An Improved Magnetic Circuit Breaker.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 18th Nov., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
[Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM MAXWELL SCOTT, of 108, Johnson Street,
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Electrical Engineer.]
An Improved Magnetic Circuit Breaker.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved automatic magnetic circuit breakers.
My improved circuit breaker comprises a movable contact member or switch
bridge, suitably supported so that it will be capable of limited movement to and
away from fixed or stationary contacts and adapted to be actuated to more away
from said fixed contacts by gravity or spring force. Working in conjunction
with the said movable contact is a pivoted lever capable of a limited rotary
movement. A portion or projection of said lever is adapted to engage with a
fixed guide so disposed that the said lever in its rotary movement in one direction
will cause, through the pivot bearing of the said lever, the closing of the switch
against said gravity or spring actuation. Upon the rotation of the lever in
one direction, the clement of the lever joining the centre of the pivot and the
point of contact of the lever with the guide, approaches a dead centre, thereupon
restraining the switch in its closed position.
An electro magnet is also provided, suitably located so that its armature will,
during the continuance of the current or of a predetermined flow of same through
the coil of the magnet, restrain the lever in its final position reached in closing
the switch. The said armature may also be disposed so that the movement of
the lever in closing the switch will cause the engagement of the armature with
the magnet.
A supplemental quick acting switch in shunt with the main switch above
described, and controlled by the lever actuating the main switch, may also be
employed to finally break the circuit after the separation of the fixed and
movable contacts of the main switch.
Dated this 16th day of November 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Magnetle Circuit Breaker.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
40, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
5 nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, in
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
This invention relates to automatic magnetic circuit breakers. The object of
my device is to afford improved means for closing the switch and for maintaining
רס..'

page_text: the same closed against spring or gravity actuation, during the continuance of
the current or predetermined flow of same through the coil of the magnet. My
device is especially adapted for under-load actuation where it is desirable to
employ, instead of mercury cup contacts common in under-load circuit breakers,
contacts of the laminated or knife blade type. It also embodies an improved
supplemental circuit breaker in shunt to the main contacts for final separation.
I attain my object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1, is a perspective view of my device in the open position, Fig. 2
is a side elevation of my device in the closed position, sockets 6 and 7 shown
in section, and Fig. 3 is a diagramatic view of the paths of the current.
Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.
Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the base upon which the mechanism
is mounted; 2 and 3 the stationary contacts and 4 the bridge or movable contact.
This bridge 4 is supported on and may be integral with the rod 5, which is in turn
supported at each end by the cylinders or sockets 6 and 7, in which the said
ends have a limited rectilinear movement. The guide rods 8 engaging the
recessed shoulders 9 of the bridge 4, serve to guide the bridge and prevent its
rotary movement. Upon the rod 5 is pivoted at 11 the lever 12 supporting at
its outer or free end the armature 19 which is adapted to engage with the poles
of the electro-magnet 18. Said lever is also provided with the handle 14 for its
manual operation. The portion or projection 15 of the lever is provided at its
outer or free end with an anti-friction roller 16 adapted to encounter the fixed
or stationary guide 17. The guide 17 is so disposed that the said lever in
its rotary movement in one direction will cause the shifting of the position of
its supporting pivot 11 and the consequent shifting of the bridge 4, to cause
the closing of the switch against the actuation of the spring 18 which is located
in socket 6 and bears against the end of rod 5.
Upon the rotation of the lever in said direction, that is, against the actuation
of spring 18, the element of the lever joining the centre of pivot 11 and the point
of contact of the roller 16 with the guide 17, approaches a dead centre as the
bridge is forced into contact with its fixed contacts. The armature 19 carried at the
end of lever 12 is also brought into engagement with the poles of the magnet 13,
whereby, during the continuance of the current, or a predetermined flow of same,
through the coil of the magnet, the lever is held in said position to maintain
the switch closed. Upon the interruption of said predetermined flow, the arma-
ture is released and permits the backward rotation of the lever to which it
is attached and the rod 5 responding to the actuation of the spring 18 causes
the separation of the bridge from its fixed contacts. The spring actuated move-
ment of rod 5 is limited by the cushion stop 20 in end of socket 7.
