Contact pressure arrangement for circuit breaker mechanism

Claim 1

OPERATING MEANS FOR USE IN A MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKER HAVING A FIRST STATIONARY CONTACT AND A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED CONTACT BLADE HAVING A CONTACT AND A PIVOTALLY COOPERATING WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT WHEREIN SAID OPERATING MEANS COMPRISES AN OVERCENTER TOGGLE LINKAGE CONNECTED TO THE CONTACT BLADE TO EFFECT RAPID MOVEMENT THEREOF INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT, SAID TOGGLE LINKAGE INCLUDING A FIRST TOGGLE MEANS HAVING AN ARCUATE CAM SURFACE ALONG ONE EDGE THEREOF; SECOND TOGGLE MEANS HAVING A FIRST END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID CONTACT BLADE AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE END THEREOF; AND HAVING A SECOND END ROLLING ENGAGING SAID CAM SURFACE; AN OPERATING HANDLE HAVING A FIRST END PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND A SECOND END MOVABLE ALONG AN ARCUATE PATH BETWEEN A CLOSED AND AN OPEN POSITION; SPRING MEANS HAVING A FIRST END CONNECTED TO THE SECOND END OF SAID SECOND TOGGLE MEANS AND A SECOND END CONNECTED TO THE SECOND END OF SAID OPERATING HANDLE FOR URGING THE SECOND END OF SAID SECOND TOGGLE MEANS FIRMLY AGAINST SAID CAM SURFACE; SAID SPRING MEANS POSITIONED TO RAPIDLY MOVE SAID SECOND TOGGLE MEANS SECOND END IN A FIRST DIRECTION ALONG SAID CAM SURFACE UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERATING HANDLE FROM SAID CLOSED TO SAID OPEN POSITION TO RAPIDLY DISENGAGE SAID COOPERATING CONTACTS; SAID PIVOTAL MOUNTING FOR SAID CONTACT BLADE COMPRISING CONTACT PRESSURE PRODUCING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID COOPERATING CONTACTS IN FIRM ENGAGEMENT WHEN SAID CIRCUIT BREAKER IS IN THE CLOSED POSITION; SAID CONTACT PRESSURE PRODUCING MEANS COMPRISING PIN MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID CONTACT BLADE TO THE MOLDED CASE BREAKER HOUSING; SAID CONTACT BLADE HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT FOR RECEIVING SAID PIN MEANS; SUBSTANTIALLY RESILIENT U-SHAPED MEANS HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION AND FIRST AND SECOND ARMS EXTENDING THEREFROM; SAID FIRST AND SECOND ARMS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID PIN MEANS; SAID CENTRAL PORTION URGING AGAINST THE ADJACENT EDGE OF SAID CONTACT BLADE AND BEING SUFFICIENTLY RESILIENT TO URGE SAID CONTACT IN A DIRECTION TO FIRMLY MAINTAIN SAID COOPERATING CONTACTS IN THE ENGAGED POSITION.