Patent ID: 7639112

Claim:
A fuse, comprising: a housing; a first lead and a second lead; a fuse element having a current capacity and forming a part of an electrical pathway between the first lead and the second lead, the fuse element having a first fuse element portion in electrical communication with the first lead and a second fuse element portion in electrical communication with the second lead and disposed adjacent to yet spaced apart from the first fuse element portion; and a switch unit connected to the housing and including a moveable portion, a switch lead associated with the moveable portion and an electrically-conductive contacting portion connected to a distal end of the switch lead, the switch unit moveable between an electrically-disconnected open state and an electrically-conductive closed state such that, in the electrically-disconnected open state, the moveable portion is in an OFF position and the electrically-conductive contacting portion is spaced apart from at least one of the first and second fuse element portions and, in the electrically-conductive closed state, the moveable portion slidably moves from the OFF position to an ON position and the electrically-conductive contacting portion is urged in electrical contact with at least one of the first and second fuse element portions.