Therm-o-disc, Incorporated

Derek J Rose

Prasad S Khadkikar

Jeffrey A West

Richard E Welch

Richard L Gerich

Michael T Gurski

Christine M Hudson

Douglas E Prather

Sean McCandless

Douglas J Kempf

Jorgen Nielsen

A trip-free manual reset thermostat includes a first fixed contact and a second fixed contact for an electric circuit and a bridging contact having a first end and a second end in contact with the first and second fixed contacts, respectively, in a normally closed position. The bridging contact is tripped open and is not in contact with the first and second fixed contacts at a predetermined higher temperature. When a pushbutton is in a depressed position, the bridging contact is pressed toward the fixed contacts and the second end of the bridging contact is caused to pivot around the first end of the bridging contact. The thermostat does not require a narrow manufacturing and assembly tolerance to achieve a trip-free function and has a simpler structure and is easy to manufacture.

Trip-free manual reset thermostat

An electrical component protective cover for an appliance has an upper portion and a lower panel portion. The upper portion forms a cavity within a housing having a plurality of walls, which form a perimeter around the electrical component. At least one vent in at least one sidewall of the housing vents air and enables moisture to escape from the interior of the housing. A strip of barrier material is positioned between an edge of the perimeter of the housing and the appliance, the barrier material being a narrow piece of a resilient caulk material to impede liquid or moisture from entering the interior of the housing. The protective cover attaches to the electrical component using attachment receptacles such as female tab recesses. The lower portion has an aperture intermediate the upper portion and the lower portion to provide electrical component access through the cover without removing the cover.

Protective covers for electric components

An improved flue pipe construction particularly adapted for a fuel fired water heater is disclosed which serves to reduce or minimize heat loss when the water heater is in a standby mode. The flue pipe construction comprises inner and outer concentric flue pipes which define an air space therebetween and one or more valve arrangements associated therewith to selectively restrict air flow through such air space. The valve arrangements include a thermally responsive actuator operative to open and close the valve member in response to heat generated by firing of the burner assembly without the need for any external power supply or interlocks.

Flue pipe control

An electrical resistance heater is positioned adjacent to a bimetal disc in a thermostat for depressing the temperatures at which the disc snaps between oppositely bowed positions to open and close a switch. A thermal insulator interposed between the heater and the thermostat housing protects the housing against overheating and properly locates the heater relative to the disc. A dielectric film on the surface of the disc that faces toward the heater insures adequate electrical spacing between the heater and disc.

Thermostat with thermal insulator for protection against overheating

A one-piece resilient switchblade includes contacts on its opposite end portions. A mounting arm extends transversely of the switchblade and is attached to a switchcase under bending stress for biasing the switchblade against a fulcrum. The mounting arm twists and the switchblade bows under influence of the force acting on the switchblade through the fulcrum. A movable bumper changes the fulcrum point to reverse the twist in the mounting arm and the bow in the switchblade.

Switchblade

Upper and lower flexible blades carry normally closed contacts that are opened by upward movement of the upper blade responsive to snapping of a bimetal disc. The disc is reset by a pushbutton movable from a rest position to a depressed reset position. In its reset position, part of the reset button extends past the upper blade into engagement with the lower blade for moving and holding the lower contact away from the upper contact to prevent reclosing of the contacts until the pushbutton is moved back toward its rest position.

Manual reset thermostat switch

A thermostatic switch assembly having three individual switches vertically stacked one above the other on a base containing temperature responsive bimetal discs that operate the individual switches through actuating rods.

Growing community of inventors

Mansfield, OH, United States of America

Derek J Rose