Patent ID: 8217290

Claim:
A charging handle for an electrical switching apparatus including a housing having an exterior, an interior, a finger well extending from the exterior toward the interior, and a recess extending from the exterior toward the interior, separable contacts enclosed by said housing, an operating mechanism structured to open and close said separable contacts, and a charging assembly, said charging handle comprising: a first end structured to be coupled to said charging assembly within the interior of said housing; a second end disposed opposite and distal from the first end and including a finger pull; and an elongated body extending between the first end and the second end, said elongated body including a first side, a second side, an inner surface structured to extend toward the interior of said housing, and an outer surface disposed opposite said inner surface, wherein said charging handle is movable among a first position in which said elongated body is structured to be disposed generally within said recess of said housing, and a second position in which the second end of said charging handle is structured to extend outwardly from said recess of said housing, wherein said finger pull is disposed on the outer surface of said elongated body proximate to the second end of said charging handle and, when said charging handle is disposed in said first position, said finger pull is generally centrally disposed in said finger well, in order that said finger pull is readily accessible for actuation by a human finger from all of: the second end of said charging handle, the first side of said elongated body of said charging handle, and the second side of said elongated body of said charging handle, and wherein the second end of said charging handle extends beyond said finger pull and said finger well.