Patent ID: 8159318

Claim:
A circuit breaker for electrical power distribution circuits, comprising: a housing including therein: a pair of separable contacts for selectively opening and closing an electrical power distribution circuit current flow when the contacts are in respective opened and closed positions, an operating mechanism coupled to the contacts for selectively opening and closing the contacts, an overload trip unit, occupying a volume within the housing, for detecting overload conditions in an electrical power distribution circuit, having a moveable latch, the latch engageable with the operating mechanism, wherein the contacts are maintained in the closed position when the latch is engaged with the operating mechanism and the contacts are open when the latch is disengaged from the operating mechanism, the trip unit disengaging the latch upon detection of an overload condition, an electromagnet unit oriented in the housing proximal the latch without any components interposed therebetween, the electromagnet directly attracting the latch and disengaging the latch when the windings are energized, the electromagnet having: a bobbin attached to the housing with windings oriented thereabout, a reciprocating ferromagnetic core oriented within the bobbin, the core oriented proximal and laterally spaced away from the latch and reciprocated by the latch when the latch is disengaged by the overload trip unit, and a fault interruption unit for detecting fault conditions in an electrical power distribution circuit, electrically coupled to the electromagnet windings, the interruption unit energizing the electromagnet unit upon detection of a fault condition.