The spring 21 is adapted to encounter the roller 16 to gradually check and
finally arrest said spring actuated rotary movement of the lever.
The supplemental lever 22 supported also on pirot 11 carries at its free end a
bridge adapted to engage with the supplemental stationary contacts 23 and 231
in shunt circuit with the main stationary contacts 2 and 3. Connected between
projection 25 on the lever 12, and projection 26 on the supplemental lever 22
is the spring 24 so disposed that its tension is exerted to maintain the supplemental
switch closed when the main switch is closed and to continue its tension in the
same direction until the lever 12 has rotated sufficiently to cause the opening
of the main switch when the tension of said spring is increased and its direction
is changed to exert its force upon the lever 22 to tend to cause its outward
rotation, this force is resisted however by the friction between the bridge of the
supplemental switch and the stationary contacts 23, 231 while the tension of
the spring continually increases until the projection 27 on lever 12 encounters
the projection 28 on lever 22 to overcome said friction, the lever thereupon
responding to the actuation of the spring 24 causes the opening of the supplemental
switch with a quick snap. In the operation of closing the main switch by rotating
the lever 12 with its armature 19 toward and to the magnet 13 the said lever 12

page_text: encounters the projection 29 on lever 22 to cause the closing of said supplemental
switch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
-
1. In a magnetic circuit breaker, the combination of separable co-operative
contacts, a pivoted lever, and a fixed guide so disposed that the engagement
therewith of a projection of said lever in its rotary movement in one direction
will cause the engagement of said co-operative contacts, substantially as described.
2. In an automatic magnetic circuit breaker, the combination of separable co-
operative contacts, a pivoted lever, a fixed guide so disposed that the engagement
therewith of a projection of said lever in its rotary movement in one direction
will cause the engagement of said co-operative contacts and electro-magnetic means
for holding the lever in such position as to maintain the switch closed during the
continuance of a predetermined flow of current, substantially as described.
3. In an automatic magnetic circuit breaker the combination of separable co-
operative contacts, a pivoted lever, a fixed guide so disposed that the engagement
therewith of a projection of said lever in its rotary movement in one direction
will cause the engagement of said co-operative contacts and a supplemental switch
in shunt with the main switch, the supporting member to the movable contact
of the former being pivoted and spring connected with said pivoted lever and
adapted to. be positively actuated by said lever for final closing and initial
opening, substantially as described.
4. In an automatic magnetic circuit breaker the combination of separable co-
operative contacts, a pivoted lever, and a fixed guide so disposed that the
engagement therewith of a projection of said lever in its rotary movement in
one direction will cause the engagement of said co-operative contacts, the element
of said lever joining the centre of its pivot-hearing and the point of contact
of the lever with the guide, approaching a dead centre, substantially as described.
5. In an automatic magnetic circuit breaker, the combination of fixed and
movable contacts, a pivoted lever with its pivot bearing maintained in a position
constant relatively with that of the movable contact and a fixed guide so disposed
that the engagement therewith of a projection of said lever in its rotary move-
ment in one direction will cause the shifting of said pivot-bearing and the con-
sequent movement of the movable contact to engage with the fixed contacts,
substantially as described.
6. In an automatic magnetic circuit breaker, the combination of fixed and
movable contacts, a pivoted lever with its pivot-hearing maintained in a position
relatively constant with that of the movable contact, a fixed guide so disposed
that the engagement therewith of a projection of said lever, in its rotary movement
in one direction will cause the shifting of its said pivot-bearing and the con-
sequent movement of the movable contact to engage with the fixed contacts,
an electro-magnet and armature, the armature connected with the lever, the
magnet fixed and so disposed as to co-operate with the armature to hold the lever
in such position as to maintain the switch closed during the continuance of a
predetermined flow of current and means for causing the opening of the switch
upon the release of the armature, substantially as described.
Doted this 14th dox of 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.