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Abstract

A miniature motor protector particularly suitable for low current applications has a generally rectangular parallelepiped configured metallic housing open at the top and has a bottom wall and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, the side walls having a flange forming a ledge portion at their free ends extending around all four sides. An electrically insulative gasket is disposed on the ledge with a lid having two discrete portions spaced from one another placed on top of the gasket. Extensions of the flange portions are bent over the gasket and lid to clampingly engage them. A heater element having two ends extends between the two portions of the lid with one end electrically and mechanically attached to one portion and the other end electrically and mechanically attached to the other portion. A first switch element is mounted on one of the lid portions and a second switch element is mounted on the bottom wall of the housing with one of the switch elements including a cantilever mounted snap-acting thermostatic member adapted to move into and out of engagement with the other of the switch elements upon selected thermal conditions of the thermostatic member.