FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10 and rule 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
"An insulated support for electrical conductors"
2. APPLICANT:
(a) NAME: Larsen & Toubro Limited
(b) NATIONALITY: Indian Company registered under the
provisions of the Companies Act-1956.
(c) ADDRESS: Larsen & Toubro Limited
Electrical & Automation North Wing, Gate 7, Level 0, Powai Campus, Saki Vihar Road, Mumbai 400 072, INDIA
3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION:
COMPLETE
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

An insulated support for electrical conductors
Field of invention
The present invention relates to electrical conductor supporting means, and more particularly to an insulating support adapted for electrical conductors.
Background of the invention
Electrical conductors such as for example electrical bus bars/terminals/connectors are generally mounted within the enclosures using insulating supports. The insulating supports facilitate insulation of the current carrying connectors from the non-current carrying enclosures. The insulating supports of various designs and shapes are well known in the art.
The prior art insulating supports generally have identical top and bottom surfaces with large weights, which make these insulating supports heavy and bulky. Additionally, these insulating supports consume larger volume and effectively larger space as compared to the conducting members used in the enclosures.
The prior art insulating supports, electrical conductors and enclosures are connected in a non-coaxial manner wherein the axis of connection of the insulating support and the electrical conductor is substantially different from the axis of connection of the electrical conductor and the enclosure. Hence, the mechanical strength of these conventional insulating supports is substantially low. These supports can bear only specific amount of weight of the electrical conductors and do not have an optimum design.
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a support for electrical bus bar/terminals/connector which overcomes all the drawbacks of the prior art.

Object of the invention
An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanically stable and strong insulating structure for supporting electrical conductors such as bus bars/terminals/connectors.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the insulated support having a unique design with optimal mass and volume parameters.
Summary of the invention
Accordingly, the present invention provides an insulated support mounted on an enclosure surface for robustly supporting at least one electrical conductor. The insulated support includes a top surface having a first slot configured thereon that is adapted to guide a top screw therein. The insulated support includes a bottom surface having a second slot configured thereon that is adapted to guide a bottom screw therein.
The insulated support includes a front surface and a rear surface wherein the front surface is having a third slot, a fourth slot, a fifth slot and a sixth slot configured thereon that preferably horizontally extend from the front surface to the rear surface. The third slot and the fourth slot respectively accommodate a first nut and a second nut therein. The first nut facilitates an engagement of the first nut and the top screw for mounting the electrical conductor on the top surface. The second nut facilitates an engagement of the second nut and the bottom screw for mounting to the enclosure surface on the bottom surface. The fifth slot and the sixth slot are respectively adapted to accommodate extra length of the top and bottom screws. The insulated support has a pair of axially converging sidewalls vertically extending between the top surface and the bottom surface having the bottom surface substantially larger than the top surface to facilitate a pyramid shape to the insulated support. The top surface of the insulated support includes a pair of

protrusions adapted to securely hold the electrical conductor in a predefined position on the insulated support.
Brief description of the drawings
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view illustrating an insulated support construed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the insulated support of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the insulated support of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an assembly adapted for the insulated support of FIG. 1
FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a first perspective view of an alternate design of the insulated support of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a second perspective view of the alternative design of the insulated support of FIG. 1.
Detailed description of the invention
The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished and the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art, techniques and approaches are overcome by the present invention as described below in the preferred embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, an insulated support 10 for supporting an electrical conductor in accordance with the present invention is shown. The insulated support 10 is having a mechanically stable design for robustly supporting at least one electrical conductor such as for example a bus bar or a terminal or a connector. The insulated support 10 provides a unique design having optimal mass and volume to comfortably position the insulating support in smaller space within an enclosure. The insulated support and its assembly are discussed below in detail. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the insulated support 10 is made from plastic, however, it is understood that the insulated support 10 may be made of other types of insulating materials that are well known in the art.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the insulated support 10 includes a front surface 12, a rear surface 14, a first sidewall 16, a second sidewall 18, a top surface 20, and a bottom surface 22 that are bilaterally disposed along a central vertical axis X-X. The first sidewall 16 and the second sidewall 18 gradually inwardly converge from the bottom surface 22 up to the top surface 20 for facilitating a trapezoidal or pyramid shape to the insulated support 10. The pyramid shape of the insulated support 10 is such that the bottom surface 22 is having a substantially larger cross section than the top surface 20. The pyramid shape provides mechanical stability and robustness to the insulated support 10. The pyramid shape facilitates substantial reduction in the mass and volume of the insulated support 10. In addition, the larger cross section of the bottom surface 22 facilitates direct mounting of the insulated support 10 to the enclosures such as a chassis or a mounting plate. The top surface 20 provides space that is sufficient enough to mount the electrical conductors including but not limited to a bus bar or a terminal or a connector.
The insulated support 10 includes a plurality of slots that assists in engagement of the insulated support with the electrical conductor and enclosure. In this one particular embodiment, the insulated support 10 includes a first slot 24, a second slot 26, a third slot, 28, a fourth slot 30, a fifth slot 32 and a sixth slot 34. The first

slot 24 is configured at least partially along the front surface 12 and the top surface 20. The second slot 26 is configured at least partially along the front surface 12 and the bottom surface 22. The first slot 24 and the second slot 26 preferably vertically extend along a plane that is substantially parallel to the central vertical axis X-X. The third slot 28, the fourth slot 30, the fifth slot 32 and the sixth slot 34 are totally configured along the front surface 12. The third slot 28 and the fourth slot 30, the fifth slot 32 and the sixth slot 34 preferably horizontally extend along a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the central vertical axis X-X.
In this one particular embodiment, the first slot 24 is having a semi-cylindrical configuration thereby acting as a guiding member for insertion of a screw through the top surface 20 adapted for connecting the insulated support 10 to the electrical conductor. The second slot 26 is having a semi-cylindrical configuration thereby acting as a guiding member for insertion of a screw through the bottom surface 22 adapted for mounting the insulated support 10 on the enclosure. The third slot 28 and the fourth slot 30 are having a rectangular configuration adapted to respectively accommodate a square shaped nut such that the screws positioned along the first slot 24 and the second slot 26 respectively engage with the nuts during the assembly of insulated support 10. The fifth slot 32 and the sixth slot 34 respectively have a rectangular configuration adapted to accommodate extra length of the screws within the insulated support 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the top surface 20 of the insulated support 10 includes at least a pair of protrusions 36. The protrusions 36 are of rectangular configuration in this one particular embodiment. However, it is understood that the configuration of the protrusions 36 may change in other alternative embodiments of the support 10. The protrusions 36 facilitate support and hold the electrical conductor in a predefined position on the insulated support 10. It is understood here that the shape, position and dimensions of the protrusions may vary per intended shape,

size and dimensions of the electrical conductor in other alternative embodiments of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an assembly 100 for mounting an electrical conductor 102 on an enclosure surface 104 using a pair of insulated supports 10 (See FIGS. 1-4) is illustrated. However, it is understood that the quantity of insulated supports 10 (See FIGS. 1-4) may vary in other alternative embodiments of the assembly 100. The assembly 100 includes a plurality of square shaped nuts that are positioned within the insulated support 10 (See FIGS. 1-4) for engaging with a plurality of screws for connecting the electrical conductor 102 and the enclosure surface 104 to the insulated support 10 (See FIGS. 1-4).
In this one particular embodiment, a pair of insulated supports 10 A and 10B is used to mount the electrical conductor 102 on the enclosure surface 104. In this one particular embodiment, the electrical conductor 102 is a bus bar, however, it is understood that other types of electrical conductors 102, such as a terminal or a connector, may be used in other alternative embodiments of the assembly 100. In this one particular embodiment, the enclosure surface 104 is a surface of the enclosure itself, however, it is understood that the surfaces of the chassis and the mounting plate may be utilized in other alternative embodiments of the assembly 100. In this one particular embodiment, the assembly 100 includes a first square nut 106, a second square nut 108, a third square nut 110, a fourth square nut 112, a first top screw 114, a second top screw 116, a first bottom screw 118 and a second bottom screw 120. It is understood here that the size of square nuts 106-112 and the screws 114-120 may vary depending on the size and length of the electrical conductor 102.
In this one particular embodiment assembly 100 is construed considering a sheet metal section of the enclosure surface 104. However, it is understood here that the height of the insulated support 10 can be varied depending on the application need to provide enough space for wiring. It is also understood that the dimensions of

insulated support 10, size of the screws 114-120 and size of nuts 106-112 may vary depending on requirements of height, size and the length of electrical conductor 102.
The first square nut 106 and the second square nut 108 respectively position within the third groove 28 and the fourth groove 30 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10A in the direction respectively indicated by an arrow-A. The third square nut 110 and the fourth square nut 112 respectively position within the third groove 28 and the fourth groove 30 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10B in the direction respectively indicated by an arrow-B.
The bus bar 102 includes a first through hole 122 and a second through hole 124. The first top screw 114 passes through the first through hole 122, with a force in the direction indicated by an arrow-C, and positions within a first slot 24 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10A thereby threadably engaging with the first square nut 106 positioned in the third slot 28 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10A. The second top screw 116 passes through the second through hole 124, with a force in the direction indicated by an arrow-D, and positions within a first slot 24 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10B thereby engaging with the third square nut 110 positioned in the third slot 28 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10B.
The enclosure surface 104 includes a third through hole 126 and a fourth through hole 128. The first bottom screw 118 passes through the third through hole 126, with a force in the direction indicated by an arrow-E, and positions within the second slot 26 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10A thereby engaging with the second square nut 108 positioned in the fourth slot 30 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10A. The second bottom screw 120 passes through the fourth through hole 128, with a force in the direction indicated by an arrow-F, and positions within the second slot 26 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10B thereby engaging with the fourth square nut 112 positioned in the fourth slot 30 (See FIG. 2) of the insulated support 10B.

The first top screw 114, the first through hole 122, the first square nut 106, the second square nut 108, the third through hole 126 and the first bottom screw 118 are axially aligned along a single vertical axis G-G such that the force-C acting during fitment of the electrical conductor 102 to the insulated support 10A is coaxial with the force-E acting during fitment of the enclosure surface 104 to the insulated support 10A. The second top screw 116, the second through hole 124, the third square nut 110, the fourth square nut 112, the fourth through hole 128 and the second bottom screw 120 are axially aligned along a single vertical axis H-H such that the force-C acting during fitment of the electrical conductor 102 to the insulated support 10A is coaxial with the force-E acting during fitment of the enclosure surface 104 to the insulated support 10A.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-7, an alternative embodiment of the insulated support 10 is shown. In this one alternative embodiment support 10, the opposed sides of the support 10 respectively include a plurality of slots instead of all the slots defined along the single side of the support 10. In this alternative embodiment, the front surface 12 of the insulated support 10 includes a first slot 24A, a second slot 28A and a third slot 32A. The rear surface 14 includes a fourth slot 26A, a fifth slot 30A and a sixth slot 34A. The first slot 24A, the second slot 28A and the third slot 32A facilitate engagement of the electrical conductor to the insulated support along the first side 12. The fourth slot 26A, the fifth slot 30A and the sixth slot 34A facilitate engagement of the enclosure surface to the insulated support 10 along the second side 14.
It is understood here that the positioning of the slots 24A, 28A, 32A on the front surface 12 and the positioning of the slots 34A, 30A and 26A on the rear surface
14 would suffice the purpose of single vertical axis alignment of the nuts and screws thereby maintaining the force acting during fitment of the electrical conductor to be coaxial with the force acting during fitment of the enclosure surface to the insulated support. Moreover, the positioning of the slots 24 A, 28A,

32A on the front surface 12 and the positioning of the slots 34A, 30A and 26A on the rear surface 14 provide additional electrical creepage distance for the insulated support 10.
Advantages of the invention
1. The insulated support 10 is of pyramid shape with large bottom surface 22 that advantageously adds mechanical stability to the insulated support 10.
2. The pyramid shape of the insulated support 10 is having reduced volume and mass parameters which advantageously save the material cost of the insulated support 10.
3. The force acting for fitment of the electrical conductor 102 to the insulated support 10 is coaxial with the force acting for fitment of the enclosure surface 104 to the insulated support 10 adapted to advantageously provide a mechanically strong design in minimum mass.
4. The protrusions 36 on the top surface 20 of insulated support 10 facilitate support to the electrical conductor 102 and advantageously hold the electrical conductor 102 in a predefined position.
5. The insulated support 10 is easy to manufacture and assemble as it is facilitated by simple screw and nut arrangement
6. The pyramid shaped design facilitates enough space for wiring mounting the insulated support 10 on the enclosure surface 104.
7. The insulated support 10 may include a plurality of slots respectively
configured on the front surface 12 and the rear surface 14 for providing additional
electrical creepage distance for the insulated support 10.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable

others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of present invention.

We Claim:
1. An insulated support mounted on an enclosure surface for robustly
supporting at least one electrical conductor, the insulated support comprising:
a top surface having a first slot configured thereon, the first slot adapted to guide a top screw therein;
a bottom surface having a second slot configured thereon, the second slot adapted to guide a bottom screw therein;
a front surface and a rear surface, the front surface having a third slot, a fourth slot, a fifth slot and a sixth slot configured thereon, the third slot and the fourth slot adapted to respectively accommodate a first nut and a second nut therein, the third slot facilitating an engagement of the first nut and the top screw for mounting the electrical conductor on the top surface, the second nut facilitating an engagement of the second nut and the bottom screw for mounting to the enclosure surface on the bottom surface, the fifth slot adapted to accommodate an extra length of the top screw, the sixth slot adapted to accommodate an extra length of the bottom screw;
a pair of axially converging sidewalls vertically extending between the top surface and the bottom surface having the bottom surface substantially larger than the top surface for forming a pyramid shape; and
a pair of protrusions located on the top surface, the protrusions adapted to securely hold the electrical conductor in a predefined position on the insulated support.
2. The insulated support as claimed in claim 1, wherein a force acting during engagement of the electrical conductor and the insulated support is coaxial with a force acting during engagement of the insulated support.
3. The insulated support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first slot, the third slot and the fifth slot are optionally configured on the front surface.

4. The insulated support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second slot, the
fourth slot and the sixth slot are optionally configured on the rear surface.