Time delay disconnect switch
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorTeamus Bowling
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable time delay disconnect switch or hot wire relay for use with a ground fault circuit interrupter in a power circuit to a load, such as an electric range, to provide ground fault protection for any circuit of the range. The switch has normally closed switch contacts, a biased actuator plunger for opening the contacts, a biased latch for disabling the plunger, and an adjustable hot wire for releasing the latch and hence the plunger when the circuit is overloaded. The plunger is manually resettable when the circuit condition returns to normal.
Claims8
A time delay disconnect switch for controlling the flow of current in a conductor and interrupting the flow in the event of a predetermined current, said switch comprising a housing with fixed and movable contact means for making and breaking a circuit with the conductor, biasing means for holding the movable contact means normally closed with the fixed contact means, biased actuator means for forcing the movable contact means away from the fixed contact means at a relatively slow rate, and a biased latch means for disabling the actuator means, an adjustable thermal-responsive means acting upon the said latch means for holding the latch means in engagement with the said actuator means, whereby a predetermined current flow in the conductor causes the thermal-responsive means to release the latch means for engagement with the actuator means thereby allowing the biased actuator means to force the movable contact means away from the fixed contact means with a controlled contact gap in less than a half cycle, said actuator means being manually resettable with respect to the latch means when the said thermal-responsive means has returned to its normal condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.