Electric switch incorporating an automatic circuit breaker

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING A PAIR OF TERMINALS, A FIXED MAIN CONTACT ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID TERMINALS, A MOVABLE MAIN CONTACT ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIXED CONTACT, A RELEASABLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING SEPARATION OF THE MAIN CONTACTS, CURRENT RESPONSIVE MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE CONTACT AND TO THE OTHER ONE OF SAID TERMINALS OPERABLE UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF A PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL CONDITION TO EFFECT RELEASE OF THE OPERATING MECHANISM, A PAIR OF SEPARABLE SHUNT CONTACTS, ONE OF SAID SHUNT CONTACTS BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID MOVEABLE CONTACT, THE OTHER OF SAID SHUNT CONTACTS BEING CONNECTED TO THE OTHER ONE OF SAID TERMINALS, AND MEANS ON THE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CLOSING SAID SHUNT CONTACTS UPON SEPARATION OF SAID MAIN CONTACTS TO PROVIDE A CONDUCTIVE PATH BETWEEN SAID MOVABLE CONTACT AND SAID OTHER TERMINAL SHUNTING SAID CURRENT RESPONSIVE MEANS.