Drawout apparatus having improved trip interlock

Claim 1

Drawout apparatus for racking a circuit breaker into and out of a compartment in an electrical enclosure, wherein the circuit breaker and the enclosure are equipped with mating primary and secondary disconnect contacts, said drawout apparatus comprising, in combination: A. a carriage mounting the circuit breaker; B. opposed rail assemblies mounted by said enclosure and supporting said carriage for movement between an extended position where the primary and secondary contacts are disengaged and an engaged position where the primary and secondary contacts are engaged; C. means defining a test position intermediate said extended and engaged positions where the primary contacts are disengaged and the secondary contacts are engaged, said carriage being manually movable on said rail assemblies between said extended and test positions; D. a racking mechanism engaging said carriage to forcibly move said carriage between said test and engaged positions; and E. a trip interlock including an actuator operatively coupled with a latch member of the circuit breaker and movable between a first, circuit breaker tripping-closure disabling position and a second, circuit breaker closure enabling position under the control of said racking mechanism, said racking mechanism positioning said actuator in said second position to enable closure of the circuit breaker incident with its movement of said carriage into said test and engaged positions, said racking mechanism positioning said actuator in said first position to initiate tripping of the circuit breaker incident with its initial movement of said carriage away from said test and engaged positions, and said racking mechanism maintaining said actuator in said first position to disable closure of the circuit breaker while said carriage is between said test and engaged position.