US4639701A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Circuit breaker with interface flux shunt trip
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
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Filing: 1985-08-30
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Granted: 1987-01-27
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Expires: 2005-08-30
Abstract
Abstract A circuit breaker characterized by a circuit breaker structure having separable contacts and a releasable mechanism which mechanism is retained in untripped position by a latch including a rotatable trip bar. A solenoid, that is operable automatically in response to overload current conditions, is located adjacent to the trip bar and has a plunger movable parallel to the axis of the trip bar. A lever is disposed between the plunger and the trip bar to translate longitudinal motion into rotational trip bar motion.
Inventors
- 👤 Alan B. Shimp
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 02:11
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01H; H01H33/00; H01H71/00; H01H71/10; H01H71/12; H01H71/24; H01H71/2463; H01H71/1009; H01H71/128; H01H71/74; H01H71/7463
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
A circuit breaker comprising: a housing; a circuit breaker structure supported in the housing; the circuit breaker structure having a pair of contacts operable to open and close an electric circuit; a releasable mechanism; manually operable means manually operable when the releasable mechanism is in a latched position to open and close the contacts; trip means including an electro-mechanical means operable automatically in response to overload current conditions above a predetermined value to release the releasable mechanism whereupon the releasable mechanism automatically moves from the latched position to a tripped position to open the contacts; the manually operable means being operable to move the releasable mechanism from the tripped position to the latched position after release of the releasable mechanism; latch means including a latch lever operable between latching and unlatching positions to latch the releasable mechanism; the trip means also including a trip bar rotatably mounted on its longitudinal axis between latching and unlatching positions in response to operation of the electro-mechanical means for unlatching the latch lever and being biased in the untripped position; and the electro-mechanical means being operable against a surface of the trip bar to rotate the bar to the tripped position and including a second lever movable by the electromechanical means against a surface of the trip bar to unlatch the latch lever.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
219 words
A circuit breaker comprising: a housing; a circuit breaker structure supported in the housing; the circuit breaker structure having a pair of contacts operable to open and close an electric circuit; a releasable mechanism; manually operable means manually operable when the releasable mechanism is in a latched position to open and close the contacts; trip means including an electro-mechanical means operable automatically in response to overload current conditions above a predetermined value to release the releasable mechanism whereupon the releasable mechanism automatically moves from the latched position to a tripped position to open the contacts; the manually operable means being operable to move the releasable mechanism from the tripped position to the latched position after release of the releasable mechanism; latch means including a latch lever operable between latching and unlatching positions to latch the releasable mechanism; the trip means also including a trip bar rotatably mounted on its longitudinal axis between latching and unlatching positions in response to operation of the electro-mechanical means for unlatching the latch lever and being biased in the untripped position; and the electro-mechanical means being operable against a surface of the trip bar to rotate the bar to the tripped position and including a second lever movable by the electromechanical means against a surface of the trip bar to unlatch the latch lever.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The circuit breaker of claim 1 in which the electro-mechanical means includes a plunger operable against the second lever to translate the longitudinal motion of the plunger into rotational motion of the trip bar.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
137 words
A circuit breaker comprising a pair of separable contacts operable to open and close an electric circuit; a latched releasable member releasable to effect opening of the contacts; latch means latching the releasable member and comprising a latch lever pivotally mounted for movement between latched and unlatched positions of the releasable member; a trip bar, said trip bar being independent of and non-integral with the latch lever rotatably mounted on its longitudinal axis between latched and unlatched positions of the latch lever and biased in the latched position; trip means including an electro-mechanical mechanism operable automatically in response to overload current conditions above a predetermined value to unlatch the trip bar; the electro-mechanical mechanism including a plunger operable to rotate the trip bar to the unlatched position; and means for retracting the plunger from the trip bar.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
137 words
A circuit breaker comprising a pair of separable contacts operable to open and close an electric circuit; a latched releasable member releasable to effect opening of the contacts; latch means latching the releasable member and comprising a latch lever pivotally mounted for movement between latched and unlatched positions of the releasable member; a trip bar, said trip bar being independent of and non-integral with the latch lever rotatably mounted on its longitudinal axis between latched and unlatched positions of the latch lever and biased in the latched position; trip means including an electro-mechanical mechanism operable automatically in response to overload current conditions above a predetermined value to unlatch the trip bar; the electro-mechanical mechanism including a plunger operable to rotate the trip bar to the unlatched position; and means for retracting the plunger from the trip bar.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The circuit breaker of claim 3 in which the trip bar comprises a cam surface and a lever is disposed between the plunger and the cam surface to cause rotation of the trip bar when the plunger moves the lever.
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) | 1990-01-26 | 1990-07-28 | 1991-01-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-01-26 | 1994-07-28 | 1995-01-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-01-26 | 1998-07-28 | 1999-01-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |