Patent US4322700A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4322700A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electrical relay apparatus
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1979-12-21
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Granted: 1982-03-30
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Expires: 1999-12-21
Abstract
Abstract Electrical relay apparatus in which a contact spring (35) is bowed rather than angularly flexed by the armature (16) to bring the contacts (28, 38, 34, 39) into or out of engagement. A first contact (38) is mounted at the crown of a slightly bowed spring (35) fixedly mounted at one end. The contact (38) is mounted at near the midpoint of the spring (35) spaced apart from a second, fixed contact (28) and the contacts (28, 38) are brought into engagement by the further bowing of the spring (35) by an armature (16) acting along the spring axis in the direction of its fixed end. A second contact (39) mounted on the underside of the spring (35) may be brought out of engagement with a second fixed contact (34) by the further bowing of the spring (35) for a break-before-make mode of operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Billy M. Everhart
- 👤 Harold E. McCullough
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 14:56
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01H; H01H50/00; H01H50/16; H01H50/18; H01H50/24; H01H50/28; H01H50/54; H01H50/56
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
193 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) coupled to said pole-piece (14), armature means (16), a fixed first contact (28), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (38) mounted on one side of said spring member (35) opposite to and spaced apart from said first contact (28) characterized in that said second contact (38) is mounted at near the midpoint of said spring member (35) between said one end and the opposite end, said pole-piece (14) being substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said spring member being arranged between said pair of legs (13, 15) of said pole-piece (14), and in that said armature means (16) cooperates with said first end and said second end of said pole-piece (14) responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to apply a force to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end to bow said spring member (35) and thereby move said second contact (38) into engagement with said first contact (28).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
193 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) coupled to said pole-piece (14), armature means (16), a fixed first contact (28), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (38) mounted on one side of said spring member (35) opposite to and spaced apart from said first contact (28) characterized in that said second contact (38) is mounted at near the midpoint of said spring member (35) between said one end and the opposite end, said pole-piece (14) being substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said spring member being arranged between said pair of legs (13, 15) of said pole-piece (14), and in that said armature means (16) cooperates with said first end and said second end of said pole-piece (14) responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to apply a force to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end to bow said spring member (35) and thereby move said second contact (38) into engagement with said first contact (28).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
Electrical relay apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized in a fixed third contact (34) and a fourth contact (39) mounted at near the midpoint of said spring member (35) on the other side thereof opposite to and in engagement with said third contact (34), said third and said fourth contact (34, 39) disengaging when said spring member (35) is bowed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
234 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) associated with said pole-piece (14), armature means (16) cooperating with said pole-piece (14), a fixed first (16) contact (28), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (38) mounted on said spring member (35) opposite to and spaced apart from said first contact (28), characterized in that said pole-piece (14) is substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of parallel legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said winding (11) being coupled to one of said legs (13), said spring member (35) is arranged between said legs (13, 15) of said pole-piece (14), said second contact (38) is mounted on said spring member (35) at near the midpoint between said one end and the opposite end of said spring member (35), said spring member (35) is slightly bowed in the direction toward said first contact (28), said armature means (16) is pivotally arranged across said first and second ends of said pole-piece (14) so as to apply an operating force responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end, and in that said spring member (35) is further bowed by said operating force to move said second contact (38) into engagement with said first contact (28).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
234 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) associated with said pole-piece (14), armature means (16) cooperating with said pole-piece (14), a fixed first (16) contact (28), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (38) mounted on said spring member (35) opposite to and spaced apart from said first contact (28), characterized in that said pole-piece (14) is substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of parallel legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said winding (11) being coupled to one of said legs (13), said spring member (35) is arranged between said legs (13, 15) of said pole-piece (14), said second contact (38) is mounted on said spring member (35) at near the midpoint between said one end and the opposite end of said spring member (35), said spring member (35) is slightly bowed in the direction toward said first contact (28), said armature means (16) is pivotally arranged across said first and second ends of said pole-piece (14) so as to apply an operating force responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end, and in that said spring member (35) is further bowed by said operating force to move said second contact (38) into engagement with said first contact (28).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
209 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) associated with said pole-piece (14), armature means (16) cooperating with said pole-piece (14), a fixed first contact (34), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (39) mounted on said spring member (35) opposite to and in engagement with said first contact (34), characterized in that said pole-piece (14) is substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of parallel legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said second contact (39) is mounted on said spring member (35) at near the midpoint between said one end and the opposite end of said spring member (35), said spring member (35) is slightly bowed in the direction away from said first contact (34), said armature means (16) is pivotally arranged across said first and second ends of said pole-piece (14) so as to apply an operating force responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end, and in that said spring member (35) is further bowed by said operating force to move said second contact (39) out of engagement with said first contact (34).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
209 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) associated with said pole-piece (14), armature means (16) cooperating with said pole-piece (14), a fixed first contact (34), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (39) mounted on said spring member (35) opposite to and in engagement with said first contact (34), characterized in that said pole-piece (14) is substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of parallel legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said second contact (39) is mounted on said spring member (35) at near the midpoint between said one end and the opposite end of said spring member (35), said spring member (35) is slightly bowed in the direction away from said first contact (34), said armature means (16) is pivotally arranged across said first and second ends of said pole-piece (14) so as to apply an operating force responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end, and in that said spring member (35) is further bowed by said operating force to move said second contact (39) out of engagement with said first contact (34).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
Electrical relay apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or 4 further characterized in that said armature means (16) is substantially "L" shaped to present a pair of flanges (17, 18), one of said flanges (17) resting across said first and second ends of said pole-piece (14).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
52 words
Electrical relay apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further characterized in that said opposite end of said spring member (35) is provided with a rider member (40) having a lobe (41), the other of said flanges (18) of said armature means (16) operating against said lobe (41) to apply said operating force.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
194 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) coupled to said pole-piece (14), armature means (16), a fixed first contact (34), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (39) mounted on one side of said spring member (35) opposite to and in engagement with said first contact (34) characterized in that said second contact (39) is mounted at near the midpoint of said spring member (35) between said one end and the opposite end, said pole-piece (14) being substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said spring member being arranged between said pair of legs (13, 15) of said pole-piece (14), and in that said armature means (16) cooperates with said first end and said second end of said pole-piece (14) responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to apply a force to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end to bow said spring member (35) and thereby move said second contact (39) out of engagement with said first contact (34).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
194 words
Electrical relay apparatus comprising a pole-piece (14), a winding (11) coupled to said pole-piece (14), armature means (16), a fixed first contact (34), a spring member (35) fixedly mounted at one end, and a second contact (39) mounted on one side of said spring member (35) opposite to and in engagement with said first contact (34) characterized in that said second contact (39) is mounted at near the midpoint of said spring member (35) between said one end and the opposite end, said pole-piece (14) being substantially "U" shaped to present a pair of legs (13, 15) presenting a first end and a second end of said pole-piece (14), said spring member being arranged between said pair of legs (13, 15) of said pole-piece (14), and in that said armature means (16) cooperates with said first end and said second end of said pole-piece (14) responsive to the energization of said winding (11) to apply a force to said opposite end of said spring member (35) in a direction toward said one end to bow said spring member (35) and thereby move said second contact (39) out of engagement with said first contact (34).
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-03-29 | 1985-09-28 | 1986-03-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-03-29 | 1989-09-28 | 1990-03-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-03-29 | 1993-09-28 | 1994-03-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |