ELECTRICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS
AND TRIP INDICATOR THEREFOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical switching
apparatus and, more particularly, to circuit breakers including a trip indicator. The
invention also relates to trip indicators for circuit breakers.
Background Information
Circuit breakers are generally old and well known in the art. Circuit
breakers are used to protect electrical circuitry from damage due to a trip condition,
such as, for example, an overcurrent condition, an overload condition, an
undervoltage condition, a relatively high level short circuit or fault condition, a
ground fault condition or an arc fault condition.
Molded case circuit breakers, for example, include at least one pair of
separable contacts which are operated either manually by way of a handle disposed on
the outside of the case, or automatically by way of a trip mechanism in response to the
trip condition.
Typically, a circuit breaker operating mechanism includes a cradle
assembly which is operable between a latched configuration during normal circuit
breaker operation, and an unlatched position in which the separable contacts are
tripped open, in response to the trip condition as detected by the trip mechanism. The
circuit breaker has a number of operating handle positions corresponding to the status
of the separable contacts. For example, a three-position circuit breaker has three
operating handle positions, an ON position corresponding to the separable contacts
being closed, a second position corresponding to the circuit breaker being OFF, and a
third, intermediate tripped position wherein the separable contacts are tripped open in
response to the trip condition. For two-position circuit breakers on the other hand, the
OFF position is also the tripped position. Specifically, when the trip condition occurs
and the two-position circuit breaker trips, the operating handle is automatically forced
to the OFF position, and an automatic reset mechanism automatically resets the cradle
assembly after the trip condition occurs, typically while the operating handle remains

in the OFF position. Therefore, the breaker is automatically ready to be turned back
ON by manually pivoting the operating handle to the ON position.
In view of the shared OFF and tripped positions of this latter type of
circuit breaker, there is no way to quickly visually determine the status of the circuit
breaker. It is nearly impossible to determine whether the circuit breaker has tripped
or has been intentionally, manually turned OFF. This is problematic in that there is
no opportunity to readily identify the occurrence of a trip condition or the source of
the trip condition, in order that the problem may be rectified. The problem is even
more pronounced when the circuit breaker is one of a plurality of circuit breakers
arranged within the same panelboard, perhaps with several breakers already being
intentionally turned OFF or, for example, where the handles of several of the circuit
breakers are locked in the ON position using, for example, a padlock.
To help alleviate this problem, three-position circuit breakers have
been known to include a trip indicator in the circuit breaker to indicate the tripped
condition. Generally, the trip indicator comprises an indicator assembly which
interacts with the operating handle or cradle of the circuit breaker in order to position
a visual indicia, such as a trip flag, that may include printed words indicative of the
circuit breaker status (e.g., "T", "TRIPPED", "ON" or "OFF"), beneath a lens or
window which covers an opening in the circuit breaker housing. The flag or other
indicia is actuated, in response to the trip condition, by the cradle. For example, when
the cradle unlatches in response to the trip mechanism and pivots, the separable
contacts of the circuit breaker are opened and the cradle forces the flag to the
indicating position. Since the position of the flag is dependent upon the position of
the cradle, the flag remains visible in the indicating position until the operating handle
is manually reset, thereby relatching the cradle and drawing the flag away from the
indicating position.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing indicator design is not
conducive for use with two-position, automatically resetting circuit breakers. More
specifically, because the trip flag is dependent upon the cradle, if such a design were
employed in an automatically resetting circuit breaker, the trip flag would only
momentarily be visible while the cradle was in its corresponding unlatched position.
The flag would then immediately be drawn away from the indicating position by the

