Abstract: A PC-board mounted thermal breaker that opens with a snap action is disclosed. A bimetallic element, connected to the load terminal of the thermal breaker, rests on an insulated sawtooth surface when the breaker is in the closed position. A contact blade, connected to the line terminal of the breaker, is pivotably biased downward into electrical contact with the bimetallic element by the action of an overcenter spring. An overcurrent through the breaker heats the bimetallic element directly and causes it to bend upwardly, forcing the contact blade to pivot against the bias of the spring. When the contact blade has pivoted sufficiently to move the spring overcenter, the direction of spring bias reverses, pivoting the contact blade rapidly upward, and thereby opening the breaker with a snap action.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an electrical circuit breaker comprising a housing having a pair of external terminals for connection to a source of electrical current. Current responsive means is supported internally of the housing and electrically connected to said terminals and to separable internal contacts. Current flow through said current responsive means effects separation of said contacts upon the occurrence of a predetermined electrical condition. A fusible element disposed externally of said housing is electrically connected in series with said contacts and current responsive means and is operable to effect interruption of the electrical circuit through said circuit breaker upon failure of said current responsive means to respond to said predetermined electrical condition.

Abstract: A push button power switch with a thermal overload release and a snap-action contact breaking movement to which is added a snap-action contact making movement provided by a flexible leg portion on the switching slide which blocks the contact making movement by abutting against a nose of the switch housing while cocking a compression spring, until the push button, just prior to reaching its depression stop, triggers the contact making movement by deflecting the abutment tongue of the flexible leg portion away from the abutment nose of the housing. A cam slide with an inclined oblong cam wall and an integral flexible limb operates the snap-action contact breaking movement by controlling a spring-loaded latch slide.

Abstract: In an overload protection switch including a narrow housing, bimetal strips mounted in the housing, a pushbutton mounted in, and projecting out of, the housing and made of insulating material, the pushbutton being provided with a partition and being movable relative to the housing between an on position in which a conductive path is established via the strips and an off position in which such conductive path is broken, and a spring device urging the pushbutton into its off position, the housing and bimetal strips are physically symmetrical to the longitudinal center axis of the housing, the path of movement of the pushbutton is along that center axis, there are two identical bimetal strips disposed symmetrically relative to the center axis, each strip having a first part fastened to the housing and a second part which is movable relative to the housing in response to temperature changes, with the second parts converging toward one another while remaining out of contact, the pushbutton carries a conductive con

Abstract: A circuit breaker is provided of the push-pull type for use in the cockpit of an aircraft wherein the plunger of the circuit breaker is illuminated upon the opening of a circuit. The illumination immediately attracts the pilot's attention so that corrective action can be taken. A bi-metallic strip bows when it is heated due to overloading of the circuit causing the plunger to be extended and to complete a secondary circuit to a light located within the head of the plunger. A number of the circuit breakers are electrically interconnected to provide a visual indication to the pilot that a fault condition has occurred in one of the monitored aircraft circuits. In addition, an indicator is available to inform the pilot that a second fault condition has occurred subsequent to the occurrence of a first fault condition while the first fault condition remains.

Abstract: An electric switch having an actuator (24) normally manually operable to close and open a load circuit is provided with an electro-thermal device (42) of the coil (46) heated bimetal (43) type connected to external terminals (16, 17) adapted to be energized by a remote switch and power source to actuate the manual actuator (24) back to its open position.

Abstract: A pushbutton circuit breaker switch, including two sets of contacts, connected in series. One set of contacts, the switch contacts (24, 30), open and close during normal on-off switch cycling. The other set of contacts, the breaker contacts (36, 42, 54), open only on overload, leaving the switch contacts closed. Of the three breaker contacts, two are stationary (36, 42) and one is a movable bridging contact (54). This movable contact is mounted on an insulative slide block (44), and an overload slides into an insulative enclosure (10g) in the housing (10) of the switch. Thus the movable contact is almost completely surrounded by insulative material cutting off any arc formed. The switch contacts are opened and closed by a W-cam (16). The actuator for the W-cam is a trapeze spring (14), the length of the horizontal portion of which is greater than the width of the W-cam, so that the center high point (16a) of the W-cam passes through the actuator without interference therewith.

