Abstract: A safety shield for a watthour meter socket adapter in the form of an enclosure surrounding the jaw blades of the socket adapter. Latch means are formed on the housing and the enclosure for releasibly mounting the enclosure in the housing in a snap-in connection. A plurality of legs project from the enclosure and are releasibly engagable through apertures in the housing. Alternately, spring fingers extend inward from surge ground conductors to engage recesses in the safety shield to fixedly mount the safety shield in the socket adapter. A coupler receives a separate jaw contact and a separate blade terminal in a unitary construction while isolating the jaw contact from the blade terminal.

Abstract: An apparatus for mounting an enclosure to a watthour meter socket adapter includes a mounting strap lockingly encircleable about a side wall of the socket adapter and the enclosure connected to the strap for positioning exteriorly adjacent the side wall of the socket adapter. The interior of the enclosure is disposed in communication with the interior of the socket adapter through aligned apertures in the enclosure, socket adapter and strap for the passage of an electrical conductor therethrough. A releasable lock is carried on the strap for releasably locking the ends of the strap about the side wall of the socket adapter. In one embodiment, the enclosure includes a receiver having a first portion attached to the strap and a second wall portion. The enclosure is mounted in the receiver. Fasteners extend through the enclosure into the second wall portion for securing the enclosure on the wall portion. A removable cover is optionally provided on the enclosure to enable separate access to the enclosure.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter has a housing formed of a base and unitary annular sidewall projecting from the base. Jaw blades are mounted in apertures in the base. In one embodiment, a spring clip is movably disposable in an aperture formed in each jaw blade to define a meter blade terminal receiving slot therebetween. In another embodiment, the spring clip is fixed to the jaw blade by a single mechanical fastener. Complimentary locator members are formed on the jaw portion and the spring clip for non-movably locating the spring clip relative to the jaw blade. A tab projects from the jaw blade for non-movably fixing the jaw blade relative to the base of the socket adapter. Flanges formed on the base fixedly engage the tab. The jaw blade may be formed of a single unitary jaw contact and blade terminal or a discrete jaw member and blade member. U-shaped support members are formed on the base for engaging opposite side edges of the blade members for non-movably fixing the blade terminal relative to the base.

Abstract: A circuit breaker switch apparatus pluggable into a watthour meter socket includes at least one set of line and load contact terminals and a power disconnect for completing an electrical circuit between at least one line terminal and one load terminal. The power disconnect switch is responsive to a trigger signal to switch switchable contacts to an open position and maintains the switchable contacts in the open position as long as the trigger signal is present. The power disconnect switch is mountable in the socket adapter housing by a snap-in connection. Load jaw contacts are mounted on rigid bus bars which are connectable to the power disconnect switch by a snap-in connection. An insulating shield surrounds the line and load jaw contacts and conductors while providing apertures to allow the insertion of watthour meter blade terminals therethrough into contact with the jaw contacts.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter has front and rear housings which encompassingly surround jaw contacts, electrical conductors and terminals. Apertures in the front housing allow insertion of a meter blade terminal into the jaw contacts. The jaw contacts include a spring clip having a recess sized for slidably receiving one side of a conductor to dispose the conductor for direct contact with a meter blade terminal. At least two conductors overlay each other and are separated by an insulating pad. The terminals include a collar having a recess for partially receiving one side of a circular conductor or in the case of a rectangular bus bar conductor, a bore is offset to one side edge of the terminal collar for receiving a lower portion of the bus bar. The upper portion of the end of the conductor is folded over to form a flange overlaying a bottom portion of a first bore in the terminal collar and engages an external conductor.

