Patent ID: 7450364

Claim:
A grounding device for a roll-out electrical component housing assembly, said housing assembly having a ground connection, a pair of rails, and a plurality of sidewalls defining an enclosed space with an external voltage source conductor extending into said enclosed space, one said sidewall structured to move thereby allowing access to said enclosed space and allowing said roll-out electrical component to be removed from said enclosed space, said rails disposed in said enclosed space, said roll-out electrical component having at least one contact structured to be coupled to, and in electrical communication with, said external voltage source conductor, and said roll-out electrical component structured to move on said rails between a first, installed position, wherein said roll-out electrical component is disposed within said enclosed space and coupled to said external voltage source conductor, an intermediate position, wherein said roll-out electrical component is partially disposed in said enclosed space and is not coupled to said external voltage source conductor, and a second position, wherein said roll-out electrical component is not substantially disposed within said enclosed space and is not coupled to said external voltage source conductor, said grounding device comprising: an actuation assembly structured to be engaged/disengaged by said roll-out electrical component and structured to move between a first position and a second position, said actuation assembly being in said first position when said roll-out electrical component is in said first, installed position, said actuation assembly being in said second position when said roll-out electrical component is in said intermediate position; a static grounding contact assembly having at least one static grounding contact member structured to move between a first position, wherein said static grounding contact member does not contact said roll-out electrical component at least one contact, and a second position, wherein said static grounding contact member contacts, and is in electrical communication with, said roll-out electrical component at least one contact, said static grounding contact member being in said first position when said roll-out electrical component is in said first, installed position, said static grounding contact member being in said second position when said roll-out electrical component is in said intermediate position; said static grounding contact assembly coupled to said actuation assembly and said housing assembly ground connection; and a biasing device, said biasing device structured to bias said actuation assembly and said static grounding contact member to their respective first positions.