Patent · US Expired

Electric power interrupting switch

US4388535A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
2References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 18, 1981
Grant dateJun 14, 1983
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 18, 2001

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01R31/00
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A switch for interrupting electric power to the customer of a utility, the switch including two female contacts for accepting the male plug-in contacts of a watt-hour meter, and two male contacts for insertion into the female contacts which ordinarily receive the male contacts of the meter. A switch is located between one of each female contact and its corresponding male contact, and an operator, such as a solenoid, opens the switch(es) in response to a signal, so as to disconnect the customer's load from the utility source. A latch holds the switch(es) open until another signal causes a second operator, such as a solenoid, to deactivate the latch and permit the switch(es) to reclose. An auxiliary switch in the circuits for energizing the two solenoids deenergizes the first solenoid when the switch(es) are latched open, and deenergizes the second solenoid when the switch(es) become unlatched and move toward their closed condition. Each switch includes two movable contacts which are opened in sequence, so that one contact serves as an arcing contact to preserve the other contact.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.