Electrical connectors – Having retainer or passageway for fluent material – For urging contact toward or away from mating contact
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-27
2001-10-02
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Having retainer or passageway for fluent material
For urging contact toward or away from mating contact
C030S366000, C030S361000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to piercing electrical cable with an electrically grounding blade from which a ground line releases residual electrical current from high-power electrical lines in order to protect electrical workers from electrocution before proceeding with work such as line-splicing the electrical cable.
Currently, round spikes with ground wire attached are forced with various means into high-power electrical cable to release residual electrical current before electrical work is done on the cable. The spikes are handled manually with insulated gloves while being driven into and pulled out of electrical cables. This is dangerous, time-consuming, difficult and fatiguing.
There is no known mechanized means for ground-piercing electrical cable in a manner taught by this invention. The nearest known prior art relates not to mechanized cable grounding but to mechanized cutting of cable and other elongate objects.
Examples of known mechanized cutters which are most closely related but different from this mechanized electric-cable-grounding piercer are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,078, issued to Patton, et al. on Jan. 27, 1998, described a cutting and crimping tool that was hydraulically operated linearly. U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,158, issued to Casebolt, et al. on Jun. 30, 1992, described a portable cutting and shearing tool having a guillotine cutter operated hydraulically. U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,670, issued to Eberhardt, et al. on Nov. 12, 1991, described a rescue tool for cutting steering-wheel rods and other rods from people pinned down by them in accidents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,028, issued to Green on May 31, 1977, described yet another cable cutter that is fluid-pressure operated but different than some of the others, had unique opposing blade cutting. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,823,454, issued to Kirchner on Feb. 18, 1958, described another guillotine cable cutter with hydraulic operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide an electric-cable-grounding piercer which:
has bidirectionally double-acting hydraulic actuation with high pressures of optionally up to 10,000 psi (five tons) for inserting a grounding blade into and for withdrawing the grounding blade out from all sizes of high-power electrical cable;
has double-chain clamping for reliable, fast and convenient attachment to high-pressure cable;
has quick-and-easy bolting attachment of a grounding line to electrical grounding communication with the grounding blade;
provides a selection of sizes of machined attachments to cables with outside diameters of up to three-and-three-eighths inches;
has a grounding blade with a width of preferably up to one-and-one-half inches and a linear travel of three-and-one-eighth inches in both directions to assure electrical-contact piercing into and disconnecting withdrawal from all conductors in single-or multiple-conductor cable; and
has a visual depth indicator for inspection to assure depth of insertion into and completeness of withdrawal from electrical cables.
This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with an electric-cable-grounding piercer having a piercer blade with a trunk end attached to an output shaft of a double-acting hydraulic piston in a double-acting hydraulic cylinder from which a cable attachment is extended from a blade end. An insertion-pressure tube is in hydraulic-fluid communication intermediate a hydraulic pump and an insertion-pressure end of the double-acting hydraulic cylinder. A withdrawal-pressure tube is in hydraulic-fluid communication intermediate the hydraulic pump and a withdrawal-pressure end of the double-acting hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic pump has a control valve for directing pressurized hydraulic fluid to the insertion-pressure end and to the withdrawal-pressure end of the double-acting hydraulic cylinder selectively. The piercer blade has electrical contact with a ground bolt to which a ground line is connectable for releasing residual current from an electric cable being pierced. A depth indicator attached to the piercer blade is visible through a slot in a blade housing.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2578582 (1951-12-01), Northcutt
patent: 2823454 (1958-02-01), Kirchner
patent: 3177584 (1965-04-01), Cockerill
patent: 3594703 (1971-07-01), Holtzapple
patent: 3840987 (1974-10-01), Netta
patent: 3860316 (1975-01-01), Hardesty
patent: 4026028 (1977-05-01), Green
patent: 5063670 (1991-11-01), Eberhardt et al.
patent: 5125158 (1992-06-01), Casebolt et al.
patent: 5711078 (1998-01-01), Patton et al.
Herod Walter M.
Ray Wayne
Webb Charles E.
Livingston, Esq. Edward M.
Nasri Javaid
Sircus Brian
Webb Charles E.
LandOfFree
Electric cable grounding piercer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electric cable grounding piercer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electric cable grounding piercer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2603619