Abstract:
A two piece housing for a spliced portion of multi-conductor copper core electric cable includes housings adapted for two, three, or four wire cable. A bottom mated structure ( 31 ) and a top mated structure ( 30 ) are predetermined to accept screws ( 15 ) for clamping the two structures together. The housing interior surface ( 28 ) includes mortised frusto-conical shaped openings ( 23 ) with grooves ( 26 ) at right angles and contiguous to the cable passage ( 24 ) for accepting and locking wire nuts ( 12 ) over wire splices ( 6 ). Opposing jaws ( 17 ),( 18 ), and ( 19 ), adjacent to the point of cable entry/exit ( 25 ) inside the cable passage ( 24 ) engage a two, three, or four wire cable ( 20 ),( 8 ),( 22 ). The opposed jaw configuration includes a curved, wedge shaped inner lip ( 27 ); a wedge shaped flange ( 13 ); and a curved overlapping lip ( 14 ).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to reconnecting, enclosing, clamping, and locking wire splices from a multi-wire electric cable into an enclosure housing and more specifically to a reusable, improved enclosure for wire splices. 
     2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     Previous methods of wire splicing require multiple pieces for clamping a cable in a bushing and for attaching the bushing to a housing. If a liquid tight seal was required, a sealing material was added to a cavity in the bushing after the cables were installed, or a portion of the bushing was hermetically sealed to the cable. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) The main object of the present invention is to provide a reusable protective enclosure for a spliced electric cable, which enclosure may be reopened for an additional splice, or reused with another cable; 
     (b) to provide an enclosure that eliminates the labor intensity of heretofore known protection for wire splices; 
     (c) to eliminate some plurality of parts; 
     (d) to provide a molded rigid support, for wire splices, made with a non-conductive plastic; 
     (e) to provide a less costly than heretofore known wire splice protecting device, but equally effective. 
     The invention is a reusable enclosure for reconnecting, clamping, locking, and enclosing wire splices. The enclosure is formed of a two piece housing having an interior surface and an exterior surface, screws clamping together the two pieces of the housing, and a cable passage defined between the two pieces of the housing. The housing defines mortised frusto-conical shaped openings with grooves for locking frusto-conical wire nuts into the housing, and a predetermined opposed jaw configuration for enclosing the cable at the point of entry/exit into the cable passage. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing descriptions. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes. 
     FIG. 1 is a fully assembled three wire splice enclosure housing. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fully assembled enclosure housing. 
     FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a three wire, two piece enclosure housing. 
     FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view of a two wire, two piece enclosure housing. 
     FIG. 3C shows an exploded perspective view of a four wire, two piece enclosure housing. 
     FIGS. 4A to  4 C show an end view of predetermined opposed jaw configurations of a enclosure housing for a two, three, and four wire cable, respectively. 
     FIGS. 5A to  5 C show the cable preparation necessary to use the three wire enclosure housing. 
     FIG. 5D shows a three wire cable with wire splices, accepting wire nuts. Wire nuts are prior art. 
     FIG. 5E is the fully assembled three wire enclosure housing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and specification: 
       6  copper core wire splice 
       8  three wire cable, showing outer cover 
       9  green wire with cover 
       10  white wire with cover 
       11  black wire with cover 
       12  wire nut 
       13  wedge shaped flange 
       14  curved overlapping lip 
       15  screw 
       16  three wire housing 
       17  two wire voids in two wire jaw configuration 
       18  three wire voids in three wire jaw configuration 
       19  four wire voids in four wire jaw configuration 
       20  two wire cable 
       22  four wire cable 
       23  mortised frusto-conical shaped wire nut reception recess 
       24  cable passage 
       25  entry/exit point of cable 
       26  wire nut reception recess with wire nut grooves 
       27  curved wedge shaped inner lip 
       28  interior surface 
       29  exterior surface 
       30  top mated structure 
       31  bottom mated structure 
       32  rounded corners 
       33  two wire housing 
       34  four wire housing 
     FIG. 1 is a fully assembled three wire splice enclosure housing  16  on a three wire cable  8  showing the wire nut openings  23 , wire nuts  12  (prior art), and screws  15  on an exterior surface  29  of the top mated structure  30 . 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fully assembled three wire enclosure housing  16  for wire splices on a three wire cable  8 , showing a predetermined three wire opposed jaw configuration  18 . The curved wedge shaped inner lip  27  opposes the wedge shaped flange  13  while being overlapped and held together as a hinge mechanism by the curved overlapping lip  14 , in a closed position with the cable tightly enclosed at the point of cable entry/exit  25  by a three wire predetermined opposed jaw configuration  18 . 
     FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a three wire, two piece enclosure housing  16 ; a three wire cable  8  spliced and covered with wire nuts  12 ; a three wire jaw configuration  18 ; a curved, wedge shaped inner lip  27 ; a wedge shaped flange  13 ; and a curved overlapping lip  14  on the interior surface  28  of the bottom mated structure  31 . 
     The grooves  26  for locking the frusto-conical wire nuts  12  securely in the mortised frusto-conical shaped wire nut reception recesses  23  of the top and bottom mated structures  30 ,  31 , respectively, are visible in the bottom mated structure  31 . The relationship of the wire nut reception recesses  23  to the cable passage  24  is shown in FIG.  3 A. Each recess  23  is elongated along an axis extending transversely or perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal dimension of the passage  24  and is offset to a side of the passage. 
     The three wire voids in a three wire jaw configuration  18  located at each end of the cable passage  24  are visible in both top and bottom mated structures  30 ,  31 , respectively. The rounded corners  32  for preventing drag are visible in top and bottom mated structures  30 ,  31 , respectively, (SEE FIG.  3 A). 
     FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view of a two wire enclosure housing  33 ; a two wire cable  20 , spliced and covered with wire nuts  12  (prior art); a two wire jaw configuration with voids defined by arcs  17  intersecting each other at cusps; a curved wedge shaped inner lip  27 ; a wedge shaped flange to oppose it  13 ; and a curved overlapping lip  14  to complete a hinge mechanism. Top and bottom mated structures  30 ,  31 , respectively, are completely separate but molded to slot together as a single unit when sandwiching a two wire cable  20 . 
     FIG. 3C is an exploded perspective view of a four wire enclosure housing  34 ; a four wire cable  22 , spliced and covered with frusto-conical wire nuts  12  (prior art); a four wire jaw configuration with voids defined by arcs  19  intersecting each other to form cusps; a curved wedge shaped inner lip  27 ; a wedge shaped flange  13  to oppose it; and a curved overlapping lip  14  to complete the hinge mechanism; and screws  15  to clamp the top and bottom mated structures  30 ,  31 , tightly together, sandwiching the cable  22  and providing a generally tamper-resistant seal. 
     FIGS. 4A to  4 C show the end view of predetermined opposed jaw configurations with voids of a two, three, and four wire configuration  17 ,  18 ,  19 , respectively. In each view, a curved wedge shaped inner lip  27 , a wedge shaped flange  13  to oppose it, and a curved overlapping lip  14  completes a hinge mechanism. Screws  15  that clamp the top and bottom mated structures  30 ,  31  together surrounding the cable are visible, along with a two, three, and four wire cable,  20 ,  8 , and  22 , respectively. 
     FIGS. 5A to  5 C show the cable preparation necessary to use the three wire enclosure housing. The three wire cable  8  (See FIG. 5A) is prepared to be spliced by cutting the outer cable  8  away and exposing the internal wires (See FIG. 5B) approximately three inches. FIG. 5C shows how the short, medium, and long cuts on the internal wires  9 ,  10 , and  11 —green, white, and black wire, respectively—oppose each other and are twisted together in a splice  6  to space neatly in a row inside a three wire enclosure  16  (See FIG.  3 A), and fit into the mortised frusto-conical shaped openings  23  with grooves  26  that lock the wire nuts  12  (prior art). 
     FIG. 5D shows a three wire cable  8 , with the wire splices accepting wire nuts  12 . Wire nuts are prior art. 
     FIG. 5E is the fully assembled three wire enclosure housing  16  on a cable  8 , with wire splices  6  enclosed, showing a curved wedge shaped inner lip  27 , a wedge shaped flange  13  to oppose it, and a curved overlapping lip  14  to complete the hinge mechanism of a three wire jaw configuration with voids  18 . 
     The cable to be spliced is opened to free the wires inside the outer cover of a three wire cable  8  (See FIG.  5 A). Enough of the outside cable is cut away, approximately three inches, to allow the preparatory cuts on the wire inside the cable to create the wire splices  6  (See FIG.  5 C). 
     One color wire, for example, white  10 , is cut short, approximately ⅝ inch beyond the cable cover on one side, where the cable cover is removed from cable  8 . The short cut of the white wire  10  completely severs one wire in the cable. Another color wire, such as black  11 , is cut short on the other side of the cable, where the outer cover had been removed, also approximately ⅝ inch away from the cover (SEE FIG.  5 B). 
     The third wire, green  9 , is cut exactly in half or medium length. The three wires in the cable are now completely severed (SEE FIG. 5 b ). One half of the cable  8  has a long white wire  10 , a short black wire  11 , and a medium length green wire  9 . The other half of the cable  8  has a short white wire  10 , a long black wire  11 , and a medium length green wire  9 . By staggering the cuts of the internal white  10  and black  11  wires, and the green wire  9  cut medium length to be the middle splice; the same color wires line up evenly in a row when spliced together and placed in a three wire enclosure  16  (SEE FIG.  3 A). 
     Approximately ⅜ to ½ inch of the cover of the white  10 , black  11 , and green wire  9  is stripped off the end of the wire. The copper ends twist into the wire splices  6  (See FIGS.  5 B and  5 C). 
     If you are splicing a two wire cable  20 , the cuts on the internal wires are long or short; there is no need for a medium length cut on a two wire cable  20 , in a two wire enclosure  33  (See FIG.  3 B). 
     On a four wire cable  22 , four different length cuts are necessary: long, short, medium long, and medium short. The four lengths allow four colored wires to be staggered and line up in a row, with the same color wire under wire nuts  12 , in a four wire enclosure  34  (See FIG.  3 C). 
     Finally, FIG. 5E shows the fully assembled three wire enclosure  16  on a cable  8  with the screws  15  that clamp the enclosure top and bottom mated structures together,  30  and  31 , respectively, providing a generally tamper-resistant seal. 
     Accordingly, the reader will see that the reusable enclosure for wire splices can be used to enclose and reconnect wire splices easily and conveniently. The reusable enclosure can be removed just as easily without damage to the cable, wire splice, or enclosure, and can be reused to splice another cable without requiring a new enclosure. 
     it provides an enclosure with fewer parts; 
     it provides an enclosure made of a nonconductive plastic; 
     it provides a rigid support for wire splices withstanding heavy work stress; 
     it provides an enclosure with a tight seal for the cable; 
     it provides an enclosure almost any lay person can apply; and 
     it provides an enclosure that is less labor intensive, less costly, but equally as effective as heretofore known wire splice enclosures. 
     Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the enclosure can have other shapes, such as oval, circular, square, etc.; the screws to clamp the two piece housing together can be bolts or reusable connectors, etc. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.