Electrical connectors – With circuit component or comprising connector which fully... – Connector includes or covers additional component
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-22
2001-05-08
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With circuit component or comprising connector which fully...
Connector includes or covers additional component
C439S724000, C439S949000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227913
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1.) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to power distribution blocks in general. In particular, the invention relates to a fuse block having a common power bus.
2.) Related Art
Power distribution blocks are commonly used in the art to collect a plurality of circuit elements, such as fuses, in one central location.
Several fuse blocks are presently available as snap-together modules that form a multifused panel. These snap-together modules are excessively large when a large number of fuses are to be held in the block. The modules also involve costly, labor intensive, assembly.
Existing fuse block designs also commonly require the user to individually wire each circuit within the block for power input. When it is desired to power more than one circuit with the same power source, a jumper is installed for this purpose. These multiple wiring procedures, and the installation of a jumper, are costly, labor intensive and time consuming to the user. In addition, added circuits require the use of larger gauge wiring in order to handle the additional amp load. The use of larger gauge wire is costly, difficult to handle, and requires more panel space to mount the fuse block.
Another problem with existing designs is the inability to protect the fuse block components from contamination, especially from liquids. Although “splash covers” are available for some existing designs, these covers are in the form of additional components that must be bolted in place. This type of splash cover poses certain disadvantages in that it requires additional panel space to be secured, and presents an additional labor cost for installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,691 to Morach discloses a holder for removable circuit elements. The holder includes a metal bus bar having a plurality of fuse holders formed integrally therewith. Output terminals are provided which extend laterally from the bus bar. A cover member is provided that includes openings in the top for the insertion of fuses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,679 to Baader discloses a fuse bus bar assembly that includes a bus bar formed as two separate components that are stacked on top of each other. The bus bar components include oppositely bent tangs that cooperate to receive fuse terminals for electrical connection therewith. A cover member is provided that includes a plurality openings for the receipt of fuses. This construction requires rather precise formation and assembly in order for the tangs to properly receive and mate with the fuse terminals. If one tang is misformed or damaged, it may be necessary to replace the entire bus bar component. In addition, the housing and cover do not serve to effectively isolate the circuit elements or fuses from contaminants.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,310 to Ikari discloses a fuse box formed by a plurality of separate components that are mechanically attached to each other. This construction is overly complex, costly to manufacture and assembly and less compact when compared to the unitary block body of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,534 to Mobley et al. discloses a fuse/bus bar assembly having a plurality of (female) terminal members attached thereto. The physical attachment of the terminal members to the bus bar represents an increase in cost and labor over the construction of the present invention.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact power distribution block that does not require the assembly of separate modules.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a power distribution block that requires only a single power input connection to provide power to multiple circuits or circuit components. It is a further object to provide a construction wherein separate groups of circuit elements within the same unitary power block can be supplied with power from separate power sources.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to isolate the circuit elements within the distribution block and protect them from contamination, especially from splashed liquids.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a power distribution block assembly including an insulative body, at least one electrically-conductive bus member having a longitudinally-extending base and a plurality of terminal blades extending from the base, the base defining a site for electrical connection to a power source, the terminal blades defining a plurality of sites for electrical connection to a plurality of removable circuit elements, and a plurality of connector elements contained within said body, each of the connector elements being configured to electrically couple a terminal blade of the bus with a terminal of each of the removable circuit elements.
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Davis Ruel Emmett
Joiner Matthew Alan
Armstrong Teasdale LLP
Cooper Technologies Company
Hyeon Hae Moon
Nguyen Khiem
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