Abstract:
A meter/breaker arrangement having separate covers for the meter side and breaker side. The meter side includes as an extension thereof a rain gutter which underlaps a flange on the breaker cover to provide a rain-proof or water-proof enclosure when both covers are disposed securely on the enclosure. In addition, a locking arrangement is provided so that the breaker cover can be removed without allowing access to the meter region. Alternatively, both the meter cover and breaker cover can be removed. A flexible, partially non-electrically conductive, security member is provided for separating the meter side from the breaker side.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The subject matter of this invention relates generally to electrical distribution combination circuit breaker meter system panels or enclosures for outdoor use having a rain gutter and an isolation barrier. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The prior art is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, the prior art includes a meter/breaker enclosure  10  having an enclosure backplate  14  and an enclosure right side wall  18 , for example. There is also provided a top wall  22 . The enclosure system  10  is divided into a meter side  24  on the left and a breaker side  26  on the right as depicted in FIG.  1 . On the meter side is disposed a meter side cover  25  having a meter opening  30  therein. There is provided against the back plate  14  on the meter side  24  a meter socket  34 . There is provided on the back plate  14  on the breaker side  26  a breaker  36 . 
     Referring also to FIG. 2, it is desirous to separate the breaker  36  from the meter socket region  34 . In order to do this, in the prior art, the combination isolator and gutter assembly  38  is provided which includes a crowning gutter portion  46  on top of an elongated isolator gutter support wall  42  which is secured by way of a gutter support mounting flange  44  to the back plate or back wall  14  of the enclosure  10 . 
     The prior art construction has a disadvantage. That disadvantage lies in the fact that the combination isolator and gutter assembly  38  is a separately manufactured piece requiring separate manufacturing process step and a separate attachment process step. Furthermore, the aforementioned arrangement does not lend itself to cover and isolator support security in a manner thought to be necessary. 
     It would be advantageous if a circuit breaker meter enclosure system could be uncovered which includes an easily manufactured cover gutter and isolator arrangement with enhanced security between the breaker section and the meter section. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention an electrical center is taught which includes an enclosure and a first cover for the enclosure and a second cover for the enclosure. Both the first and second covers are mounted on the enclosure. The first cover and the second cover abut at an abutting region and the first cover has an integral gutter, which is disposed at the abutting region. A first locking arrangement is provided between the first cover and the second region. In an embodiment of the invention the first cover communicates with the meter region and the second cover communicates with the breaker region. The second cover has a flange, which is disposed axially, overlappingly into the integral gutter. The first cover and second cover are:locked together by the convenient first locking arrangement such that the second cover can be removed independently first from the enclosure of the first cover. The first cover has a separate second locking arrangement such that the first cover cannot be removed from the enclosure without opening the second key lock arrangement. However, by unlocking the second key lock arrangement the first cover and the second cover can both be removed simultaneously while the first locking arrangement remains in place. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In accordance with the present invention, reference may be had to the preferred embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a 3-dimensional orthogonal view of a prior art meter breaker enclosure system with the breaker cover removed; 
     FIG. 2 shows a prior art isolator and gutter assembly for utilization in the prior art embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of an arrangement of a combination of covers embodying the teachings of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 shows a side elevation of the arrangement shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 shows a front elevation of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 3-4; 
     FIG. 6 shows an orthogonal view of the internal portion of the enclosure upon which the covers of FIGS. 3-5 are disposable; 
     FIG. 7 shows a side by side juxtaposition of the meter cover and breaker cover in disassembled relationship similar to the depiction shown in FIG. 5 in the connected relationship; 
     FIG. 8 shows a broken away orthogonal view of the meter cover of FIG. 7 highlighting the integral gutter extension thereof; 
     FIG. 9 shows a broken away-enlarged portion of the elevation of FIG. 5 in the lower central region thereof; 
     FIG. 10 shows a broken away-enlarged portion of the construction features shown in FIG. 3 in the bottom central region thereof; 
     FIG. 11 shows a broken away portion and enlarged in the lower central region of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 with a movable hasp lock tab; and 
     FIG. 12 shows a front elevation of a completely assembled meter/breaker enclosure system with gutter and security locks in place. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the Drawings, a combination meter circuit breaker center or enclosure  10 ′ is depicted. Centers of this kind are advantageously utilized in trailer parks and the like for providing a meter reading capability for the individual trailer as well as a circuit breaker which acts as a main circuit breaker for the individual trailer. This arrangement is almost always used in an outdoor environment subject to weather. Therefore it is necessary to remove or vector water as quickly as possible away from the enclosure arrangement so as not to detrimentally affect the electrical equipment disposed therein. In addition, it is necessary to provide a security arrangement between the meter side and the breaker side of the enclosure. Typically, a landlord or tenant may desire to go into the breaker region for purposes of changing out or replacing breakers or performing maintenance on breakers, but utility companies desire that there be no separate access other than by utility company personnel to the meter arrangement on the other side. Consequently, the isolator arrangement must provide security between the breaker side and the meter side of the enclosure and the meter cover cannot be removable except by utility company personnel. 
     As was clearly depicted and described in the Background of the Invention with respect to FIGS. 1-2 a prior art arrangement exists for which a desirable and upgraded replacement is sought. 
     In the embodiments of the invention to be described hereinafter like reference characters represent like arrangements or similar arrangements between the embodiments of the present invention and the prior art. In situations where improvements have been provided or a difference made, such is by indicated a prime (′). 
