Abstract: A female contact of an interrupter includes a number of flexible fingers in a cylindrical array defining a cavity toward the axis of which the fingers are biased. A pair of semi-annular refractory members are located at the free ends of the fingers and define a passageway which is continuous with the cavity. The members are not welded or brazed to the fingers and are, accordingly, transversely free-floating relative to the fingers; they can move laterally of the axis independently of the fingers, but are prevented from movement along the axis. When a male contact is out of the cavity and the passageway, the fingers act against the exterior of the members until facing stop surfaces on the members abut, setting the minimum size of the passageway, which is smaller than the diametric size of the male contact but larger than the diametric size of the cavity between contact buttons on the fingers.

Abstract: A small-sized relay and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed. The relay comprises a prefabricated relay mechanism and an insulating cover covering the relay mechanism. Prior to assembling the relay mechanism and cover, a laser machining device is utilized to form, in the cover, holes of very small diameter which permit flow of gas molecules therethrough but do not permit the flow of dust particles or liquid molecules therethrough. The prefabricated relay mechanism is covered with the cover formed with such holes, and the opening of the cover except the portion including the holes is closed to hermetically seal the relay mechanism.

Abstract: A jack having a jack case with an electrical contact switch adapted to be operated responsive to insertion and removal of a plug into and from the jack case along an insertion axis, the jack comprising: an insulating separator disposed with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the insertion axis, the separator having a projection at one end and the jack casing having a slot in one wall thereof for receiving the projection and enabling pivotal movement about the projection; and, the contact switch having a resilient contact piece which engages the other end of the separator and resilently positions the separator within the housing, such that upon plug insertion, the plug will engage an intermediate portion of the separator, thereby pivoting the separator, the separator engaging and moving the contact piece to operate the contact switch.

Abstract: A pistol grip controller having a miniature multi-position tilt switch contained within the grip handle is disclosed. The tilt switch includes separate circuit contacts disposed about the inside of a switch housing and also includes a common contact that includes one or more commonly connected contact elements. A movable contact element completes the circuit connection between one of the separate contacts and the common contact in response to the movement imparted to the switch. The movable conductive element can be a conductively plated ball, a sliding conductive element, or a conductive fluid such as mercury. The pistol grip handle further indicates an index finger actuated switch and a thumb actuated switch. The pistol grip handle is removable mounted on a resilient mounting post that is secured to a base.

Abstract: A manually operated switch, typically of DIP size, having a slightly deformable over-center cam rotor journalled in a hollow housing. Symmetrical projections on the rotor move two opposed cantilever springs into and out of electrical contact. The deformation of the rotor provides detent action. Stops are not required. Single wiping action occurs upon closing the contacts.The cantilever springs may be ridged and of unequal length, or not ridged and of equal free length.

Abstract: There is provided an actuating means, remote from the switch it actuates. A thin, flexible, lamella like link extends between the switch and actuating means, with the link moving in an enclosing channel for guidance.

Abstract: A keyboard elastomeric cover which includes buttons or keys having changeable legends, sealing means for sealing the cover to a switch subassembly and alignment bosses or posts coacting with the subassembly to maintain proper alignment between the buttons or keys and the switches on the subassembly.

Abstract: A display type push button having a push button body with a display window on the front end, a passage formed therein, and an elastic display plate laid in the passage in such a manner as to reciprocate along the passage to display the "on" and "off" states of a switch coupled to the push button, comprises a mechanism which makes the movement of the display plate larger than the stroke of the operating rod of the switch, whereby the area of the display plate appearing in the display window is large enough to clearly detect the operations of the switch.

Abstract: An electric switch having an insulating housing and at least one opening into said housing from outside thereof, with a user inserted wire terminal insertable into said opening from the outside thereof and lockable coincidentally with such insertion, said wire terminal serving a first function of providing an internal switching contact within the switch and a second function of coupling the switch into an electric circuit.

Abstract: An extension control device and a tubing member usable therewith for use with a wall-mounted toggle switch assembly having a switch with a protruding lever. The control device has an elongated member with a lower or distal end portion graspable by a user of the device and a tubing member connected to an upper end portion of the elongated member. The tubing member has a proximal end with two spaced apart pronged portions protruding from a hollow tubular portion. The switch lever is insertable into the hollow tubular portion so that the hollow tubular portion releasably grips the switch lever. Should the cavity of the tubular portion be greater than the exterior circumference of the switch lever, one or both of the pronged portions are inserted into the cavity to reduce its dimensions. Alternatively, the tubing member has a flat proximal end, and all or a portion of a split ring is insertable into the internal cavity of the tubing member to reduce its size.

Abstract: This invention relates to an arrangement for attaching discrete electrical components to a generally flat layer of sheet material. Both mechanical and electrical connections are provided by the attachment elements of the present invention. One form of the invention is directed to a membrane switch keyboard wherein one of the layers of the membrane switch has a tail extending therefrom. The tail has a free end which is adhesively secured to some portion of the keyboard. Conductive traces are formed on the tail and extend to the free end where they contact the leads of an electrical component. The component is held between the tail and the keyboard. In another aspect, which may be applied to the membrane switch keyboard just described, the invention includes a sheet material having two or more slits cut therein for each of the component's leads. The slits are cut in a portion of the sheet having conductive traces formed thereon.

