Cradle assist devices and related kits and methods
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsJames Jeffery Benke, Koustubh Dnyandeo Ashtekar, Hongbin Wang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cradle-assist assemblies attached to the breaker cradle housing and/or base or residing at least partially in the breaker cradle housing and/or base include at least one actuator configured to laterally translate the at least one right and the at least one left lock members from the extended lock position to the retracted unlocked position in response to input from a user. The at least one actuator and/or transverse member(s) can be held in a defined position so that the lock members of the cradle can be locked in the respective retracted or extended positions until the cradle assist (internal) lock is manually or automatically released.
Claims12
A breaker, ground and test device (G&TD), or dummy breaker cradle, comprising:
- a cradle housing having a base comprising at least one right lock member and at least one left lock member that retract and extend from the base between a lock position and an unlocked position;
- and
- a cradle-assist assembly attached to the cradle housing and/or base or residing at least partially in the cradle housing and/or base, the cradle-assist assembly comprising at least one actuator that is external to the cradle housing and that translates the at least one right and the at least one left lock members from the lock position to the unlocked position in response to input from a user,
- wherein the base comprises externally accessible right and left handles directly or indirectly attached to the at least one right lock member and the at least one left lock member, wherein the right and left handles laterally travel in respective slots in the base, wherein the cradle assist assembly has an external right transverse member that attaches directly or indirectly to the right handle and an external left transverse member that attaches directly or indirectly to the left handle of the base, and wherein the right and left transverse members are in communication with the at least one actuator to apply a force sufficient to translate the at least one right lock member and the at least one left lock member between the lock and unlocked positions.
A breaker, ground and test device (G&TD), or dummy breaker cradle, comprising:
- a cradle housing having a base comprising at least one right lock member and at least one left lock member that retract and extend from the base between a lock position and an unlocked position;
- and
- a cradle-assist assembly attached to the cradle housing and/or base or residing at least partially in the cradle housing and/or base, the cradle-assist assembly comprising at least one actuator that translates the at least one right and the at least one left lock members from the lock position to the unlocked position in response to input from a user,
- wherein the base comprises externally accessible right and left handles directly or indirectly attached to the at least one right lock member and the at least one left lock members, wherein the right and left handles laterally travel in respective slots in the base, and wherein the cradle assist assembly has a right transverse member that attaches directly or indirectly to the right handle and a left transverse member that attaches directly or indirectly to the left handle of the base, wherein the right and left transverse members are in communication with the at least one actuator to apply a force sufficient to translate the at least one right lock member and the at least one left lock member between the lock and unlocked positions,
- wherein the at least one actuator translates downward and pulls the right and left transverse members attached to the right and left handles inward toward the at least one actuator to retract the right and left lock members to reside at least partially inside the base relative to the lock position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.