Abstract: A jaw blade contact for a watthour meter socket adapter includes a terminal with a blade end and an opposed jaw contact end. A spring clip is fixedly mounted on the terminal and has a jaw contact end opposed from the jaw contact end of the terminal for receiving a blade terminal of a meter there-between. Angled arms carried on the spring clip releasibly engage the base of the socket adapter housing to mount the jaw blade contact on the housing in a snap-on connection. In another embodiment, a spring clip engages apertures in a jaw contact formed of two folded over portions to mount the jaw contact in the housing. The housing has a mounting flange with a frangible portion conformable to different sized socket cover openings. An arcuate surge ground conductor is mounted on the housing sidewall by an integral bendable member which is movable from an in-line position to a mounting position extendable through an aperture in the housing.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter electrically connects an external sealing ring and/or a metal cover ring on a watthour meter to ground. A surge ground conductor is mounted on an end mounting flange of the socket adapter housing and extends within and is joined to the housing by a first metal fastener. One end of the first metal fastener extends exteriorly of the housing and supports a first metal tab which is engaged by the metal sealing ring. A second metal fastener extends through the surge ground conductor and supports a second external tab engagable with a grounded meter socket cover. Alternately, a tab extends integrally from an upper end of the surge ground conductor for engagement with the sealing ring. In another embodiment, an annular surge ground conductor is mounted within an annular sidewall of a watthour meter socket adapter housing.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter 310 includes a plurality of current jaw contacts 290 and potential jaw contacts 10 mounted between front and rear housings 314, 312, with each jaw contact 290, 10 surrounding by a receptacle 422, 70 in the front housing 314. An aperture in each receptacle 422, 70 allows insertion of a meter blade terminal into the jaw contact. An electrical conductor extends from each jaw contact 290, 10 to an individual terminal 102 mounted in a terminal portion of the front and rear housings 314, 312. Apertures in the front housing 314 allow insertion of a tool into engagement with a fastener 112 carried on each terminal 290, 10 for fixedly joining a terminal clip 116 mounted a conductor 132 extending from the jaw contacts to an external conductor 138 inserted through openings in the bottom of the front and rear housings.

Abstract: A sealing ring for an electric watthour meter apparatus has first and second housings mounted on opposed ends of an annular band. A fastener extends through a threaded aperture in an end wall of one housing into threaded engagement with an aperture in an end wall of the opposed housing to fixedly engage the ends of the sealing ring. A plurality of radially intersecting slots in one end of the fastener are alignable with apertures in one of a plurality of side walls of one of the housings for receiving a security device. Screwdriver receiving slots are formed in each of the first and second ends of the fasteners. An axial slot is formed in the second end of the fastener and alignable with apertures in the side walls of the other housing for receiving a security device. An enlarged head end on the fastener enables finger rotation of the fastener. The end walls have an elongated upper end forming a finger grip surface to facilitate movement of the first and second housings toward each other.

Abstract: A fused jaw blade for use as a line or load jaw blade in a watthour meter socket adapter has a fuse body with a first lug extending from a first end and a second lug in the form of a blade terminal extending from an opposite second end. The second lug or blade terminal is adapted for releasable mounting in a watthour meter socket jaw contact. A jaw contact is formed with the first lug for receiving a blade terminal of a watthour meter or other electrical device therein. The jaw contact is formed by a pair of contact clips mounted on opposite sides of the first lug and having outer ends extending beyond the end of the first lug for receiving a blade terminal therein. Biasing springs are fixedly mounted to the contact clips. Alternately, a single contact clip is fixedly mounted on the first lug to form a complete jaw contact.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter electrically connects an external sealing ring and/or a metal cover ring on a watthour meter to ground. A surge ground conductor is mounted on an end mounting flange of the socket adapter housing and extends within and is joined to the housing by a first metal fastener. One end of the first metal fastener extends exteriorly of the housing and supports a first metal tab which is engaged by the metal sealing ring. A second metal fastener extends through the surge ground conductor and supports a second external tab engagable with a grounded meter socket cover. Alternately, a tab extends integrally from an upper end of the surge ground conductor for engagement with the sealing ring. In another embodiment, an annular surge ground conductor is mounted within an annular sidewall of a watthour meter socket adapter housing.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter includes a housing with a base (12) and an annular sidewall for receiving a watthour meter. Pairs of line blade terminals (69, 64) and load blade terminals (50, 52) extend through the base for connection to jaw contacts in a watthour meter socket. The line blade terminals have a fuse mounting end disposed within the housing. A fuse connector is attached to the load blade terminals and includes a fuse mounting end. The fuse mounting ends include threaded studs (70, 86, 88) and are arranged in the housing to receive two fuses (92, 94) in selectible positions between the line and load blade terminals and between both load blade terminals with apertured tabs (96, 98) of the fuses fitted over the studs. A pair of jaw contacts are mounted in the housing and disconnected from the line blade terminals to temporarily mount a watthour meter on the housing in a storage position.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter includes a plurality of rigid electrical conductors non-attachedly disposed in a housing. An electrical contact is mounted on a first end of each electrical conductor and is positioned within the housing for receiving a blade terminal of a watthour meter therein. A second end of each electrical conductor extends externally of the housing for insertion into terminals mounted in a watthour meter socket. An insulating sleeve mounted in the housing surrounds the portion of the electrical conductors extending externally of the housing, with the second ends of the electrical conductors extending outward from the sleeve. An electrically insulating plate is mounted within the housing spaced from a base of the housing. Apertures formed in the insulating plate receive individual electrical contacts on the conductors for positioning the electrical contacts and the electrical conductors within the housing to receive a blade terminal of a watthour meter.