Abstract: A circuit breaker comprising an electrically insulating housing, an overcurrent sensor in the housing, a stationary and a movable contact in the housing, and a latch mechanism coupled to the movable contact. The latch mechanism is tripped in response to a sensed overcurrent; an overcenter spring is coupled to the movable contact for opening and closing the contacts with a snap action when the latch mechanism is tripped. An elongated handle member extends through a handle opening in the housing and is movable axially between a contacts open position and a contacts closed position. Handle link means couples the handle member to the latch mechanism and translates a longitudinal movement of the handle member into a rotational movement of the handle link to urge the latch mechanism into the contacts closed position.

Abstract: A device for shifting a contact arrangement in a thermally operating protective relay having a make contact, a break contact, as well as a double-throw contact, provides for shifting the arrangement from self-locking to automatic resetting by shifting the make contact by means of a piston which can be locked. The self-locking condition provided can be cancelled by arranging the make contact for motion, in the closing direction, by the piston which is supported so as to be freely movable. The plunger has a resilient hook which can snap into undercuts in the housing of the relay which establish the end positions of the plunger. The undercuts are arranged in steps so that two different end positions for the plunger are obtained when the plunger is rotated approximately 90.degree.. One end position corresponds to the automatic resetting of the contact arrangement. The other end position makes it possible to move the plunger to cancel the self-locking condition.

Abstract: In a manual switch with thermal and magnetic release, the fixed pivots of a control member, of a latch, and of a transmission member coupled to the contacts, are disposed at the apices of a right-angled triangle, one side bounding the right angle being parallel to the direction of actuation of the control member and to the movement of the contacts, the other side bounding the right angle being placed in the vicinity of the control member.

Abstract: A switch which is opened and closed by successively depressing a manual operating handle is provided with one spring for separating the switch contacts and a separate spring for closing the switch contacts. Interrupting capacity is improved without increasing overall size by utilizing a J-shaped movable contact arm mounted on a pivot located a substantial distance from the movable contact. The closing spring is located adjacent to the arcing or interrupter area. A metal shield is positioned to protect the closing spring from hot arcing gases as they exit from the interrupter area. The speed of instantaneous or magnetic tripping is improved by providing the magnet coil with at least one complete current carrying loop.

Abstract: An automatic control for egg cookers, baby bottle warmer, etc. is designed around a conventional slide switch of the type normally biased to the open position. Manually actuated means are provided to move the slide switch to its ON position, whereupon a mechanical latch automatically latches onto the knob of the slide switch to hold it in its ON position. When the cooking has been completed, a bi-metal releases the latch and permits the biasing means to open the switch and terminate the heating.

Abstract: In a push button actuated, bimetal controlled, current overload switch capable of undergoing trip-free release and including a bimetal strip disposed in a housing, an angular contact bridge disposed in the housing and forming part of the current path provided by the switch, a switching rod mounted in the housing for axial movement relative thereto and having one end extending out of the housing, a switching rod extension mounted at the other end of the rod and within the housing and arranged to bear against the bridge, and a spring disposed to maintain a spring force between the bridge and the extension, opening of the switch by actuation of the rod is made possible by the provision of an obliquely extending lever disposed in the housing, having one end pivotally secured to the housing, having its other end engaging the bimetal strip, and located in the path of travel of the extension during axial movement of the rod into the housing for enabling such movement of the rod to displace the lever in a direction t

Abstract: A U-shaped heater unit is surrounded by a U-shaped bimetal, the legs of which move in response to temperature variations. The motion of the bimetal is conveyed through a wall by a slidable pin which acts to rotate an L-shaped compensator element. This rotation lifts a link element which operates a switch when the trip point is reached. A reset mechanism includes a plunger which when manually depressed rotates a reset arm first in one direction to reset the switch after it has been tripped and then in the opposite direction to a neutral station in which it will not reset the switch. The reset mechanism thus cannot be defeated by jamming the plunger in its fully depressed position.