cradle as it automatically reset (i.e., relatched). Moreover, such designs do not
address instances in which a trip condition occurs but the operating handle has not yet
moved to the OFF or tripped position, for example, where the circuit breaker has
tripped but the operating handle is padlocked in the ON position, as previously
discussed. Under such circumstances, known trip flags provide no indication of the
trip condition, thereby making it nearly impossible to identify which circuit breaker
among a group of breakers has tripped. Thus, for two-position automatic reset circuit
breakers, the problem of not being able to identify whether or not a particular circuit
breaker has tripped, remains.
There is a need, therefore, for a trip indicator capable of providing an
indicia of the trip condition irrespective of the position of the operating handle or
cradle of the circuit breaker.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in trip indicators for circuit
breakers, such as automatic reset two-position circuit breakers, and in circuit breakers
employing trip indicators.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs and others are satisfied by the present invention, which is
directed to a circuit breaker and a trip indicator therefor. The combination of resilient
properties and a unique latching design of the trip indicator ensures that an indication
of a trip condition will be readily apparent irrespective of the position of the circuit
breaker operating mechanism, even if the operating mechanism of the breaker has
automatically reset. The unique resilient and flexural qualities of the trip indicator
serve the further purpose of providing a biasing force for assisting movement of the
circuit breaker operating mechanism to the desired position in response to a trip
condition.
As one aspect of the invention, a trip indicator is provided for an
electrical switching apparatus. The electrical switching apparatus includes a housing
having first and second openings, separable contacts enclosed by the housing, and an
operating mechanism having an operating handle with a first end and a second end.
The first end of the operating handle protrudes from the first opening of the housing.
The operating mechanism is operable among OFF, ON, and tripped positions in which
the separable contacts are open, closed, and tripped open, respectively, and the

operating mechanism is structured to trip open the separable contacts in response to a
trip condition. The trip indicator comprises: a flag member including a trip indicia,
the flag member being structured to be actuated by the operating mechanism of the
electrical switching apparatus in response to the trip condition in order to move the
trip indicia in order that it is viewable at or about the second opening of the housing; a
first leg disposed distal from the trip indicia and being structured to bias the trip
indicia away from the second opening of the housing when the separable contacts are
not tripped open; and a second leg disposed proximate the first leg and being
structured to bias the operating handle of the operating mechanism toward the OFF
position in order to assist the operating handle to move from the ON position in
response to the trip condition, In response to the trip condition, the first leg is also
structured to engage a portion of the housing of the electrical switching apparatus in
order to maintain a viewable trip indication by the flag member, regardless of the
position of the operating mechanism of said electrical switching apparatus.
The flag member may be a one-piece member wherein the first and
second legs are integral portions of the one-piece flag member. The flag member, the
first leg, and the second leg may be made of a resilient material. The trip indicia may
be a trip flag which is structured to be readily apparent at the second opening of the
housing following the trip condition.
The operating mechanism may further include a cradle pivotally
mounted within the housing proximate the second end of the operating handle and
movable between a latched position, and an unlatched position in which the separable
contacts are tripped open. The flag member may be structured to be engaged by the
cradle when the cradle is in the unlatched position, in order to move the trip indicia
toward the second opening of the housing of the electrical switching apparatus.
As another aspect of the invention, an electrical switching apparatus
comprises: a housing including first and second openings; separable contacts enclosed
within the housing; an operating mechanism including an operating handle for
opening and closing the separable contacts, the operating handle including a first end
protruding from the first opening of the housing, and a second end, the operating
mechanism being movable among OFF, ON and tripped positions corresponding to
the separable contacts being open, closed and tripped open, respectively; and a trip

flag comprising: a flag member including a first end and a second end, the first end of
the flag member having a trip indicia, the second end of the flag member having a
first leg and a second leg, the first leg biasing the trip indicia away from the second
opening of the housing when the separable contacts are not tripped open, the second
leg biasing the operating handle toward the OFF position in order to assist the
operating handle to move from the ON position in response to the trip condition,
wherein when the separable contacts trip open in response to a trip condition, the flag
member is engaged by the operating mechanism in order to move the trip indicia into
a viewable position at or about the second opening of the housing. In response to the
trip condition, the first leg engages a portion of the electrical switching apparatus
housing in order to maintain a viewable trip indication by the trip flag, regardless of
the position of said operating mechanism.
The housing of the electrical switching apparatus may include a
latching boss and the first leg of the flag member may include a latching portion,
wherein when the separable contacts are tripped open, the latching portion of the first
leg is engaged with the latching boss of the housing in order to maintain the viewable
position of the trip indicia at the second opening of the housing.
As another aspect of the invention, a circuit breaker comprises: a
housing including first and second openings; separable contacts enclosed within the
housing; an operating mechanism including a cradle and an operating handle for
opening and closing the separable contacts, the operating handle including a first end
protruding from the first opening of the housing, and a second end, the operating
mechanism moving among OFF, ON and tripped positions corresponding to the
separable contacts being open, closed and tripped open, respectively, the cradle being
pivotally mounted within the housing proximate the second end of the operating
handle and movable between a latched position, and an unlatched position
corresponding to the separable contacts being tripped open in response to a trip
condition; and a trip indicator comprising: a trip indicating member including a first
end and a second end, the first end of the trip indicating member having a trip indicia,
the second end of the trip indicating member including a first portion and a second
portion, the first portion biasing the trip indicia away from the second opening of the
housing when the separable contacts are not tripped open, the second portion biasing

