Patent ID: 6850135

Claim:
A trip unit comprising: a housing; a plunger mounted with respect to said housing, said plunger having a first position, a second position, a third position, a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of said plunger being outside of said housing in said second position, the second portion of said plunger being inside of said housing in said third position; means for latching said plunger in said first position and for releasing said plunger from said first position to said second position; means for biasing said plunger to said second position; a rotary trip lever pivotally mounted with respect to said housing, said rotary trip lever including an elastic arm, the second portion of said plunger engaging said elastic arm in said third position; and a trip actuator including a member having a first position, a second position and a third position, which resets said trip actuator, the first position of the member of said trip actuator corresponding to the first position of said plunger, the second position of the member of said trip actuator engaging and rotating said rotary trip lever in a first rotational direction, in order to engage said means for latching and release said plunger from said first position, said rotary trip lever rotating in an opposite second rotational direction in response to the third position of said plunger and engaging the member of said trip actuator, in order to move said member to the third position thereof, the elastic arm of said rotary trip lever flexing after said member reaches about the third position thereof, in order to accommodate any overtravel of said plunger.