Auxiliary contact interlock for preventing electrical discontinuity between main bridging contact and fixed contacts

Claim 1

An auxiliary contact interlock for use with an electromagneTic contactor having an operating arm, the interlock comprising a housing, at least one stationary contact mounted within the housing, a movable structure movable as a unit and including an actuator rod and a movable conductive contact carrier means mounted on the rod, the rod being slidably mounted in the housing by the operating arm to open and close the contacts when the arm is actuated, each movable contact carrier means having at least one contact button and at least one resilient contact, each resilient contact being located beside and biased to a location between the open and closed positions of the contact button and said stationary contact, the resilient contact having a U-shaped end portion engageable with said stationary contact, upon movement of the movable contact carrier means to the closed position with the stationary contact the resilient contact engages the stationary contact before and at a location adjacent to that of the contact button, and upon movement of the movable contact carrier means to the open position the resilient contact leaves the stationary contact after the contact button.