the operating handle of the operating mechanism toward the OFF position in order to
assist the operating handle to move from the ON position in response to the trip
condition, wherein the cradle in the unlatched position is engaged with the trip
indicating member in order to move the trip indicia into a position which is viewable
at or about the second opening of the housing. In response to the trip condition, the
cradle drives the trip indicating member toward the circuit breaker housing until the
first leg engages a portion of the housing in order to maintain a viewable trip
indication by the trip indicating member, regardless of the position of said cradle.
When the first leg engages the housing, the trip indicating member is disengaged from
the cradle.
The trip indicating member may be a flag member wherein the first
portion of the flag member is a first leg disposed distal from the trip indicia, and the
second portion is a second leg disposed proximate the first leg. The flag member may
be a one-piece flag member wherein the first and second legs are integral legs of the
one-piece flag member. The one-piece flag member may be made of a resilient
plastic material.
The cradle may include an engagement portion and the trip indicating
member may further include a pivot disposed generally intermediate the first and
second ends thereof, wherein when the cradle is in the unlatched position and the
separable contacts are tripped open, the engagement portion is engaged with the trip
indicating member in order to pivot the trip indicating member about the pivot and to
move the trip indicia toward the second opening of the housing of the electrical
switching apparatus. The trip indicating member may include a protrusion protruding
toward the cradle and being engaged by the cradle in order to facilitate actuation of
the trip indicating member in response to the trip condition.
The circuit breaker housing may include a latching boss and the first
portion of the second end of the trip indicating member may be an integral first leg
which includes a latching portion. When the separable contacts are tripped open, the
latching portion of the integral first leg may be engaged with the latching boss of the
housing in order to maintain the position of the trip indicia at or about the second
opening of the housing. The second end of the operating handle may include a reset
tab wherein, when the handle is moved in order to turn the circuit breaker ON, the

reset tab of the operating handle engages the latching portion of the first leg and
removes it from the latching boss, thereby removing the trip indicia from the second
opening.
The circuit breaker may be a two-position circuit breaker wherein the
OFF position of the operating handle is the same as the tripped position of the handle.
The operating mechanism may be an automatic reset mechanism wherein, in response
to the trip condition, the automatic reset mechanism automatically resets (i.e.,
relatches) the cradle while the trip indicator remains viewable at or about the second
opening of the circuit breaker housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following
description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional vertical elevational view of a two-position
automatic reset molded case circuit breaker having a trip indicator in accordance with
the present invention and shown in the ON position;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional vertical elevational view of a portion of
the circuit breaker of Figure 1 modified to show the cradle and trip indicator in the
tripped position with the handle in the ON position, with the majority of the circuit
breaker shown in phantom line drawing;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional vertical elevational view of the circuit
breaker and trip flag of Figure 1 but modified to show the operating handle in the OFF
position after a trip condition, with the majority of the circuit breaker shown in
phantom line drawing; and
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional vertical elevational view showing the
circuit breaker and trip flag of Figure 1 as the operating handle is being moved back
to the ON position in order to release the trip indicator.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
For purposes of illustration, the invention will be described as applied
to the trip indicator of a two-position automatic reset circuit breaker, although it will
become apparent that it could also be applied to other types of electrical switching
apparatus (e.g., without limitation, circuit switching devices and other circuit

