US3299242A

US3299242A - Circuit interrupter enclosure of the type comprising an openable cover and a shield supported under the cover

Info

Publication number: US3299242A
Application number: US343386A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr George F Hawkes
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
Current assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
Priority date: 1964-02-07
Filing date: 1964-02-07
Publication date: 1967-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-17

Description

Jan. 17, 1967 G. F. HAWKES, JR 3,299,242

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER ENCLOSURE OF THE TYPE COMPRISING AN OPENABLE COVER AND A SHIELD SUPPORTED UNDER THE COVER Filed Feb. '7, 1964 Fig.|.

69 Fig.5.

INVENTOR George' F Howkes Jr. flbz w,

S E S S E N W W ATTORNEY United States Patent.

3,299,242 CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER ENCLGSURE OF THE TYPE COMPRISING AN OPENABLE COVER AND A SHIELD SUPPORTED UNDER THE COVER George F. I-Iawkes, Jan, Trumbull, Conn., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,386 17 Claims. (Cl. 200-468) This invention relates generally to enclosures for circuit interrupters and more particularly to enclosures of the type comprising 'a receptacle, an openable cover and a protective shield supported on the receptacle under the cover.

In the art of enclosures for circuit interrupters, it is desirable to provide a removable shield member under the cover to close off the lower internal part of the receptacle when the cover is in the open position.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved enclosure for circuit interrupters with improved means for supporting the shield on the receptacle part of the enclosure.

In the interests of costs and simplicity of construction, it is desirable to provide parts that serve a plurality of functions.

Thus, another object of this invention is to provide an enclosure for circuit interrupters with improved latch support means for supporting'the shield on the receptacle and for automatically latching the cover in the closed position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved enclosure for circuit interrupters with improved latch support means for supporting the shield on the receptacle and for latching the cover in the closed position, which latch support means comprises means permitting the cover to be padlocked in the closed position.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved combination comprising an improved enclosure having a plurality of circuit interrupters mounted therein.

The invention, both as to structure and operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be :best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side sectional view of an enclosure having circuit interrupters therein and constructed in accordance with principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating certain parts of the enclosure seen in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the support latch seen in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the support latch seen in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a view of the support latch taken generally along the line VV of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown, in FIGURE 1, a control device 3 comprising a metallic enclosure 5 and a plurality of circuit interrupters 7 mounted within the enclosure 5. The enclosure 5 comprises a receptacle 9 and an operable cover 11 pivotally supported on the two opposite sidewalls of the receptacle 9 by means of pivot pins 12 (only one pivot pin being seen in FIGURE 1). The receptacle 9 comprises a generally planar sheet metal base 13, two sheet metal planar

opposite end walls

15 and 17, and two sheet metal planar opposite side walls 19. Only one of the side walls 19 is shown in FIGURE 1 since the other opposite side wall is behind the section line. The cover 11 is supported on the side walls 19 to pivot (counterclockwise FIGURE 1) to an open position about the pivot pins 12. The cover 11 has an elongated slot or opening 23 (FIGURE 2) therein which is provided to receive a support latch 25 in a manner to be hereinafter more specifically described.

The circuit interrupters 7 are of the type comprising a molded insulating housing 29 having an operating handle 31 extending out from the front of the insulated housing 29. Each of the handles 31 is movable between two operating positions to open and close a pair of contacts disposed within the associated insulating housing 29. The circuit interrupters 29 may be insulating housing type circuit breakers comprising thermal and magnetic tripping means for effecting automatic opening of the circuit breakers in the general manner disclosed, for example, in the patent to Bingenheimer, Patent No. 2,677,026, issued April 27, 1954 and assigned to the assignee of the subject application. Each of the circuit breakers 29 is provided with a solderless connector or terminal 33- at each of the two opposite ends thereof to enable connection of the contacts of the circuit breaker in an electric circuit. A sheet metal mounting pan 35 is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the base 13 of the enclosure 9. The circuit breakers 29 are supported on the mounting pan in :a close side-by-side relationship. The circuit breakers 29 are held in place by means of two opposite rows (only one row being seen in FIGURE 1) of supporting clips 37 that are secured to the mounting pan 35. Two oppositely disposed supporting clips 37, from the two opposite rows of supporting clips, hook into notches in the opposite ends of each insulating housing 29 to retain each of the circuit breakers 29 in position. The supporting clips 37 may be of any of the types that are well known in the art for retaining a circuit breaker in position.