Abstract: A watthour meter adapter includes jaw contacts for receiving blade terminals of a plug-in watthour meter. Apertures formed in an annular side wall of the adapter housing receive external line and load conductors therethrough. A terminal block disposed within the annular side wall at a lower portion of the housing receives the external line and load conductors as well as internal electrical conductors connected at opposite ends to the jaw contacts. A slot formed in a bottom wall of the housing receives a fastener to mount the housing to an external support surface. The terminal block and terminal connections as well as the mounting fastener are completely contained within and covered by a watthour meter when a watthour meter is mounted on the adapter.

Abstract: Instantaneous current and voltage values are digitized at each of a plurality of electrical utility customer sites and integrated by a processor to calculate electrical power consumed at each customer site. A communication interface couples the processor at each customer site to a central processor in a central utility site to communicate the power consumed values of each customer site to the central utility site. In a preferred embodiment, the automatic meter reader apparatus is mounted in an electrical watthour meter socket adapter which plugs into a watthour meter socket at each customer site. Telephone modem circuitry mounted in the socket adapter connects to telephone lines to communicate calculated power values from each customer site to the central utility site.

Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter includes a plurality of rigid electrical conductors non-attachedly disposed in a housing. An electrical contact is mounted on a first end of each electrical conductor and is positioned within the housing for receiving a blade terminal of a watthour meter therein. A second end of each electrical conductor extends externally of the housing for insertion into terminals mounted in a watthour meter socket. An insulating sleeve mounted in the housing surrounds the portion of the electrical conductors extending externally of the housing, with the second ends of the electrical conductors extending outward from the sleeve. An electrically insulating plate is mounted within the housing spaced from a base of the housing. Apertures formed in the insulating plate receive individual electrical contacts on the conductors for positioning the electrical contacts and the electrical conductors within the housing to receive a blade terminal of a watthour meter.

Abstract: A watthour meter mounting apparatus, such as a socket, socket adapter and the like, has a safety shield completely enclosing the jaw contacts of the apparatus. Slots are formed in the safety shield to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into connection with the jaw contacts. In one embodiment, a socket adapter housing includes front and back plates which are joined together and form a cavity therebetween in which the jaw terminals and the electrical conductors are disposed. Raised receptacles formed in the first plate loosely receive the jaw contacts mounted on one end of the conductors. In another embodiment, an insulating housing is mounted over the jaw contacts in a socket or socket adapter, with slots formed in the housing to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into a jaw contact disposed within the housing.

Abstract: A socket adapter housing has a plurality of line and load blade terminals and jaw contacts. An electrical power disconnect device, mounted in the housing, has contacts switchable between closed and open states, the contacts being serially connected between the line blade terminals and the line jaw contacts. Rigid bus bars are fixedly connected to terminals on the power disconnect device extending from the switchable contacts and to the line blade and line jaws to fixedly mount the power disconnect device in the socket adapter housing. Surge suppression devices are connected between the load blade terminals and ground potential. An insulating safety shield is mounted in the housing and completely surrounds the line and load jaw contacts. Alternately, the housing includes a watthour meter receiving portion containing the power disconnect means and the line and load blade terminals and jaw contacts.

Abstract: A watthour meter mounting apparatus, such as a socket, socket adapter and the like, has a flash shield completely enclosing the jaw contacts of the apparatus. Slots are formed in the flash shield to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into connection with the jaw contacts. In one embodiment, a socket adapter housing includes front and back plates which are joined together and form a cavity therebetween in which the jaw terminals and the electrical conductors are disposed. Raised receptacles formed in the first plate loosely receive the jaw contacts mounted on one end of the conductors. In another embodiment, an insulating housing is mounted over the jaw contacts in a socket or socket adapter, with slots formed in the housing to allow the insertion of a watthour meter blade terminal therethrough into a jaw contact disposed within the housing.

Abstract: A housing includes a base with blade terminals insertable into jaw contacts in an electrical watthour meter socket. First and second watthour meter receiving shells are mounted on the housing, each having a pair of line jaw contacts connected in parallel to each other and to line blade terminals in the base. Electrical conductors extend from the load jaw contacts in one of the shells to a junction box mounted on the housing to provide a connection to an external electrical conductor. An electrical power disconnect device is mounted in one of the shells, and is connected in series by conductors between the line jaw contacts in both shells. The power disconnect device includes a movable external member having an end portion which slidably extends through the side wall of one of the shells. In one embodiment, the end portion is a separate rod which is biased into contact with the movable member.