interrupters, such as, for example, contactors, motor starters, motor controllers and
other load controllers) having an operating mechanism with a tripped position.
As employed herein, the term "trip condition" refers to any abnormal
electrical condition which could cause a circuit breaker to trip expressly including,
without limitation, an overcurrent condition, an overload condition, an undervoltage
condition, a relatively high level short circuit or fault condition, a ground fault
condition or an arc fault condition.
As employed herein, the term "trip indicia" refers to any suitable visual
indication of a trip condition, expressly including but not limited to a colored
indicator, a light emitting diode (LED), a trip flag, a suitable word (e.g., "TRIPPED")
or a suitable letter (e.g., "T") or other suitable term(s) or indicia, including a member
protruding from an opening in the circuit breaker housing in order to indicate the trip
condition. Indicia such as, for example, the words "ON" and "OFF" or positive (+)
and negative (-) signs, which indicate non-tripped status of the breaker, are also
contemplated by the invention.
As employed herein, the term "resilient" refers to the flexible nature of
the exemplary flag member which is facilitated in large part by the material from
which it is made. Specifically, the material (e.g., without limitation, plastic) can be
temporarily flexed or deflected from a natural position in which no external force is
acting upon it, to a deflected position in which it is deflected or displaced from its
natural position in response to being engaged and moved by an external force. Upon
removing the external force, it will return to the natural position. In this manner, the
resilient flag member of the invention provides the desired biasing forces, as will be
discussed in detail herein.
Figure 1 illustrates a circuit breaker 50 incorporating a trip indicator 2
in accordance with the present invention. In this example, the circuit breaker 50 is a
single-pole circuit breaker including a molded housing 52 having first and second
openings 54,56, separable contacts 58 enclosed within the housing 52, and an
operating mechanism 60 having an operating handle 62 with first and second ends
64,66. The operating mechanism 60 is structured to trip open the separable contacts
58 in response to a trip condition. The first end 64 of the operating handle 62

protrudes from the first opening 54 of the housing 52 and is structured to open and
close the separable contacts 58.
Figure 1 shows the circuit breaker 50 in the ON position with the trip
indicator 2 pivoted away from the second opening 56 of housing 52 and the operating
handle 62 disposed in the operating position corresponding to the separable contacts
58 being closed. The operating mechanism 60 moves among OFF, ON and tripped
positions corresponding to the separable contacts 58 being open, closed and tripped
open, respectively. Figure 2, however, illustrates the aforementioned occurance in
which the operating handle 62 remains in the ON position even though the circuit
breaker 50 has tripped. In the exemplary single-pole circuit breaker 50, the operating
handle positions for the manually turned OFF (Figure 3) and tripped (Figure 2)
conditions are normally essentially the same, with the operating handle 62 positioned
at an end of first opening 54 of housing 52 (e.g., to the right of Figure 2), in both
instances. As will be discussed herein, unlike known indicators which are dependant
on the position of the operating mechanism cradle or operating handle, and/or rely
upon the handle remaining in the tripped position in order to maintain the trip
indication, the trip indicator 2 of the invention is structured to present a trip indicia 10
identifying the occurrence of a trip condition, regardless of the position of the handle
62. It will be appreciated, however, that the operating handle (e.g., 62) could
alternatively have any known or suitable number and configuration of operating
handle positions. For example, it could have three operating positions (not shown),
including a separate tripped position (not shown) between the ON and OFF positions.
It will also be appreciated that the circuit breaker could alternatively be a multi-pole
circuit breaker (not shown) having any number of poles (not shown) with any suitable
number of operating handles (not shown) and employing one or more trip indicators,
such as trip indicator 2.
As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the trip indicator 2 includes a trip
indicating member 4 having a first end 6 and a second end 8. The first end 6 includes
a trip indicia 10 such as the exemplary trip flag which, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and
4, is viewable at or about the second opening 56 of housing 52 in order to provide a
readily apparent visual indication of a trip condition. In the example shown and
described herein, the trip indicating member 4 is a one-piece flag member including

the trip flag 10 at first end 6, and integral first and second legs 12, 14 disposed distal
from the trip flag 10, at second end 8. Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 provide cross-sectional
views of the single-pole circuit breaker 50 illustrating the trip indicator 2 as employed
when the circuit breaker 50 is ON, tripped with the operating handle 62 locked in the
ON position, OFF after a trip condition, and being turned back ON, respectively.
The operating mechanism 60 of single-pole circuit breaker 50 further
includes a cradle 70 pivotally mounted within the housing 52 proximate the second
end 66 of the operating handle 62. The pivotal connection of the cradle 70 to the
housing 52 is achieved by any known or suitable mechanism, such as a pivot pin 71.
The cradle 70 is moveable between the latched position shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4,
and the unlatched position of Figure 2 corresponding to the separable contacts 58
(Figure 1) being tripped open. When the circuit breaker 50 is not tripped and the
cradle 70 is latched, as shown in Figure 1, the cradle 70 does not engage the flag
member 4 and, therefore, the second leg 14 of the second end 8 of the flag member 4
engages housing 52, as shown, in order to bias the flag member 4 pivoting it
counterclockwise about pivot pin 72 in the direction generally indicated by arrow 73.
More specifically, the integral, resilient second leg 14, which is made of a resilient
material (e.g., without limitation, plastic), biases the trip indicator 2 such that the trip
flag.10 on the first end 6 of the trip indicating member 4 pivots counterclockwise
away from the second opening 56 of housing 52. Such bias is, therefore, applied
without requiring a separate resilient element, such as for example, a separate torsion
spring. Accordingly, when the cradle 70 is fully latched (e.g., the circuit breaker 50 is
not tripped), the trip flag 10 is moved out of view from the second opening 56 of
housing 52 thus signifying a normal (e.g., non-tripped) circuit breaker operating
status.
Conversely, referring to Figures 2 and 4, when the circuit breaker 50
trips, the separable contacts 58 (Figure 1) trip open and the cradle 70 unlatches and
pivots clockwise, as indicated by arrow 75 of Figure 2. In doing so, an engagement
portion 76 of the cradle 70 engages a portion 20 of the flag member 4 pivoting the
flag member 4 clockwise (see, arrow 75 of Figure 2) about pivot 72 in order to
position the trip flag 10 at or about the second opening 56 of housing 56, as shown.
The pivot 72 is disposed generally intermediate the first and second ends 6, 8 of the

flag member 4 in order to permit clockwise and counterclockwise movement thereof.
The portion 20 of flag member 4 is a protrusion 20 which protrudes toward the cradle
70 in order to be engaged by engagement portion 76 and thereby facilitate actuation of
the trip indicating member 2 in response to the trip condition.
In addition to the visual indication provided by the exemplary trip
indicator 2, which assures a correct indication of the trip condition even if the
operating handle 62 were locked (not shown), for example, in the ON position, as
shown in Figure 2. The present invention further provides a biasing feature adapted
to assist the operating handle 62 to move from the ON position toward the tripped
position, in response to the tripped condition. Specifically, as best shown in Figures
2, 3 and 4, the circuit breaker housing 52 includes a latching boss 74, the first leg 12
of the second end 8 of the flag member 4 includes a latching portion 16, and the
second end 66 of the circuit breaker operating handle 62 includes a reset tab 78.
Similar to first leg 12, the second leg 14 is also integral with flag member 4 and is
made from a resilient material (e.g., without limitation, plastic). Accordingly, as
shown in Figure 2, the second leg 14 and, in particular, the latching portion 16
thereof, is structured to bias the second end 66 (e.g., at reset tab 78) of the operating
handle 62 in the direction indicated by arrow 80. In this manner, the trip indicator 2
of the invention serves the additional purpose of biasing the operating handle 62
toward the OFF position in order to resist the operating handle 62 from becoming
stuck in the ON position.
As shown in Figure 3, in operation, when the cradle 70 is returned to
the latched position after a trip condition, handle 62 is in the OFF position, the
latching portion 16 of first leg 12 engages latching boss 74 of housing 52 and remains
visible at second opening 56, thereby providing a readily apparent indication for
distinguishing a breaker which has experienced a trip condition from those which
have been manually turned OFF. When handle 62 is rotated counterclockwise (with
respect to Figure 4) to turn ON the circuit breaker 50, the reset tab 78 engages the
latching portion 16 of first leg 12 removing it from the latching boss 74, as indicated
by arrow 82 of Figure 4. Accordingly, when the latching portion 16 of first leg 12 of
the exemplary one-piece flag member 4 is in engagement with latching boss 74 of the
circuit breaker housing 52, the bias provided by the first leg 12 resists movement of

the trip flag 10 from at or about the second opening 56 of the housing 52 and,
therefore, substantially prevents the possibility of the trip indication being removed
prematurely (e.g., while the cradle 70 remains unlatched and the separable contacts
(Figure 1) are still tripped open). More specifically, the trip flag 10 will remain in the
trip indicating position of Figures 3 and 4 until both the cradle 70 has been relatched
and the operating handle 62 has been reset to the ON position of Figure 1 with the
latching portion 16 of first leg 12 being removed from latching boss 74. Only when
the foregoing two conditions have been met will second leg 14 of flag member 4 be
able to pivot the flag member 4 about pivot pin 72 in order to rotate the trip flag 10
out of view at the second opening 56 of the circuit breaker housing 52, as shown in
Figure 1.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a trip indicator 2 which
not only provides an accurate visual indication of a trip condition, which is
substantially independent of the position of the circuit breaker operating mechanism
cradle and operating handle, but it also provides a biasing mechanism to assist the
operating handle 62 in, for example, moving from the ON position in response to a
trip condition. The unique resilient properties of the trip indicator 2 enable it to
perform this dual function through use of a one-piece indicating member 4.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in
detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and
alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the
disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be
illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given
the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.

Reference Numerical List
2 trip indicator
4 trip indicia
6 first end
8 second end
10 trip flag
12 first leg
14 second leg
16 latching portion
20 protrusion
50 circuit breaker
52 housing
54 first opening
56 second opening
58 separable contacts
60 operating mechanism
62 operating handle
64 first end
66 second end
68 recess
70 cradle
71 pivot pin
72 pivot
73 direction
74 latching boss
75 direction
76 engagement portion
78 reset tab
80 arrow
82 arrow

What is claimed is:
1. A trip indicator (2) for an electrical switching apparatus (50)
including a housing (52) having first and second openings (54,56), separable contacts
(58) enclosed by said housing (52), and an operating mechanism (60) having an
operating handle (62) with a first end (64) and a second end (66), the first end (64) of
the operating handle (62) protruding from the first opening (54) of said housing (52),
said operating mechanism (60) being operable among OFF, ON, and tripped positions
in which said separable contacts (58) are open, closed, and tripped open, respectively,
and being structured to trip open said separable contacts (58) in response to a trip
condition, said trip indicator (2) comprising:
a flag member (4) including a trip indicia (10), said flag
member (4) being structured to be actuated by said operating mechanism (60) of said
electrical switching apparatus (50) in response to said trip condition in order to move
said trip indicia (10) in order that it is viewable at or about the second opening (56) of
said housing (52);
a first leg (12) disposed distal from said trip indicia (10) and
being structured to bias said trip indicia (10) away from the second opening (56) of
said housing (52) when said separable contacts (58) are not tripped open; and
a second leg (14) disposed proximate said first leg (12) and
being structured to bias said operating handle (62) of said operating mechanism (60)
toward the OFF position in order to assist said operating handle (62) to move from the
ON position in response to said trip condition,
wherein, in response to said trip condition, said first leg (12) is
structured to engage a portion of said housing (52) of said electrical switching
apparatus (50) in order to maintain a visual trip indication by said flag member (4),
regardless of the position of said operating mechanism (60) of said electrical
switching apparatus (50).
2. The trip indicator (2) of claim 1 wherein said flag member (4)
is a one-piece flag member; and wherein said first and second legs (12,14) are integral
portions of said one-piece flag member (4).
3. The trip indicator (2) of claim 1 wherein said flag member (4),
said first leg (12), and said second leg (14) are made of a resilient material.

