Current-limiting electric circuit interrupter of the fluid blast type

Claim 1

AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING A PAIR OF RELATIVELY MOVABLE BUTT-TYPE CONTACTS SEPARABLE TO ESTABLISH AN ARCING GAP ACROSS WHICH AN ARC IS DRAWN, AN ARCING CHAMBER ENCLOSING SAID ARCING GAP, SAID ARCING CHAMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLED WITH ARC-EXTINGUISHING LIQUID WHEN SAID CONTACTS ARE IN ENGAGEMENT, MEANS FOR BIASING ONE OF SAID CONTACTS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER WITH A FORCE LESS THAN THE TOTAL FORCE TENDING TO POP APART SAID CONTACTS DURING HEAVY OVERCURRENTS THROUGH SAID CONTACTS WITHIN THE INTERRUPTING RATING OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER SO THAT SAID CONTACTS SEPARATE AUTOMATICALLY IN RESPONSE TO SAID OVERCURRENTS, EXHAUST PASSAGE MEANS CONFINED TO SAID CONTACTS AND LEADING FROM SAID ARCING GAP IN A DIRECTION LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONTACTS, SAID ARCING CHAMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERFORATE EXCEPT FOR SAID EXHAUST PASSAGE MEANS SO THAT THE PRESSURES GENERATED BY ARCING FORCE FLUID INTO SAID EXHAUST PASSAGE MEANS VIA PATHS EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ARCING GAP, MEANS FOR SEVERELY RESTRICTING FLOW THROUGH SAID EXHAUST PASSAGE MEANS FROM THE TIME SAID CONTACTS FIRST PART UNTIL A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF GAP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED WHEREBY THE ARC DEVELOPS RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURES THAT ACT TO CONTINUE SEPARATION OF SAID ONE CONTACT FROM SAID OTHER CONTACT, MEANS FOR OPENING SAID EXHAUST PASSAGE MEANS WHEN SAID PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF GAP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED SO THAT SAID HIGH PRESSURES CAN THEN DRIVE FLUID THROUGH SAID ARCING GAP AND SAID EXHAUST PASSAGE MEANS AT AN INCREASED RATE OF FLOW.