When the control device 3 is in operative condition at an installation, there are electrical conductors within the receptacle part 9 that are connected to the opposite terminals of the circuit interrupters 7 in a well known manner to provide control of various electric circuits. For safety reasons, it is desirable to have the lower internal part of the receptacle 9 covered even when the enclosure cover 11 is in the open position. Thus, a metallic shield member 41 is provided to cover the internal part of the receptacle 9 when the openable cover 11 is in the open position. The shield member 41 is a generally fiat sheet metal member having a plurality of openings 43 therein that are provided to permit the operating handles 31 of the circuit interrupters 7 to extend therethrough so that the interrupters 7 can be manually opera-ted when the shield is in position. Although theshield 41 shown in FIGURE 1 has an opening for each of the circuit interrupters 7, it can be understood that one large opening could be provided through which all of the handles 31 would extend in a well known manner. The shield 41 is supported on the receptacle 9 by means of a first and a second support means. The first support means comprises two oppositely disposed support members 47 that are secured to the opposite side walls 19 of the receptacle. Because the receptacle 9 is shown in section, only one of the support members 47 is shown attached to the one side wall 19. Each of the two oppositely disposed support members 47 is a metallic member comprising a securing part 49 that is fixedly secured to the associated side wall 19 by means of suitable securing means such as screws 51. Each support member 47 is bent over at 53 and a supporting part 55 thereof is disposed generally in a plane that is parallel to the plane of the securing part 49, and that is spaced a slight distance toward the internal part of the receptacle. Each of the supporting parts 55 of the associated support 47 is provided with a slot 57 therein. When the shield is placed in position with the cover open and the circuit interrupters 7 mounted in position, the

3 one end of the shield 41 is placed into the two slots 57 of the two oppositely disposed supports 47 and then the shield 41 is swung and pivoted in a clockwise direction down to the position seen in FIGURE 1.

The other end of the shield 41 is supported on the end wall 17 of the receptacle 9 by means of a latch support member 25. Referring to FIGURES 1-5, the latch support member 25 comprises a sheet metal member that is generally L-shaped in cross section. Two rivet pins 61 (FIGURES 1 and 2) extend through an elongated slot 63 in the securing part 65 of the latch support 25 and through two openings 67 (FIGURE 2) in the shield 41 to thereby secure the latch support 25 to the shield 41. The rivet pins 61 are riveted over at 68 in such a manner that they can move a limited amount vertically (FIGURE 1) so that they do not bind the latch support 25 against the shield. Thus, the latch support 25 is free to move rectilinearly back and forth, which movement is guided and limited by the engagement of the rivets 61 in the slot 63. The latch part 69 of the latch support 25 is provided with a first opening 71 therein and a second or padlockreceiving opening 73 therein. The latch part 69 is also provided with a stamped out part or tang 75 that serves to latch the cover 11 in the closed position in a manner to be hereinafter specifically described. A supporting pin 77 is welded, or riveted or otherwise fixedly secured to the internal side of the end wall 17 of the receptacle 9. The pin 77 is provided with an enlarged part 73 around the periphery thereof which forms a shoulder portion 81. The latch support 25 is a sheet metal member having resilience to provide an improved latching function that will be hereinafter described.

Referring to FIGURE 1, it is to be noted that the edges of the support part 55 of the support member 47 curved in toward the slot 57. When the circuit interrupters are mounted in the receptacle part 9 of the enclosure 5 and the cover 11 is in the opened position, the shield member 41 is moved down into the slots 57 in the two oppositely disposed support members 47 with a sliding and pivotal clockwise (FIGURE 1) motion. When the shield 41 is moved into this position, the latch support 25 is to the left of the position in which it appears in FIGURE 1 so that the latch support clears the end of the supporting pin 77. When the shield 41 reaches the proper position, the latch support 25 is moved rectilinearly to the right (FIGURE 1) and whereupon the opening 71 (FIGURE 2) receives the pin 77 to support the other end of the shield 41 on the end wall 17 of the receptacle 9. In order to provide a frictional engagement so that the shield 41 does not fit loosely on the receptacle 9, the position of the slot 57 and pin 77 along with the shape of the sheet metal member 41 and also the positions of the circuit interrupters 7 within the enclosure 9 are such that the shield, which is a generally resilient sheet metal type member, is flexed against the front surface of at least one of the insulating housings of at least one of the circuit' interrupters 7. With the parts so positioned, the resilience of the sheet metal shield member 41 will effect a bias of the left (FIGURE 1) end of the member 41 against the upper edge of the part 55 that forms the slot 57 and also a bias of the bottom edge forming the opening 71 (FIGURE 2) of the part 69 of the latch support 25 against the bottom surface of the pin 77 to thereby provide frictional engagements which firmly position the shield in place. The frictional engagement between the latch support 25 and the pin 77 serves to prevent free back-and-forth (to the right and left, FIGURE 1) movement of the movable latch support 25 to better protect against accidental movement of the latch support 25 to the non-supporting position. Although it is set forth above that the shield member 41 is flexed against at least one of the insulating housings 29, it can be understood that if the parts are well aligned, the shield member 41 will be flexed against more than one engaging surface and probably against a surface on each of the insulating housings of the two end circuit breakers. It is also to be noted that stop means other than the insulating housings could be provided against which the shield member 41 could be flexed in order to provide the above-mentioned frictional engagements. For example, fixed stop means could be supported on the sidewalls of the receptacle 9 and the shield could be flexed against the fixed stop means. An advantage of flexing the shield member 41 against the insulating housings of the circuit breakers is that, with the shield so positioned, the circuit breakers are more firmly supported and the shield member closes off the lower internal part of the receptacle more effectively.

As was previously set forth, the shoulder 81 is provided on the pin 77 to limit movement of the latch support 65 in the latching and supporting (to the right in FIGURE 1) direction. The shoulder 81 on the pin 77 and the opening 23 (FIGURE 2) in the cover 11 are so positioned that when the cover 11 is moved to the closed position, an edge on the cover adjacent the opening 23 will engage the tang 75 of the latch support 25 to bias the latch part 69 of the latch support 25 to the right (FIG- URE 1), which camming action is possible because of the resilience of the sheet metal latch support 25, and, when the cover 11 reaches the closed position seen in FIG- URE l, the flexed latch part 69 of the latch support 25 will snap back to the left (FIGURE 1) whereupon the lower edge of the tang 75 will be positioned over a top surface of the cover 11 to latch the cover 11 in the closed position seen in FIGURE 1. The opening 73 in the latch part 69 of the latch support 25 is provided to receive the hasp of a padlock 85 (FIGURE 1) whereby the cover 11 can be padlocked in the closed position. When it is desired to open the cover 11, the padlock 85 is removed and, although the cover 11 is no longer locked closed by the padlock -35, the cover is still latched closed by the tang '75. The top part 69 of the latch support 25 is then manually flexed to the right (FIGURE 1) to release the tang 75 from latching engagement with the cover 11 whereupon the cover 11 is swung to the opened position. With the cover 11 in the opened position, the handles 31 of the circuit interrupters 7 can be manually operated and the lower internal part of the receptatcle 9 is covered by means of the shield 41. In order to remove the shield, a worker presses down on the shield 41 or latch support 25 to relieve the frictional engagement of the latch support 25 with the pin 77. Thereafter, the worker moves the latch support 25 to the left (FIGURE 1) to clear the opening 71 from the pin 77 to thereby free the one end of the shield 41. The shield is there-after swung in a general counterclockwise direction and then pulled out from the slots 57. The worker could also move the latch support 25 to the non-supporting position without pressing down on the shield 41 or latch support 25. In this case he would just move the latch support to the non-supporting position during which operation he would overcome, by force, the resistance offered by the frictional engagement between the latch support 25 and the pin 77.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that there is provided, by this invention, an improved enclosure for circuit interrupters, which enclosure comprises improved means for supporting a shield on the receptacle part of the enclosure. The improved latch support serves to support one end of the shield on the receptacle and also to automatically latch the enclosure cover in the closed position. The latch support is also provided with an opening therein to permit padlocking of the cover in the closed position. The invention also comprises an improved combination comprising an enclosure having a plurality of molded-case or insulating-housing type circuit interrupters mounted therein and a shield member upported on the receptatcle part of the enclosure to cover the lower internal part of the enclosure. The shield member has opening means therein through which the operating handles of the circuit interrupters protrude whereby the circuit interrupters can be manually operated when the shield member is in position. The resilient shield member is flexed against stop means, which in the preferred embodiment comprises a part of at least one of the circuit interrupters, to provide a frictional engagement between the movable latch support that is movably supported on the shield member and the supporting pin that is fixedly supported on the receptacle part of the enclosure.

While the invention has been disclosed in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, it is to be understood that various changes in the structural detail and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from some of the features of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An enclosure for circuit interrupters of the type comprising a housing with an operating handle extending from the housing to permit manual operation of the circuit interrupter, said enclosure comprising receptacle means and an openable cover supported on said receptable means in a closed position, a shield member having opening means therein for receiving the operating handles of said circuit interrupters, support means supporting said shield member on said reecptaclemeans under said cover, said support means comprising a support-and-latch member movably supported on said shield member and movable on said shield member between supporting and nonsupporting positions, said support-and-latch member in the supporting position thereof operating to automatically latch said cover closed when said cover is moved into said closed position on said receptacle means.

2. An enclosure for circuit interrupters, said enclosure comprising a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a shield member, support means supporting said shield member on said receptacle, said support means comprising a support-and-latch member movably supported on said shield member and movable on said shield member between supporting and non-supporting positions, said cover having an opening therein, said support-and-latch member comprising a latch part that extends out through said opening when said support-andlatch member is in said supporting position and when said cover is in the closed position, said latch part comprising means automatically engaging said cover to latch said cover in the closed position, and said latch part having an opening therein at the external part thereof whereby the hasp of a padlock can be passed through said opening to lock said cover in the closed position.

3. An enclosure for a plurality of circuit interrupters of the type comprising an insulating housing and an operating handle extending from the housing to permit manual operation of the circuit interrupter, said enclosure comprising receptacle means and an openable cover supported on said receptacle means, a shield member having opening means therein for receiving the operating handles of said circuit interrupters, a first support means on said receptacle means, a second support means for supporting said shield member on said receptacle means under said cover, said second support means comprising a support latch movably secured to said shield member and movable relative to said shield member into and out of supporting engagement with said first support means, when said shield member is supported on said receptacle means and said cover is moved into the closed position means on said support latch operating automatically to latch said cover in the closed position.

4. An enclosure for a plurality of circuit interrupters of the type comprising a housing and an operating handle extending from the housing, said enclosure comprising a receptacle, said receptacle comprising a base and sidewalls and having an opening opposite said base, a movable cover for opening and closing said opening, a generally resilient shield member having opening means therein for receiving said operating handles, a first support means on said receptacle, one end of said shield member being supported on said first support means, a second support means on said receptacle, a support latch mova-bly supported on said shield member at the other end of said shield member and being in supporting engagement with said second support means, stop means supported on said receptacle intermediate said first and second support means, and said generally resilient shield member being flexed against said stop means to provide a frictional engagement between said movable support latch and said first support means.

5. An enclosure for circuit interrupters, said enclosure comprising a receptacle comprising a base and side walls, a cover supported on said receptacle opposite said base, a shield member supported on said receptacle under said cover, support means supporting one end of said shield member on said receptacle, a latch support, means securing said latch support to said shield member, said securing means permitting limited movement of said lat-ch support relative to said shield member, when said one end of said shield member is supported on said receptacle, said latch support being movable relative to said shield member into a supporting position to support the other end of said shield member on said receptacle, said cover having an opening therein, when said shield member is supported on said receptacle and said cover is moved into a closed position, said opening receiving said latch support and said latch support being operated to automatically latch said cover in the closed position.

6. An enclosure for circuit interrupters, said enclosure comprising a receptacle comprising a base and sidewalls and having a receptacle opening opposite said base, a cover supported on said receptacle to close said receptacle opening, a shield member supported on said receptacle under said cover, a first support means supporting one end of said shield member on said receptacle, a second support means on said receptacle, a latch support secured to said shield member for movement relative to said shield member, when said one end of said shield member is supported in position, said latch support being movable to cooperate with said second support means to support said other end of said shield member on said receptacle, said cover having a cover opening therein, said latch support having a resilient latch part, when said latch support is in supporting position and said cover is moved to the closed position, said cover opening receiving said resilient latch part and said moving cover flexing said resilient latch part to permit said cover to be moved to the closed position, when said cover is moved to the closed position said flexed resilient latch part automatically springing back to a latching position to latch said cover in the closed position.

7. An enclosure for circuit interrupters, said enclosure comprising a' receptacle comprising a base and sidewalls and having a receptacle opening opposite said base, a cover supported on said receptacle to close said recepta: cle opening, a shield member supported on said receptacle under said cover, a first support means supporting one end of said shield member on said receptacle, a second support means on said receptacle, a latch support secured to said shield member for movement relativeto said shield member, when said one end of said shield member is supported in position, said latch support being movable to cooperate with said second support means to support said other end of said shield member on said receptacle, said cover having an opening therein, said latch support having a resilient latch part, when said latch support is in sup-porting position and said cover is moved to the closed position, said opening receiving said resilient latch part and said cover bending said resilient latch part to permit said cover to be moved to the closed position, when said cover is moved to the closed position and resilient latch part automatically flexing back to a position latching said cover in the closed position, and

said latch part having an opening therein at the external part thereof whereby the hasp of the padlock can be passed through said opening to lock said cover in the closed position.

8. An enclosure for a plurality of circuit interrupters of the type comprising a housing and an operating handle protruding from said housing to permit manual operation of the circuit interrupter, said enclosure comprising a receptacle comprising a base and side walls and having a receptacle opening opposite said base, a cover supported on said receptacle and movable to open and close said receptacle opening, a shield member supported on said receptacle under said cover, said shield member having opening means therein for receiving said operating handle, a first support means supporting one end of said shield member on said receptacle, a latch support movably secured to said shield member in proximity to the other end of said shield member, said receptacle comprising second support means in proximity to said other end of said shield member, when said one end of said shield member is supported and the other end thereof is moved into position, said latch support member being movable in a first direction into supporting engagement with said second support means whereupon said latch support and said second support means cooperate to sup-port said other end of said shield on said receptacle, said latch support comprising a resilient latch part, said cover having a cover opening therein, when said shield member is supported in position, said cover being movable to a closed position during which movement said opening receives said resilient latch part and said cover engages and flexes said resilient latch part, when said cover reaches the closed position, said flexed resilient latch part automatically springing into a position latching said cover in the closed position, and stop means limiting said movement of said latch support in said first direction to position said latch support for said automatic latching operation.

9. An enclosure for circuit interrupters, said enclosure comprising a receptacle comprising a generally planar base and side walls and having an opening opposite said base, a generally planar cover supported on said receptacle in a generally parallel relationship with said base and closing said opening, a generally planar shield member supported on said receptacle under said cover and in a generally parallel relationship with the planes of said base and cover, a first support means supporting one end of said shield member on said receptacle, a .generally L-shaped latch support comprising a first part and a second part generally normal to said first part, means securing the first part of said latch support to said shield member in proximity to the other end of said shield member and permitting limited movement of said latch support relative to said shield member, said second part of said latch support being resilient and having a latching projection thereon, said cover having an opening therein, a second support means on said receptacle, when said one end of said shield member is supported in position, said latch support being movable into supporting engagement with said second support means to support said other end of said shield member on said receptacle, when both of said ends of said shield member are supported on said receptacle and said cover is moved to a closed position, said opening receiving said resilient second part of said latch support and said cover engaging said latching projection to spring-charge said resilient second part, and when said cover reaches the closed position said springcharged resilient second part automatically springing to a position wherein said latching projection latches said cover in the closed position.

10. In combination, a receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising a housing and an operating handle extending from the housing, a generally resilient shield member having opening means therein, support means supporting said shield member on said receptacle with said handles protruding through said opening means whereby said shield member covers the internal part of said receptacle below said handles, said support means comprising a support member movably secured to said shield member and a support on said receptacle, said support member being in supporting engagement with said support and said shield member being flexed against at least one of said circuit interrupters to provide a frictional supporting engagement between said support member and said support.

