US2423350A - Electrical connector and insulator - Google Patents

Description

July 1, 1947. w. s. STOCKTON ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND INSULATOR Filed Dec. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor WALTE R 5 .5 706K TON By flan! WWW July 1947. w. s. STOCKTON ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND INSULATOR Filed Dec. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor WALTER S. STOCKTON and 406;". WW Em Patented July 1, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND INSULATOR Walter S. Stockton, Columbus, Ohio Appiication December 10, 1945, Serial No. 633,931

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical connectors and insulators for connection of outdoor power lines to indoor service entrance lines, and the like.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a weather-proof connector and insulator for outdoor use, as on the wall of a building, to connect the leads from power lines to inside service entrance lines in a quicker and easier manner than is possible with present-day connectors, and with all connections adequately protccted against the weather while at the same time being readily accessible for repair or renewal as required.

Other and subordinate objects, also comprebended by my invention, together with the precise nature of my improvements, and the manifold advantages thereof, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in frontelevation of my improved connector and insulator, in a, preferred embodiment thereof,

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation,

Figure 3 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a. view in vertical section taken on the line t-A of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4,

Figure '7 is a view in vertical central section of the cover cap detached,

Figure 8 is a view in plan of one of the clamps, and

Figure 9 is a detail view in longitudinal section of another clamp drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my improved connector and insulator, as shown, has th form of a hood comprising, as the basic element thereof, a shell I of vertically elongated shape and which is open at its bottom and front, and embodies a back 2, parallel sides 3, and an arched. top 4. A reduced tongue 5 extends upwardly and centrally from the back 2 with a keyhole slot l5 in the upper end thereof for a screw, not shown, and whereby the shell I may be suspended in a fixed position on the outside wall, not shown, of a building, or the like. The tongue 5 is oliset rearwardly of the back 2 and connected thereto below the top 4 to provide an upwardly opening rear notch I at the top of the shell I for a purpose presently seen. The back 2 is provided with a lower end 8 depending below the sides 3 for easy access to the same from the front of said shell, and said end is provided with a pair of bolt holes .9 adjacent to the opposite sides thereof and for a purpose to be explained. The sides 3, from approximately the horizontal center line thereof, are provided with downwardly and rearwardly inclined edges I0, to reduce weight in said. shell. As will be clear, the tongue 5 spaces the shell I from the wall, not shown, and whereby said shell is free from contact with the wall. The shell I may be formed of any suitable weather-proof, durable metal.

An insulation block II is fitted upwardly in the shell I and conforms in shape .to the inside of said shell above the end 8. The insulation block is provided witha downwardly beveled front face I2 below its horizontal center line and inclined in correspondence with the edges II! of the sides 3. A pair of horizontal, coplanar recesses i3 extend into the block II adjacent to the top thereof and from the front of said block at opposite sides of said block. A pair of bores, one being shown at I4, in full, extend upwardly and rearwardly from the face I2 of said block II into the rear portions of the recesses I3. A pair of similar bores I5 extend downwardly and rearwardly from the rear portions of said recesses I3 in the rear of said bores I4, and open into a rear, relatively larger, vertical groove I6 formed in the back of the block II and opening at the bottom of said block. A pair of loop-like clamps H are fitted in the rear ends of the recesses I3 with front end clamping screws I8 therein accessible from the fronts of said recesses.

A cover cap I9 is fitted over the top of the shell I with a top .20 conforming in shape to that of the top 4 of said shell, a front 2I overlying the front of the block I to the face I2, and sides 22 fitting over the sides 3 of said shell I and having downwardly and forwardly inclined bottom edges, as at 23, for reducing weight and material in said cap. At its rear side, said cap fits in the notch I and is provided with an upstanding tab 24 by means of which, and a screw 25, said cap is secured to the tongue 5 through a screw hol 26 in the tab. An insulation plate 2'7 .is secured in the cap I9 to the front thereof by a central screw 28. The plate 21 seats on a horizontal front shoulder 29 on the block I I.

.An H-shaped clamp 39 is opposed to the end 8 with legs 3| bolted, as at 32, to said end through the bolt holes 9. The clamp 30 includes a bridge member 33 forming, with the legs 3|, front and rear channels 34, 35 in said clamp. A screw bolt 35 extends forwardly through the bridge member 33 into the front channel 34 with a clamping plate 3'! at its front end, and in said channel 34, and a nut 38 thereon backing said plate. The bolt 38 is interlocked with the bridge member 33, against turning, by 3. lug 39 on a countersunk head so engaging a notch 4! in the bridge member 33. Nubs 42 are provided on said bridge member 33 in th rear channels 35 to coact with similar nubs 53 on the end 8 for gripping an electric cable sheath in a manner presently explained. It may be stated at this point that the clamp 38 is arranged to hold the block II in the shell I, being directly beneath said block, as shown.

