Dielectric housing for electrical conductors in a meter housing

Claim 1

An enclosed metering and distributing panel comprising metal walls and a barrier forming an enclosure, at least one set of meter sockets mounted within the enclosure, the barrier having an aperture proximate to the set of meter sockets, bus bars connected to one pair of the set of meter sockets, rigid conductors connected to another pair of the set of meter sockets and extending through the aperture to spaced positions external of the enclosure, the external end portion of the conductors being stab-like members adapted for connection to circuit breaker means, means for mounting the rigid conductors in spaced relation with respect to each other and to the periphery of the aperture and comprising a dielectric housing structure forming an enclosing compartment and having integral projections comprising conductor-support surfaces and opening means for holding the conductor in place, the dielectric housing structure extending through and occupying a portion of the aperture and having opposite side walls, opposite end walls and opposite edge walls, each opposite side wall having groove means engaging opposite peripheral portions of the barrier around the aperture for maintaining the housing structure in place, the dielectric housing structure also having an external oversurface clearance projection extending from each opposite edge wall and in planar alignment with the groove means, one of the projections occupying the remaining portion of the aperture, one of the end walls having at least one pair of conductor-receiving openings and at least one of the edge walls having similar openings, the integral projections comprising a longitudinal projection and transverse projection means for dividing the compartment into three chambers, the longitudinal projection extending from said one end wall having the conductor-receiving openings and to the transverse projection, the transverse projection means being spaced from the other end wall and forming therewith a first chamber which chamber communicates with the other of the openings in the edge wall, the longitudinal projection forming second and third chamber adjacent respective edge walls, the second chamber communicating with one of the openings in the end wall and with one of the openings in one edge wall, and the third chamber communicating with the other of the openings in the end wall and with the first chamber.