Circuit breaker including spring closing means with means for moving a charging pawl out of engagement with a ratchet wheel when the spring means are charged

Claim 2

A circuit breaker comprising a pair of contacts operable between open and closed positions, a crank shaft structure, closing spring means coNnected to said crank shaft structure, a ratchet wheel movable to move said crank shaft structure from a spring discharged position to a spring charged position to charge said closing spring means, releasable latch means latching said crank shaft structure in said spring charged position, a reciprocating drive pawl structure in driving engagement with said ratchet wheel, operating means operable to reciprocate and drive pawl structure to move said ratchet wheel to thereby move said crank shaft structure from said spring discharged position to said spring charged position, and disengaging means operating automatically when said crank shaft structure is moved to said spring charged position to move said drive pawl structure out of driving engagement with said ratchet wheel.

Claim 3

A circuit breaker comprising a pair of contacts movable relative to each other between opened and closed positions, closing spring means operable to a charged condition for moving the contacts to the closed position, means for charging the spring means and including a crank shaft and a ratchet rotatable with respect to the crank shaft, rotatable means fixedly mounted on the crank shaft, projection means on and extending from the ratchet, a portion of the rotatable means being disposed in the path of travel of the projection means, the charging means also including a reciprocating charge pawl operable to advance the ratchet for charging the closing spring means, holding pawl means for constraining the ratchet, means on the rotatable means for disengaging the charge pawl when the closing spring means are in the charged condition, means for releasing the closing spring means from the charged condition and operatively connecting the spring means with at least one of the contacts for moving the contacts to the closed position.

Claim 4

A circuit breaker comprising a pair of contacts movable relative to each other between opened and closed positions, closing spring means operable to a charged condition for moving the contacts to the closed position, means for charging the spring means and including a crank shaft and a ratchet rotatable with respect to the crank shaft, rotatable means fixedly mounted on the crank shaft, projection means on and extending from the ratchet, a portion of the rotatable means being disposed in the path of travel of the projection means, the charging means also including a reciprocating charge pawl operable to advance the ratchet for charging the closing spring means, holding pawl means for constraining the ratchet, means on the rotatable means for disengaging the charge pawl when the closing spring means are in the charged condition, means for releasing the closing spring means from the charged condition and operatively connecting the spring means with at least one of the contacts for moving the contacts to the closed position.

Claim 5

The circuit breaker of claim 2 in which the ratchet is a wheel rotatable on the axis of the crank shaft.

Claim 6

The circuit breaker of claim 3 in which the ratchet wheel is rotatably mounted on the crank shaft.

Claim 7

The circuit breaker of claim 2 in which the projection means is a pin extending from one side of the ratchet wheel.

Claim 8

The circuit breaker of claim 5 in which the pin is disposed in an axis substantially parallel to that of the rotation of the ratchet.

Claim 9

The circuit breaker of claim 2 in which the rotatable means is a charge plate.

Claim 10

The circuit breaker of claim 7 in which the plate includes a strike surface in the path of travel of the projection means.

Claim 11

The circuit breaker of claim 2 in which the rotatable means is a plate and in which the disengaging means is a cam surface operable to lift the charge pawl out of engagement with the ratchet.

Claim 12

The circuit breaker of claim 2 in which the projection means extend from opposite sides of the ratchet, in which the rotatable means include a plate on opposite sides of the ratchet, in which the ratchet is a wheel rotatable mounted on the crank shaft, and in which each plate has a cam surface operable to disengage the drive pawl from the ratchet wheel.