The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 22, 1989
Filed:
Sep. 01, 1987
William F Weldon, Austin, TX (US);
Ben M Rech, Round Rock, TX (US);
Raymond C Zowarka, Jr, Austin, TX (US);
Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
A staged switch for conducting a large electrical current for an indefinite time period and then rapidly switching the current into a load circuit. The switch comprises a first stage which can conduct a large electrical current for an indefinite time period without damage to the stage and a second stage which is a fast-opening element. The first stage includes primary and secondary contacts wherein the primary contacts conduct a charging current and the secondary contacts divert the current into the fast-opening second stage. The secondary contacts 'make' before the primary contacts 'break', reducing the damage to the contacts which might otherwise be experienced. The second stage is a low-inductance element which reduces the level of energy absorbed by the first-stage contacts, minimizing damage to the contacts. The second-stage element may be constructed in a cartridge and may be loaded into the switch using an autoloader device.