Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8183488 | Electrical switching apparatus and load conductor therefor A load conductor is provided for an electrical switching apparatus, such as a circuit breaker. The circuit breaker includes a housing having a number of recesses. The load conductor includes first and second opposing sides, an intermediate portion extending between ... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183487 | Cam and two-link linkage operating mechanism and circuit interrupter including the same An operating mechanism is provided for a circuit interrupter, such as a battery disconnect apparatus, including a housing and a number of stationary electrical contacts enclosed by the housing. The operating mechanism includes a cam member and a two-bar linkage memb... | 05/22/2012 |
| 7910850 | Electrical switching apparatus and push-to-trip assembly therefor A push-to-trip assembly is provided for an electrical switching apparatus, such as a circuit breaker. The push-to-trip assembly includes a push-to-trip actuator having first and second ends and being movable among a first position corresponding to the circuit breake... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7633031 | Spring driven ram for closing a electrical switching apparatus An operating mechanism closing assembly for an electrical switching apparatus having a ram assembly structured to engage and move a toggle assembly is provided. The ram assembly includes a ram body that travels over a, preferably, straight path and engages the toggl... | 12/15/2009 |
| 7411145 | Motor operator de-coupling system sensing camshaft position A decoupling assembly structured to decouple the charging motor and the charging assembly cam shaft is provided. The decoupling assembly includes a lifter pin assembly and an elongated second end to a link member in the over-running clutch assembly. The link member ... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7397008 | Switching mechanism for air circuit breaker A switching mechanism of an air circuit breaker that allows the overall size of the air circuit breaker to be minimal by making the width of the switching mechanism relatively small. The switching mechanism of the air circuit breaker includes both side plates, a mai... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7368677 | Reverse bias hatchet reset spring A spring offset device is structured to extend between a circuit breaker frame assembly and a trip mechanism. The offset device includes an offset member disposed on a trip device banana link, a spring anchor disposed on the frame assembly, and a spring extending be... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7369022 | Auxiliary switch sub-assembly and electrical switching apparatus employing the same An auxiliary switch sub-assembly is provided for a telecommunication system circuit breaker including a housing having an opening, separable contacts inside the housing, and an operating mechanism operating the separable contacts between open and closed positions. T... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7358455 | Cradle stop assembly, and operating mechanism and electrical switching apparatus employing the same A cradle stop assembly is provided for a circuit breaker including an operating mechanism. The operating mechanism includes a pivotable movable contact arm and a cradle member which is movable between a latched position corresponding to separable contacts of the cir... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7351927 | Electrical switch, conductor assembly, and independent flexible conductive elements therefor A flexible conductive element is provided for the conductor assembly of an electrical switching apparatus. The conductor assembly includes a load conductor, a movable contact assembly including a number of movable contact arms, movable electrical contacts mounted on... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7319373 | Electrical switching apparatus and terminal housing therefor An auxiliary switch terminal housing is provided for a telecommunication system circuit breaker including an enclosure, separable contacts inside the enclosure, line and load terminals in electrical communication with the separable contacts, an operating mechanism f... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7319203 | Circuit interrupter and operating mechanism therefor An operating mechanism is provided for a circuit interrupter, such as a battery disconnect apparatus, including a housing and a number of stationary electrical contacts enclosed by the housing. The operating mechanism includes a cam member having a profile with firs... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7301742 | Method and apparatus for accessing and activating accessory functions of electronic circuit breakers An electronic trip unit for a circuit breaker includes a programmed microprocessor and a module plug in removable signal communication with the microprocessor. The module plug includes a program identifier. The microprocessor recognizes the program identifier and ac... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7294804 | Energy dissipating spring seat Within a closing assembly that utilizes a ram assembly having a spring driven ram body, an energy dissipating spring seat assembly is provided. The ram body is mounted on a guide assembly having at least one pin. The guide assembly also includes a base plate and a s... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7280018 | Housing including strengthening member and electrical switching apparatus employing the same A circuit breaker includes a molded base and cover, with at least one of the base and cover being a molded member including a pair of end walls, a pair of side walls, and an opening between the side walls. A strengthening member engages the base and cover between th... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7268652 | Cradle assembly with opening assist mechanism and electrical switching apparatus employing the same An opening assist mechanism is for the cradle assembly of a circuit breaker including a housing enclosing separable contacts, and an operating mechanism for opening and closing the separable contacts. The operating mechanism includes a trip bar and a cradle assembly... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7268308 | Isolation switch for power transfer A power system including a power transfer device that prevents a common load from at once being powered by a main and auxiliary power source, and eliminates any possibility of back feeding the main power source from the auxiliary power source. First and second circu... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7248135 | Contact arm with 90 degree offset A moving arm for a moving contact assembly in a telecommunication system circuit breaker is provided. The circuit breaker has a housing assembly, an operating mechanism, a trip device, and a current path assembly. The current path assembly includes a line conductor ... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7238909 | Circuit breaker including line conductor having bend portion to increase contact gap A circuit breaker includes line and load ends and separable contacts electrically disposed between the line and load ends. A movable arm carries a movable contact and includes an elongated body having a first general longitudinal axis and an offset disposed at one e... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7238910 | Crossbar assist mechanism and electrical switching apparatus employing the same A crossbar assist mechanism is for a circuit breaker including a housing, a movable contact, a stationary contact, and an operating mechanism. The operating mechanism includes a crossbar, a carrier coupled to the crossbar, and a movable contact arm which is pivotabl... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7209330 | Reset lockout for circuit interrupting device Resettable circuit interrupting devices, such as GFCI devices, that include a reset lock-out mechanism are provided. The reset lock-out mechanism prevents the resetting of electrical connections between input and output conductors if the circuit interrupting mechani... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7208693 | Safety device for dual-circuit switch A switch includes a body with a switch member and two springs are connected to an underside of the switch member. Two identical circuit assemblies are isolated from each other and received in the body. Each circuit assembly has two terminals and a bimetallic plate h... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7202437 | Electrical switching apparatus including operating mechanism having insulating portion A circuit breaker includes a housing having a first insulating portion, a line end, a load end and a pair of separable contacts electrically disposed between the line end and the load end. An operating mechanism includes a second insulating portion and a movable arm... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7161105 | Electrical switching device An electrical switching device, in particular a circuit breaker, is disclosed. In order to shorten the opening times of a switching device such as this, a snap-action system is used. The system interacts with the moving contact piece, of an electrical switching devi... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7138892 | Method and apparatus for soft-fault tolerant circuit interruption In accordance with one embodiment, the present technique provides a circuit interrupter. The exemplary circuit interrupter includes conductive spanner that completes an electrical pathway between first and second electrical conductors. To facilitate a good electrica... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7132912 | Moving contact unit for a contact arrangement in a circuit breaker The moving contact unit (10) is intended for a contact arrangement in a circuit breaker and contains a contact mount (13) and a contact piece (11, 111, 112), which is held by the contact mount (13). The contact mount (13) is arrang... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7126068 | Switching mechanism with mechanical interlocking and manual override A switching mechanism provides sequential switching of first and second circuit breakers to enable switching between a primary power supply and a backup power supply. The switching mechanism comprises a first actuator plate to operate a first circuit breaker connect... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7115831 | Vacuum interrupter with a switch contact piece According to the invention, heat generated inside a vacuum interrupter (1) is to be extracted, essentially by means of the pins (7, 8) of the contact pieces (5, 6) and, in order to improve the transmission of heat, a first slide contact surface ... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7115829 | Switch A switch includes a contact mechanism having at least one contact and defining a longitudinal axis. Actuation of a handle moves the contact mechanism transversely to the longitudinal axis between an open position and a closed position in relation to at least one fix... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7098416 | Reverse-action auxiliary switch actuator mechanism and circuit breaker employing the same An auxiliary switch actuating mechanism is for a circuit breaker including a housing, separable contacts, an operating mechanism with an operating handle interconnected to the separable contacts by a linkage assembly, and an auxiliary switch having a contact member.... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7091438 | Circuit breaker with improved arc extinction system An improved circuit breaker includes an arc extinction system having one or more insulators that generates a desirable gas in the presence of an arc. The exemplary circuit breaker includes gas-generating insulators disposed at three sides of a stationary contact and... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7079002 | Safety switch A switch device includes a body with a switch member pivotably connected to a top thereof and two terminals extend through an underside of the body. A first contact point is connected to one of the terminals and a bi-metallic plate has a first end fixed to the other... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7067754 | Bezel-button assembly and method A bezel-button assembly comprising at least one button connected to a bezel. The button is moveable between a first position and at least a second position. An elastic layer connects the bezel to the button and is adapted to provide at least a partial mechanical bia... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7064284 | Circuit breaker with bumper An improved circuit breaker includes a case, a movable arm, and a bumper retained within a receptacle formed on the case. The bumper is retained in the receptacle by a number of spaced ribs that engage certain portions of the bumper yet permit deformations of other ... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7052335 | Electric wire connecting device An electric wire connecting device 50 has a housing 53 as an outer body; a screw 55 that can rotate freely about a rotation axis 55a at a prescribed position in the housing 53 but is prevented from moving in the axial direct... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7053324 | Switching mechanism for a manual motor starter The present invention relates to a switching mechanism for preventing a trip error of a manual motor starter. While using the manual motor starter, even though a latch holder (4) is incompletely released from restraint by a trip lever (3) during trip o... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7045733 | Low-voltage circuit-breaker and corresponding positive-opening-operation device Described herein is a low-voltage circuit-breaker, which comprises at least one mobile contact and a corresponding fixed contact, and a positive-opening-operation device. The positive-opening-operation device in turn comprises: a moving element associated to the mob... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7038155 | Latching mechanism for locking an actuating shaft and electrical switch with a latching mechanism of this type A latching mechanism is for locking an actuating shaft of an electrical switch, which can be transferred from an OFF position into an ON position by a drive train counter to the force of at least one first spring, in its ON position. The latching mechanism includes ... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7034650 | Protection mechanism for switches A protection mechanism for a switch device includes a pivotably member pivotably connected to an underside of the switch member pivotably connected to an open top of the case of the switch device. The pivotable member includes a shorter tongue and two rods. An end o... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7030726 | Protection mechanism for switches A protection mechanism for a switch device includes a pull member that has one end pivotably connected to the switch member and the other end which is a hook end for lifting the bimetallic plate to set the switch device to “OFF” status. A push member is pivotabl... | 04/18/2006 |
