Abstract

A circuit breaker having a thermally operated snap acting bimetallic actuator is miniaturized for replacing or retrofitting in place of a conventional blade or clip type fuse heretofore used for limiting current overload in a given current carrying circuit and is standardized to permit manufacture of the circuit breaker for operation in either the cycling or non-cycling mode, by providing a sized and shaped housing in which the interacting elements are so mounted and aligned that the terminals are parallel to each other and to the longitudinal line of the housing, and the bimetallic actuator is so mounted, nested, and longitudinally aligned in assembled position between the interengaging elements to provide substantial amplitude of movement of the bimetallic element and the contact thereon for coacting relation with a generally fixed contact in the cycling mode. For the non-cycling mode the housing has, a bore and slot disposed generally laterally of said interengaging elements in which bore and slot an insulating and manually reset member is slidably mounted for movement in a plane between the movable contact and the fixed contact when the contacts move from the normally closed position to open position on current overload.