Case assembly for circuit breakers

Claim 2

A casing for supporting circuit breaker mechanism which includes rotatable handle means, rotatable armature means, rotatable contact means, pivot pins for said handle means armature means and contact means, and a rigid frame with parallel sideplates having surfaces extending in three dimensions and having pivot holes for said pins, said casing comprising: two shells each having a sidewall and projecting from the sidewall peripheral walls having matching rim means interengaging in a common plane, the shells being essentially symmetric to said plane as reflections of each other through the plane, the interengaged shells forming the casing; and on each shell interior frame restraining faces extending in three dimensions corresponding to and contacting said plate surfaces; said pivot pins extending through said pivot holes towards said sidewalls of the casing formed by the shells for restraint of their axial movement in the pivot holes and fixed with the frame relatively to the casing by said plate surfaces and said restraining faces.

Claim 3

A frame for mounting circuit breaker mechanism supported in a casing according to claim 1, wherein said sideplates have sets of parallel edges and sets of stepped indentations, said edges and said indentations having surfaces extending in said three dimensions.

Claim 4

A pair of shells for mounting circuit breaker mechanism according to claim 2, wherein each shell has internal wall portions with opposite internal restraining faces fitting said parallel plate edges, and wherein each shell has internally projecting bosses with restraining faces fitting said indentations.

Claim 5

A frame according to claim 2 having a web connecting said plates and a bracket extending laterally from said web, said bracket having a hole for supporting an overload sensitive magnet.

Claim 6

A casing with two shells each having a sidewall surrounded by a rim Which forms peripheral walls with the rim of the other shell for housing a circuit breaker mechanism mounted on a frame with sideplates one in each shell, with fixed contact means secured by both shells, and with movable contact means mounted on the frame for closing and opening circuit at said fixed contact means, in combination with: magnetic deflector plate means mounted on and extending from the casing between the closed and open positions respectively of the moving contact means, the plate means being closed at the casing, open oppositely to the casing, and extending to accommodate the movable contact means; a first vent transverse of the casing essentially at right angles therethrough and formed by two matching cutouts in said rims between the fixed contact means and the deflector means; a second vent transverse of the casing essentially at right angles therethrough and formed by two matching cutouts in said rims beyond the deflector means; and two split vent guards, one half of each guard fixed at one end to a respective rim and touching the other half at the other end, and each complete guard extending transversely of the casing interior in front of a respective vent, such that the moving contact means is in closed position at the first vent and guard between the fixed contact means and one side of the deflector means, and in open position directly at the second vent and guard at the other side of the deflector means.

Claim 7

A casing with two shells each having a sidewall surrounded by a rim Which forms peripheral walls with the rim of the other shell for housing a circuit breaker mechanism mounted on a frame with sideplates one in each shell, with fixed contact means secured by both shells, and with movable contact means mounted on the frame for closing and opening circuit at said fixed contact means, in combination with: magnetic deflector plate means mounted on and extending from the casing between the closed and open positions respectively of the moving contact means, the plate means being closed at the casing, open oppositely to the casing, and extending to accommodate the movable contact means; a first vent transverse of the casing essentially at right angles therethrough and formed by two matching cutouts in said rims between the fixed contact means and the deflector means; a second vent transverse of the casing essentially at right angles therethrough and formed by two matching cutouts in said rims beyond the deflector means; and two split vent guards, one half of each guard fixed at one end to a respective rim and touching the other half at the other end, and each complete guard extending transversely of the casing interior in front of a respective vent, such that the moving contact means is in closed position at the first vent and guard between the fixed contact means and one side of the deflector means, and in open position directly at the second vent and guard at the other side of the deflector means.

Claim 8

Casing according to claim 5, wherein each of said arc deflector plate means includes a solid sheet with a U-shaped cutout for accommodating said movable contact means, and with straight rectangular edges on the periphery having tail means extending into and held in one of said shells, the remaining edge portion contacting the other shell.

Claim 9

Casing according to claim 5 wherein each of said arc deflector plate means includes two half sheets together forming a U-shaped cutout for accommodating said movable contact means, and having two straight edges inclined to each other, an edge of each half sheet having tail means extending into and held in a respective one of said shells.

Claim 10

A casing with two shells each having a sidewall surrounded by a rim which forms peripheral walls with the rim of the other shell, said walls forming a housing for circuit breaker mechanism with fixed contact means secured by both shells, and with a movable contact arm for closing and opening circuit at the fixed contact means and said walls having extensions forming a housing and support for an auxiliary switch, in combination with: an auxiliary switch mounted in said auxiliary housing having movable spring contact means and fixed auxiliary contact means, said auxiliary housing being separated from said circuit breaker housing by a partition having a hole, the auxiliary housing having sidewalls on either side of said spring contact means with grooves in the direction of said partition hole; and an actuator having a leg reaching through said hole to contact said contact arm and a crossbar extending within the auxiliary housing transversely of said spring contact means, guided in said grooves, and contacting said spring contact means, said actuator being made of insulating material.

Claim 11

A casing with two shells each having a sidewall surrounded by a rim which forms peripheral walls with the rim of the other shell, said walls forming a housing for circuit breaker mechanism with fixed contact means secured by both shells, and with a movable contact arm for closing and opening circuit at the fixed contact means and said walls having extensions forming a housing and support for an auxiliary switch, in combination with: an auxiliary switch mounted in said auxiliary housing having movable spring contact means and fixed auxiliary contact means, said auxiliary housing being separated from said circuit breaker housing by a partition having a hole, the auxiliary housing having sidewalls on either side of said spring contact means with grooves in the direction of said partition hole; and an actuator having a leg reaching through said hole to contact said contact arm and a crossbar extending within the auxiliary housing transversely of said spring contact means, guided in said grooves, and contacting said spring contact means, said actuator being made of insulating material.

Claim 12

In a circuit breaker, the combination of: two essentially rectangular half shells forming a casing for the circuit breaker mechanism each shell having a sidewall and projecting therefrom peripheral half-walls having rims abutting with the rims of the other half-wall to complete the casing with at least two abutting half-walls forming a straight wall section with a flat near a corner, each shell having adjacent said corner an internal polygonal recess opening to the outside of the wall section with a round recess, the recesses of both half-walls forming complete polygonal and round cavities, respectively, and the shells having transversely aligned holes in respective sidewalls adjacent to and open towards said polygonal cavity; a ferrule haVing a polygonal head and a round shank fitting said polygonal and round cavities respectively, the ferrule being threaded throughout its length; and means for holding the shells together having rod portions in said aligned holes, said rod portions forming backstops for mounting screws threaded into said ferrules.

Claim 13

In a circuit breaker, the combination of: two essentially rectangular half shells forming a casing for the circuit breaker mechanism each shell having a sidewall and projecting therefrom peripheral half-walls having rims abutting with the rims of the other half-wall to complete the casing with at least two abutting half-walls forming a straight wall section with a flat near a corner, each shell having adjacent said corner an internal polygonal recess opening to the outside of the wall section with a round recess, the recesses of both half-walls forming complete polygonal and round cavities, respectively, and the shells having transversely aligned holes in respective sidewalls adjacent to and open towards said polygonal cavity; a ferrule haVing a polygonal head and a round shank fitting said polygonal and round cavities respectively, the ferrule being threaded throughout its length; and means for holding the shells together having rod portions in said aligned holes, said rod portions forming backstops for mounting screws threaded into said ferrules.