Reset lockout and trip for circuit interrupting device
First Claim
1. A mechanically tripped, electrically reset circuit interrupting device comprising:
- a housing;
at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity;
at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor;
a circuit interrupter disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence or a predetermined condition;
a reset lock-out responsive to the occurrence of said predefined condition such that said reset lock-out is operable between a lock-out position wherein said reset lock-out inhibits resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductors and a reset position wherein said reset lock-out does not inhibit resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductors; and
a trip mechanism operatively associated with said reset lock-out and said circuit interrupter such that mechanical activation of said trip mechanism conditions said circuit interrupter to be electrically driven to said reset position by said reset mechanism.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a circuit interrupting device having a trip button for disconnecting a load from a source of electrical power and a reset button for resetting the device after it has tripped. When the device is operating in its reset state, a source of electrical power is connected to a load through a set of contacts located within the device. The contacts are held closed by the spring loaded reset button which holds captive and urges a latch plate to move up to close normally open contacts. In the preferred mechanical trip mechanism, depressing the trip button causes the latch plate to move forward and be released from the reset button. The latch plate, upon being released from the reset button moves down to allow the contacts, which are biased to be normally open, to assume their normally open position. At this time, pressing the reset button initiates an electrical cycle which causes the normally open contacts to close only if the device is operating properly and there is no fault on the line. The device described is mechanically tripped and electrically reset, and it can be tripped without power being supplied to the device.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A mechanically tripped, electrically reset circuit interrupting device comprising:
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a housing;
at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity;
at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor;
a circuit interrupter disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence or a predetermined condition;
a reset lock-out responsive to the occurrence of said predefined condition such that said reset lock-out is operable between a lock-out position wherein said reset lock-out inhibits resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductors and a reset position wherein said reset lock-out does not inhibit resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductors; and
a trip mechanism operatively associated with said reset lock-out and said circuit interrupter such that mechanical activation of said trip mechanism conditions said circuit interrupter to be electrically driven to said reset position by said reset mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A mechanically tripped, electrically reset ground fault interrupting device comprising:
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a housing;
at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity;
at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor;
a circuit interrupter disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence or a depression of a trip button with or without electrical current being received; and
a reset mechanism having a reset lock-out responsive to activation of said circuit interrupter so as to be movable between a lock-out position wherein said reset lock-out inhibits resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductors and a reset position wherein said reset lock-out does not inhibit resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductors, wherein when said reset mechanism is activated said circuit interrupter is activated to facilitates movement of said reset lock-out from said lock-out position to said reset position by said reset mechanism and resets said electrical connection between said input and output conductors. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. The mechanically tripped, electrically reset circuit interrupting device comprising;
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housing means;
input conductor means disposed at least partially within said housing means and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity;
output conductor means disposed at least partially within said housing means and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said input conductor;
circuit interrupting means disposed within said housing means for breaking said electrical connection between said input and output conductor means in response to the occurrence of a predetermined condition;
reset lock-out means responsive to manual depression of a reset means for resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductor means after said circuit interrupting means breaks said connection between said input and output conductor means; and
reset means disposed within said housing means for activating said circuit interrupting means so that said lock-out means does not inhibit resetting of said electrical connection between said input and output conductor means and for resetting said electrical connection between said input and output conductor means. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for interrupting and resetting electrical connections in fault interrupting devices having a housing, an input conductor disposed at least partially within the housing and electrically connected to a source of electricity, and an output conductor disposed at least partially within the housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrical continuity between the input and output conductors is made, said method comprising:
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sensing the occurrence of a predefined condition;
breaking electrical continuity between the input and output conductors when said predefined condition is sensed using a circuit interrupting mechanism;
enabling a lock-out mechanism to inhibit the making of electrical continuity between the input and output conductors after breaking electrical continuity between said conductors; and
manually activating a reset mechanism that electrically activates said circuit interrupting mechanism to made electrical continuity between said input and output conductors. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification