Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

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.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim