Patents Assigned to Gaton Corporation
  • Patent number: 8040644
    Abstract: An electrical switching apparatus comprises: a first terminal; a second terminal; separable contacts electrically connected between the first terminal and the second terminal; an operating mechanism structured to open and close the separable contacts; and an arc fault trip circuit cooperating with the operating mechanism and structured to trip open the separable contacts responsive to an arc fault condition. An inductor is electrically connected in series between the first terminal and the second terminal. A capacitor includes a first lead electrically connected between the inductor and the second terminal, and a second lead electrically connected to a ground or neutral conductor. The inductor and the capacitor are structured to cooperate with a power circuit impedance downstream of the second terminal to form a filter trap circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: Jerome K. Hastings, Xin Zhou, Joseph C. Zuercher, Thomas J. Schoepf, William E. Beatty, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7521632
    Abstract: A door hinge assembly is provided for an enclosure including a housing having a panel member, and a plurality of sides extending outwardly from the panel member to define an interior and an opening for providing access to the interior. The door hinge assembly includes a generally planar portion covering the opening of the housing of the enclosure, at least one side flange portion extending outwardly from the generally planar portion toward the housing of the enclosure and including a number of bends forming at least one first hinge element, and at least one second hinge element disposed at or about one of the sides of the housing to pivotably receive a corresponding first hinge element. The side flange portion, including the first hinge element thereof, is a single continuous piece of material. The door hinge assembly is movable between an open position and a closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey L. Johnson
  • Patent number: 7417554
    Abstract: A system displays information from and controls electrical switching apparatus, such as circuit breakers. The system includes a plurality of circuit breakers having separable contacts and a plurality of conditions, such as bus temperature and contact wear. A plurality of sensors are structured to sense the conditions of the circuit breakers and to communicate the sensed conditions over corresponding wireless signals. A display and control unit is operatively associated with the circuit breakers and is structured to receive the corresponding wireless signals and display information corresponding to the sensed conditions or to control the circuit breakers based upon one or more of the sensed conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: James J. Benke, Joseph C. Engel, James L. Lagree, Charles J. Luebke, Mark G. Solveson
  • Patent number: 7349360
    Abstract: An ad-hoc low rate-wireless personal area network (LR-WPAN) includes an ad-hoc network coordinator having a first processor, a first memory, and a first communication interface; and a plurality of ad-hoc network devices. Each of the devices includes a second processor, a second memory, and a second communication interface for communication with the first communication interface of the coordinator or with the second communication interface of another one of the devices. A simple, low-cost, incremental source routing is employed. The first memory stores complete communication routes for messages from the coordinator through at least one of the devices to other devices. The second memory of each of the devices stores an identification of another device to forward a message from the second communication interface of a corresponding one of the devices toward the coordinator's first communication interface and through the second communication interface of that other device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: José A. Gutierrez, Luis R. Pereira
  • Patent number: 7253630
    Abstract: A vacuum circuit breaker includes a line terminal, a load terminal and a vacuum interrupter having a vacuum envelope containing a fixed contact assembly and a moveable contact assembly moveable between closed and open circuit positions. The fixed contact assembly is electrically interconnected with the line terminal and the moveable contact assembly is electrically connected to the load terminal. An operating mechanism moves the moveable contact assembly between the closed and open circuit positions. An auxiliary contact indicates one of the open or closed circuit positions. An electro-optical voltage sensor determines a voltage difference between the line and load terminals, or the shield and one of the line and load terminals. A circuit determines no leakage or loss of vacuum of the vacuum envelope when the vacuum switch is intended to be in the open circuit position and when the voltage difference is greater than a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Zhou, James J. Benke, Daniel E. Palmieri
  • Patent number: 7203040
    Abstract: Maintenance trip functions override the normal or specified trip functions of a low voltage circuit breaker to reduce pickup currents and/or time delays to effect faster trips, which reduces arc energy produced by faults during maintenance or testing on a live circuit breaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: David D. Shipp, Joseph J. Matsko, James L. Lagree, Michael B. Hodder, Ronald E. Vaill
  • Patent number: 7068045
    Abstract: A detection module and remote load voltage sensor determine a location of a parallel arc for a power circuit between a power source and a load in real time. The detection module provides a value of voltage from the power source. A current sensor measures a value of current flowing in the power circuit to or from the power source. The remote load voltage sensor measures a value of voltage at the load. A microprocessor determines the parallel arc location from the value of voltage from the power source, the value of current, the value of voltage at the load, and a wire resistance or conductance per unit length of the power circuit. In one case, connector resistance is accounted for. In another case, the load voltage is encoded at a predetermined frequency using a switched precision resistor near the load, thereby providing a power line carrier type communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph C. Zuercher, David L. McClanahan
  • Patent number: 7055560
    Abstract: A protective cover for a filler tube for a fuel tank includes a body portion and a movable door that covers and exposes an opening in the filler tube. To guide the movement of the nozzle, the cover includes a nozzle guide that contacts the nozzle and acts as a fulcrum with a radius of rotation. When force is applied to the nozzle, the nozzle guide amplifies the force and causes the nozzle to act as a lever against the feature on a sliding door, allowing the door to slide open with minimal force from the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventor: Ronald E. Sexton
  • Patent number: 7032564
    Abstract: An electro-hydraulic manifold assembly for deactivation of the valves of one bank of cylinders in a V-10 engine. One solenoid valve controls flow of oil to the hydraulic valve lifter/lash adjuster of a single or first cylinder, a second valve controls flow of oil to the lifters/lash adjusters of cylinders two and five and a third valve controls oil flow to the lifters/lash adjusters for cylinders two and three by taking advantage of the common base circle position of the cams for the paired cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: Nathan W. Kryglowski, Kenneth J. Parker, Tae-Kyung Kim, Kelly M. Newby
  • Patent number: 6850135
    Abstract: A trip unit includes a housing, a rotary plunger, and a pivotally mounted trip bar, which latches the plunger in an on position and releases the plunger to a tripped position. A first plunger portion is biased outside the housing in a tripped position by a spring mechanism. A pivotally mounted rotary trip lever includes an elastic arm. A second plunger portion is inside the housing in a reset position and engages the elastic arm. When a trip solenoid is energized, its linear plunger rotates the rotary trip lever, in order to engage and rotate the trip bar and release the rotary plunger. The rotary trip lever rotates in an opposite direction in response to the rotary plunger reset position and engages the trip solenoid linear plunger, in order to reset the same. The elastic arm flexes after the linear plunger is reset and accommodates overtravel of the rotary plunger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Gaton Corporation
    Inventors: Michael P. Puskar, Thomas A. Whitaker, William M. Randal