Abstract: A software tool provides multiple round crowdfunding, maintaining investable amounts of investors within wallets, and projects having fundable amounts. The tool adds projects to a queue, and begins the multiple round process. In a round, the tool receives pledged amounts of the wallets towards the fundable projects within the queue. The tool moves each successfully funded project to a fully funded queue. After ending the round, the tool removes from the queue each fundable project for which the pledged amounts is less than its fundable amount and also less than a threshold for the project to advance to a next round, as determined by the tool. The tool ends the process when it determines that the maximum number of rounds has been reached, that the smallest fundable amount of any project remaining in the queue is greater than a remaining total of the wallets, or that the queue is empty.

Abstract: A software tool provides multiple round crowdfunding, maintaining investable amounts of investors within wallets, and projects having fundable amounts. The tool adds projects to a queue, and begins the multiple round process. In a round, the tool receives pledged amounts of the wallets towards the fundable projects within the queue. The tool moves each successfully funded project to a fully funded queue. After ending the round, the tool removes from the queue each fundable project for which the pledged amounts is less than its fundable amount and also less than a threshold for the project to advance to a next round, as determined by the tool. The tool ends the process when it determines that the maximum number of rounds has been reached, that the smallest fundable amount of any project remaining in the queue is greater than a remaining total of the wallets, or that the queue is empty.

Abstract: An electrical distribution system includes a switchgear or motor control center cabinet, a plurality of first protective, metering or control devices internal to the cabinet, and one or more second devices. The second devices include display devices mounted on the cabinet, display devices external to the cabinet and monitoring devices structured to monitor the system and communicate to a remote location. Communications among the first devices and the second devices are wireless communications.

Abstract: An arc hood includes a housing having a first chamber with two ends, a top and a bottom having an opening, and a smaller second chamber disposed on the top of the first chamber. The smaller second chamber includes two ends, a top and a bottom. Each of the ends of the second chamber have an opening, are disposed above the top of the first chamber, and are recessed from a corresponding one of the ends of the first chamber. The chambers define a passageway between the opening of the bottom of the first chamber and the openings of the ends of the second chamber. One or more baffles are within the housing and are disposed between the opening of the bottom of the first chamber and the openings of the ends of the second chamber. A seal is disposed about the opening of the bottom of the first chamber.

Abstract: A transfer switch includes a miniature circuit breaker housing, a first line terminal, a second line terminal, a load terminal, and separable contacts electrically connected to the first line terminal. A transfer arm is electrically connected to the load terminal and is adapted to move between a first position in which the transfer arm is electrically connected to the separable contacts and a second position in which the transfer arm is electrically connected to the second line terminal. A solenoid having a first coil, a second coil and a plunger moves the transfer arm between the first and second positions thereof. An operating mechanism opens and closes the separable contacts.

Abstract: A plunger mechanism provides for automatic tripping of a circuit breaker upon the opening of a cover of electrical equipment connected adjacent to the circuit breaker. One end of the plunger mechanism protrudes from the circuit breaker's housing adjacent to the cover, and the other end of the plunger mechanism engages the latch within the trip mechanism of the circuit breaker. Upon opening the cover, the plunger is depressed by the cover, rotating the latch, thereby tripping the circuit breaker.

Abstract: A transfer switch includes a miniature circuit breaker housing, a first line terminal, a second line terminal, a load terminal, and separable contacts electrically connected to the first line terminal. A transfer arm is electrically connected to the load terminal and is adapted to move between a first position in which the transfer arm is electrically connected to the separable contacts and a second position in which the transfer arm is electrically connected to the second line terminal. A solenoid having a first coil, a second coil and a plunger moves the transfer arm between the first and second positions thereof. An operating mechanism opens and closes the separable contacts.

Abstract: A circuit breaker has a set of remotely controllable secondary contacts electrically connected in series with the main contacts which provide overcurrent or fault current protection. An operating mechanism opens and closes the set of main contacts. The secondary contacts are opened and closed by a latching solenoid. The latching solenoid includes a plunger latchable to a first position, which opens the set of secondary contacts, and to a second position which closes the set of secondary contacts. The latching solenoid also includes an open/close coil which when energized with a first polarity signal operates the plunger to the first position and which when energized with an opposite second polarity signal operates the plunger to the second position. A circuit is structured for cooperation with a remote control circuit for energizing the coil with the first polarity signal or, alternatively, the second polarity signal.

Abstract: A miniature circuit breaker incorporating ground fault protection and arc fault protection includes main separable contacts. An operating mechanism actuated by a trip mechanism opens the main separable contacts in response to predetermined current conditions. Auxiliary separable contacts are disposed in series with the main separable contacts. A solenoid having a movable plunger opens and closes the auxiliary separable contacts in response to a remote external signal. A ground fault trip circuit detects a ground fault, and an arc fault trip circuit detects an arc fault. An actuator mechanism, energizable by the ground fault trip circuit and the arc fault trip circuit, actuates the plunger to open the auxiliary separable contacts.

Abstract: A ground fault circuit breaker includes separable contacts for interrupting current flow in a protected AC electric system when opened. The protected AC electric system includes a ground fault switch, such as a ground fault receptacle having a people protection ground fault trip curve, downstream from the ground fault circuit breaker. A current transformer generates an AC sensor signal representative of AC current flowing from the protected AC electric system to ground. A ground fault controller, connected to the current transformer, generates a ground fault trip signal as a function of the AC sensor signal and an equipment protection ground fault trip curve. A trip means, which is responsive to the ground fault trip signal, opens the separable contacts.

Abstract: An actuator assembly for an electrical power switch apparatus, the actuator assembly having a housing and a plunger positioned within the housing where the plunger is movable between a set position and an actuated position. The plunger includes a compression spring to provide a pre-load thereto that biases the plunger away from the set position and toward the actuated position. A magnet contained in the housing and positioned proximate to the plunger establishes a magnetic force which overcomes the pre-load of the compression spring and maintains the plunger in a set position. A coil assembly, that when energized, produces an electromagnetic force which bucks the magnetic force established by the magnet allowing the plunger to be propelled by the compression spring to the actuated position. A screw extends through an opening in the plunger for engagement with the compression spring so that rotation of the screw results in the adjustment or calibration of the pre-load of the compression spring.

Abstract: In a circuit interrupter which has multiple electronic trip circuits, such as ground fault and arcing fault trip circuits, indicators such as LED's produce an indication of the cause of the trip. The trip signals are latched to provide a continuing trip indication and ORed to actuate the trip device. In one embodiment SCR's connected in series with the indicator LED's serve as the latches and are connected in parallel to the trip device to provide the OR function. In other embodiments, flip-flops serve as the latches. In one such embodiment, the indicator LED's are connected from the respective flip-flops in parallel to the trip device to provide the OR function. In another such embodiment the flip-flops actuate the trip device and turn on switches actuating the LED's These switches energizing the cause of trip LED's are disabled until the contacts open to assure operation of the trip device.

Abstract: An integral electrical circuit controller apparatus selectively connects a load to a power source and includes an electrical contactor having contacts, a circuit breaker having separable contacts connected in series with the electrical contactor and a trip mechanism responsive to current flowing through the separable contacts for tripping the contacts open in response to predetermined current conditions, and a current throttle impedance for limiting short circuit current. The trip mechanism and the electrical contactor independently interrupt current flowing through the electrical contactor and the circuit breaker. The current throttle impedance limits short circuit current flowing through the electrical contactor and the circuit breaker until current is interrupted. The electrical contactor may include an overload relay. The current throttle may include a coiled conductor of nichrome or iron wire enclosed in a dielectric housing.

