Apparatus and method for temporarily suspending conductors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12355226-B2
Application number	US-202217975190-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2022
Priority date	Oct 27, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

A set of components for assembling a temporary wire suspender includes in the set a yoke plate, a plurality of J-hook assemblies, a plurality of linkage members, and a plurality of removable couplers configurable to handle an expandable number of energized or de-energized conductors or sub-conductors. Positive control of the suspended and/or supported energized or de-energized conductors or sub-conductors is achieved by using releasable latches on the J-hook assemblies.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A set of components for assembling a temporary wire suspender for temporarily suspending a plurality of conductors or sub-conductors, separated from each other by a pre-set clearance, the set comprising:
a yoke plate having left and right yoke plate conductor cradles and a yoke plate engagement structure;
a plurality of J-hook assemblies, each J-hook assembly having a corresponding conductor cradle and a corresponding J-hook engagement structure;
a plurality of elongate linkage members, each linkage member having a corresponding engagement structure;
and a plurality of removable couplers adapted to releasably, selectively and mechanically couple the yoke plate, the plurality of J-hook assemblies, and the plurality of linkage members through their corresponding engagement structures into multiple wire suspender assembled combinations to temporarily suspend the plurality of conductors or sub-conductors, wherein the assembled combination for use with sub-conductors is an assembled combination comprising:
a four sub-conductor wire suspender comprising the yoke plate and first and second J-hook assemblies of the plurality of J-hook assemblies coupled to ends of the yoke plate through the plurality of linkage members such that the first and second J-hook assemblies depend downwardly from the yoke plate,
and wherein first and second sub-conductors of the plurality of sub-conductors are suspended in the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles and third and fourth sub-conductors of the plurality of sub-conductors are suspended in corresponding conductor cradles of the first and second J-hook assemblies, separated from each other by the pre-set clearance.

2. The set of claim 1 , wherein the engagement structures are suspension apertures in the yoke plate, the plurality of J-hook assemblies and the plurality of elongate linkage members, respectively.

3. The set of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of removable couplers are fasteners adapted to cooperate with the suspension apertures.

4. The set of claim 2 , wherein each J-hook assembly of the plurality of J-hook assemblies includes a pair of parallel, spaced apart hook-shaped plates.

5. The set of claim 4 , wherein each J-hook assembly includes a latch assembly located between lower ends of the hook-shaped plates for opening and closing of the conductor cradle of the J-hook assembly, and wherein a suspension aperture of the suspension apertures is formed between upper ends of the hook-shaped plates.

6. The set of claim 5 , wherein the latch assembly is adapted to operatively engage a tool during use, whereby operation of the latch assembly is controllable remotely through the tool.

7. The set of claim 6 , wherein the tool is a dielectric flexible member.

8. The set of claim 1 , wherein the yoke plate is a V-shaped flat plate and the yoke plate conductor cradles include left and right yoke plate conductor cradles formed in opposite ends of the V-shaped flat plate.

9. The set of claim 8 , wherein the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles include outside U-shaped clamp members and U-shaped spacers to extend in length a cradle support surface of the yoke plate conductor cradles.

10. The set of claim 8 further comprising a liner mounted on the cradle support surface.

11. The set of claim 8 , wherein each of the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles includes a latch assembly for opening and closing of the corresponding conductor cradles.

12. The set of claim 11 , wherein the latch assembly is adapted to operatively engage a tool during use, whereby operation of the latch assembly is controllable remotely through the tool.

13. The set of claim 12 , wherein the tool is a dielectric flexible member.

14. A method for temporarily suspending a plurality of sub-conductors, separated from each other by a pre-set clearance, the method comprising:
providing the set of components of claim 1 ;
assembling a temporary wire suspender having one of the assembled combinations of claim 1 , the temporary wire suspender comprising a plurality of conductor cradles;
moving the plurality of sub-conductors from their primary location; and
locating the plurality of sub-conductors in the plurality of the conductor cradles such that a weight of the plurality of sub-conductors is suspended by the temporary wire suspender, and the plurality of sub-conductors are secured in the temporary wire suspender and are separated from each other by the pre-set clearance.

15. A set of components for assembling a temporary wire suspender for temporarily suspending a plurality of conductors or sub-conductors, the set comprising:
a yoke plate having: first and second, correspondingly upper and lower, suspension apertures formed in the yoke plate along a centroidally located vertical axis of symmetry of the yoke plate, and wherein oppositely disposed left and right yoke plate conductor cradles are formed in the yoke plate and symmetrically spaced apart in the yoke plate from the vertical axis of symmetry of the yoke plate, and third and fourth suspension apertures formed in the yoke plate below the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles respectively;
a plurality of J-hook assemblies, each J-hook assembly of the plurality of J-hook assemblies having a hook so as to form a corresponding conductor cradle at a lower end thereof and having fifth and sixth, correspondingly upper and lower, suspension apertures formed in each J-hook assembly respectively above and below the J-hook assembly conductor cradle along a centroidal vertical axis of the J-hook assembly;
a plurality of elongate linkage members, each linkage member of the plurality of elongate linkage members having seventh and eighth suspension apertures formed therein at opposite ends thereof;
and wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth suspension apertures in the yoke plate, the plurality of J-hook assemblies, and the plurality of elongate linkage members, respectively, are adapted to be releasably coupled, using a plurality of removable couplers, into multiple wire suspender assembled combinations to temporarily suspend the plurality of conductors or sub-conductors, wherein the assembled combination for use with sub-conductors is an assembled combination comprising:
a four sub-conductor wire suspender combination wherein first and second sub-conductors of the plurality of sub-conductors are suspended in the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles,
and wherein third and fourth sub-conductors of the plurality of sub-conductors are suspended in first and second J-hook assemblies of the plurality of J-hook assemblies coupled by their fifth suspension apertures to the third and fourth suspension apertures in the yoke plate by intervening linkage members of the plurality of elongate linkage members,
the seventh suspension apertures of the intervening linkage members coupled to the third and fourth suspension apertures of the yoke plate,
and the eighth suspension apertures of the intervening linkage members coupled to the fifth suspension apertures of the first and second J-hook assemblies.

16. The set of claim 15 , wherein the yoke plate is a V-shaped flat plate.

17. The set of claim 16 , wherein the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles are formed in opposite ends of the yoke plate.

18. The set of claim 17 , wherein the left and right yoke plate conductor cradles further include outside U-shaped clamp members and U-shaped spacers mounted on opposite sides of the yoke plate conductor cradles which conform to the curv

Assignees

• Quanta Associates Lp

Inventors

• Harvey Benjamin James
• O'Connell Daniel Neil
• Jodoin Raymond Henry

Classifications

• H02G7/12

  Devices for maintaining distance between parallel conductors, e.g. spacer · CPC title

• H02G7/053

  Suspension clamps and clips for electric overhead lines not suspended to a supporting wire · CPC title

• H02G7/06 Primary

  Suspensions for lines or cables along a separate supporting wire, e.g. S-hook · CPC title

• H02G1/04 Primary

  for mounting or stretching · CPC title