Novel circuit interrupting device with interconnecting reset and test buttons
First Claim
1. A circuit interrupting device having a pair of power input terminals, a pair of power output terminals, and a pair of user accessible output terminals, which are electrically separated from each other in a tripped state and electrically connected in a reset state;
- said circuit interrupting device further comprising;
a reset button;
a test button;
a flexible metal piece located underneath said test button; and
a test resistor located below said flexible metal piece;
wherein when said circuit interrupting device is properly wired and at said tripped state, depressing said reset button drives said test button to move downwards with said reset button so that said flexible metal piece beneath said test button comes into contact with said test resistor to generate a simulated leakage current to test whether components of said circuit interrupting device are working properly;
wherein when said components of said circuit interrupting device are working properly, said circuit interrupting device is capable of being reset; and
wherein when at least one of said components of said circuit interrupting device is not working properly, said circuit interrupting device cannot be reset.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a novel circuit interrupting device, preferably a ground fault circuit interrupter, which contains a reset button that is capable of interacting with a test button to perform an end-of-life-component test on the circuit interrupting device. The circuit interrupting device also contains a reset switch coupled to the reset button which is capable of disallowing reset if the device is miswired and/or fails the end-of-life-component test. Only when the circuit interrupting device is properly wired, in a tripped state, and all of the key components in the circuit interrupting device are working properly, the depression of the reset button allows the device to be reset.
104 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A circuit interrupting device having a pair of power input terminals, a pair of power output terminals, and a pair of user accessible output terminals, which are electrically separated from each other in a tripped state and electrically connected in a reset state;
- said circuit interrupting device further comprising;
a reset button; a test button; a flexible metal piece located underneath said test button; and a test resistor located below said flexible metal piece; wherein when said circuit interrupting device is properly wired and at said tripped state, depressing said reset button drives said test button to move downwards with said reset button so that said flexible metal piece beneath said test button comes into contact with said test resistor to generate a simulated leakage current to test whether components of said circuit interrupting device are working properly; wherein when said components of said circuit interrupting device are working properly, said circuit interrupting device is capable of being reset; and wherein when at least one of said components of said circuit interrupting device is not working properly, said circuit interrupting device cannot be reset. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- said circuit interrupting device further comprising;
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20. A circuit interrupting device having a pair of power input terminals, a pair of power output terminals, and a pair of user accessible output terminals, which are electrically separated from each other in a tripped state and electrically connected in a reset state;
- said circuit interrupting device further comprising;
a reset switch capable of preventing reset when said circuit interrupting device is not properly wired and/or at least one component of said circuit interrupting device is not working properly; wherein said reset switch comprises a top metal piece, a middle metal piece, and a bottom electric contact;
wherein said top metal piece is located at the top of said reset switch, said middle metal piece is located below said top metal piece; and
said bottom electric contact is located below said middle metal piece; andwherein each of said top metal piece, said middle metal piece, and said bottom electric contact is electrically coupled to one of said pair of power input terminals. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
- said circuit interrupting device further comprising;
Specification