Patent US3731256A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3731256A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Plug-in bus duct
Assignee: Arrow Hart Inc
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Filing: 1971-08-30
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Granted: 1973-05-01
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Expires: 1991-08-30
Abstract
Abstract A plug-in bus duct comprised of a group of elongated, flat busbars positioned in side-by-side relation within an elongated housing, the housing having the side walls of a height substantially greater than the width of the busbars. Insulator sheets separate the busbars one from the other, and from the sides of the housing, to form a side wall-insulator sheet-busbar ''sandwich.'' In preferred form, the busbars are all of the same cross-sectional configuration and dimensions, and each retains a planar configuration along its entire length from one end of the duct to the other. This construction leaves the top and bottom edges of the busbars exposed within the housing. An insulator template is installed in each of a plurality of openings cut in the top and bottom of the housing at spaced intervals therealong. Each template cooperates with the insulator sheets to define a series of stab chambers insulated one from the other, each stab chamber being partially defined by an exposed busbar edge; each chamber is adapted to receive one stab from a plug unit in a manner that permits the stab to make contact with the exposed edge of the busbar in that chamber, thereby allowing power to be taken off the bus duct through the plug unit and dispersed into power leads. A cover is provided for each of the housing''s openings, the cover being pivotable between a position at which the stab chambers are opened to receive the plug unit''s stabs and a position at which the stab chambers are closed.
Inventors
- 👤 P Hafer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 08:54
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02G; H02G5/00; H02G5/06; H02G5/08; H02G5/005
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
343 words
A plug-in bus duct comprising a group of elongated, flat busbars positioned in side-by-side relation, an elongated housing having side walls of a height substantially greater than the width of said busbars, thereby establishing an air gap between the top edges of said busbars and the top of said housing and an air gap between the bottom edges of said busbars and the bottom of said housing, structure defining a stab access opening in at least one of the top and bottom of said housing, said stab access opening communicating with one of said air gaps, insulation means including insulator sheets of a width substantially greater than the width of said busbars disposed between said busbars and the sides of said housing to separate said busbars one from the other and from the sides of said housing, said busbars being separated one from the other and from said side walls only by said insulation means, said insulation means being arranged to leave at least one of the top and bottom edges of said busbars exposed within the area of said housing''s stab access opening, and a take-off section that allows power to Be taken off said bus duct through a plug unit, said take-off section including an insulator template that is installed within one of said air gaps adjacent said stab access opening, said template having a number of slots that extend through said template from its top face to its bottom face and that are equal to the number of said busbars, said template also having a series of grooves on its bottom face aligned axially of said bus duct with the width of each groove being approximately equal to the thickness of its associated insulator sheet, said insulator sheets being received in said grooves and cooperating with said slots to define a series of stab chambers insulated one from the other within said housing such that each chamber can receive one stab from the plug unit through said stab access opening in electrical contact with the exposed edge of a busbar.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
343 words
A plug-in bus duct comprising a group of elongated, flat busbars positioned in side-by-side relation, an elongated housing having side walls of a height substantially greater than the width of said busbars, thereby establishing an air gap between the top edges of said busbars and the top of said housing and an air gap between the bottom edges of said busbars and the bottom of said housing, structure defining a stab access opening in at least one of the top and bottom of said housing, said stab access opening communicating with one of said air gaps, insulation means including insulator sheets of a width substantially greater than the width of said busbars disposed between said busbars and the sides of said housing to separate said busbars one from the other and from the sides of said housing, said busbars being separated one from the other and from said side walls only by said insulation means, said insulation means being arranged to leave at least one of the top and bottom edges of said busbars exposed within the area of said housing''s stab access opening, and a take-off section that allows power to Be taken off said bus duct through a plug unit, said take-off section including an insulator template that is installed within one of said air gaps adjacent said stab access opening, said template having a number of slots that extend through said template from its top face to its bottom face and that are equal to the number of said busbars, said template also having a series of grooves on its bottom face aligned axially of said bus duct with the width of each groove being approximately equal to the thickness of its associated insulator sheet, said insulator sheets being received in said grooves and cooperating with said slots to define a series of stab chambers insulated one from the other within said housing such that each chamber can receive one stab from the plug unit through said stab access opening in electrical contact with the exposed edge of a busbar.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a cover fixed to said housing, said cover being pivotable between a position at which said stab access opening is open so that said stab chambers can receive the plug unit''s stabs and a position at which said stab access opening is closed to the environment of said bus duct.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 1 wherein said template is provided with a lip extending therefrom at each of its ends, said lip being adapted to rest on structure immobily fixed to said housing, thereby locating said template in spatial relation within that air gap where it is positioned.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
57 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 1 wherein said insulator template is of a thickness substantially equal to the height of that air gap where it is positioned, and wherein said slots are staggered axially of said bus duct so that the slots serving two adjacent busbars are not in the same transverse plane.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 1 including a take-off section on the top of said housing and a take-off section on the bottom of said housing, said take-off sections being aligned substantially transversely to the axis of said bus duct.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
