Ground fault circuit breaker

Claim 1

A ground-fault circuit interrupter for use in a load center and comprising a circuit breaker, a ground-fault detector, and an insulation housing therefor and having a partition forming first and second side-by-side compartments, the partitions having aperture means and a slot therethrough; the circuit breaker being in the first compartment and comprising a pair of cooperable contacts operable between open and closed positions, an operating mechanism for operating the contacts and comprising a pivotally supported releasable member, latching means for latching the releasable member and including a trip member, the latching means including a bimetal member movable between latched and unlatched positions, the trip member being pivotally mounted on the side of bimetal member and adjacent to the releasable member, the trip member being movable to release said releasable member from the latched position, a load terminal structure in the first compartment, a line terminal structure, a line conductor of an A.C. electrical distribution system connecting the trip member to the load terminal structure, the bimetal member being adjacent to the aperture means and the slot; the ground-fault detector being in the second compartment and comprising a current monitoring core, a plurality of primary windings on the core, each being one of the line and a neutral conductor of the A.C. electrical distribution system, a secondary winding sensing current imbalance between the primary windings, means responsive to a predetermined sensing signal to open said line conductor, the monitoring core being on the side of the partition opposite the bimetal member and adjacent to the aperture means; the line conductor extending from the bimetal member in the first compartment and through the aperture means and through the monitoring core in the second compartment and back through the aperture means to the load terminal structure in the first compartment, the circuit extending from the bimetal member through the line conductor from the first compartment and through the core in the second compartment and back into the first compartment and to the load terminal structure, the means responsive to a predetermined sensing signal including a lever having a pivot unaligned with the slot and having a projection extending through the slot, and the projection being movable arcuately within the slot and against the trip member to unlatch the releasable member.