Patent ID: 7298239

Claim:
A thermal protector which includes a thermally responsive plate reversing when reaching a set temperature and returning when decreased below the set temperature, thereby making and breaking an electric current path, the thermal protector comprising, a casing including a housing made from a metal and having an opening, a metal plate closing the opening and having two through holes and two electrically conductive terminal pins inserted through the respective holes of the metal plate with an insulating filling member interposed therebetween; two fixed contacts fixed to ends of the conductive pins protruding into an interior of the casing respectively; a support including a main portion, a leg provided on the main portion and a support hole provided in the leg, the leg being secured to the metal plate so that the support is disposed in the casing; a heating resistor disposed between the metal plate and the main portion of the support so as to be substantially in parallel to the metal plate, the heating resistor having an end with a protrusion inserted into the support hole, the heating resistor swung about the protrusion so as to come close to and depart away from the metal plate; two movable contacts fixed to a portion of the heating resistor opposed to the fixed contacts; a coupler provided on the other end of the heating resistor for transmitting reversion and return of the thermally responsive plate to the heating resistor, and an electrically conductor electrically connecting the support and the heating resistor, wherein, the thermally responsive plate is disposed between the heating resistor and the main portion of the support so as to be substantially in parallel to the heating resistor, the thermally responsive plate having one of two ends fixed to the support and the other end coupled via the coupler to the heating resistor.