     Referring now in particular to FIGS. 3-12, a preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted. There is provided an improved meter-breaker enclosure system  10 ′ in which is provided a back plate or plane  14 ′ and a right side enclosure wall  18 . There is also provided a top wall  22 ′. On the left is depicted an improved meter side  24 ′ and on the right is depicted an improved breaker side  26 ′. An improved meter side cover  25 ′ is provided on the left or meter side and an improved breaker side cover  27 ′ is provided on the right or breaker side. There is provided a meter opening hole  30 ′ through which a meter socket  34  may be seen. The meter opening hole  30 ′ may include a hole lip  40 ′, which may be useful for routing water away from a meter glass enclosure, which protrudes outwardly through the hole  30 ′, when the meter is securely in place in the meter region  24 ′. There is provided on the right a breaker handle opening  43 ′ through which may protrude a breaker handle  84 ′ which may cooperate with a breaker such as  36  shown in the prior art arrangement of FIG.  1 . The meter side cover  25 ′ may be secured to the back plate  14 ′ by way of two downwardly dependent legs  48 ′ which space the cover from the back plate and act as securement devices. There also may be provided a new and improved isolator system  60  which may Include a secure electrically conductive bottom separator portion  62  and a secure electrically conductive top separator portion  64  bracketing or supporting therebetween a flexible non-electrically conducting middle separator portion  66 . The middle separator portion provides electrical insulation protection between the closely spaced contacts on the meter arrangement and the breaker arrangement. In addition to being electrically insulating a material may be used for the middle portion which is difficult to puncture or otherwise destroy so to maintain the integrity of the security isolation between the meter region and the breaker region. There is provided and formed as part of the cover  25 ′ a u-shaped rain gutter  80  which is integral to the cover  25 ′. On the upper portion of the gutter arrangement  80  is provided. a meter cover gutter upper flange  70  and on the bottom portion is provided a meter cover gutter lower flange  83  the purposes of which will be described hereinafter. The gutter is basically u-shaped as indicated at  82  so that as water collects in the region of the gutter it is conveniently vectored away from the meter-breaker system  10 ′ to thus maintain high electrical operating characteristics. 
     By referring to FIGS. 9-10 it can be seen that the interaction of the meter cover  25 ′ and the breaker cover  26 ′ provides an improved construction. In particular. the downwardly protrudingly left side breaker cover lip  110  overlaps and protrudes downwardly into the u-shaped region  82  of the gutter  80  in such a manner as to provide a weather secured arrangement between the cover  25 ′ and the cover  27 ′. 
     Water which may collect on the face of either the cover  27 ′ or  25 ′ will be channeled into the bottom most portions of the u-shaped member  80  and downwardly away from the abutting covers. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, in securing the cover  27 ′ to the cover  25 ′ a novel security arrangement is provided. In particular, the cover  27 ′ has a screw hole or opening  77  in the upper left portion thereof, which abuts or aligns with a screw hole  75  (see FIG. 8) in the cover gutter upper flange  70  of the cover  25 ′. Once the covers have been joined as shown in FIG. 5, a screw  72  (see FIG. 12) secures the cover  27 ′ to the flange  70 . The bottom flange  83  includes two holes or openings  91 . A meter cover to breaker cover lock hasp with pins  90  is provided which is securely anchored on the flat surface of the gutter flange  83  and which has pins  94  which protrude downwardly into the holes  91  to lock the hasp into place on the flange  83 . As the cover  27 ′ is placed in association with the cover  25 ′ the hasp  90  protrudes upwardly through a meter cover to breaker cover lock hasp slot  92  in the breaker cover  27 ′. 
     Referring additionally to FIGS. 11-12, further construction features of the present invention are depicted. In particular, in the bottom side flange  119  of the bottom sidewall of the enclosure  10 ′ is disposed a meter base hasp slot  79 . This is utilized in conjunction with a hasp lock tab  102  which may be rotated outwardly upon a rivet  100  in the assembly  10 ′ through the slot  79  in the rotational direction  99  to protrude through a meter side cover lock hasp slot  78  in the meter cover  25 ′. 
     Consequently, as shown in FIG. 12 a lock may be utilized in conjunction with hasp  90  to secure the breaker cover  27 ′ in an abutting arrangement in a flange to u-shaped trough securement to the meter cover  25 ′. Both covers as now joined may be fit into a region under lip  121  of the enclosure  10 ′ and then securely screwed down to the base of the enclosure by screws  73 . In doing so, the hasp  102  will protrude through the hasp slot  78  in the cover  25 ′ to be locked there against by way of a locking arrangement  114 . 
     Thus, it can be seen that cover  27  may be removed by loosening screws  72  and  73  and unlocking lock  112  and removing it from hasp  90  so that the cover may be moved outwardly and downwardly exposing the circuit breaker region  26 ′. However, because the lock  114  remains in lace in the hasp  102 , a separate key is required to remove the meter cover  25 ′ from the overall assembly  10 ′. Generally, only power company personnel are given access to this latter lock and key. However, it is to be noted that if this lock  114  is unlocked and if the screws  73 , as described previously, are removed. Both covers  25 ′ and  27 ′ may be removed simultaneously exposing the entire inner portion of the assembly  10 ′ including both the breaker side and the meter side.