Patents by Inventor David P. Eppinger

David P. Eppinger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5099382
    Abstract: An electrical recloser apparatus includes a tank (10) having bottom, top and side walls (18, 22, 16) which define an interior, sealed space (14), and a current interrupter (44) disposed within the sealed space (14) and including a pair of relatively movable contacts (46, 48) which are movable between a closed, current-carrying position and an open, current-interrupting position. A control assembly (30) is provided for electronically controlling the opening and closing of the contacts (46, 48), the control assembly (30) initiating operation of the contact moving means (58) to move the contacts (46, 48) to the open position in response to a fault current sensed by a sensing means (66), and initiating operation of the contact moving means (58) to move the contacts (46, 48) to the closed position after each one of a predetermined number of opening operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: A. B. Chance Company
    Inventor: David P. Eppinger
  • Patent number: 5015810
    Abstract: An arc spinner interrupter includes a first fixed electrical contact and a ring electrode coupled to the fixed contact through a field coil surrounding the ring electrode. A second electrical contact has an arm which moves along a path perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis for selective connection with the fixed contact. The arm may have a generally L-shaped configuration including an angled portion that extends in a direction parallel to the central longitudinal axis and a conductor extends toward the angled portion through the ring electrode along the central longitudinal axis. The conductor has an inner axial end that is spaced slightly from the angled portion of the arm when the arm is moved to a position intersecting the central longitudinal axis so that a grading function is carried out on the electrostatic field surrounding the angled portion of the arm. This grading function serves to limit the stress exerted by the electrostatic field adjacent the angled portion of the arm section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1991
    Assignee: A. B. Chance Company
    Inventors: David P. Eppinger, Hatim H. Taj
  • Patent number: 4980527
    Abstract: An arc spinner interrupter includes a first fixed electrical contact and a ring electrode coupled to the fixed contact through a field coil surrounding the ring electrode. A second electrical contact has an arm which moves along a path perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis for selective connection with the fixed contact. The arm may have a generally L-shaped configuration including an angled portion that extends in a direction parallel to the central longitudinal axis. The fixed electrical contact is disposed radially outward of the ring electrode so that the generally L-shaped end of the second contact moves generally toward the central longitudinal axis when disconnected from the fixed electrical contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1990
    Assignee: A. B. Chance Company
    Inventor: David P. Eppinger
  • Patent number: 4781348
    Abstract: A mounting assembly for supporting electrical apparatus such as transformers and the like on a utility pole includes spaced, equipment supporting brackets that are interconnected and secured to the pole by means of elongated, toothed plates. End regions of each plate extend through corresponding apertures in the brackets, and during assembly the end regions are shifted laterally and toward a narrowed portion of the aperture until a marginal edge section of the bracket next to the aperture enters a notch between adjacent teeth of the plate. The width of the narrowed aperture portion, being smaller than the overall width of the end regions of the plate except for the notches of the plate between adjacent teeth, prevents unintentional withdrawal of the plates from the brackets. A retaining spring, fixed to the bracket adjacent each aperture, ensures that the end region thereafter remains in place in the narrowed aperture portion in order to facilitate handling of the mounting assembly during installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: A. B. Chance Company
    Inventors: Steven R. Cutforth, David P. Eppinger, Daniel V. Hamilton, J. Thomas Odom
  • Patent number: 4459722
    Abstract: A deadending device for guy cables and the like is provided which gives enhanced holding power (typically above the rated strength of the cable) while being relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to field install. The device includes a frustoconical, cable-receiving wedge block, preformed gripping wires for application to the cable and about the block, and a socket for receiving the block and surrounding wire portions. The gripping wires are permanently preformed during manufacturing using a novel method to present, adjacent one end thereof, an arcuate section configured to generally define a portion of an imaginary frustoconical surface complemental with the wedge block periphery. In this manner the wires substantially self-align in an even pattern about the block, and the need for wire-holding flanges or the like on the block or socket is completely eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1984
    Assignee: A. B. Chance Co.
    Inventors: Edward Dziedzic, Gary R. Dickerson, David P. Eppinger
  • Patent number: 4066368
    Abstract: An easily installable, high load capacity deadending apparatus for securing the end of lines such as guy cables and the like to anchoring structure is provided which includes a tapered wedge block in conjunction with a helically preformed line tie adapted to grip the line and preferably extend around and engage the remote end of the wedge block for securing the latter against substantial axial movement; a socket casting having a complementally tapered bore is applied over the wedge block and line tie thereround to complete the apparatus and permit connection thereof to an earth anchor or like device so that the socket and block are biased together in mutual gripping interengagement. In practice, as the line experiences increasing tension loads, the wedge block and socket are pulled into tight interengagement which in turn causes a tighter grip of the line and increases the overall holding power of the deadending apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1978
    Assignee: A. B. Chance Company
    Inventors: Henry N. Mastalski, James P. Lucas, Edward Dziedzic, David P. Eppinger
  • Patent number: D338447
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1993
    Assignee: A.B. Chance Company
    Inventor: David P. Eppinger