11. In combination, an enclosure comprising a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising an insulating housing and an operating handle extending from the front of the insulating housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means removably supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, when said shield is supported in position, said opening means receiving said operating handles and said shield being flexed between at least one of said insulating housings and said first and second support means, one of said first and second support means being movably supported on said shield and being movable on said shield between supporting and non-supporting positions, said one support means comprising a part having a padlock-receiving opening therein, said cover having a cover opening therein, and when said one support means is in said supporting position and said cover is moved to the closed position on said receptacle said part protruding through said cover opening whereby the hasp of a padlock can be passed through said padlock-receiving opening to lock said cover in the closed position.

12. An enclosure comprising a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising a housing and an operating handle extending from the front of the housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means removably supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, said second support means comprising a support member secured to said shield and movable relative to said shield, said second support means comprising supporting means on said receptacle, when said shield is in supported position said opening means receiving said operating handles, when said one end of said shield is supported on said first support means and said other end is moved to the supported position said support member that is movably securedto said shield being movable into supporting engagement with said supporting means on said receptacle, and said shield when in the supported position being flexed against at least one of said housings whereby the resilience of said shield provides a bias of said movable support member against said supporting means to thereby provide for a frictional engagement between said movable support member and said supporting means to thereby provide resistance against movement of said movable sup-port member out of supporting engagement with said supporting means.

13. In combination, an enclosure comprising a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising a housing and an operating handle extending from the front of the housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means removably supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, said second support means comprising a support member movably secured to said shield and movable relative to said shield, said support member having an opening therein, said second support means comprising a supporting pin secured to said receptacle, when said one end of said shield is in supported position and said shield is moved to the fully supported position said support member being movable to a supporting position wherein said supporting pin protrudes through said opening, when said shield is in the fully supported position said opening means in said shield receiving said operating handles, when said shield is in the fully supported position said shield being flexed between at least one of said housings and said first and second support means whereby said support member frictionally engages said supporting pin to thereby provide a frictional force resisting movement of said support member out of supporting position with said supporting pin.

14. In combination, a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising an insulating housing and an operating handle extending from the front of the insulating housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, said second support means comprising a support member secured to said shield for limited movement relative to said shield, said support member comprising a generally resilient latch part having a projecting part thereon, said second support means comprising supporting means on said receptacle, when said one end of said shield is in supported position and said other end of said shield is moved into the fully supported position said support member being movable into supporting engagement with said supporting means to thereby support said other end of said shield on said receptacle, when said shield is in the fully supported position said opening means receiving said operating handles and said shield being flexed between at least one of said insulating housings and said first and second support means whereby the resilience of said shield provides a bias of said support member against said supporting means to provide a frictional engagement between said support member and said supporting means to provide resistance against displacement of said support member from said supporting means, said cover having an opening therein, when said shield is in supported position and said cover is moved to the closed position said opening in said cover receiving said generally resilient latch part and said cover engaging said projecting part to flex said generally resilient latch part to a position to permit said cover to be moved to the closed position, and when said cover reaches the closed position said cover releasing said projecting part and said flexed generally resilient latch part springing to a position wherein said projecting part latches said cover in the closed position.

15. In combination, a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising an insulating housing and an operating handle extending from the front of the insulating housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means removably supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, said second support means comprising a support member secured to said shield for limited movement relaber being movable into supporting engagement with said supporting means to thereby support said other end of said shield on said receptacle, when said shield is in supported position said opening means receiving said operating handles and said shield being flexed between at least one of said insulating housings and said first and second support means whereby the resilience of said shield provides a bias of said support member against said supporting means to provide a frictional engagement between said support member and said supporting means to prevent easy displacement of support member from said supporting means, said cover having an opening therein, said support member having a generally resilient latch part, when said shield is in supported position and said cover is moved to the closed position said generally resilient latch part protruding through said opening in said cover and operating automatically to latch said cover in the closed position, and said latch part having a padlock-receiving opening therein whereby when said cover is in the closed and latched position the hasp of a padlock may be passed through said padlock-receiving opening to lock said cover in the closed position.

