KURT A GRUNERT
Engineers in Beaver, PA

5541561, Jul 30, 1996

Dec 3, 1993

8/161040

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
John A. Wafer - Beaver PA

Eaton Corporation - Cleveland OH

H01H 6702

335132

An integral electrical circuit controller apparatus selectively connects a load to a power source and includes an electrical contactor having contacts, a circuit breaker having separable contacts connected in series with the electrical contactor and a trip mechanism responsive to current flowing through the separable contacts for tripping the contacts open in response to predetermined current conditions, and a current throttle impedance for limiting short circuit current. The trip mechanism and the electrical contactor independently interrupt current flowing through the electrical contactor and the circuit breaker. The current throttle impedance limits short circuit current flowing through the electrical contactor and the circuit breaker until current is interrupted. The electrical contactor may include an overload relay. The current throttle may include a coiled conductor of nichrome or iron wire enclosed in a dielectric housing.

5219070, Jun 15, 1993

Jul 12, 1991

7/729084

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
Ronald J. Price - Beaver PA
Ronald A. Cheski - Stowe Township, Allegheny County PA
Ronald D. Smiddle - Canonsburg PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 320

200330

A rotary handle operator for a circuit breaker with a linearly movable handle has a housing which is mounted over the circuit breaker handle. A slide carrying a rack engages the circuit breaker handle and is slidable within a chamber in the housing. The rack engages a pinion gear sector mounted on a rotatable shaft which extends through a cover on the housing. A rotating handle mounted on the shaft is rotated to linearly operate the circuit breaker handle or is positioned thereby when the circuit breaker trips. The handle may be locked in the off position by inserting the shackle of a lock through an aperture in a lever arm on the rotating handle to urge a pin on a spring biased locking piece within the handle lever into an aperture in the housing cover, or the shackles of several locks may engage a slot in a shroud surrounding the rotating handle to interfere with rotation of the handle out of the off position. An interlock for the door of a cabinet in which the circuit breaker may be mounted is incorporated into the rotary door operator.

4933653, Jun 12, 1990

Sep 25, 1989

7/412240

Stephen A. Mrenna - Brighton Twp., Beaver County PA
Melvin A. Carrodus - Brighton Twp., Beaver County PA
Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
Jere L. McKee - Scott Twp., Lawrence County PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 7512

335 37

A circuit breaker having a trip mechanism comprising a primary armature which is attracted toward a bimetal by magnetic flux produced by a predetermined overcurrent flowing through the bimetal to unlatch an operating mechanism and open electrical contacts, includes a pivoted supplemental armature which is also attracted toward the bimetal by the overcurrent and which bears against and urges the primary armature toward the bimetal to thereby reduce the predetermined overcurrent at which the breaker opens the electrical contacts. The supplemental armature comprises a flat strip of magnetically permeable material which is bent at one end to form a hook which merely drops into a recess in the breaker housing. Integral flanges on the strip form a magnetic yoke which concentrates the magnetic flux to increase the sensitivity of the magnetic trip function.

4691180, Sep 1, 1987

Jun 19, 1986

6/875914

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
Joseph F. Changle - Carnegie PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 7500, H01H 7700, H01H 8300

335 6

A circuit breaker with electrical disconnect means characterized by a solenoid operator for moving a handle of a circuit breaker between ON and OFF positions. The solenoid operator includes a movable electromagnet and a movable armature for actuating the handle, an interlock switch serially connected to the electromagnet and a manual operator for overriding the solenoid operator by opening a circuit through the interlock switch.

4206436, Jun 3, 1980

Aug 26, 1976

5/717968

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
John J. Henwood - Brighton Township, Beaver County PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01F 2702

336 96

An electrical apparatus, comprising an electrical conductor, is encapsulated with a cured, solid insulation comprising bonded, catalyzed, resin coated filler particles, where the resin constitutes from about 1 weight percent to about 12 weight percent of the resin coated filler particle weight.

4725800, Feb 16, 1988

Jan 15, 1987

7/003531

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
Stephen A. Mrenna - Beaver PA
James P. Ellsworth - Beaver PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 7510, H01H 7336

335 38

A circuit breaker structure having a faster trip unit characterized by a circuit breaker operator and a trip unit comprising a coil, a core, and an armature, and a hold-back bracket extending from and retaining the armature in a spaced position from the core so as to cause the magnetic field lines to flow through the bracket and the armature.

4158827, Jun 19, 1979

Jun 21, 1977

5/808573

Walter V. Bratkowski - McKeesport PA
Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 7710

335 16

A current limiting contactor characterized by stationary and movable contacts, an elongated conductor supporting the movable contact, the conductor being fixedly mounted at a position spaced from the movable contact, the conductor having a looped portion including a pair of overlapping segments for conducting current in opposite directions of each other, the movable contact engaging the stationary contact when conducting a current up to a predetermined current value, and the conductor being comprised of a flexible material and the overlapping portions being separable to move the movable contact away from the stationary contact when the current exceeds said predetermined value.

4713639, Dec 15, 1987

Feb 20, 1987

7/017304

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
Donald E. Schlosser - Beaver Falls PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 900

335172

A push-to-trip button for a circuit breaker characterized by a circuit breaker within an insulating housing and having trip means for releasably holding a circuit breaker operating mechanism in an untripped position and including a trip bar biased in an untripped position, a trip delay member biased away from the trip bar and including an adjustment bar for applying a pressure on the member, a trip button extending through the housing and having a first surface contacting the trip bar, and the adjustment bar having a second surface for applying limited pressure on the trip button for holding the first surface in contact on the trip bar, without moving the trip bar to a tripped position.

4307361, Dec 22, 1981

May 1, 1980

6/145400

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
Charles R. Paton - New Brighton PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 5032

335167

An electric control apparatus with an electromechanical latch device which allows the electric control device to be momentarily energized to one operating position, mechanically latched in that position, and released to return to its initial position after momentarily energizing the latch device mechanism.

4099151, Jul 4, 1978

Mar 29, 1977

5/782478

Kurt A. Grunert - Beaver PA
John P. Conner - Brighton Township, Beaver County PA
Stephen S. Dobrosielski - Beaver PA

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

H01H 346

335189

An electromagnetic contactor characterized by a stationary contact structure, a movable contact structure, the movable contact structure comprising a contact arm and a conductor, and a shuntless, pivotal electrical connection between the contact arm and the conductor.