Patent ID: 7245198

Claim:
A motor start relay for use with a compressor with a motor contained herein comprising: a housing formed of electrically insulative material having a bottom wall and sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to define a chamber, a cover received on the sidewalls to close the chamber, a generally circular disc shaped positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTC) thermistor, the thermistor having opposite generally planar face surfaces, an electrode layer on each opposite face surface, a PTC case formed of heat resistant electrically insulative material received in the housing, the PTC case having a top surface and a bottom portion with a PTC thermistor receiving opening formed in the top surface configured to accommodate the PTC thermistor, the opening having first and second portions separated by a dividing member, the first portion of the opening aligned with the bottom portion of the PTC case and the second portion extending completely through the PTC case, the PTC thermistor received in the opening with the face surface of the PTC thermistor generally parallel to the top surface of the PTC case, a lip extending from the top surface into the first portion of the opening overlapping an outer peripheral portion of the disc shaped PTC thermistor, a first terminal/contact member mounted in the housing and having a first spring contact disposed below the PTC thermistor in engagement with one electrode layer and a second terminal/contact member mounted in the housing and having a second spring contact disposed above the PTC thermistor in engagement with the other electrode layer at an engagement location with the respective electrode layer which is offset from the engagement location of the first spring contact with the respective electrode layer, the second spring contact being disposed in the second portion of the opening whereby a broken portion of the PTC thermistor in the second portion of the opening will be ejected from the PTC case by means of the spring force of the second spring contact, said motor having a main and a start winding and said compressor having a compressor shell containing the motor, a plurality of terminal pins extending through the shell to provide an electrical interface with the motor, a terminal pin being held by the respective facing surfaces of each pair of legs of the spring attachment portions with the bottom wall of the housing and the electrode layers of the PTC thermistor approximately parallel with the shell at the location of the terminal pins.