4. The trip indicator (2) of claim 1 wherein said trip indicia (10) is
a trip flag which is structured to be readily apparent at the second opening (56) of said
housing (52) following said trip condition.
5. The trip indicator (2) of claim 1 wherein said operating
mechanism (60) further has a cradle (70) pivotally mounted within said housing (52)
proximate the second end (66) of said operating handle (62), said cradle (70) being
movable between a latched position, and an unlatched position in which said
separable contacts (58) are tripped open; and wherein said flag member (4) is
structured to be engaged by said cradle (70) when said cradle (70) is in the unlatched
position, in order to move said trip indicia (10) toward the second opening (56) of said
housing (52) of said electrical switching apparatus (50).
6. An electrical switching apparatus (50) comprising:
a housing (52) including first and second openings (54,56);
separable contacts (58) enclosed within said housing (52);
an operating mechanism (60) structured to trip open said
separable contacts (58) in response to a trip condition, and including an operating
handle (62) for opening and closing said separable contacts (58), said operating
handle (62) including a first end (64) protruding from the first opening (54) of said
housing (52), and a second end (66), said operating mechanism (60) being movable
among OFF, ON and tripped positions corresponding to said separable contacts (58)
being open, closed and tripped open, respectively; and
a trip flag (2) comprising:
a flag member (4) including a first end (6) and a second
end (8), the first end (6) of said flag member (4) having a trip indicia (10), the second
end (8) of said flag member (4) having a first leg (12) and a second leg (14), said first
leg (12) biasing said trip indicia (10) away from the second opening (56) of said
housing (52) when said separable contacts (58) are not tripped open, said second leg
(14) biasing said operating handle (62) toward the OFF position in order to assist said
operating handle (62) to move from the ON position in response to said trip condition,
wherein when said separable contacts (58) trip open in
response to said trip condition, said flag member (4) is engaged by said operating

mechanism (60) in order to move said trip indicia (10) into a viewable position at or
about the second opening (56) of said housing (52), and
wherein, in response to said trip condition, said first leg
(12) engages a portion of said housing (52) of said electrical switching apparatus (50)
in order to maintain a visual trip indication by said flag member (4), regardless of the
position of said operating mechanism (60) of said electrical switching apparatus (50).
7. The electrical switching apparatus (50) of claim 6 wherein said
flag member (4) is a one-piece flag member; and wherein said First and second legs
(12, 14) are integral portions of said one-piece flag member (4).
8. The electrical switching apparatus (50) of claim 6 wherein said
flag member (4) is made of a resilient material.
9. The electrical switching apparatus (50) of claim 6 wherein said
operating mechanism (60) further includes a cradle (70) pivotally mounted within said
housing (52) proximate the second end (66) of said operating handle (62), said cradle
(70) being movable between a latched position, and an unlatched position in which
said separable contacts (58) are tripped open; and wherein said flag member (4) is
engaged by said cradle (70) when said cradle (70) is in the unlatched position, in order
to move said trip indicia (10) toward the second opening (56) of said housing (52) of
said electrical switching apparatus (50);

10. The electrical switching apparatus (50) of claim 6 wherein said
housing (52) includes a latching boss (74); wherein said first leg (12) of said flag
member (4) includes a latching portion (16); and wherein when said separable
contacts (58) are tripped open, said latching portion (16) of said first leg (12) is
engaged with said latching boss (74) of said housing (52) in order to maintain the
viewable position of said trip indicia (10) at the second opening (56) of said housing
(52).
11. A circuit breaker (50) comprising:
a housing (52) including first and second openings (54,56);
separable contacts (58) enclosed within said housing (52);
an operating mechanism (60) including a cradle (70) and an
operating handle (62) for opening and closing said separable contacts (58), said
operating handle (62) including a first end (64) protruding from the first opening (54)

of said housing (52), and a second end (66), said operating mechanism (60) moving
among OFF, ON and tripped positions corresponding to said separable contacts (58)
being open, closed and tripped open, respectively, said cradle (70) being pivotally
mounted within said housing (52) proximate the second end (66) of said operating
handle (62) and movable between a latched position, and an unlatched position
corresponding to said separable contacts (58) being tripped open in response to a trip
condition; and
a trip indicator (12) comprising:
a trip indicating member (4) including a first end (6)
and a second end (8), the first end (6) of said trip indicating member (4) having a trip
indicia (10), the second end (8) of said trip indicating member (4) including a first
portion (12) and a second portion (14),
said first portion (12) biasing said trip indicia (10) away
from the second opening (56) of said housing (52) when said separable contacts (58)
are not tripped open, said second portion (14) biasing said operating handle (62) of
said operating mechanism (60) toward the OFF position in order to assist said
operating handle (62) to move from the ON position in response to said trip condition,
wherein said cradle (70) in said unlatched position is
engaged with said trip indicating member (4) in order to move said trip indicia (10)
into a position which is viewable at or about the second opening (56) of said housing
(52),
wherein, in response to said trip condition, said cradle
(70) drives said first leg (12) toward said circuit breaker housing (52) until said first
leg (12) engages a portion of said housing (52), in order to maintain a visual trip
indication by said trip indicating member (4), regardless of the position of said cradle
(70) and said operating handle (62), and
wherein, when said first leg (12) engages said housing
(52), said trip indicating member (4) is disengaged from said cradle (70).
12. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 11 wherein said trip indicating
member is a flag member (4); wherein said first portion (12) of said flag member (4)
is a first leg (12) disposed distal from said trip indicia (10); and wherein said second
portion is a second leg (14) disposed proximate said first leg (12).

13. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 12 wherein said flag member
is a one-piece flag member (4); and wherein said first and second legs are integral
legs (12, 14) of said one-piece flag member (4).
14. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 13 wherein said one-piece flag
member (4) is made of a resilient plastic material.
15. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 11 wherein said cradle (70)
includes an engagement portion (76); wherein said trip indicating member (4) further
includes a pivot (72) disposed generally intermediate the first and second ends (6,8)
thereof; and wherein when said cradle (70) is in said unlatched position and said
separable contacts (58) are tripped open, said engagement portion (76) is engaged
with said trip indicating member (4) in order to pivot said trip indicating member (4)
about said pivot (72) and to move said trip indicia (10) toward the second opening
(56) of said housing (52) of said circuit breaker (50).
16. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 15 wherein said trip indicating
member (4) includes a protrusion (20) protruding toward said cradle (70) and being
engaged by said cradle (70) in order to facilitate actuation of said trip indicating
member (4) in response to said trip condition.
17. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 11 wherein said housing (52)
includes a latching boss (74); wherein said first portion (12) of the second end (8) of
said trip indicating member (4) is an integral first leg (12) which includes a latching
portion (16); and wherein when said separable contacts (58) are tripped open, said
latching portion (16) of said integral first leg (12) is engaged with said latching boss
(74) of said housing (52) in order to maintain the position of said trip indicia (10) at or
about the second opening (56) of said housing (52).
18. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 17 wherein the second end
(66) of said operating handle (62) includes a reset tab (78); and wherein when said
operating handle (62) is moved in order to turn said circuit breaker (50) ON, said reset
tab (78) of said operating handle (62) engages said latching portion (16) of said first
leg (72) and removes it from said latching boss (74).
19. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 18 wherein said cradle (70)
includes a pivot (71); and wherein when said circuit breaker (50) is ON and said
latching portion (16) of said first leg (12) disengages said latching boss (74), said trip

indicating member (4) pivots with respect to said pivot (71) in order to move said trip
indicia (10) away from the second opening (56) of said homing (52),
20. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 11 wherein said trip indicia is
a trip flag (10) which is readily apparent at or about the second opening (56) of said
housing (52) following said trip condition.
21. The circuit breaker (50) of claim 11 wherein said circuit
breaker is a two-position circuit breaker (50); wherein the OFF position of said
operating handle (62) of said two-position circuit breaker (50) is the same as the
tripped position of said operating handle (62); wherein said operating mechanism is
an automatic reset mechanism (60); and wherein, in response to said trip condition,
said automatic reset mechanism (60) automatically resets said cradle (70) after it
unlatches and trips open said separable contacts (58), while said trip indicating
member (4) remains viewable at or about the second opening (56) of said housing
(52).

A trip indicator (2) is for a circuit breaker (50) having a housing (52) including first and second openings (54,56), separable contacts (58) and an operating mechanism (60) having an operating handle (62) protruding from the first opening (54). The trip indicator (2) includes a one-piece flag member (4) with a first end (6)
having a trip flag (10) and a second end (8) with first and second integral legs (12, 14).
The first leg (12) biases the trip flag (10) away from the second opening (56) when
the separable contacts (58) are not tripped open, and includes a latching portion (16)
to maintain the flag (10) in a viewable position to indicate the trip condition regardless of the operating mechanism position. The second leg (14) is disposed proximate first leg (12) and biases the operating handle (62) toward the OFF position, thereby assisting the handle (62) to move from the ON position in response to the trip
condition.