Abstract: Electrical on-off switching system, particularly for process control, having a bimodal operation with a first operational, low current, mode response and second emergency, high current, mode, comprising multiple sets of switch contacts and separate linkages for the first and second modes arranged such that the spreading of switch contacts for electrical circuit interruption is less in the first mode than in the second and further comprising a snap action in both modes of operation and non-interference between the linkages providing the two modes of operation.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a three phase aircraft circuit breaker in which a single push-pull manual operator controls a single mechanical latch for the three poles. Slidable contact carriers in each of the phases are controlled by thermally actuated latches in each of the poles which are released upon the occurrence of an electrical overload by a current responsive bimetal in each pole. An ambient temperature responsive bimetal is provided in each phase. A common trip mechanism effects opening of all poles of the circuit breaker upon the occurrence of an overload in any phase.

Abstract: A two pole circuit breaker is assembled in a case comprising two identical halves. Each case half contains one pole comprising like terminals and contacts. An actuating mechanism for both poles of the circuit breaker is mounted on the center line of the case so as to be clamped by the two case halves. The case halves also hold the external terminals and support the conductors and contacts of each pole of the circuit breaker. Bimetallic elements are secured to one of the terminals of each pole, bridging members containing contacts at opposite ends thereof, completing a circuit between the other of the terminals on each pole and the bimetal thereof when the contacts are in the closed condition. When an overload heats one or both of the bimetals, the bridging member is released, opening both contacts thereon and advancing a common trip bar of the operating mechanism to interrupt the circuit through the other pole. By pushing the manual operator inwardly, the contacts of both poles are reset.

Abstract: A pushbutton-operated circuit breaker has a thermal release and an independent trip which can be mannually operated to trip the circuit breaker from the "on" position to the "off" position by depressing the pushbutton. A slide is provided within the switch which, when contacted by the pushbutton, forces a bimetallic spring to bend and release the switch. The slide is movable within the switch such that it is outside of the path of movement of the pushbutton when the circuit breaker is being switched from the "off" to the "on" position, but is engageable by the pushbutton when in the "on" position.

Abstract: A circuit interrupter characterized by a manually operated fast acting switch and an overload relay for tripping of switch in response to current overload. The switch comprises means for moving electric contacts between open and closed and tripped positions which means includes a releasable arm which is movable between latched and unlatched positions. The switch also comprises a pair of pushbuttons for manually opening and closing the switch which pushbuttons are effective to move a lever which in turn actuates an overcenter toggle mechanism for opening and closing the switch.

Abstract: A pushbutton actuated excess current switch with thermal tripping by a bimetal strip and with trip-free release. The pushbutton includes a component incorporating an actuating rod, a connecting bridge and a stud pointing away from the actuating rod and having an annular groove for receiving one end of a disconnecting spring the other end of which is supported in a switch housing, this component being unitarily made of synthetic material. Furthermore a threaded sleeve inserted into the switch housing and serving for guiding the pushbutton or the actuating rod as well as for affixing the switch housing is unitarily produced from synthetic material. The use of such unitarily produced components simplifies the manufacture of the switch.

Abstract: A thermal circuit breaker includes a movable contact assembly which is held in an operative position against a fixed contact assembly by means of a catch movable by means of a temperature sensing device which is responsive to the current flowing between the contacts. When this current exceeds a predetermined value the catch is released and the contacts move to the open position. A manually operable control is provided to effect resetting of the circuit breaker and it is additionally operable to effect opening of the contacts when it is required to stop current flow through the circuit which is protected by the breaker.

Abstract: A multiple circuit thermal circuit breaker comprises a plurality of single circuit breakers which are contained in a housing. A single manually operable control is provided to effect resetting of all the circuit breakers and each circuit breaker includes a temperature sensing means through which the current flowing in the respective breaker flows, the temperature sensing means when the current exceeds a predetermined value acting to trip the respective circuit breaker. Linkage is provided between the circuit breakers so that when one is tripped by operation of its temperature sensing means the other circuit breakers will also be tripped.