Contact structure for an electric circuit interrupter

Claim 1

AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER COMPRISING: (A) AN AXIALLY-EXTENDING CONDUCTIVE ROD, (B) A PAIR OF SEPARABLE CONTACTS, ONE OF WHICH IS ELECTRICALLY AND MECHANICALLY JOINED TO SAID CONDUCTIVE ROD, (C) SAID CONTACTS HAVING ARC-INITIATING REGIONS BETWEEN WHICH AN ARC IS DRAWN UPON SEPARATION OF SAID CONTACTS AND ARC-RUNNING REGION WHICH ARE DISPLACED IN A LATERALLY-OUTWARD DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIALLY-EXTENDING ROD FROM SAID ARC-INITIATING REGIONS, (D) CURRENT-DIRECTING MEANS FOR FORCING THE NET CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH SAID CONTACTS AND AN ARC PRESENT AT ANY POINT ON SAID ARC-INITIATING REGIONS TO FOLLOW A LOOP-SHAPED PATH WHICH BOWS IN A LATERALLY-OUTWARD DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIALLY EXTENDING ROD IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF SAID ARC TO PROVIDE A LATERALLY OUTWARDLY ACTING MAGNETIC FORCE ON SAID ARC, (E) SAID CURRENT-DIRECTING MEANS COMPRISING A RECESS FORMED IN THE CONDUCTIVE STRUCTURE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ONE OF SAID ARC-INITIATING REGIONS AND GENERALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID ONE ARC-INITIATING REGION, SAID RECESS EXTENDING IN A LATERALLY INWARD DIRECTION BEHIND SAID ONE ARC-INITIATING REGION TO AT LEAST THE LATERALLYINNERMOST EDGE OF SAID ONE ARC-INITIATING REGION, (F) SAID CURRENT-DIRECTING MEANS ALSO COMPRISING AN INSERT OF HIGH RESISTIVITY MATERIAL COMPARED TO THAT OF THE SURROUNDING MATERIAL LOCATED IN SAID RECESS TO FORCE MOST OF THE CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH THE ASSOCIATED CONTACT TO FOLLOW A PATH THAT BYPASSES SAID RECESS, SAID INSERT ENGAGING THE OPPOSITE WALLS OF SAID RECESS TO RESIST DEFORMATION OF THE MATERIAL ADJACENT SAID RECESS, (G) THE SHAPE OF SAID RECESS BEING SUCH THAT THE PATH OF THE NET CURRENT THROUGH SAID ASSOCIATED CONTACT TO AN ARC LOCATED AT ANY POINT ON ITS ARC-INITIATING REGION IS MORE EFFECTIVELY LATERAL IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARC THAN IF THE NET CURRENT COULD FLOW DIRECTLY ACROSS SAID RECESS.