Switch control

Claim 2

A switch control for an electric motor having start and run windings comprising a motor start contact, a movable double contact adapted to make and break contact with said motor start contact and to be electrically connected to a source of electric current, a motor run contact adapted to be electrically connected to the motor run winding and to make and break contact with said double contact, thermally responsive actuating means including an electrically conductive pendant arm to which said double contact is mounted for moving said double contact away from said motor start contact upon heating, snap acting toggle spring means mechanically coupled with said motor run contact to spring bias said motor run contact against said double contact when said pendant arm is below a predetermined temperature and to snap said motor run contact rapidly away from said double contact when said pendant arm is above said predetermined temperature, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting snap movement of said motor run contact away from said double contact.

Claim 3

A switch control in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive pendant arm includes three mutually spaced legs and wherein said thermally responsive actuating means includes an electric heater mounted to one of said mutually spaced legs.

Claim 4

An electric motor switch control comprising a frame, a first contact mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor start winding, a second contact movably mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor run winding, an electrically conductive pendant arm adapted to move when electrically heated, said pendant arm being mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a source of electric current, said pendant arm comprising two arm end portions, three substantially parallel arm leg portions interconnecting said two arm end portions, and means for elevating the temperature of at least one of said leg portions with respect to the other of said leg portions, a third contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact with said first contact upon movement of said pendant arm relative to said first contact, a fourth contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact witH said second contact upon movement of said second contact with respect to said pendant arm, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting movement of said second contact with respect to said fourth contact.

Claim 5

An electric motor switch control comprising a frame, a first contact mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor start winding, a second contact movably mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor run winding, an electrically conductive pendant arm adapted to move when electrically heated, said pendant arm being mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a source of electric current, said pendant arm comprising two arm end portions, three substantially parallel arm leg portions interconnecting said two arm end portions, and means for elevating the temperature of at least one of said leg portions with respect to the other of said leg portions, a third contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact with said first contact upon movement of said pendant arm relative to said first contact, a fourth contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact witH said second contact upon movement of said second contact with respect to said pendant arm, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting movement of said second contact with respect to said fourth contact.

Claim 6

A switch comprising a frame, a first terminal mounted to said frame, a second terminal mounted to said frame, a third terminal mounted to said frame, a first contact electrically coupled with said first terminal, an electrically conductive flexible arm mounted to said frame and electrically coupled with said second terminal, a second contact mounted to said flexible arm, toggle spring means coupled to said flexible arm, a thermally responsive pendant arm mounted to said frame and electrically coupled with said third terminal, said pendant arm having a third contact mounted thereto to make and break contact with said first contact and having a fourth contact mounted thereto to make and break contact with said second contact, at least a portion of said thermally responsive pendant arm being adapted to move with respect to said first contact when heated, and a trip dog mounted to said thermally responsive pendant arm to engage and move said flexible arm towards said first contact as said thermally responsive pendant arm moves towards said first contact when cooled.

Claim 7

A switch comprising a frame, a first terminal mounted to said frame, a second terminal mounted to said frame, a third terminal mounted to said frame, a first contact electrically coupled with said first terminal, an electrically conductive flexible arm mounted to said frame and electrically coupled with said second terminal, a second contact mounted to said flexible arm, toggle spring means coupled to said flexible arm, a thermally responsive pendant arm mounted to said frame and electrically coupled with said third terminal, said pendant arm having a third contact mounted thereto to make and break contact with said first contact and having a fourth contact mounted thereto to make and break contact with said second contact, at least a portion of said thermally responsive pendant arm being adapted to move with respect to said first contact when heated, and a trip dog mounted to said thermally responsive pendant arm to engage and move said flexible arm towards said first contact as said thermally responsive pendant arm moves towards said first contact when cooled.

Claim 8

A switch in accordance with claim 4 wherein said thermally responsive pendant arm comprises a proximal end portion mounted to said frame, a distal end portion to which said third and fourth contacts are mounted, and three spacially separated leg portions interconnecting said proximal and distal ends.

Claim 9

A switch in accordance with claim 5 including means for electrically elevating the temperature of at least one of said legs with respect to the other of said legs to cause said distal end portion to move with respect to said proximal end portion.

Claim 10

A switch control for an electric motor having start and run windings comprising a motor start contact adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor start winding, a motor run contact adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor run winding, a double contact adapted to be electrically coupled to a source of electric current, thermally responsive actuating means including an electrically conductive pendant arm upon which said double contact is mounted, said pendant arm being adapted to move along a predetermined path to make and break contact between said double contact and said motor start contact, snap acting toggle spring means mechanically coupled with said motor run contact to spring bias said motor run contact against said double contact when said pendant arm is located along a first portion of said predetermined path and to spring bias said motor run contact away from said double contact when said pendant arm is located along a second portion of said predetermined path, contact between said motor run contact and said double contact being broken when said pendant arm is located along said second portion of said predetermined path.

