US3751575A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ground level terminal housing
Assignee: General Cable Corp
•
Filing: 1972-02-24
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Granted: 1973-08-07
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Expires: 1992-02-24
Abstract
Abstract A telephone cable terminal housing adapted to lie flat on the level ground, without excavation. A ground plate has a wide flat ground engaging border and a raised central mounting platform joined by an upstanding wall forming an outward-facing peripheral shoulder. A bell jar cover fits over the platform with its continuous side wall close about and overlapping the peripheral shoulder to enclose equipment mounted on the platform. The platform has a cable entrance opening and forms a mounting base for cable terminal apparatus. This includes terminal strips each having a support bar and resiliently bendable integral legs with T-heads that snap into T-slots in the platform or into similar Tslots in the ends of previously mounted terminal strips. For cable-to-cable splicing, corresponding bundles of wires from the cables are brought together across the terminal strips in one or more tiers and the corresponding wires spliced together. Other wires connect selected cable wires to terminal blocks for service connection, to loading coils, etc. The terminal housing provides all the advantages of an above-ground terminal housing with improved access and as good or better production of the equipment therein, it avoids the difficulties and hazards of underground housings while its ground-level mounting and low silhouette minimizes its visual and physical obstruction of the ground area on which it is mounted.
Inventors
- 👤 E Barb
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 04:37
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q1/00; H04Q1/02; H04Q1/06; H04Q1/023; H04Q1/14; H04Q1/142
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
238 words
A ground-level terminal housing adapted for use with buried conductor cables, comprising, a ground plate having a wide, flat border portion about its entire periphery, forming a ground engaging portion of large area to lie flat on level ground and thereby provide substantially full support for the housing thereon, without excavation or foundation means, having a central mounting platform for cable terminal apparatus, raised a short distance above said border portion to clear the underlying level ground and connected to said border portion by an upstanding wall forming an outward-facing peripheral shoulder to provide locating means For locating a cover thereover, a bell-jar cover fitting over the platform and engaging said shoulder in overlapping relation to locate the cover on the ground plate, said cover being of low height, substantially less than at least one of its horizontal dimensions, so as to stand only a short height above ground level, and defining a work space of broad low height above said platform which is openly exposed for service access when the cover is removed, said platform containing a cable-entrance opening for passing a portion of a buried cable upward therethrough to the work space over the platform, and cable terminal apparatus mounted on said platform within the cover for providing horizontal cable distribution support means and terminal connections in a plane at at least one level elevated substantially above the platform and the lower edge of the cover.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
238 words
A ground-level terminal housing adapted for use with buried conductor cables, comprising, a ground plate having a wide, flat border portion about its entire periphery, forming a ground engaging portion of large area to lie flat on level ground and thereby provide substantially full support for the housing thereon, without excavation or foundation means, having a central mounting platform for cable terminal apparatus, raised a short distance above said border portion to clear the underlying level ground and connected to said border portion by an upstanding wall forming an outward-facing peripheral shoulder to provide locating means For locating a cover thereover, a bell-jar cover fitting over the platform and engaging said shoulder in overlapping relation to locate the cover on the ground plate, said cover being of low height, substantially less than at least one of its horizontal dimensions, so as to stand only a short height above ground level, and defining a work space of broad low height above said platform which is openly exposed for service access when the cover is removed, said platform containing a cable-entrance opening for passing a portion of a buried cable upward therethrough to the work space over the platform, and cable terminal apparatus mounted on said platform within the cover for providing horizontal cable distribution support means and terminal connections in a plane at at least one level elevated substantially above the platform and the lower edge of the cover.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
79 words
A terminal housing as in claim 1 in which said cable terminal apparatus comprises one or more resilient terminal strips each having a wire-supporting horzontal bar and legs integrally joined thereto, said platform having spaced openings therein, and said legs having mounting means interengaged with said platform at said spaced openings, said mounting means being held in such engagement by resilient stress in said terminal strip and being releasable therefrom by resilient bending of the legs from mounted position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
85 words
A terminal housing as in claim 2 in which the platform is elevated above the level of the border portion and the mounting means on the legs of said terminal strips are T-heads at the ends of the legs, and said spaced openings in said platform are T-slots having a first portion through which the T-heads may be inserted and a side portion into which the heads may move to lock the legs in mounted position, the legs being resiliently biased toward said locked position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
A terminal housing as in claim 2, which includes at least one terminal strip mounted on the platform to form a lower tier support, and a second terminal strip mounted in like manner on the first in stacked relation thereon to form an upper tier support.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
79 words
A terminal housing as in claim 1, in which the platform has spaced openings therein, in combination with at least one resilient terminal strip including legs having end shoulders engaging the face of said platform adjacent said spaced openings and having retaining means extending through said spaced openings and upon movement of the legs in opposite directions engaging beneath the platform and thereby retaining the shoulders against the face thereof, the legs being resiliently biased to such opposite movement.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
73 words
A terminal housing as in claim 1 in combination with at least one resilient terminal strip having a wire-supporting bar and integral mounting legs, said platform having spaced receptacles for mounting said legs and releasably engaged by the legs upon opposite movement of the legs from an initial mounting position, the legs being manually movable to said initial mounting position and resiliently biased to such opposite movement when in said initial mounting position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
A terminal housing as in claim 6, which includes at least one terminal strip mounted on the platform to form a lower tier support, and a second terminal strip mounted in like manner on the first in stacked relation thereon to form an upper tier support.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-08-06 | 1977-02-05 | 1977-08-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-08-06 | 1981-02-05 | 1981-08-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-08-06 | 1985-02-05 | 1985-08-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |