Lockout mechanism for use with ground and arc fault circuit interrupters
AssigneePass & Seymour, Inc.
InventorBruce F. Macbeth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical protective device that includes a reset mechanism uses a resistor body to act as a hold-off to a spring driven lockout for the reset mechanism. Upon the failure of an internal component of the protective device, the spring driven lockout mechanism is released by I2R thermal action which causes a resistor to burn in half, or in the alternative, to melt solder mounting the resistor, thereby eliminating the hold-off and locking out the reset mechanism.
Claims31
A lockout for a reset mechanism of an electrical protective device, comprising:
- a spring biasing said lockout;
- a resistor body which holds said lockout in a first position against action of said spring, wherein said first position permits resetting said electrical protective device;
- and
- a switch responsive to an internal fault in said electrical protective device, wherein activation of said switch sends a current through said resistor body;
- wherein when said resistor body reaches a predetermined temperature, said resistor body ceases to hold said lockout in said first position, whereby said lockout moves to a second position by action of said spring, and wherein said second position prevents resetting of said electrical protective device.
A lockout for a reset mechanism of an electrical protective device, comprising:
- a resistor body which holds said lockout in a first position, wherein said first position permits resetting said electrical protective device;
- means, responsive to an internal fault in said electrical protective device, for sending a current through said resistor body;
- and
- means, responsive to said resistor body reaching a predetermined temperature, for moving said lockout to a second position, wherein said second position prevents resetting of said electrical protective device.
A lockout for a reset mechanism of an electrical protective device, comprising:
- a reset mechanism which is biased by a reset spring;
- a lockout spring;
- a resistor body which holds said lockout spring in a first position against action of said lockout spring, wherein said first position permits resetting said electrical protective device;
- and
- a switch responsive to an internal fault in said electrical protective device, wherein activation of said switch sends a current through said resistor body;
- wherein when said resistor body reaches a predetermined temperature, said resistor body ceases to hold said lockout spring in said first position, whereby said lockout spring moves to a second position, and wherein said second position prevents resetting of said electrical protective device.
A lockout for a reset mechanism of an electrical protective device, comprising:
- a spring biasing said lockout;
- a resistor body which holds said lockout in a first position against action of said spring, wherein said first position permits resetting said electrical protective device;
- and
- a current path responsive to an internal fault in said electrical protective device, wherein activation of said current path sends a current through said resistor body;
- wherein when said resistor body reaches a predetermined temperature, said resistor body ceases to hold said lockout in said first position, whereby said lockout moves to a second position by action of said spring, and wherein said second position prevents resetting of said electrical protective device.
A lockout for a reset mechanism of an electrical protective device, comprising:
- a spring biasing said lockout;
- a resistor body which holds said lockout in a first position against action of said spring, wherein said first position permits resetting said electrical protective device;
- means for sending a current through said resistor body in response to an internal fault in said electrical protective device;
- wherein when said resistor body reaches a predetermined temperature, said resistor body ceases to hold said lockout in said first position, and said lockout moves to a second position by action of said spring;
- and
- wherein said second position prevents resetting of said electrical protective device.
A lockout for a reset mechanism of an electrical protective device, comprising:
- a spring biasing said lockout;
- an electrical component which holds said lockout in a first position against action of said spring, wherein said first position permits resetting said electrical protective device;
- means for sending a current through said electrical component in response to an internal fault in said electrical protective device;
- wherein when said electrical component reaches a predetermined temperature, said electrical component ceases to hold said lockout in said first position, and said lockout moves to a second position by action of said spring;
- and
- wherein said second position prevents resetting of said electrical protective device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.