Patent ID: 7999641

Claim:
A circuit breaker having a latched position in which electrical current flows across the circuit breaker and a tripped position in which no electrical current flows across the circuit breaker, the circuit breaker comprising: (a) a bimetal having a load end and a free end, the bimetal deflecting in a first direction in response to a first condition and deflecting in a second direction opposite the first direction in response to a second condition, wherein the first condition is an increase in temperature of the bimetal and the second condition is a decrease of the temperature of the bimetal; (b) a yoke secured to the free end of the bimetal; (c) an armature pivotally coupled to a housing of the circuit breaker via an armature spring, the armature having a latch seat positioned to engage a trip lever thereby creating the latched position, the armature and the trip lever being separable by a tripping force, the armature spring exerting an armature biasing force on the armature in the second direction in response to application of the tripping force; (d) a solenoid operatively coupled to the armature, the solenoid configured to apply the tripping force to the armature in the first direction in response to a fault condition, thereby changing the circuit breaker from the latched position to the tripped position; and (e) a yoke stop positioned adjacent to the yoke and opposing a bimetal deflection force on the yoke in the second direction in response to the second condition, wherein the tripping force under the second condition is less than a sum of a frictional engagement force between the trip lever and the latch seat plus the armature biasing force plus the bimetal deflection force, and wherein the yoke stop absorbs the bimetal deflection force under the second condition.