US950389A - Fuse-replacing device. - Google Patents

Description

W. L. GREEN.

FUSE RBPLACING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 1o, 190e.

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W. L. GREEN. FUSE REPLAGING DEVICE.

.APPLICATION FILED DBC. 10, 1908.

950,389" Patented; Feb.2 2,1910, I ma r mre Hannah-enema.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFICE.

WALTER I4. GREEN, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

FUSE-REPLACING DEVICE.

To all whom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, WALTER L. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuse-Replacing Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication. v

My invention relates to improvements in means for replacing fuses in electrical circuits, my object being to provide a construction whereby a burned out fuse may be quickly replaced by a new fuse, thus avoiding the usual delay incident to replacing a blown fuse whereby the house or building lighted by the electric current is left in darkness.

It is well known that under ordinary circumstances, the blowing out of a fuse results in great annoyance due to the fact that much delay usually results since the electric plant must be communicated with and a workman sent to the scene of the difficulty before a new fuse can be supplied. In my improved construction all ditliculty and annoyance of this character are eliminated.

My improved device includes a slidable fuse-carrying member which contains one or more pairs of extra fuses occupying a position adjacent the fuses in the two branches of the electrical circuit. This slidable member, which is composed of insulating material, occupies a groove or recess formed in a main insulated block carrying stationary contacts adapted to receive the contacts projecting from the opposite extremities of the fuse holders of the slidable member. The latter is actuated through the medium of suitable devices including a lever suitably fulcrumed and provided with a handle for convenience of manipulation. desired to shift the movable member for the purpose of displacing the old fuses and substituting new ones, 1t is only necessary to move the handle of the lever a distance about ninety degrees or a quarter of a revolution, around the axis of its fulcrum. Hence this construction makes it practicable to actuate the fusible member suiiiciently to displace the old fuses and substitute new ones almost Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led December 10, 1908.

When it is.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910. serial No. 466,820.

instantaneously. Moreover, this act may be performed without skilled assistance.

I-Iaving brieliy outlined my improved construction, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a face view of my improved fuse replacing mechanism, showing the slidable member shifted to displace one pair of fuses and substitute another pair. F ig. v2 is a similar view showing the slidable member in its normal position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 looking from the opposite side. Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. 1 looking from the opposite side. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 Fig. 4L. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective, showing the cooperating circuit-closing contacts, one on the stationary member and the other on the movable memben Fig. 7 is a detail face view of the slidable member equipped with the fuse-holding device.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a main insulating block having a groove 6 adapted to receive a slidable member 7, having tongues 8 upon its opposite side edges engaging counterpart grooves formed in the said walls of the recess or groove G. Upon the opposite sides of this groove, the main block 8 is provided with contacts 9 each composed of two members which are secured to the block by fastening devices 10. The two members of this contact are bent upwardly as shown at 12, and then horizontally, the free extremities of their horizontal portions being separated, as shown at 13 to receive the part 14 of an angle-shaped knife-blade contact 15. One part 1G of the knife-blade contact is secured to the slidable member 7 by a fastening device 11. The contact is provided with a portion 17 projecting outwardly and which connects the part 16 with the part 141. The part 16 is provided with outwardly projecting spring arms 18 adapted to receive and hold one extremity of a fuse 19, the extremities of the fuse being somewhat enlarged as shown at 20. There is a pair of fuse-holding contacts 15 for member, the latter being equipped with two pairs of fuses. In the construction shown the movement of the slidable member 7 at each operation of its actuated devices, is just sutiicient to displace one pair of fuses, and place any pair in t-heir stead.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5, it may be assumed that the two insulated conductors 21 and 22 belong to the external circuit and the pair of conductors 23 and 241 to the internal circuit, or that within the building to be electrically lighted. Hence, the conductors 21 and 22 are connected with binding screws Q5 and 26 of the contacts 9, on one side of the slidable member; while the conductors 23 and 24 are connected with binding screws 2T and 28 belonging to the contacts 9 mounted upon the main insulating block on the opposite side of the slidable member. lf we assume that the normal position of the parts is as shown in Fig. 2, if either of the fuses 19 which are in the circuit., still referring to the last named figure, should be burned out, it is evident that it will only be necessary to shift the slidable member 7 to the position shown in Fig. 1, in order to displace the blown fuse or fuses and substitute a new pair of fuses. This operating mechanism will now be described.