98 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 1 including a clip spanning said side walls adjacent each end of said take-off section along the top of said side walls, the spanning portion of each of said clips being substantially spaced above said busbars, a clip spanning said side walls adjacent each end of said take-off section along the bottom of said side walls, the spanning portion of each of said clips being substantially spaced below said busbars, all of said clips serving to restrain mechanically said busbar group and said side walls in compact side-by-side relation.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
78 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 6 wherein said top and bottom clips are positioned in pairs, each pair comprising a top clip and a bottom clip and being in a plane substantially transverse to the axis of said bus duct, and wherein said clips are substantially U-shaped and fitted over the top edges and bottom edges of said side walls, the legs of said clips being positioned on the outside of said side walls.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
75 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 7 wherein said housing further includes an H-shaped reinforcing member positioned against each of said side walls in the area of said take-off sections for reinforcing said housing configuration, the legs of said H-shaped members being positioned substantially transverse to the axis of said bus duct, and said H-shaped members being restrained in position against said side wall by said top clips and said bottom clips.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
275 words
A plug-in bus duct comprising a group of elongated, flat busbars positioned in side-by-side relation, an elongated housing having side walls of a height substantially greater than the width of said busbars, thereby establishing a gap between the top edges of said busbars and the top of said housing and a gap between the bottom edges of said busbars and the bottom of said housing, structure defining a stab accesS opening in at least one of the top and bottom of said housing, said stab access opening communicating with one of said gaps, insulation disposed between said busbars and the sides of said housing to separate said busbars one from the other and from the sides of said housing, one of the top and bottom edges of each of said busbars being exposed within said housing in the area of said stab access opening, and said busbars and said insulation and said side walls being positioned in ''sandwich'' configuration with no air gaps therebetween, and a take-off section that allows power to be taken off said bus duct through a plug unit, all of said busbars being planar in configuration from one end of said bus duct to the other including those portions within said take-off section, and said take-off section including an insulator template located within said stab access opening, said template defining a series of stab chambers adapted to cooperate with the exposed edges of said busbars and insulated one from the other within said housing such that each chamber may receive one stab from the plug unit through said stab access opening into electrical contact with the exposed edge of a busbar.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
275 words
A plug-in bus duct comprising a group of elongated, flat busbars positioned in side-by-side relation, an elongated housing having side walls of a height substantially greater than the width of said busbars, thereby establishing a gap between the top edges of said busbars and the top of said housing and a gap between the bottom edges of said busbars and the bottom of said housing, structure defining a stab accesS opening in at least one of the top and bottom of said housing, said stab access opening communicating with one of said gaps, insulation disposed between said busbars and the sides of said housing to separate said busbars one from the other and from the sides of said housing, one of the top and bottom edges of each of said busbars being exposed within said housing in the area of said stab access opening, and said busbars and said insulation and said side walls being positioned in ''sandwich'' configuration with no air gaps therebetween, and a take-off section that allows power to be taken off said bus duct through a plug unit, all of said busbars being planar in configuration from one end of said bus duct to the other including those portions within said take-off section, and said take-off section including an insulator template located within said stab access opening, said template defining a series of stab chambers adapted to cooperate with the exposed edges of said busbars and insulated one from the other within said housing such that each chamber may receive one stab from the plug unit through said stab access opening into electrical contact with the exposed edge of a busbar.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
60 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 9 further including structure defining at least one stab access opening in both the top and bottom of said housing, and an insulator template located within each of said stab access openings, thereby allowing the plug unit''s stabs to electrically contact either of the top and bottom edges of said busbars.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 9 wherein the stab chambers defined in said insulator template are staggered axially of said bus duct so that no two adjacent stab chambers are in the same plane transverse to said bus duct.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 9 including a take-off section on the top of said housing and a take-off section on the bottom of said housing, said take-off sections being aligned substantially transversely to the axis of said bus duct.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
99 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 12 including a clip spanning said side walls adjacent each end of said take-off section along the top of said side walls, the spanning portion of each of said clips being substantially spaced above said busbars, and a clip spanning said side walls adjacent each end of said take-off section along the bottom of said side walls, the spanning portion of each of said clips being substantially spaced below said busbars, all of said clips serving to restrain mechanically said busbar group and said side walls in compact side-by-side relation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
78 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 13 wherein said top and bottom clips are positioned in pairs, each pair comprising a top clip and a bottom clip and being in a plane substantially transverse to the axis of said bus duct, and wherein said clips are substantially U-shaped and fitted over the top edges and bottom edges of said side walls, the legs of said clips being positioned on the outside of said side walls.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
75 words
A plug-in bus duct as set forth in claim 14 wherein said housing further includes an H-shaped reinforcing member positioned against each of said side walls in the area of said take-off sections for reinforcing said housing configuration, the legs of said H-shaped members being positioned substantially transverse to the axis of said bus duct, and said H-shaped members being restrained in position against said side walls by said top clips and said bottom clips.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-04-30 | 1976-10-30 | 1977-05-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-04-30 | 1980-10-30 | 1981-05-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-04-30 | 1984-10-30 | 1985-05-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |