Knife blade switch with toggle operating means and means for fastening the knife blade to a tie bar

Claim 2

A switch comprising support means, a plurality of clip-type stationary contacts supported on said support means, a separate movable contact arm for each of said stationary contacts, an elongated rigid tie bar supported on said support means for pivotal movement about the elongated axis thereof, each of said movable contact arms being generally flat rigid unitary conductor fixedly supported at one end thereof on said tie bar and comprising a knife-blade contact at the other end thereof, a spring operating mechanism, said spring operating mechanism comprising a toggle, said toggle comprising a first toggle link and a second toggle link, means pivotally connecting said first toggle link to a fixed pivot, means pivotally connecting said second toggle link to one of said contact arms, means pivotally connecting said first toggle link to said second toggle link at a knee pivot, an operating handle structure movable between a closed position and an open position, spring means connected between said operating handle structure and said knee pivot, said operating handle structure being movable to a closed position to operate said spring means to erect said Toggle to thereby operate through said pivotal connection of said second toggle link and one movable contact arm to rotate said rigid tie bar to the closed position to simultaneously drive said plurality of knifeblade contacts into knife-blade engagement with said plurality of clip-type stationary contacts, and said operating handle structure being movable from said closed position to the open position to operate said spring means to collapse said toggle to thereby operate through said pivotal connection of said second toggle link and one movable contact arm to rotate said rigid tie bar to the open position to simultaneously drive said plurality of knife-blade contacts to an open position disengaged from said plurality of clip-type stationary contacts.

Claim 3

A switch according to claim 1, a separate terminal conductor for each of said contact arms, and a separate flexible conductor means for each of said movable contact arms electrically connecting the movable contact arm with the associated terminal conductor.

Claim 4

A switch according to claim 2, and said second toggle link being pivotally connected directly to said one movable contact arm intermediate the ends of said one movable contact arm.

Claim 5

A switch according to claim 1, said plurality of stationary contacts being three stationary contacts supported in a spaced aligned relationship, a separate of said movable contact arms for each of said three stationary contacts, each of said movable contact arms being a flat rigid unitary conducting member with one end thereof being a knife-blade contact and with the other end thereof being fixedly secured to said tie bar, said second toggle link being pivotally connected directly to the center contact arm of said three contact arms intermediate the ends of said center contact arm, a separate arc-extinguishing unit for each of said stationary contacts, each of said arc-extinguishing units comprising insulating support means and a plurality of slotted magnetic plates supported on said insulating support means in a spaced relationship with the slots thereof being aligned, and each of said knife-blade contacts moving with the slots of the magnetic plates of the associated arc-extinguishing unit during opening and closing operations of said switch.

Claim 6

A switch according to claim 4, said spring means being overcenter tension spring means connected between said knee pivot and said operating handle structure, upon operation of said operating handle structure to the closed position said overcenter tension spring means being operated to erect said toggle to move said contact arms into the closed position, and upon operation of said operating handle structure to the open position said overcenter tension spring means being operated to collapse said toggle to operate said contact arms to the open position.

Claim 7

A switch according to claim 1, each of said stationary contact structures comprising a generally U-shaped resilient sheet metal conducting member bent over at the free ends of the opposite legs thereof to provide a pair of spaced contact portions that extend in a spaced relationship toward the bight portion of said U-shaped member generally parallel to the opposite legs of said U-shaped member, said spaced contact portions being resiliently biased toward each other, spacing means limiting the movement of said spaced contact portions toward each other thereby providing that said resiliently biased spaced contact portions are precharged, and each of said knife-blade contacts in moving to the closed position thereof forcing the associated precharged spaced contact portions of the associated stationary contact structure away from each other to provide contact pressure between the knife-blade contact and the associated spaced contact portions.

Claim 8

A switch according to claim 6, said plurality of stationary contacts being three stationary contacts supported in a spaced aligned relationship, a separate of said movable contact arms for each of said three stationary contacts, eacH of said movable contact arms being a flat rigid unitary conducting member with one end thereof being knife-blade contact and with the other end thereof being fixedly secured to said tie bar, said second toggle link being pivotally connected directly to the center contact arm of said three contact arms intermediate the ends of said center contact arm, a separate arc-extinguishing unit for each of said stationary contacts, each of said arc-extinguishing units comprising insulating support means and a plurality of slotted magnetic plates supported on said insulating support means in a spaced relationship with the slots thereof being aligned, and each of said knife-blade contacts moving within the slots of the magnetic plates of the associated arc-extinguishing unit during opening and closing operations of said switch.

