacting perfectly with the fuse terminals 7 and 8. On the other hand, with the center distance 0 fixed, the terminalcontacts Qand 10 will accommodate either a fuse which is considerably longer, or one which is considerably shorter, than the fuse 6. The same is true of the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5.,

In cases where it is not necessary to have the holding down screws in line with the longitudinal center of thefuse, as shown in Fig. 1, I may extend the bases 9 or 10. at one side or the other of the fuse, thereby bringing the holding screws outside of the body of the fuse andmaking them more readily accessible at allof the possible adjusted positions of the parts. Obviously, the shape of the base, the

. position of the screws, and other details of construction and arrangement may be varied in many ways to suit differentenvironments and different conditions of service.

It will be understoodlthat the great range of adjustment afforded by this invention base area which it requires.

either with round holesfor the screws or,

where it is desirable tobe able to remove the terminal contacts without entirely remov mg the screws, by making very short open March, 1906.

ended slots, which slots, however, need not. extend in a direction longitudinally of the tube; since, according to the present invention, they are not required-for affording longitudinal adjustment; but when used are employed only for convenience in applying board or slab.

I claim as my invention 1. An adjustableterminal inclosed fuse having in combination .a tube of insulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube, and terminal contacts provided with contac arms for engaging the ferrules, the width of said arms being less than the length of said ferrules to permit adjustment of the contacts within the lengths of the said ferrules.

An adjustable terminal inclosed fuse having in combination a tube of insulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube, terminal contacts provided with contact arms for engaging the ferrules, the width of said arms being less than the length of said ferrules to permit adjustment of the contacts within the lengths of the said ferrules,

and means for securing the said arms in their adjusted position.

An ad ustable terminal mclosed fuse having in combination a tube of insulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube, and terminal contacts provided with contact arms having a threaded engagement with the ferrules.

4. An adjustable terminal inclosed fuse having in combination a .tube of insulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube them to and removing them from t 1e base having their exterior surface screw-threaded, and terminal contacts provided with contact arms fitting the threads of said fer-- rules, the ,width of said arms being less than the length of said ferrules to permit adjust;-

ment of the contact arms within the length ofthe ferrules.

. in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of.

two subscribing witnesses, this ,5th day of VICTOR nfMonoAN;

V'Vitnesses:

CATHERINE M. Homes, WM. H. Honrss.

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