US Patent 7126068 Switching mechanism with mechanical interlocking and manual override

A switching mechanism provides sequential switching of first and second circuit breakers to enable switching between a primary power supply and a backup power supply. The switching mechanism comprises a first actuator plate to operate a first circuit breaker connected to a primary power supply, a second actuator plate to operate a second circuit breaker connected to a secondary power supply, and an actuator. The first and second actuator plates are independently movable between on and off positions. The actuator is operatively connected to the first and second actuator plates so that the actuator moves the first actuator plate to an on position and the second actuator plate to an off position when the actuator is moved in a first direction, and moves the first actuator plate to an off position and the second actuator plate to an on position when the actuator is moved in a second direction. An override enables movement of the first and second actuator plates from the on position to the off position when the other actuator plate is in the off position. The switching mechanism can be installed in an existing distribution panel in a home of building.