US 4,363,016 AGranted

Circuit breaker

AssigneeAMF Incorporated

InventorRobert P. Unger

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Abstract

A circuit breaker with an electrical insulator slide interposable between two generally convex contacts thereof and a rocker button rotatably trap mounted on a protrusion extending from the inside wall of the case which interacts wtih pivot points at one end of the slide to translate the rocking motion of the button into a linear motion displacement of the slide. The slide includes generally parallel elongate spaced apart standoff protrusions adapted to maintain the operating electrical contact surface of the movable contact withdrawn from contact with the slide when in the tripped position and during a resetting of the circuit breaker. The slide also includes a contoured portion adapted to generally mate with curved portions of but be visually distinguishable from the rocker button to present a readily discernable indication that the circuit breaker is in the tripped condition.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A circuit breaker comprising:

a housing;
a first and a second terminal;
a stationary contact disposed within the housing being connected to said first terminal;
a movable contact disposed within said housing and connected to said second terminal;
said movable contact being moved on predetermined conditions toward and away from said stationary contact to make and break contact therewith;
an insulator slide member slidingly guided in the housing between a first and a second position and having an opening through which the movable contact being extendable to make contact with the stationary contact with said slide member being disposed in said first position, and an insulator portion interposable between said contacts and a tripped indicator portion exposable without said housing with said slide member being disposed to said second position;
said slide member also being provided with standoff means for keeping operative contact surface of said movable contact from contacting the insulator portion when slide member is in said second position;
actuator means rotatably mounted respective to said housing and engaging the slide member for translating a rotational motion of the actuator means into a linear motion displacement of the slide member;
and
biasing means for urging the slide member to the second longitudinal position.

7 more elements

A circuit breaker, in combination comprising:

a case of electrical insulating material having one end thereof open for access to the interior of the case, and alcove having a passageway into the interior of said case, a transverse ledge portion formed generally along a portion of of the case wall defining said open end thereof, and a tab substantially aligned with and spaced from said ledge portion;
a first terminal trap mounted within said alcove and having a portion without said case;
a stationary contact disposed within said passageway and electrically connected to said first terminal;
a second terminal mounted to said case with a terminal portion extended without said case;
a movable generally dome shaped contact electrically connected to said second terminal and being movable on predetermined conditions toward and away from said stationary contact to make and break contact therewith;
insulator slide means having a generally flat body portion with a window opening therein adapted to permit said movable contact to extend therethrough to engage said stationary contact with the slide means being disposed in a contacts closed position, and having a standoff adapted to engage an inoperative make and break contacting surface portion of said movable contact with said slide means being disposed in a contacts open position wherein the body portion thereof is interposed between the contacts to substantially close in the stationary contact with the alcove passageway of the case for isolating the stationary contact therein, and an end portion having two spaced apart generally parallel projecting wall portions each having a pivot chamber formed therein, said end portion being adapted to visibly extend a distinctive portion thereof without the open end of the case with said slide means being disposed to the contacts open position;
a rocker button actuator means rotatably trap mounted at the open end portion of the case and having axially aligned trunnions extending laterally each rotatably into one of said pivot chambers;
and
a helical spring compressed between a wall portion of the case and a portion of the rocker button for urging the rocker button to rotate outwardly from the case thereby displacing said slide means to the contacts open position.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.