Abstract: A keyswitch includes a tubular plunger with a rectangular body slidably mounted in a rectangular housing that has a bottom wall provided in its top with a circular recess receiving the lower end of a coil spring extending up around a pair of upright spring contact strips, the lower ends of which are press fitted in the bottom wall. The inside of the plunger is provided with a cross member that normally separates the upper ends of the contact strips, but permits them to engage each other when a keycap on the upper end of the plunger is pushed down to lower the plunger. The plunger body has legs extending downwardly from its lower corners which engage the area of the housing between the plunger body and bottom wall of the housing while the plunger is in its upper position. The corners of the bottom walls are provided with downwardly extending sockets for receiving the plunger legs when the keycap is depressed.

Abstract: A low cost miniature caseless slide action electric switch comprised by a relatively flat insulator base member of substantially uniform thickness throughout its length and breadth and fabricated from a molded thermoplastic material. A plurality of electric terminals extend through the lower one of the flat surfaces and are engagable from the opposite upper flat surface of the insulator base member. The insulator base member further includes at least two sets of opposed, resilient, slide contact housing side retaining members integrally formed on the respective side edges near the ends of the flat insulator base member. The side retaining members extend outwardly in a direction normal to the flat surfaces on the same side of the insulator base member as the upper flat surface. The insulator base member further includes integrally formed stiffening channel portions extending between corresponding side retaining members of the respective opposite sets formed on the same side edge of the insulator base member.

Abstract: A switch housing having a separate base attached to one end includes an electric end contact secured to each end of the base inside the housing, and central electric terminal means secured to the central part of the base between the end contacts. An elongated bridging contact engages the central terminal means and has end portions beside rigid dielectric members projecting from the base adjacent the end contacts for restricted lateral movement of the bridging contact. The end contacts have projections overlying the end portions of the bridging contact, and the base and all of the contacts and terminals together form a base unit in which the bridging contact is confined between the base and the overlying portions of the end contacts before the base is secured to the rest of the switch housing. Manually operable actuating means engage the bridging contact for rocking it on the central terminal means to electrically connect the latter with the overlying portions of either of the overlying contacts.