Circuit breaker with arc-extinguishing means

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING AN INSULATING HOUSING; A UNITARY CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING; SAID UNITARY CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM COMPRISING INSULATING SIDE PLATES AND CIRCUIT INTERRUPTING MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID INSULATING SIDE PLATES; SAID CIRCUIT INTERRUPTING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF CONTACTS OPENABLE TO ESTABLISH AN ARC THEREBETWEEN, AN OVERCENTER SPRING OPERATING MECHANISM, MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID SPRING OPERATING MECHANISM BETWEEN OVERCENTER POSITIONS TO OPEN AND CLOSE SAID CONTACTS, TRIP MEANS OPERABLE AUTOMATICALLY UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF CERTAIN ABNORMAL CONDITIONS TO EFFECT A TRIPPING OPERATION OF SAID SPRING OPERATING MECHANISM TO OPEN SAID CONTACTS, SAID INSULATING SIDE PLATES HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THEREIN, ARC-EXTINGUISHING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FLAT ARC-EXTINGUISHING PLATES EACH OF WHICH HAS A PROJECTION AT EACH OF TWO OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, EACH OF SAID ARC-EXTINGUISING PLATES HAVING A SLOT THEREIN, SAID ARD-EXTINGUISHING PLATES BEING SUPPORTED ON AND BETWEEN SAID INSULATING SIDE PLATES IN A SPACED STACKED CONDITION WITH SAID SLOTS BEING IN GENERAL ALIGNMENT, DURING SEPARATION OF SAID CONTACTS ONE OF SAID CONTACTS MOVING GENERALLY WITHIN SAID ALIGNED SLOTS TO ESTABLISH AN ARC WHICH ARC IS EXTINGUISHED BY MEANS OF SAID STACKED ARC-EXTINGUISHING PLATES, AND SAID PROJECTIONS FITTING IN SAID OPENINGS TO THEREBY SUPPORT SAID ARC-EXTINGUISHING PLATES ON AND BETWEEN SAID INSULATING SIDE PLATES.