Patent ID: 8289113

Claim:
A soft starter module for selectively electrically connecting a power line terminal with an electric motor load terminal, the module comprising: a first switching device having a first terminal electrically coupled with a load terminal and a second terminal electrically coupled with a line terminal; a second switching device having a first terminal electrically coupled with the line terminal and a second terminal electrically coupled with the load terminal; a driver apparatus providing switching control signals to the first and second switching devices for selectively electrically connecting the line terminal with the load terminal; and a housing with a top, a bottom, and at least one side, the housing comprising: a first housing structure; a second housing structure mounted to the first housing structure, the first and second housing structures defining a cavity in which the first and second switching devices are mounted; the first and second housing structures being joined along a closure line extending around a plurality of sides of the housing in a closure plane; the first housing structure including a first seal structure having at least two ribs and at least one groove between the ribs, the ribs and the groove extending at least partially along the closure line wherein a height of each of the at least two ribs of the first seal structure include a first edge such that the first edges of each rib generally extend along a common plane that is generally parallel to the closure plane; the second housing structure including a second seal structure having at least two ribs and at least one groove between the ribs, the ribs and the groove extending at least partially along the closure line; and one of the ribs of the first seal structure being at least partially within the groove of the second seal structure and one of the ribs of the second seal structure being at least partially within the groove of the first seal structure when the first and second housing structures are joined along the closure line.