US 6,084,188 AGranted

Circuit interrupter with non-symmetrical terminal collar

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorsRobert W. Mueller, Thomas A. Whitaker, Wayne C. Sumpman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A molded case circuit breaker having separable main contacts and an operating mechanism utilized to cause the separable main contacts to open and close. A trip unit is provided to actuate the operating mechanism in desirable circumstances. The circuit breaker has external terminals which are connectable with an external load and an external power supply. A collar is used to interconnect the circuit breaker terminals with the load and power supply. The terminal collar in this case is non-symmetrical. The non-symmetrical collar provides two functions: the first function is that the path of electrical continently between adjacent collars is enlarged for higher voltage applications because of the non-symmetrical nature of each collar; secondly, the circuit breaker case has a seat therein which has the same cross-section as the non-symmetrical collar, so that the collar can only be inserted therein in one cross-sectional orientation.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A multi pole circuit interrupter device, comprising:

a housing;
operating mechanism means disposed within said housing;
multi pole separable contact means disposed within said housing in cooperation with said operating mechanism means for being opened by said operating mechanism means;
opening means disposed within said housing in cooperation with said operating mechanism means for actuating said operating mechanism means for opening said separable contact means;
and
multi pole terminal means interconnected with said multi pole separable contact means for providing an electrical conduction path from a region outside of said housing to each pole of said multi pole separable contact means, each terminal of said multi pole terminal means having a non-symmetrically shaped terminal collar means connected thereto with a region of relatively smaller dimension relative to a region of larger dimension, uninsulated lateral paths of electrical conduction between adjacent pairs of said terminal collar means, the shortest uninsulated lateral electrical conduction path between an adjacent pair of said non-symmetrically shaped terminal collar means being between said regions of relatively smaller dimensions.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/377,018Filed 18 Aug 1999
Granted: 4 Jul 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H01H 71/08
Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00: terminals; Connections
H01R 4/307
Utilising a screw or nut clamping member: characterised by the thread of the screw or nut
H01H 1/5855
Electric connections to or between contacts; Terminals: characterised by the use of a wire clamping screw or nut
H01H 2001/5861
Characterised by the use of a wire clamping screw or nut: box connector with a collar or lug for clamping internal rail and external conductor…