Claim 11

A switch control for an electric motor having start and run windings comprising a motor start contact adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor start winding, a motor run contact adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor run winding, a double contact adapted to be electrically coupled to a source of electric current, thermally responsive actuating means including an electrically conductive pendant arm upon which said double contact is mounted, said pendant arm being adapted to move along a predetermined path to make and break contact between said double contact and said motor start contact, snap acting toggle spring means mechanically coupled with said motor run contact to spring bias said motor run contact against said double contact when said pendant arm is located along a first portion of said predetermined path and to spring bias said motor run contact away from said double contact when said pendant arm is located along a second portion of said predetermined path, contact between said motor run contact and said double contact being broken when said pendant arm is located along said second portion of said predetermined path.

Claim 12

A switch control in accordance with claim 7 wherein said pendant arm comprises three spaced leg portions, and wherein said thermally responsive actuating means includes an electric heater mounted to one of said three spaced leg portions.

Claim 13

A switch control in accordance with claim 7 comprising a second electrically conductive pendant arm upon which said motor run contact is mounted and a dielectric stop mounted to said pendant arm upon which said double contact is mounted to limit movement between said pendant arm upon which said double contact is mounted and said second pendant arm upon which said motor run contact is mounted.

Claim 14

A switch control for an electric motor having start and run windings comprising a first contact adapted to be electrically connected to the motor start winding, a movable double contact adapted to make and break contact with said first contact and to be electrically connected to the motor run windings, a second contact adapted to be electrically connected to A source of electric current and to make and break contact with said double contact, thermally responsive actuating means including an electrically conductive pendant arm for moving said double contact away from said motor start contact upon heating, snap acting toggle spring means mechanically coupled with said motor run contact to spring bias said motor run contact against said double contact when said thermally responsive actuating means pendant arm is below a predetermined temperature and to snap said motor run contact rapidly away from said double contact when said thermally responsive actuating means pendant arm is above said predetermined temperature, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting snap movement of said motor run contact away from said double contact.

Claim 15

A switch control for an electric motor having start and run windings comprising a first contact adapted to be electrically connected to the motor start winding, a movable double contact adapted to make and break contact with said first contact and to be electrically connected to the motor run windings, a second contact adapted to be electrically connected to A source of electric current and to make and break contact with said double contact, thermally responsive actuating means including an electrically conductive pendant arm for moving said double contact away from said motor start contact upon heating, snap acting toggle spring means mechanically coupled with said motor run contact to spring bias said motor run contact against said double contact when said thermally responsive actuating means pendant arm is below a predetermined temperature and to snap said motor run contact rapidly away from said double contact when said thermally responsive actuating means pendant arm is above said predetermined temperature, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting snap movement of said motor run contact away from said double contact.

Claim 16

A switch control in accordance with claim 10 wherein said electrically conductive pendant arm includes three mutually spaced legs and wherein said thermally responsive actuating means includes an electric heater mounted to one of said mutually spaced legs.

Claim 17

A switch control in accordance with claim 10 comprising a flexible pendant arm to which said first contact is mounted.

Claim 18

An electric motor switch control comprising a frame, a first contact mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor start winding, a second contact movably mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a source of electric current, an electrically conductive pendant arm adapted to move when electrically heated, said pendant arm being mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor run winding, said pendant arm comprising two arm end portions, three substantially parallel arm leg portions interconnecting said two arm end portions, and means for elevating the temperature of at least one of said leg portions with respect to the other of said leg portions, a third contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact with said first contact upon movement of said pendant arm relative to said first contact, a fourth contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact with said second contact upon movement of said second contact with respect to said pendant arm, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting movement of said second contact with respect to said fourth contact.

Claim 19

An electric motor switch control comprising a frame, a first contact mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor start winding, a second contact movably mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a source of electric current, an electrically conductive pendant arm adapted to move when electrically heated, said pendant arm being mounted to said frame and adapted to be connected to a motor run winding, said pendant arm comprising two arm end portions, three substantially parallel arm leg portions interconnecting said two arm end portions, and means for elevating the temperature of at least one of said leg portions with respect to the other of said leg portions, a third contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact with said first contact upon movement of said pendant arm relative to said first contact, a fourth contact mounted on said pendant arm in position to make and break contact with said second contact upon movement of said second contact with respect to said pendant arm, and stop means mounted to said pendant arm for limiting movement of said second contact with respect to said fourth contact.