Latching and release system for ground fault receptacle

• US 4,939,615 A
• Filed: 01/23/1989
• Issued: 07/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pass And Seymour Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Pass And Seymour Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Brant, Edward J., Packard, Thomas N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wysocki, A. Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US07/299,570
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 361/42-50, 361/87, 361/96, 361/394-396, 361/399, 335/6, 335/18, 335/16, 335/200, 335/202
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 83/04 with testing means for indicating the ability of the switch or relay to function properly
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7135 with ground fault protector H01R13/7132 takes precedence

Abstract

An electrical receptacle affording ground fault protection includes a movable latch block having spaced surfaces supporting the free ends of a pair of parallel, electrically conducting arms. The arms are anchored at their opposite ends and are held in a flexed position, with a pair of contacts mounted on the movable, free ends of the arms in engagement with a pair of fixed contacts when the block is in a first, latched position. The latch is released in response to a sensed ground fault in the circuit, permitting movement of the block and free ends of the arms to disengage the movable contacts from the fixed contacts and open the circuit. The movable latch block is of dielectric material and includes a medial wall portion separating the two pairs of movable and fixed contacts, as well as the free ends of the arms. An end wall portion extends upwardly from and laterally across the forward edges of the spaced surfaces, perpendicular and integrally attached to the forward side of the medial wall portion. The medial wall portion includes a hollow section adjacent the end wall portion which the stem of a reset button for moving the block and arms back to the latched position extends, the stem also being of dielectric material and lying between the two sets of contacts, whereby the end and medial wall portions and stem cooperate to provide a dielectric barrier preventing arcing as the contacts make and break.

Claims

1. In a GFI receptacle having a first pair of fixed electrical contacts and a second pair of contacts carried on closely spaced, and forward end portions of substantially parallel, adjacent, electrically conducting arms movable between first and second positions wherein said second pair of contacts is in and out of engagement, respectively, with said first pair of contacts, means for preventing arcing as said second pair of contacts moves into and out of engagement with said first pair of contacts, said means comprising:

(a) a member of dielectric material mounted for movement together with and in the same direction as said arms;

(b) said member having a pair of spaced surfaces underlying and contacting said end portions of said arms to maintain the latter in said first position thereof, said surfaces having coextensive forward edges extending laterally across said member;

(c) a medial wall portion of dielectric material extending upwardly from a position between said spaced surfaces to a position physically separating and forming a dielectric barrier between said arms for a predetermined distance extending rearwardly from said forward edges for at least a portion of the length of said arms; and

(d) an end wall portion of dielectric material extending upwardly from a position at said forward edges of said spaced surfaces and extending laterally across said member to form a dielectric barrier forwardly of said first and second pairs of contacts, whereby said end wall portion cooperates with said medial wall portion to prevent line-to-line arcing as said second pair of contacts is moved into and out of engagement with said first pair of contacts.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said spaced surfaces are essentially coplanar.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said wall portion are integrally formed with said member.

4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said medial wall portion includes a first section having an opening extending therethrough along an axis mutually perpendicular to a line connecting said end portions and a line parallel to said arms, and a second, solid section.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said first section lies between the two contacts of each of said first and second pairs, and further including a separate member of dielectric material extending through said opening and thus positioned between said two contacts of each of said pairs.

6. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said separate member comprises a stem extending from a manually engageable reset button of said GFI receptacle.