Electrical terminal block
US7011551B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 6, 2004 |
| Grant date | Mar 14, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 6, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01R9/2641
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A terminal block for conductively coupling multiple pairs of electrical wires includes a deadfront cover mounted onto a non-conductive base so as to define multiple pairs of wire receiving receptacles, each pair of wire receiving receptacles being electrically connected together via a conductive bus bar. As one feature of the present invention, a conductive shunt can be disposed by means of a manually operable shunt switch to selectively contact all of the bus bars in order to discharge any current present thereon. As another feature of the present invention, a plurality of finger-safe captive screw assemblies are retained within the cover, each captive screw assembly including a screw which can be driven into a threaded bore formed in one end of a corresponding bus bar. As yet another feature of the present invention, multiple pairs of interchangeable end caps can be removably snap-fit mounted on the base to enable the terminal block to be retained onto a wide variety of different surfaces. As yet still another feature of the present invention, a DIN rail lock is retained between each end cap and the base and includes one or more sharpened teeth which can be driven into the surfac…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.