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:
Jul. 04, 2006
Filed:
Sep. 27, 2004
Theodore J. Houck, Iii, Milwaukee, WI (US);
Jie Ning, Shorewood, WI (US);
Theodore J. Houck, III, Milwaukee, WI (US);
Jie Ning, Shorewood, WI (US);
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc., Mayfield Heights, OH (US);
Abstract
A disconnect is coupled to a rotary shaft communicating with a door-mounted knob provides an operator on the shaft for engaging the door handle to detect closure of the door. The operator includes a pair of coupling mechanisms that control the transmission of torque between the operator and the shaft depending on whether the door is open or closed. Specifically, when the door is closed, torque applied to the operator in both directions is transmitted to the shaft. If the door is open, torque applied to the operator is only transmitted in one direction to disconnect power through the disconnect unless the user performs a predetermined sequence of events to rotatably couple the operator to the shaft with respect to rotation in the opposite direction that connects power through the disconnect. When the door is open the operator may be easily used to disconnect power but may be used to connect power only when the user manipulates the operator in a certain way.