Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100156576 | CIRCUIT BREAKER HAVING REDUCED AUXILIARY TRIP REQUIREMENTS - A bimetal in a circuit breaker can deflect in a first direction or a second direction depending upon conditions. If the bimetal deflects in the second direction it can increase the force necessary to operate a trip mechanism of the circuit breaker. A yoke stop helps to control bimetal deflection forces and thus, the amount of force necessary to operate the trip mechanism. This allows better control, size, and selection of operating parts for the circuit breaker. | 06-24-2010 |
20110222211 | CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH IMPROVED TIE-DOWN ACCESSORY - Electrical circuit breakers in an electrical panelboard are equipped with tie-down devices to secure the circuit breakers to the panelboard. Each circuit breaker includes a standard housing or case having a raised portion that forms a pair of end walls and a slot at the base of each of the end walls. The panelboard includes mounts for attaching the tie-down devices to the panelboard. Each tie-down device includes (1) a breaker-attachment portion adapted to be mounted on the circuit breaker housing around the raised portion and having a pair of mounting hooks adapted to fit into the slots for attaching the tie-down device to the circuit breaker housing, and (2) a panelboard attachment portion extending beyond the circuit breaker housing for attachment to the panelboard mount. | 09-15-2011 |
20120120558 | CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH CONTROLLED EXHAUST - A circuit breaker assembly includes a housing, a trip mechanism, a vent channel, and a chamber. The trip mechanism is positioned within the housing can causes a movable contact to separate from a second contact in response to detection by the circuit breaker assembly of an electrical fault. The vent channel is formed in the housing and positioned to exhaust gas and debris produced as the movable contact separates from the second contact during the electrical fault to an aperture in the housing. The chamber has a chamber housing coupled to the housing adjacent the aperture such that the chamber receives the gas and debris exiting the aperture. | 05-17-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130264180 | CIRCUIT BREAKER IDENTIFICATION ACCESSORY - Identification accessories, circuit breaker caps, and labeling kits for labeling electrical switch devices, such as circuit breakers, are presented herein. An identification accessory is disclosed for identifying an electrical switch device in proximity to its operating mechanism. The identification accessory includes an accessory shell with a lid having first and second endwalls projecting from the lid. | 10-10-2013 |
20140165390 | METHODS OF ASSEMBLING A NEUTRAL RAIL TO A PLUG-ON NEUTRAL LOAD CENTER - A method of assembling a load center featuring a dielectric barrier that securely retains a plug-on neutral rail without requiring any fasteners. The dielectric barrier and the rail are installed in the same Z-axis direction, which is orthogonal to a rear wall of an enclosure into which the load center is installed. Retention features in the dielectric barrier can create a snap-fit connection between the rail and the barrier, or the barrier can feature a support feature onto which the rail snaps as the rail is installed relative to the dielectric barrier in the Z-axis direction. The snap fit connections eliminate the need for any fasteners, and together with the Z-axis assembly, the assembly process is simplified and accelerated and the possibility of assembly error is reduced or eliminated. | 06-19-2014 |
20140168861 | SNAP-IN AND SNAP-ON NEUTRAL RAIL ASSEMBLIES IN A PLUG-ON NEUTRAL LOAD CENTER - A plug-on load center featuring snap-in or snap-on neutral rails that are retained securely in the load center on or between a dielectric barrier without requiring any fasteners and assembled by installing the dielectric components and neutral rail along the same direction orthogonal to a rear wall of an enclosure that houses the load center. The snap-in configurations feature dielectric barriers with fingers that create a snap-fit connection between the neutral rail and a shield member. The neutral rail is forced between the fingers, which separate and then snap back to their original position once the neutral rail is fully seated in the dielectric barrier. The snap-on configurations feature a neutral rail that is snapped onto the dielectric barrier and retained in the load without any fasteners. The barrier can include retention members that snap-fit into corresponding features of the neutral rail when it is installed onto the barrier. | 06-19-2014 |