Fuse holder with positive removal feature

Details Fuse holder with positive removal feature Fuse holder with positive removal feature

2001-07-19

2002-06-18

Patel, Tulsiidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With circuit component or comprising connector which fully...

Connector includes or covers additional component

Reexamination Certificate

active

06406331

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the field of fuse holders of the type used to retain automotive-type fuses an vehicle fuse boxes when the fuses are electrically disconnected from their circuits.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fuses are commonly used in automotive electrical systems to protect circuits against damage caused by overload conditions. Fuses for various circuits are often grouped together at clustered locations where circuit junctions exist in a fuse box, power distribution block, or junction block. It will be understood that the term “fuse box” used hereafter can mean any of these or any equivalent fused circuit junction or housing.
A fuse box is typically a molded plastic casing or housing containing internal fuse-receiving terminals connected to the various circuits by one or more bus bars. A typical automotive fuse has a generally rectangular plastic body with a pair of parallel, blade-like fuse terminals extending therefrom. The outer surface of the fuse box is provided with fuse sockets to allow the fuse terminals to be inserted into electrical engagement with the circuit terminals, thereby completing and fuse-protecting the associated circuit(s).
It is sometimes desirable to temporarily remove certain fuses from their associated circuits, for example to perform maintenance or simply to prevent battery drain. For example, it is good practice to disable the circuits related to airbag systems before working on any system or circuit located near the airbags in order to lessen the likelihood of unintentional activation of the airbags. For another example, clock circuits often maintain a continuous drain on the vehicle battery and should be turned off when the vehicle is being shipped or stored for long periods of time.
Since fuses are easily dropped or lost once removed from the fuse box, attempts have been made to retain fuses in physical association with the box even when disconnected electrically. Devices known as “fuse holders” are therefore often used to connect fuses mechanically to a fuse box in such a manner that the fuse can be moved into and out of electrical engagement with an associated fuse box socket while remaining connected to the fuse box. In particular, the fuse holder securely retains the fuse in a captive, pre-set position relative to the fuse box when the fuse is temporarily electrically disconnected from the socket, thereby maintaining the fuse in position for reinsertion into the socket. The fuse is fixed in place in or on the fuse holder, while the fuse holder typically is slidably connected to the fuse box for movement in the insertion/withdrawal direction of the fuse such that raising and lowering the fuse holder causes the fuse to be withdrawn from and inserted into its socket, respectively.
An example of such a fuse holder is illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 1A
for a typical automotive fuse
16
of the type including a main body
16
a
, a flanged head
16
b
at the upper end of the main body
16
a
, and a pair of bayonet connector legs or terminals
16
c
extending downwardly from the lower end of the body. Body
16
a
and flanged head
16
b
are formed of a suitable moldable dielectric material and fuse terminals
16
c
are formed of a suitable conductive material and are electrically connected within body
16
a
, in known manner, by a suitable fusible link.
The illustrated fuse box example
12
is formed of a plastic or other moldable dielectric material in a generally rectangular configuration. A plurality of upwardly opening female terminal sockets
12
e, f, g
and
h
are provided on the upper side of the fuse box and a pair of guide members
12
j
and
12
k
are formed integrally with the upper edge of the fuse box on opposite sides of socket
12
h
to define vertical guide slots for the legs
14
b
of a fuse holder
14
.
Fuse
16
is inserted into holder
14
through an opening in base
14
a
of the fuse holder which frictionally engages the sidewalls of fuse body
16
a
until flanged head
16
b
abuts base
14
a
and prevents further insertion. At this point, fuse
16
is fixed in holder
14
to permit the fuse and holder to be raised and lowered as a unit. Slots
14
e
in the legs
14
b
of the fuse holder engage pins
121
underneath the slot-defining guide members on each side of the socket, thereby defining the limit of travel of fuse holder
14
. In
FIG. 1
, fuse holder
14
is raised to its maximum extent, such that fuse terminals
16
c
are withdrawn from socket
12
h
and therefore electrically disconnected from the associated circuit.
FIG. 1A
shows fuse holder
14
lowered to insert fuse
16
into socket
12
h
and thereby connect fuse terminals
16
c
with the associated circuit terminals in fuse box
12
.
Although prior art fuse holders such as the one illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 1A
provide positive removal of fuse terminals from their associated circuits, and in some cases further provide an indirect visual indication (by way of the raised state of the fuse holder) to maintenance personnel that the fuse is disconnected from the circuit, they do not provide a direct, positive, immediately-discernable indication that the fuse terminals themselves are fully disconnected. Moreover, prior art fuse holders are typically held in their raised, disconnected state by nothing more than friction or easily overcome detent structure, to enable service personnel to conveniently push them back down and reconnect the fuses with their associated circuits. This creates the possibility of the movable fuse holder being accidentally pushed down and the fuse being reconnected before it is advisable to do so. For example, if someone slips or drops a tool on the fuse holder, the fuse might be prematurely reinserted into its socket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a fuse holder assembly for use on a fuse box, comprising a fuse holder and a fuse movably mounted on the fuse holder. The fuse is movable on the fuse holder between a fuse “ready” position in which the fuse is aligned for insertion and withdrawal from a socket or terminal on the fuse box, and a “safe” position in which the fuse is translated and/or rotated in the holder out of alignment with the socket on the fuse box to (1) make it readily visually apparent that the fuse is disconnected, and (2) positively prevent accidental insertion of the fuse terminals into the socket, even if the fuse holder is accidentally driven in the insertion direction.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5171293 (1992-12-01), Umemoto et al.
patent: 5488345 (1996-01-01), Seki et al.
patent: 5647769 (1997-07-01), Takeuchi
patent: 5662496 (1997-09-01), Kanamori
patent: 5680088 (1997-10-01), Seki et al.
patent: 5816858 (1998-10-01), Kazarian et al.
patent: 6059609 (2000-05-01), Nieto

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