Abstract: Apparatus for generating alarms for a group of circuit interrupters, especially those which respond to arcing faults, includes a device associated with each circuit interrupter providing an indication of a tripped condition and a common alarm generator which generates an alarm when any one, or at least any one of a number of selected circuit interrupters, is in the tripped condition. In one embodiment of the invention, switches indicating that associated circuit interrupters are tripped generate auxiliary trip signals on a common alarm bus. The auxiliary trip signals are latched by a latch on the common alarm bus which energizes a relay to activate a local and/or remote alarm. The latch is reset by a switch on the load center door. In another embodiment of the invention, an IR beam is blocked from reaching a photo-detector whenever a circuit interrupter handle is in the tripped position which also results in energization of a relay to actuate the common alarm.

Abstract: Ground fault trip units for circuit breakers are tested by a passive test circuit which includes a test conductor passing through the current transformer sensing coil(s), and a test switch which selectively connects the test conductor in a loop which simulates a neutral-to-ground fault. In a dormant oscillator ground fault test circuit, the test conductor loop passes through both sensing coils. When the neutral-to-ground detector is combined with a sputtering are fault detector sharing a common sensing coil, testing of all the components is accomplished by adding an additional test circuit which injects pulses derived from the line conductor into the sensing coil secondary, or which alternatively, connects a capacitor charged from a DC supply across the sensing coil secondary. Either of these alternative test circuits generates the successive events needed to produce a sputtering arc trip.

Abstract: A circuit interrupter characterized by a movable contact on a contact-carrying arm movable between open and closed positions of a stationary contact mounted on one leg of a U-shaped conductor with another leg secured to the circuit breaker housing with a current throttling resistive element being disposed within the U-shaped conductive element for limiting the amount of fault let through current.

Abstract: A circuit breaker having a housing, fixed and movable contacts respectively supported by a fixed contact support structure and a movable contact arm, a trip mechanism, and an operating mechanism which is releasably engageable with the trip mechanism. The operating mechanism includes a pivotable operating member and a tension spring. The fixed contact support structure includes a contact supporting leg portion. The movable contact arm has a contact supporting side, and an opposite spring supporting side. The tension spring links the pivotable operating member and the spring supporting side of the movable contact arm. The contact supporting leg portion of the fixed contact support structure and the movable contact arm are disposed in closely spaced relation when the fixed and movable contacts are in engagement, to provide a reverse current loop which magnetically assists in rapid contact separation.

Abstract: A multipole circuit breaker, for example, a three pole circuit breaker, can detect a condition when less than all of the phases are open circuited to trip the circuit breaker. This reduces the tripping time and hence risk of damage to the electrical load. The circuit breaker includes a thermal trip unit and a phase sensitivity assembly that is interlocked with the bimetals included with the thermal unit. The phase sensitivity assembly includes one or more levers, responsive to the deflection of a bimetal corresponding to the open circuited phase resulting from cooling action of a bimetal relative to the other bimetals. The relative displacement of the cooling bimetal is used to either trip or reduce the tripping time of the circuit breaker.

Abstract: A molded case circuit breaker is provided with a magnetic trip unit which includes an armature assembly and a multi-turn magnetic coil assembly. The magnetic coil assembly is formed to occupy substantially the same volume as a single-turn magnetic coil. The added turns in the magnetic coil increase the attraction force on the armature to essentially lower the electric current value at which the magnetic unit trips the circuit breaker. By utilizing a multi-turn magnetic coil assembly which occupies the same space as the single-turn magnetic coil, the same frame size can be used for both single-turn magnetic coils, and multi-turn magnetic coils without the need to locate the thermal unit outside of the molded case circuit breaker.

Abstract: A circuit breaker embodies with a single electromagnetically actuated plunger two levels of actuation, corresponding to two levels of excessive current or voltage defined by two different airgaps, one at the lower level for triggering the toggle mechanism, the other at the higher level for directly actuating the movable arm through a kicker arm. The preferred embodiment provides a double-ended lever pulled by the plunger at midpoint for actuating the trip bar, and the kicker arm is actuated in an overriding situation by the lever rotating about the trip bar blocked at the end of its initial move.