Square D Company

Charles E Netolicky

Robert F Dvorak

Timothy Robert Faber

Randall L Siebels

James V Fixemer

Teresa I Hood

Neil R Palmer

Joel L Miller

Dale W Bennett

Douglas Paul Van Waart

Tamara L Schultz

Steven H Buehler

Christopher M Diekman

An arc stack for receiving a circuit breaker blade moveable between a closed position and an open position, includes a plurality of arc plates positioned substantially parallel to one another and arranged in a plurality of adjacent groups. Each of the groups includes one or more arc plates having substantially similar respective arc throats formed therein. The respective arc throats progressively decrease in size from group to group along the length of the arc stack in a direction extending away from the closed position of the blade. A connecting support maintains the plurality of arc plates substantially parallel to one another.

Arc stack for a circuit breaker

For use in a trip unit, a transformer assembly is provided in a compact and cost effective form. The assembly includes a toroidal transformer between a pair of busses, and plastic retainers around a conductor which connects the busses. Each of the plastic retainers are molded as a plastic part which features: a flat portion separating the transformer axially from the adjacent bus, a tubular section attached to the flat portion which protrudes through the center of the transformer and serves to separate it radially from the bus, and a set of ribs protruding from the tubular, flat portions which serve to slightly penetrate the insulation material in the center of the transformer and grip the transformer to prevent it from rotating, and a lip protruding from the flat portion which causes the retainer to stop rotational motion relative to the bus.

Transformer assembly with improved retainer and insulator

A molded plastic current limiting circuit breaker having for each pole, a stationary and movable contact separable upon occurrence of a current higher than a predetermined level. The stationary and movable contacts are positioned inside an over-molded magnet opening to greatly increase the magnetic repulsion force between them and rapidly accelerate their separation by concentrating the magnetic fields generated upon an occurrence of a high level short circuit. The over-molded magnet is composed of a plurality of steel plates grouped together and being over molded with a thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material has grooves integrally formed therein for retaining insulator inserts that protect the thermoplastic material during separation of the stationary and movable contacts.

Current limiting circuit breaker with over-molded magnet and metal plates

A flush mounted indicating button assembly and operating button assembly each connected to a cover having a pair of holes which receive identical buttons of the assemblies. Each button includes a circular head portion having a flat top surface and a circular base portion having a lesser diameter than the head portion which has a flat bottom surface and defines a collar portion at the bottom of the head portion. The base portion of each bottom is provided with a circumferential channel adjacent the bottom surface which carries a retaining ring. The indicator button is positioned within the hole by a leaf spring member which is connected to the bottom surface of the cover and includes an opening shaped and dimensioned to permit passage of the base portion while preventing passage of the head portion of the button. The opening is in registration with the hole in the cover and a helical coil encircles the base portion intermediate the leaf spring member and the retaining ring. The hole through which the operating button extends is provided with an annular lip adjacent the bottom surface of the cover with a coil spring captured between the collar portion of the button and the annular lip while the retaining clip is engaged with the bottom surface of the cover to prevent further upward movement of the button.

Button indicator and switch assembly

A rotary switch is provided by a molded knob having a circular top portion, a circular bottom portion and a circumferential flange between the top and bottom portion. The bottom portion includes a recess which is provided with a pair of crush ribs provided to secure a rotary switch pin within the recess. A circumferential channel is provided on the flange around the top portion of the knob with a stop tab provided in the channel. The molded knob is operatively associated with a top plate and a bottom plate, each plate including a plurality of apertures which receive a respective top portion of a molded knob. The bottom plate is provided with an offset portion which spaces the apertures in the bottom plate a predetermined distance from the apertures in the top plate, with dimples provided in the bottom plate to maintain a predetermined spacing of the plates at the locations of the apertures. The apertures in the top plate are sized to fit closely around the top portion of the molded knob while the apertures in the bottom plate are sized greater than the dimensions of the apertures in the top plate and less than the dimensions of the circumferential flange, with lock tab of being provided on the bottom plate and extending into each bottom aperture and providing a stop surface against which the stop tab will abut upon sufficient rotation of the knob. The top portion of the knob is provided with a slot which can be operated by a screwdriver or similar tool to move the knob to any of its available positions which is designated by an embossed arrow on the top of the knob.

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Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Charles E Netolicky