Manual and motor operated circuit breaker

A circuit breaker comprising, in combination:

• A. a manual operating handle;
• B. a motor operator mechanism;
• C. a first slide drivingly coupled with said handle and mounted for reciprocating movement thereby through a return stroke and a charging stroke;
• D. a second slide drivingly coupled with said motor operator mechanism and mounted for reciprocating movement through a return stroke and a charging stroke independently of said first slide;
• E. a contact operating mechanism capable of assuming reset and trip conditions,
• (1) at least one movable contact arm, and
• (2) a mechanism spring capable of being charged incident with conversion of said operating mechanism from its tripped condition to its reset condition, said charged mechanism spring powering contact closure movement of said arm with said operating mechanism in its reset condition and contact opening movement of said arm upon conversion of said operating mechanism from its reset condition to its tripped condition;
• F. a charging member coupled with said contact operating mechanism and operative to convert same from its tripped to its reset condition during an operating cycle thereof, said charging member being independently drivingly coupled with said first and second slides such as to execute an operating cycle initiated by a charging stroke of either of said slides, as said charging member is propelled into its operating cycle by one of said slides, the other of said slides being drivingly decoupled from said charging member.

A circuit breaker comprising, in combination:

• A. a manual operating handle;
• B. a motor operator mechanism;
• C. a manual operator member drivingly coupled with said handle for motivation thereby through a first operating cycle;
• D. a motor operator member drivingly coupled with said motor operator mechanism for motivation thereby through a second operating cycle independent of said first operating cycle;
• E. a movable contact operating mechanism;
• and
• F. a charging member drivingly coupled with said movable contact operating mechanism to charge same incident with the execution of a charging cycle by said charging member, said manual and motor operator members being in independent and continuous drive coupling relations with said charging member such that said charging member is motivated into its charging cycle by whichever one of said operator members first initiates its operating cycle and motivated to the conclusion of its charging cycle by whichever one of said operator members first concludes its operating cycle, whereby said operating cycles of said operator members may be performed concurrently without the necessity for electrical and mechanical interlocking.