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:
Sep. 03, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 10, 2000
Richard Paul Malingowski, Finleyville, PA (US);
Craig Allen Rodgers, Butler, PA (US);
Lance Gula, Clinton, PA (US);
Teresa Inez Hood, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Raymond Peter Gundy, Indiana, PA (US);
Jonathan Moore Peifer, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Eaton Corporation, Cleveland, OH (US);
Abstract
A circuit interrupter including a housing, separable main contacts within the housing, and an operating mechanism within the housing and interconnected with the separable main contacts. A trip mechanism is disposed within the housing that includes a trip bar assembly rotatable about an axis and that, when rotated, generates a tripping operation causing the operating mechanism to open the contacts. The trip bar assembly includes a trip member translatable along the axis. The trip mechanism includes a tripping actuator movable along a predetermined path of travel as a function of electrical current. The tripping actuator contacts a contact area of the trip member at a predetermined location along the predetermined path of travel of the tripping actuator and causes the trip bar assembly to rotate and generate the tripping operation upon a predetermined current threshold. When the trip member is translated along the axis, the contact area is contacted by the tripping actuator at a different location along the predetermined path of travel of the tripping actuator whereby the predetermined current threshold is changed.