Abstract: A membrane switch has a substrate, a flexible membrane and an intervening spacer. Switch contacts are formed on the top surface of the substrate and the underside of the membrane in spaced, facing relation. A hole in the spacer in register with the switch contacts allows the contacts to move together in response to pressure exerted on the membrane. An auxiliary electrical device can be incorporated into the membrane switch through an opening in the membrane which provides access to a current supply circuit which is formed on the top surface of the spacer. The auxiliary device is held in place in electrical contact with the current supply circuit on the spacer. A pair of current supply leads provide electrical power to the current supply circuit. In a preferred embodiment at least one of the current supply leads is formed on the underside of the membrane, in contact with the current supply circuit and also connected to the switch contact on the membrane.

Abstract: A pull-push switch has one or two stationary contacts and one U-shaped elastic movable contact with two legs which, when not deformed, are adapted to resiliently make into contact with the stationary contacts. A cam is securely mounted on an operating shaft which can be axially shifted between the pulled and pushed positions. The cam has a small-diameter cylindrical portion contiguous with a tapered intermediate portion which in turn is contiguous also with a large-diameter cylindrical portion. The legs of the elastic movable contact are so positioned that they are normally maintained in contact with the peripheral surface of the cam as it is shifted in unison with the operating shaft so that when the shaft is pushed or pulled, the legs of the elastic movable contact rest on the small-diameter cylindrical portion of the cam and subsequently make contact with the stationary contacts, whereby the switch is closed.

Abstract: This disclosure depicts a novel apparatus for use with an electric limit switch. The apparatus is a neutral position limit switch lever head, or multiple position off-center to center movement translator, for use with an operator having first and second movable elements and a receiver having a movable member. The apparatus comprises a support cover, a linear actuator in contact with the movable member of the receiver and a tri-lobe roller follower in contact with the linear actuator and the two movable elements of the operator. The support cover retains the linear actuator in the center of the support cover and also holds the tri-lobe roller follower in position. The novel apparatus converts the off-center movement of the movable elements of the operator to a linear center movement of the linear actuator.

Abstract: An improved anti-static switch lock of the type having a key-operated plug rotatably located within a lock barrel, A nonconductive switch adapting hub connected to the lock barrel and a switch affixed to the hub, actuable upon rotation of the plug. The improvement consisting of a hub and plug design wherein the hub is connected to the lock barrel by resilient legs which engage an annular shoulder within the barrel and the plug extends from the barrel such that it prevents the legs from disengaging the shoulder. A biasing means interconnects the hub and one of the hub legs to bias the rotation of the plug and the switch to a desired position.

Abstract: A flexible multilayered membrane switch having electrically conducting contacts comprising Ti.sub.2-x N or Ta.sub.2-x N, to reduce oxidation of the surfaces of the contacts.

Abstract: A push-push mechanism of a pushbutton operating shaft characterized in that a driving member of a tubular body is rotatably supported upon the operating shaft of the push button. The driving member is provided with a protuberance extending orthogonally to the direction of movement of the operating shaft, and a cam plate formed with a heart-shaped groove in its upper surface is received in a frame so that the cam plate can move upwardly by being guided by the inner wall of the frame.

Abstract: A pushbutton switch capable of conversion from alternate action operation to momentary operation includes a housing, an elongated slider with a heart-shaped cam groove, a removable alternate action stop member, and a helical compression spring. The removable alternate action stop member is in the form of a rigid wire with an upturned pivot leg, a downturned detent leg parallel to the pivot leg and a crosspiece . The upturned pivot leg extends upward through a pivot hole in an upper tongue of the housing and the detent leg extends downward into the heart-shaped cam groove in the slider. A top opening in the housing communicates with the pivot hole and provides an area for side-to-side swinging movement of the crosspiece as the slider moves along a longitudinal axis and the lower end of the detent leg follows the heart-shaped cam groove. A raised cover connected to the upper tongue covers a portion of the top opening and protects the stop member from damage during assembly or use.

Abstract: An electrical snap-action switch has as its moving member a strip (15) of a springy metal with which there is integrally formed a contact-carrying arm (18). This strip is held bowed into a C shape in a metal carrier (10) with a concave inner face (11) near which the strip lies when in one position.The operating member of the switch is a rocker (23) of an insulating material which rocks on a convex "bump" (24) on the carrier so that it has an inwardly extending pillar (24) with two studs one on each side of the strip (15). Hence operation of the rocker snaps the strip between its two positions, with corresponding movement of the contact carrying arm.

Abstract: An illuminated push-button switch which has the functions of both the optical display and the mechanical display, and which produces a plurality of displays simultaneously, the displays being easily recognizable.