16. In combination, an enclosure comprising a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising a housing and an operating handle extending from the front of the housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means removably supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, said second support means comprising a latch support comprising a generally planar first part and a generally planar second part that is generally normal to said generally planar first part, means securing said first part to said shield to thereby secure said latch support to said shield and comprising securing means permitting a limited amount of movement of said latch support relative to said shield, said second part having a'pin-receiving opening therein and a tang part, a supporting pin fixedly supported on said receptacle, when said one end of said shield is supported on said first support means and said shield is moved into the supported position said latch support being movable into a supporting position wherein said pin protrudes through said pin-receiving opening to support the other end of said shield on said receptacle, when said shield is in the supported position said shield being flexed against at least one of said housings whereby the resilience of said shield provides a bias of said latch support against said supporting pin to thereby provide a frictional supporting engagement between said latch support and said supporting pin, said cover having an opening therein, said second part of said latch support being generally resilient, when said cover is moved to the closed position said opening receiving said generally resilient second part and said cover engaging said tang to flex said generally resilient second part and when said cover reaches the closed position said flexed generally resilient second part springing to a position wherein said tang latches said cover in the closed position.

17. In combination, an enclosure comprising a receptacle and an openable cover supported on said receptacle, a plurality of circuit interrupters supported within said receptacle, each of said circuit interrupters comprising a housing and an operating handle extending from the housing, a generally resilient shield having opening means therein, means removably supporting said shield on said receptacle under said cover and comprising a first support means supporting one end of said shield and a second support means supporting the other end of said shield, said second support means comprising a lat-ch support comprising a generally planar first part and a generally planar second part disposed generally normal to said generally planar first part, means securing said first part to said shield to thereby secure said latch support to said shield and comprising securing means permitting a limited amount of movement of said latch support relative to said shield, said second part having a pin-receiving opening therein and a tang part, a supporting pin fixedly supported on said receptacle, when said one end of said shield is supported on said first support means and said shield is moved into the supported position said latch support being movable into a supporting position wherein said pin protrudes through said pin-receiving opening to support the other end of said shield on said receptacle, when said shield is in the supported position said shield being flexed against at least one of said housings whereby the resilience of said shield provides a bias of said latch support against said supporting pin to thereby provide a frictional supporting engagement between said latch support and said supporting pin, said cover having an opening therein, said second part of said latch support being generally resilient, when said cover is moved to the closed position said opening receiving said generally resilient second part and said cover engaging said tang to flex said generally resilient second part and when said cover reaches the closed position said flexed generally resilient second part springing to a position wherein said tang latches said cover in the closed position, and said generally resilient second part having a padlock-receiving opening therein whereby when said cover is in the closed position the hasp of a padlock can be passed through said padlock-receiving opening to lock said cover in the closed position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1906 George 200168 11/1923 White 200168

Claims

1. AN ENCLOSURE FOR CIRCUIT INTERRUPTERS OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A HOUSING WITH AN OPERATING HANDLE EXTENDING FROM THE HOUSING TO PERMIT MANUAL OPERATION OF THE CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER, SAID ENCLOSURE COMPRISING RECEPTACLE MEANS AND AN OPENABLE COVER SUPPORTED ON SAID RECEPTACLE MEANS IN A CLOSED POSITION, A SHIELD MEMBER HAVING OPENING MEANS THEREIN FOR RECEIVING THE OPERATING HANDLES OF SAID CIRCUIT INTERRUPTERS, SUPPORT MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SHIELD MEMBER ON SAID RECEPTACLE MEANS UNDER SAID COVER, SAID SUPPORT MEANS COMPRISING A SUPPORT-AND-LATCH MEMBER MOVABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID SHIELD MEMBER AND MOVABLE ON SAID SHIELD MEMBER BETWEEN SUPPORTING AND NONSUPPORTING POSITIONS, SAID SUPPORT-AND-LATCH MEMBER IN THE SUPPORTING POSITION THEREOF OPERATING TO AUTOMATICALLY LATCH SAID COVER CLOSED WHEN SAID COVER IS MOVED INTO SAID CLOSED POSITION ON SAID RECEPTACLE MEANS.