Electric switch with novel arc cooling means

Claim 1

AN ELECTRIC SWITCH COMPRISING: (A) A SUPPORT; (B) AT LEAST ONE STATIONARY CONTACT SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT; (C) AN ELONGATED CONTACT ARM PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT; (D) A MOVABLE CONTACT CARRIED BY SAID CONTACT ARM AND MOVABLE BY SAID CONTACT ARM ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH BETWEEN A CLOSED CIRCUIT POSITION IN WHICH IT IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT AND AN OPEN CIRCUIT POSITION IN WHICH IT IS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT; (E) OPERATING MECHANISM SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT SUBSTANTIALLY CO-PLANAR WITH AND AT ONE SIDE OF SAID STATIONARY CONTACT FOR MOVING SAID CONTACT ARM BETWEEN SAID OPEN AND SAID CLOSED CIRCUIT POSITION SAID OPERATING MECHANISM COMPRISING AT LEAST AN OPERATING SPRING, MEANS CONNECTING SAID OPERATING SPRING TO SAID CONTACT ARM, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID OPERATING SPRING FOR MOVING SAID OPERATING SPRING BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS TO MOVE SAID CONTACT ARM BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED CIRCUIT POSITIONS; (F) A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY U-SPACED METALLIC ARC CHUTE PLATES DISPOSED ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED CONTACT PATH; (G) SUPPORT MEANS FOR SAID ARC CHUTE PLATES COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALL MEMBERS; (H) AN INSULATING BACK WALL MEMBER CLOSING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SIDE SALL MEMBERS AT THE BACK OF SAID PLATES AND A COVER MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALL PORTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID BACK WALL MEMBER; (I) SAID SIDE WALL MEMBERS SAID BACK WALL MEMBER AND SAID COVER MEMBER ALL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERFORATE TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF ARC GASES THERETHROUGH, (J) EACH OF SAID ARC CHUTE PLATES HAVING A PORTION ADJACENT SAID BACK WALL CUT-AWAY AND PORTIONS ADJACENT EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS CUT-AWAY, SAID CUT-AWAY PORTIONS OF SAID PLATES BEING IN ALIGNMENT WHEN SAID PLATES ARE IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT, WHEREBY TO PROVIDE THREE VERTICAL PASSAGES AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE GENERAL PLANES OF SAID PLATES, WHEREBY ARC GASES GENERATED BETWEEN SAID CONTACTS MAY BE BLOWN BETWEEN SAID PLATES AND INTO SAID VERTICAL PASSAGES THENCE UPWARDLY AGAINST SAID COVER MEMBER AND THENCE OUTWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID OPERATING MECHANISM.