High voltage three-phase circuit breaker module

Claim 1

A THREE-PHASE CIRCUIT BREAKER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS, EACH BREAKER BEING OF THE TYPE HAVING AN INDIVIDUAL ENCLOSING CASE, A SPRING BIASED OVER-CENTER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR OPERATING THE BREAKER CONTACTS BETWEEN CIRCUITCLOSED AND CIRCUIT-OPEN CONDITION, AN OPERATING LEVER FOR ACTUATING SAID OPERATING MECHANISMS, AND A TRIP LEVER OPERABLE BY SAID OPERATING MECHANISM, SAID TRIP LEVER HAVING PORTIONS ACCESSIBLE TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID ENCLOSING CASE, WHEREIN EACH BREAKER OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS FURTHER COMPRISES A VENT OPENING FORMED IN SAID ENCLOSING CASE, TRIP MEANS RESPONSIVE TO OVERLOAD CURRENT CONDITIONS, A PAIR OF ARC QUENCHING MEMBERS POSITIONED WITHIN THE ENCLOSING CASE ON EACH SIDE OF THE BREAKER CONTACTS, SAID MEMBERS HAVING A RECESSED SLOT ON THEIR INNER SURFACES EXTENDING ANGULARLY DOWNWARD FROM THE AREA OF THE CONTACTS AND PAST THE VENT OPENING, A U-SHAPED BLOWOUT MEMBER HAVING A SQUARE CROSS-SECTION POSTIONED WITHIN THE BREAKER, THE LEGS OF SAID BLOWOUT MEMBER FITTING WITHIN AND SUBSTANTIALLY ENVELOPED OVER THREE SIDES OF THEIR ENTIRE LENGTH BY SAID RECESSED SLOTS OF SAID ARC QUENCHING MEMBERS, AND THE BIGHT PORTION OF SAID BLOWOUT MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ARC QUENCHING MEMBERS AT THE LOWER END OF SAID RECESSED SLOTS, AND CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE OF INSULATING MATERIAL SURROUNDING THE SPRING OF SAID OVERCENTER OPERATING MECHANISM TO REDUCE ATTRACTION OF AN ARC AWAY FROM SAID VENT OPENING, AND WHEREIN SAID SECOND PAIR OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAVE A COMMON STATIONARY CONTACT BAR EXTENDING THROUGH COMMUNICATING OPENINGS IN THEIR ENCLOSING CASES, SAID CONTACT BAR HAVING CONTACTS SECURED TO ONE FACE THEREOF AT ITS ENDS, SAID CONTACTS POSITIONED WITHIN THE RESPECTIVE ENCLOSING CASES IN ALINEMENT WITH RESPECTIVE MOVABLE CONTACTS, AND TRIP MEANS RESPONSIVE TO OVERLOAD CURRENT CONDITIONS IN ONE OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS, WHEREIN EACH BREAKER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS ARE SECURED TOGETHER AS A UNIT WITH MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN EACH OF SAID TRIP LEVERS TO RIGIDLY LINK SAID TRIP LEVERS TOGETHER TO FORM A COMMON TRIP LEVER TO CAUSE ALL OF THE BREAKERS TO TRIP SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY AND MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE OPERATING LEVERS OF EACH BREAKER TO FORM A SINGLE COMMON OPERATING LEVER, AND WHEREIN THE FIRST AND SECOND PHASES OF A THREE-PHASE LOAD ARE CONNECTED INDIVIDUALLY TO THE BREAKERS OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND THE THIRD PHASE THEREOF IS CONNECTED IN SERIES TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS T AFFORD INDIVIDUAL OVERLOAD CURRENT SENSING IN EACH PHASE THEREOF.