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US 4,068,203 AGranted
Bimetallic circuit breaker
AssigneeHeinemann Electric Company
InventorRobert P. Unger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bimetallic circuit breaker with an electrical insulating slide interposed between the contacts thereof in the contacts open position in which the terminals, the bimetallic element, the insulator slide, the button (connected to the slide) and the spring biasing the button and the slide to the contacts open position of the circuit breaker are all carried by an insulator frame so that they may all be preassembled together and inserted into the housing for the circuit as one sub-assembly.
Claims19
A bimetallic circuit breaker comprising
- a housing,
- a sub-assembly received by said housing and comprising
- a frame defining a space,
- first and second terminals secured to said frame,
- said first terminal including a stationary contact,
- said second terminal including a snap acting bimetallic blade having a movable contact,
- said bimetallic blade being disposed in said space and movable on predetermined conditions from a contacts closed position to a contacts tripped position and thereafter to a contacts open position,
- an actuator slidably trapped to said frame and interposed between said first terminal and said frame,
- said actuator having an opening through which said movable contact extends to abut said stationary contact to restrain movement of said actuator by engagement of said movable contact with said actuator, and
- a spring trapped between portions of said frame and said actuator and biasing said actuator to the contacts open position.
7 more elements
A bimetallic circuit breaker comprising
- a housing, and
- a sub-assembly comprising
- a frame of electrical insulating material including first and second walls,
- said first and second walls defining a first space therebetween,
- said second wall bounding a second space,
- first and second terminals secured to said frame,
- said first terminal carrying a stationary contact positioned above said first space,
- said second terminal carrying a bimetallic snap acting blade positioned within said first space,
- an actuator of electrically insulating material slidably trapped between said stationary contact and said first space and movable back and forth between a contacts closed position and a contacts open position,
- said actuator including a body disposed above said first space at all times,
- said actuator including a button disposed in said second space, and
- a spring disposed in said second space and trapped between said frame and said button to bias said actuator to the contacts open position at all times,
- said body including a peripheral wall defining an opening through which said movable contact extends to abut said stationary contact in the contacts closed position,
- said peripheral wall engaging said movable contact in the contacts closed position of said movable contact to restrain movement of said actuator,
- whereupon when the movable contact snaps to the electrically tripped open position, the actuator moves to the contacts open position under pressure of said spring.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.