Improvements in Disconnecting Boxes for Electric Cables.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1900-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disconnecting Boxes for Electric Cables.
We, CECIL CHARLES FOWLER, of 87, Buckingham Road, Brighton, Sussex,
Electrical Engineer, and THE REASON MANUFACTURING Co., LTD., of Glo'ster
Road, Brighton, Sussex, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The invention consists in an improved method of constructing street discon-
necting boxes for electric cable conductors, and is specially adapted for use with
concentric electric cables. At present it is customary to prepare the end of each
cable, to insert it into a cast iron box and then to. connect it to the internal
fittings at the actual position in the street where the box is to, be fixed. In
practice it is difficult to make good electric connections in this way with charged
cables, owing to the limited space available inside the cast iron box.
We construct our improved box so that the terminals to which it is desired
to connect the conductors of the cables project outside beyond the box in a form
convenient for the joining on of the cables. This enables the box to be placed
in its desired position in the street, after which the cables can be easily connected
to the projecting terminals and properly insulated and protected. We do not
bind ourselves as to the form these projecting terminals are to take, and they may
be in the form of short lengths of cables which will have been connected to the
interior fittings of the box in the process of manufacture.
•
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disconnecting Boxes for Electric Cables.
We, CECIL CHARLES FOWLER, of 87, Buckingham Road, Brighton, Sussex,
Electrical Engineer, and THE REASON MANUFACTURING Co., LTD., of Glo'ster
Road, Brighton, Sussex, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention consists of an improved method of constructing street discon-
necting boxes for electric conductors and is specially adapted for use with
concentric electric cables. It has hitherto been customary when connecting
cables to disconnecting boxes in roadways, to construct the box, which is generally
of cast-iron, with leading-in holes through which the ends of the cables are inserted
after the box has been fixed in a suitable position. The electrical connections

page_text: are then made. It is difficult to make good electrical connections inside the boxes
consequent on the limited space usually at the disposal of the operator, especially
when concentric cables are used, and this is experienced in a very marked degree
when the cables are alive or charged.
According to our invention we construct our improved box so that the terminals
to which it is desired to connect the conductors of the cables project outside
beyond the box in a form convenient for the joining on of the cables. This
enables the box to be placed in the desired position in the street, after which
the cables can be easily connected to the projecting terminals outside the box,
and properly insulated and protected, as the operators are merely called upon
to make the equivalent of ordinary cable joints, and as these are outside instead
of inside the box there is no more difficulty in making them mechanically strong
and electrically good than there is in joining together the ends of any two cables.
In some cases we use short lengths of cable conductors for the projecting
terminals of our improved boxes, and in such cases we find it preferable to use
cables of the same make and nature as those it is proposed to join up to the box.
It is not difficult in the process of manufacture to join these short ends of cable
to the terminals inside the box used to receive the customary disconnecting plugs
links or fuses while the conditions of making the connections inside the boxes
are much more convenient in the factory than if the same joints were made in
the street
In order that our invention may be more clearly understood we will now
refer to the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a plan of such box with lid off showing projecting terminals.
Fig. 2 is a section on the line A B.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section showing the terminals inside the box and also
those outside the box.
(1) is the disconnecting box itseif.
(2) is the insulating base inside box on which are mounted the distributing
terminals.
3333 are pairs of plugs, with handles,, with or without fuses, which may be
removed for disconnecting purposes.
4444 are the projecting terminals which extend beyond the walls of the box
and which, as shown, consist of short lengths of cable, the conductors being
properly insulated from one another. The inside terminals have been joined
in good electrical contact to the terminal projecting pieces before being placed
in position inside the boxes.
555 are metal spiders suitably insulated from each other and serve to connect
one cable with another by means of the plugs 3, 3, 3.
6 is a plate of slate or suitable insulating material for protecting the internal
metal parts.
7 is a ridge of insulating material to support a long fuse between the two
plugs 3, 3.
8 is the lid of the box fastened by wing nuts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
-
(1) In disconnecting and similar boxes for electric conductors, projecting the
terminals to which the cables are to be connected, beyond the outside walls of
the box in order that the cable connections can be made thereto.
(2) Disconnecting electric conductor boxes or fuse boxes with projecting
terminals outside said boxes constructed substantially as described and set forth
in annexed drawings.
HENDT DEACON
HENDY REASON,
Agent for Applicant.