Claim 9

A switch comprising support means, a plurality of clip-type stationary contacts supported on said support means, a separate movable contact arm for each of said stationary contacts, an elongated rigid tie bar supported on said support means for pivotal movement about the elongated axis thereof, each of said movable contact arms being a rigid unitary conductor fixedly supported at one end thereof on said tie bar and comprising a knife-blade contact at the other end thereof, an overcenter spring operating mechanism comprising an operating handle structure and lever means, said operating mechanism comprising overcenter spring means connected to operate said lever means upon operation of said operating handle structure, means pivotally connecting said lever means to one of said contact arms, said operating handle structure being movable to a closed position to operate said overcenter spring means and lever means to an overcenter closed position to operate through said pivotal connection of said lever means and one movable contact arm to rotate said rigid tie bar to the closed position to simultaneously drive said plurality of knife-blade contacts into knife-blade engagement with said plurality of clip-type stationary contacts, and said operating handle structure being movable from said closed position to the open position to operate said overcenter spring means and lever means to an overcenter open position to operate through said pivotal connection of said lever means and one movable contact arm to rotate said rigid tie bar to the open position to simultaneously drive said plurality of knife-blade contacts to an open position disengaged from said plurality of clip-type stationary contacts, each of said movable contact arms being a flat rigid unitary conducting member with one end thereof being a knife-blade contact and with a slot at the opposite end thereof forming a pair of spaced projections at said opposite end, said tie bar being generally rectangular in cross section comprising a first pair of opposite sides and a second pair of opposite sides, each of said contact arms extending from a first side of said first pair of opposite sides of said tie bar with the pair of projections thereof extending along the second pair of opposite sides of said tie bar, a separate supporting plate for each of said movable contact arms, each of said separate supporting plates having opening means therein and being disposed at the second side of said first pair of opposite sides of said tie bar with the spaced projections of the associated movable contact arm extending through said opening means and being riveted over to fixedly secure the associated flat rigid unitary conducting movable contact arm to said generally rectangular tie bar.

Claim 10

A switch comprising support means, a plurality of clip-type stationary contacts supported on said support means, a separate movable contact arm for each of said stationary contacts, an elongated rigid tie bar supported on said support means for pivotal movement about the elongated axis thereof, each of said movable contact arms being a rigid unitary conductor fixedly supported at one end thereof on said tie bar and comprising a knife-blade contact at the other end thereof, an overcenter spring operating mechanism comprising an operating handle structure and lever means, said operating mechanism comprising overcenter spring means connected to operate said lever means upon operation of said operating handle structure, means pivotally connecting said lever means to one of said contact arms, said operating handle structure being movable to a closed position to operate said overcenter spring means and lever means to an overcenter closed position to operate through said pivotal connection of said lever means and one movable contact arm to rotate said rigid tie bar to the closed position to simultaneously drive said plurality of knife-blade contacts into knife-blade engagement with said plurality of clip-type stationary contacts, and said operating handle structure being movable from said closed position to the open position to operate said overcenter spring means and lever means to an overcenter open position to operate through said pivotal connection of said lever means and one movable contact arm to rotate said rigid tie bar to the open position to simultaneously drive said plurality of knife-blade contacts to an open position disengaged from said plurality of clip-type stationary contacts, each of said movable contact arms being a flat rigid unitary conducting member with one end thereof being a knife-blade contact and with a slot at the opposite end thereof forming a pair of spaced projections at said opposite end, said tie bar being generally rectangular in cross section comprising a first pair of opposite sides and a second pair of opposite sides, each of said contact arms extending from a first side of said first pair of opposite sides of said tie bar with the pair of projections thereof extending along the second pair of opposite sides of said tie bar, a separate supporting plate for each of said movable contact arms, each of said separate supporting plates having opening means therein and being disposed at the second side of said first pair of opposite sides of said tie bar with the spaced projections of the associated movable contact arm extending through said opening means and being riveted over to fixedly secure the associated flat rigid unitary conducting movable contact arm to said generally rectangular tie bar.

Claim 11

A switch according to claim 8, a separate U-shaped flat plate member for each of said contact arms, each of said U-shaped flat plates being nested in the slot of the associated movable contact arm between said tie bar and said movable contact arm to provide an increased surface area of pressure on said tie bar at the connection of the associated movable contact arm to said tie bar.

Claim 12

A switch according to claim 9, said plurality of stationary contacts being three stationary contacts supported in a spaced aligned relationship, a separate of said movable contact arms for each of said three stationary contacts, said lever means being pivotally connected directly to the center contact arm of the three movable contact arms intermediate the ends of said center contact arm, a separate arc-extinguishing unit for each of said stationary contacts, each of said arc-extinguishing units comprising insulating support means and a plurality of slotted magnetic plates supported on said insulating support means in a spaced relationship with the slots thereof being aligned, and each of said knife-blade contacts moving within the slots of the magnetic plates of the associated arc-extinguishing unit during opening and closing operations of said switch.