Circuit breaker operating mechanism for rapid contact opening and closing

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT BREAKER HAVING MAIN SWITCH MEANS, STORED ENERGY SPRING MEANS, A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED OPERATING ELEMENT HAVING GUIDE MEANS FORMED THEREON, LATCH MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID OPERATING ELEMENT WHEN THE LATTER HAS BEEN PIVOTED TO A FIRST POSITION, FOLLOWER MEANS MOVABLE ON SAID GUIDE MEANS BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, SAID SPRING MEANS BEING CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID FOLLOWER MEANS, OPERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID OPERATING ELEMENT TO ITS FIRST POSITION AND FOR EXTENDING SAID SPRING MEANS, TOGGLE LINK MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID OPERATING ELEMENT AND CONNECTED TO SAID FOLLOWER MEANS, SAID FOLLOWER MEANS ALSO BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SWITCH MEANS, SAID OPERATING MEANS BEING OPERATIVE AFTER SAID OPERATING ELEMENT HAS BEEN LATCHED TO MOVE SAID SPRING MEANS OVERCENTER RELATIVE TO SAID TOGGLE LINK MEANS SO THAT SAID TOGGLE LINK MEANS IS ROTATED TO MOVE SAID FOLLOWER MEANS FROM ONE END OF SAID GUIDE MEANS TO THE OTHER AND TO CLOSE SAID MAIN SWITCH MEANS AS SAID SPRING MEANS PARTIALLY DISCHARGES, RELEASE OF SAID LATCH MEANS ALLOWING SAID OPERATING ELEMENT TO RETURN TO ITS FIRST POSITION TO COLLAPSE SAID TOGGLE LINK MEANS AND TO OPEN SAID MAIN SWITCH MEANS AS SAID SPRING MEANS FULLY DISCHARGED.