Patents by Inventor Karl R. Loehr
Karl R. Loehr 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).
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Patent number: 7153157Abstract: An electrically insulated body carries one of more jaw members which are mountable over threaded terminals in a meter socket to provide a bypass connection between line and load socket terminals to enable a watthour meter to be removed and reinstalled relative to the socket. In another aspect, the jaw members are coupled to an electrically conductive member. A handle extends from the conductive member.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2005Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Karl R. Loehr
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Patent number: 6766698Abstract: A jaw contact tester and conditioning apparatus for measuring push-in and pull-out forces between a blade terminal and a jaw contact mounted in an electrical power service apparatus. The jaw contact tester is provided in multiple aspects providing, in one aspect, a simple go/no-go pull-out force indication, in a second aspect providing a push-in and pull-out force indication on separate scales carried on the tester and, in a third aspect, allows a force measurement gauge to be attached to the blade terminal holder for measuring blade push-in and blade pull-out forces relative to a jaw contact.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2002Date of Patent: July 27, 2004Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Karl R. Loehr
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Patent number: 6325666Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 1999Date of Patent: December 4, 2001Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Allen V. Pruehs, Karl R. Loehr
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Patent number: 6152764Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 1998Date of Patent: November 28, 2000Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Allen V. Pruehs, Karl R. Loehr
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Patent number: 6059605Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 1998Date of Patent: May 9, 2000Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Allen V. Pruehs, Karl R. Loehr
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Patent number: 5997347Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 1997Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Karl R. Loehr, Allen V. Pruehs
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Patent number: 5853300Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 1996Date of Patent: December 29, 1998Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Robert O. Learmont, Karl R. Loehr, Allen V. Pruehs, Keith C. Dropiewski
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Patent number: 5577933Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 1995Date of Patent: November 26, 1996Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Robert O. Learmont, Karl R. Loehr, Robert Goozen, Michael E. Lewis, Allen V. Pruehs
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Patent number: 5571031Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 1995Date of Patent: November 5, 1996Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Robert O. Learmont, Karl R. Loehr, Robert Goozen, Michael E. Lewis, Allen V. Pruehs
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Patent number: 5385486Abstract: A watthour meter socket adapter includes at least one additional jaw terminal for receiving one blade terminal of a plurality of blade terminals of a watthour meter, which blade terminals are provided in a greater number than the available jaw terminals in a watthour meter socket which normally receive the line and load blade terminals of the watthour meter. The additional blade terminal extends through and outward from the watthour meter socket adapter housing. An electrical connector is mounted on the additional blade terminal externally of the watthour meter socket adapter housing for electrically receiving an electrical conductor in the socket adapter not normally connected to the line and load jaw and blade terminals in the socket adapter. A jumper is disposed within the watthour meter socket adapter housing and extends between selected additional jaw and blade terminals in the watthour meter socket adapter.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 1994Date of Patent: January 31, 1995Assignee: Ekstrom Industries, Inc.Inventors: Darrell Robinson, Michael E. Lewis, Karl R. Loehr, Allen V. Pruchs