Patent ID: 6844712

Claim:
A system for locating a circuit interrupter associated with a selected branch circuit from amongst a plurality of circuit interrupting devices, each circuit interrupter within said plurality of circuit interrupting devices being operably connected in series between a power line and a respective branch circuit, each branch circuit having a hot lead and a neutral lead, said system comprising: a receiver broadly tuned about a predetermined frequency of a current spike signal created on said selected branch circuit by a transmitter, said receiver driving a user-perceivable signaling device upon sensing said current spike signal; and said transmitter creating said current spike signal on said selected branch circuit at said predetermined frequency upon operable connection to said selected branch circuit, said current spike signal having a sufficiently short spike duration and a sufficient amplitude so as to substantially minimize development of a sympathetic signal on other branch circuits adjacent to said selected branch circuit, said transmitter including a plurality of subcircuits, each of the plurality of subcircuits having a voltage controlled switch in series with a charge storage device; whereby upon operable connection to said selected branch circuit, in at least one of the plurality of subcircuits, said voltage controlled switch is triggered into conductance by application of a voltage in excess of a breakover voltage across said voltage controlled switch, allowing current to flow through said charge storage device; causing said charge storage device to charge and instantaneously developing a current spike signal for transmission on said selected branch circuit; and whereby said receiver detects said current spike signal solely when in proximity to said circuit interrupter associated with said selected branch circuit as said current spike signal on said selected branch circuit is easily distinguished from said sympathetic signal developed on any of said other branch circuits.