Slidably mounted in a groove 29 formed in the rear surface of the main block 5, is a small bar 3() which is held in the assembled relation by retaining strips 31, which are placed across the groove and secured to the block by fastening devices 32. A sectorshaped recess 33 is also formed in the rear surface of the block. a portion of the recess being located immediately in the rear of the slidable member 7. Connected with the block by a pivot pin 311, is a link 35 whose extremity opposite the pivotpin end is slotted as shown at 36. A pin 37 fast in the slidable member, passes through the slot 3G and also through a slot 38 formed in the insulating block and connecting the sectorshaped recess with the groove G in which the member 7 is located. A spiral spring 39 is connected with the bar 3() by a fastening device 40, its opposite extremity being con,- nected with the link 35 b v a fastening device 4t1. A lever t2 is fulcrumed upon the rear surface of the insulating block as shown at 413. One extremity of this lever is slotted as shown at 44. Through this slot passes a pin 45 which is fast in one extremity of the sliding bar 30. Rigidly connected with the lever 42 is a handle 4:6 which, as shown in the drawing, extends at right angles to the arm 4:7 of the lever. If we assume that the parts are in the relative positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, if it is desired to displace the two fuses 19 which are located in the electrical cuircuit and substitute the other pair of fuses mounted upon the member 7, therefor, it is only necessary to grasp the handle liti of the lever' and move the latter from the position shown in Figs. 2 and Il to that shown in Figs. 1 and 4. During this movement of the lever it will be understood that the bar 30 will be moved in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3. As the lever is moved the bar 30 will be actuated in the said direction, but the link 35 will remain in its normal position until the bar has nearly reached its limit of movement, when the spring 39 will have reached such a position that its tension will act to throw the. link 35 together with the sliding block T quickly to the position shown in 1 and 4e, the quick action being necessary to prevent arcing of the current both in breaking and making the connection between the stationary and movable contacts. it'l'ter the two fuses l) have been thrown out ofthe circuit the blown fuse or the two blown fuses, if both are destroyed, may be removed and a new fuse or fuses substituted. rl`hen if it should become necessary to displace the pair of fuses which are located in the circuit as shown in Figs. 1 and el, it will only be necessary to reverse the position of the lever 4t2 when the slidable block will be shifted to displace one pair of fuses and substitute the other pair.

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim is:

1. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a main block, provided with contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fuses and also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses, arranged. to cooperate with the contacts of the said block, a bar slidably mounted on the said block, means mounted on the block and connected with the bar, to shift the latter, a link pivotally mounted on the block, at one extremity, and connected with the slidablefuse-carrying member at the opposite extremity, and a spring connected with the bar, at one extremity, its opposite extremity being connected with the link intermediate the extremities of the latter, whereby as the bar is shifted to cause the extremity of the spring connected therewith to travel from one side of the links pivotal point on the block to the other, the link is actuated to shift the fuse-carrying element.

The combination with an electrical circuit, of a main block, provided with contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fuses and also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses, arranged to cooperate with the contacts ot the said block, a bar slidably mounted on the said block, means mounted on. the block and connected with the bar, to shift the latter, a link pivotally mounted on the block, at one extremity, and connected with the slidable fusecarrying member at the opposite extremity,

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a spring connected with the bar, at one extremity, its opposite extremity being connected with the link intermediate the extremities of the latter, whereby as the bar is shifted to cause the extremity of the spring connected therewith to travel from one side of the links pivotal point on the block to the other, the link is actuated to shift the fusecarrying element, and means for limiting the travel of the block in both directions.

3. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a main block provided with contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fuses and also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses, arranged to coperate with the contacts of the stationary block, a bar slidably mounted on the said block, a lever fulcrumed on the block, and connected withthe bar to shift the latter, a link pivotally mounted on the block at one extremity and connected with the slidable fuse-carrying member at the opposite extremity and a spring connection between the said link and the slidable bar, whereby as the lever is actuated the slidable fuse-carrying member is shifted sufficiently to displace one set of fuses and substitute another set of fuses in the electrical circuit, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an electrical cir cuit, of a main block provided with contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fuses and also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses, arranged to coperate with the contacts of the said block, a bar slidably mounted on the said block, an operating element mounted on the block and connected with the bar to shift the latter, the link pivotally mounted in the block at one extremity and connected with a slidable fuse carrying` member at the opposite extremity, and a spring connection between the said link and the slidable bar, whereby as the operating element is actuated, the slidable fuse-carrying member is shifted sufficiently to displace one set of fuses and substitute another set of fuses in the electrical circuit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER L. GREEN.

Titnesses A. J. OBRIEN, A. EBERT OBRIEN.

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