Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Indicators
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-17
2002-04-30
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Indicators
C200S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06380501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to circuit breaker remote handle operators. More specifically, this application relates to a trip indicator for circuit breaker remote handle operators.
Remote handle operators are available to remotely operate a circuit breaker, i.e., to turn on, off, or reset the circuit breaker from a remote location. Remote handle operators work by attaching to the front face of the circuit breaker and engaging a chuck on the circuit breaker handle to physically operate the circuit breaker. A chuck disposed on the circuit breaker handle is operated by a solenoid or motor which is operated by a control unit at the remote location.
A drawback to using a remote handle operator is that the remote handle operator covers the handle of the circuit breaker, making it impossible determine which position the handle is in unless some indicator is provided by the remote handle operator.
It has been known to provide a window on the case of the remote handle operator with a label mounted to the handle chuck or a part that moves with the handle chuck to indicate whether the handle is in an ON position or OFF position. However, it would also be desirable to know when the circuit breaker has been tripped. When a circuit breaker trips, the handle moves slightly away from the ON position. Unfortunately, this movement is not visible on circuit breakers with remote handle operators.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations of the prior art, the present invention provides a trip indicator for handle operator for controlling a handle of a circuit breaker comprising a cover having a window sufficiently sized to view indicia indicating a position of the handle, a trip flag having indicia indicating a TRIPPED condition, and a connection between a chuck of the handle operator and the trip flag configured to move the trip flag such that the indicia is visible through the window when the handle is in a TRIPPED position and is not visible through said window when the handle is not in the TRIPPED position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4392036 (1983-07-01), Troebel et al.
patent: 5120921 (1992-06-01), Dimarco et al.
patent: 5296664 (1994-03-01), Crookston et al.
patent: 5457295 (1995-10-01), Tanibe et al.
patent: 5981887 (1999-11-01), Robarge et al.
patent: 6107902 (2000-08-01), Zhang et al.
patent: 6222433 (2001-04-01), Ramakrishnan et al.
Attarian Farshid
Criniti Joseph
Figueroa Alberto A.
Kalaita Joseph B.
Larranaga Javier Ignacio
Friedhofer Michael
Gantor Colburn LLP
General Electric Company
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