Patent ID: 8822866

Claim:
A circuit interrupter comprising: a first contact; a second contact; an arcing chamber; an arc splitter located in said arcing chamber; an arc runner located in said arcing chamber; a first electrical conductor electrically connected to said first contact; a second electrical conductor electrically connected to said second contact, said second electrical conductor movable from a first position in which said first contact and said second contact are electrically connected to a second position in which said first contact and said second contact are not electrically connected; wherein a current flowing through said second electrical conductor runs in a direction substantially opposite to a direction in which the current flows through said first electrical conductor; wherein the current flowing through said first electrical conductor, said first contact, said second contact, and said second electrical conductor generates a magnetic force boosting an arc towards said arc splitter; a third electrical conductor electrically connected to said second electrical conductor and positioned such that said second electrical conductor moves away from said first electrical conductor and said third electrical conductor when said second electrical conductor moves from said first position to said second position, wherein a current flowing through said third electrical conductor runs in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the current flows through said first electrical conductor; and wherein a magnetic field generated by the current flowing through said third electrical conductor combines with a magnetic field generated by the current flowing through said first electrical conductor so as to enhance the magnetic force boosting the arc towards said arc splitter.