Patent ID: 7358839

Claim:
A heavy duty relay for switching a current of 40 A to 1 kA, comprising: a changeover spring resiliently deflectable by means of a switching force and having a contact point; a normally-open contact against which the contact point of the changeover spring is electrically conductively pressed in a switching position, the switching position being resiliently deflected out of a resting position, the normally-open contact being arranged on a normally-open spring contact having a greater spring stiffness than the changeover spring; wherein at least one of the changeover spring and the normally-open spring contact have a deflection region at least partially surrounded by a weakened zone, such that the spring stiffness is reduced in the deflection region relative to the region surrounding the weakened zone, the weakened zone being constructed as a pair of slots, each of the slots extending in a direction of a line of symmetry of the changeover spring or the normally-open spring contact.