The described connector and insulator, in the illustrated application thereof, is designed to connect two outside, insulated, power feed leads 44, 45 to a pail of insulated, servic entrance leads 4%, 4'! extending out of a sheath 4S and for connection to suitable house switches or fuse plugs, not shown. The power feed leads 44, 43 and the leads 45, 4? are connected together in pairs, as follows: Said leads (-4, 65 are extended upwardly through the bores I4 into the pairs of clamps I1, and said leads 46, 67 are extended upwardly through the bores 55 with the sheath 48 extended upwardly into the groove I6 and the terminals of the leads 46, 41 arranged behind the terminals of said leads 44, 45 and clamped together by means of the screws 88. The sheath 48 is clamped between the clamp 39 and the end 8 of the back 2 of the shell I with said sheath extending through the rear channel 35 of said clamp 38. The terminal of a neutral, or grounding, line 49 is clamped in the front channel 34 of the clamp 33 on one side of the screw bolt 35 by means of the plate 37 and the nut 38. The usual strand loop 50, passed around the leads 45, 41, in the groove I6, is extended down to the clamp 30 and secured in the front channel 34 on the other side of said bolt 36 by said plate 3? and nut 38. Thus, it will be seen, the clamp 38 serves the dual purpose of securing the lead-containing sheath 48 in place and also the neutral, or grounding, line 49, together with the loop As will now be seen, by removing the cap I9, access may be had to the clamps I3 for connecting the power feed leads 44, 45 to the service entrance leads 45, 4? quickly and easily, while the connections for the neutral or grounding line 49 are always open to access thereto, at the same time bein protected by the overhanging block I I. The other connections described are adequately protected by the block I I and shell I.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suifice to impart a clear understanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an electrical connector and insulator, a. hood-like shell open at its bottom and front and having sides, and a back having a lower end depending below said sides, an insulation block fitted in said shell above said end of the back, a pair of upper recesses in said block open at the front of the shell and containing clamps, a pair of front bores extending upwardly and rearwardly through said block from the front thereof and to said recesses, a pair of rear bores extending upwardly through said block to said recesses, said pairs of bores being adapted for the extension of pairs of leads therethrough to be connected together in pairs in said recesses by said clamps, a cover cap for said shell closing said recesses at the front of the shell, and means coacting with said lower end of said back for clampingly engaging the rear pair of leads and holding said block up in said shell.

2. In an electrical connector and insulator, a hood-like shell open at its bottom and front and having sides, and a back having a lower end depending below said sides, an insulation block fitted in said shell above said end of the back, a pair of upper recesses in said block open at the front of the shell and containing clamps, a pair of front bores extending upwardly and rearwardly through said block from the front thereof and to said recesses, a pair of rear bores ex tending upwardly through said block to said recesses, said pairs of bores being adapted for the extension of pairs of leads therethrough to be connected together in pairs in said recesses by said clamps, a cover cap for said shell closing said recesses at the front of the shell, means coacting with said lower end of said back for clampingly engaging the rear pair of leads and holding said block up in said shell, and means coacting with the first-mentioned means for clamping a pair of lead connections thereto and bridging the same.

3. In an electrical connector and insulator, a

" hood-like shell open at its bottom and front and having sides, and a back having a lower end depending below said sides, an insulation block fitted in said shell above said end of the back, a pair of upper recesses in said block open at the front of the shell and containing clamps, a pair of front bores extending upwardly and rearwardly tlnough said block from the front thereof and to said recesses, a pair of rear bores extending upwardly through said block to said recesses, said pairs of bores being adapted for the extension of pairs of loads therethrough to be connected together in pairs in said recesses by said clamps, a cover cap for said shell closing said recesses at the front of the shell, means coacting with said lower end of said back for clampingly engaging the rear pair of leads and holding said block up in said shell, and means coacting with the firstmentioned means for clamping a pair of lead connections thereto and bridging the same, said block overhanging said means to protect the same.

WALTER S. STOCKTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,362,184 Bissell Nov. 7, 1944 969,816 Wallau et al. Sept. 13, 1910 2,000,374 Buchanan May 7, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 57,744 Norway 1937 502,252 Germany 1930

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