US3743803A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Inertia switch with oscillating controller restrained against return to normal position
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-03-02
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Granted: 1973-07-03
•
Expires: 1992-03-02
Abstract
Abstract The disclosure is of a circuit-breaker suitable for use in a vehicle and adapted to function automatically to interrupt the circuit from the battery of the vehicle if the latter suffers a shock or impact, the circuit-breaker comprising a sealed insulating housing in which is mounted an inertia weight which can be displaced by a horizontal shock force from any direction and thereby releases a conducting contact plate which is moved by springs so as to break the circuit.
Inventors
- 👤 C Roesch
- 👤 R Heinimann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 16:19
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01H; H01H35/00; H01H35/14; H01M; H01M50/00; H01M50/50; H01M50/572; H01M50/574; H01M50/579; H01R; H01R11/00; H01R11/11; H01R11/28; H01R11/281; H01R11/287; H01H1/00; H01H1/58; H01H2001/5877; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
217 words
An automatic inertia electric circuit breaker permitting the passage of a substantial amount of current and adapted in the event of an accident to put out of circuit the whole electrical installation of a vehicle equipped with a combustion engine, comprising a sealed electrically insulating housing, a sphere adapted to roll in said housing and constituting an inertia mass which moves under the impetus of a horizontal shock from any horizontal direction, a conducting plate on which said sphere rolls, a shallow recess in the upper surface of said conducting plate, said sphere adapted to roll by gravity to the center of said recess , a presser having a convex rounded head of relatively small diameter, spring means urging said presser against said sphere in the direction of said center of said sphere when said spHere is at said center of said recess thereby releasably to retain said sphere in said recess, said circuitbreaker having fixed contact means adapted to be bridged by said conductive plate, contact terminal means configuratively connected to a terminal of said battery of said vehicle and the supply cable of said vehicle, and a manually operable resetting knob disposed outside said housing and manipulable to raise said presser to permit said sphere to roll by gravity to said center of said recess.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
217 words
An automatic inertia electric circuit breaker permitting the passage of a substantial amount of current and adapted in the event of an accident to put out of circuit the whole electrical installation of a vehicle equipped with a combustion engine, comprising a sealed electrically insulating housing, a sphere adapted to roll in said housing and constituting an inertia mass which moves under the impetus of a horizontal shock from any horizontal direction, a conducting plate on which said sphere rolls, a shallow recess in the upper surface of said conducting plate, said sphere adapted to roll by gravity to the center of said recess , a presser having a convex rounded head of relatively small diameter, spring means urging said presser against said sphere in the direction of said center of said sphere when said spHere is at said center of said recess thereby releasably to retain said sphere in said recess, said circuitbreaker having fixed contact means adapted to be bridged by said conductive plate, contact terminal means configuratively connected to a terminal of said battery of said vehicle and the supply cable of said vehicle, and a manually operable resetting knob disposed outside said housing and manipulable to raise said presser to permit said sphere to roll by gravity to said center of said recess.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
A circuit-breaker as claimed in claim 1, in which said fixed contact means comprises two supplementary contacts between which said conducting plate comes into abutment in the event of a shock or of the raising of said resetting knob, one of these said supplementary contacts being integral with a terminal and mounted upon or connected to one of the terminals of said battery, the other said supplementary contact being connected to said other terminal of said battery.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
A circuit-breaker as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that there is provided below said resetting knob an arrangement adapted to maintain said knob in a raised position in which said conducting plate of said circuit-breaker is maintained at a distance from said fixed contact means and interrupts the circuit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
A circuit-breaker as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the arrangement for maintaining said resetting knob in the raised position comprises two diametrically-opposed resetting knob projections capable of being engaged in two external housing grooves complementary thereto or disengaged from said grooves by rotation of said knob.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A circuit-breaker as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the section of said grooves adapted to receive said projections is broadly widened, whereby rotation of said resetting knob moves the knob axially.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
A circuit-breaker as claimed in claim 1, said recess having side walls disposed at an angle of 160* to 177* to each other.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-07-02 | 1977-01-01 | 1977-07-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-07-02 | 1981-01-01 | 1981-07-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-07-02 | 1985-01-01 | 1985-07-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |