Abstract: A momentary contact, push-button type reversing switch has a manual actuator which, upon depression, effects sequential contact closing of a plurality of contacts and which, upon release, effects sequential contact opening, the contacts including a plurality of pairs of spaced apart contacts with elongated reed-like movable contacts normally centered between the stationary contacts and operatively associated with a spring-centered yoke assembly with opposite ends of which the manual actuator cooperates for shifting the yoke.

Abstract: The noise suppression contact of a keyboard with a row of pushbutton-operated slide switches consists of a flat U-shaped contact spring forming a double armed lever one arm of which is actuated by the stop slider and the other contacting a fixed contact. The pushbutton operators are mutually interlocked by the stop slides. The noise suppression contact assembly is activated momentarily during the change over from one desired switching mode of operation to another switching mode of operation thereby preventing disturbing "clicks" caused by the shorting of an amplifier input.

Abstract: A printed circuit board switch with a generally U-shaped frame with reduced end tangs soldered within apertures of a printed circuit board, a leaf spring switch element mounted between the legs of the frame and a reciprocable switch operating rod mounted on the frame parallel to the printed circuit board for bowing the leaf spring switch element into engagement with an electrical contact of the printed circuit board.

Abstract: A spring contact which is intended to be mounted on a circuit board comprises an elongated spring blade having a mounting end and an outer or free end. An integral mounting plate extends alongside the blade from the mounting end thereof to an intermediate location. A mounting pin is formed at the mounting end by two laterally extending leg portions, one on the spring blade and the other on the mounting plate, and a support pin extends from the mounting plate in spaced relationship to the mounting pin. The mounting plate has laterally extending support flanges which support the device on the printed circuit board when it is inserted into openings in the board. The spring contacts are manufactured as a continuous strip and can be inserted into circuit boards by automatic insertion machines.

Abstract: A switch is disclosed in which manual adjustment of a contact spring pileup is avoided by closely controlling the interaction between (1) the contact springs, (2) a movable actuator including a plurality of cam surfaces, each of which is associated with an individual contact spring, and (3) a frame for supporting the actuator. This is achieved by molding a cam follower to one end portion and a mounting element to the other end portion of each contact spring. The mounting elements of the contact springs are positioned in engagement with one another and are secured to the frame. The mounting elements serve to orient the contact springs at a particular angle with respect to one another and accurately locate the contact springs and thereby the cam followers with respect to the cam surfaces of the actuator. The cam followers in combination with the associated cam surfaces serve to locate and provide a predetermined bias to the contact springs.

Abstract: A pressure responsive electrical switch uses precalibrated snap acting monometallic or bimetallic discs freely disposed in a disc seat formed on a base member. Over pressure protection in the form of a surface spaced just beyond the normal snapped position may be provided to avoid calibration changes. A flexible thin gasket is positioned over the disc and is sealed to the base by trapping between the base and a cap which is clamped to the base. Several seal variations are shown to provide varying degrees and types of seals. A rocker member having a specially curved surface rests on a movable contact arm and transfers motion from the disc to the movable arm. A support for the movable arm has a portion which is formed with a complementary curved portion which cooperates with the rocker member and a stationary contact to limit the amount of stress imparted to the movable contact arm.

Abstract: The cooperating contacts of a reed switch each comprise a layer of palladium. A protective layer of ruthenium deposited on the palladium layer prevents the formation of frictional polymers.

Abstract: An appliance timer includes a disc-shaped program wheel. The distal ends of a plurality of resilient wire switches include a plurality of followers which extend into grooves provided in the program wheel. The bottoms of the grooves provide surfaces for controlling operation of the switches to control the appliance. The proximal ends of the switches are mounted in a terminal block in the appliance timer housing. The proximal ends of the switch components are rigidly mounted in the terminal block. The terminal block also includes longitudinally extending channels in which the various movable switch components rest. The channels provide for limited free travel of the movable switch components during their operation.

Abstract: An electrical contact with a fixed conductor and a movable conductor, comprises a plurality of plate springs, a plurality of contacts, the plate springs and the contacts being mounted into a single unit with an arrangement of those members in a substantial orthogonal relation to each other. The opposite ends of each of the plate springs being supported so as to provide an arrangement of contacts spaced at a fixed interval.

Abstract: The proposed pile-up assembly comprises metallic fastenings with contact springs being placed therebetween. These springs are insulated from one another by plates made of a thermoplastic material. The assembly also comprises a bush extending through openings made in the fastenings and the plates and connecting all the assembly components. Each plate is provided, according to the invention, with projections running the length of the surface facing the contact springs. The height of the projections is chosen so that when the invention is clamped during assembly, the contact springs are depressed against said projection until they come in contact with the surface of the plates. Employment of the proposed invention permits a reduction of labor consumption during assembly.

Abstract: A switch is comprised of at least one leaf-like springy fixed contact, a movable contact, a supporting member for supporting the fixed contact and a positioning member for positioning the free end of the fixed contact. The leaf-like fixed contact is fixed by the supporting member at a position close to one end of the fixed contact, and is biased by the positioning member at a position close to the other end. Thus, the free end of the leaf-like springy fixed contact is placed at a position by its function of urging the positioning member.

Abstract: A momentary contact switch is comprised of an insulator base member having a plurality of aligned dome shaped contacts extending upwardly from the top face. First and second pairs of notches or voids extend through the base member beyond opposite ends of the aligned stationary contacts. An elongated plastic actuator is disposed above the stationary contacts and extends both transversely and longitudinally beyond the aligned contacts. The actuator has four yieldable legs at or adjacent its four corners which extend downwardly and each leg is inserted through a respective notch. One pair of legs is shorter than the other pair. Each leg has a barb or wedge shaped element at its bottom for releasably engaging the under side of the base member to maintain the actuator and base member in operative relationship. A movable spring contact member is disposed between the base member and actuator.

Abstract: An electrical switch construction having a housing provided with an acutuator for causing movement of a movable switch blade relative to an overtravel compensating fixed switch blade, the fixed switch blade being secured to a rigid terminal carried by the housing and having an extension thereof that is disposed in the path of movement of the fixed switch blade to limit movement thereof in one direction.

Abstract: A strip of electroconductive material is perforated by I-shaped holes. Contact materials shaped to conform to said I-shaped holes are inserted in the holes and caulked. Then, the I-shaped contact materials are perforated across the middle thereof in conjuction with the adjoining portions of the electroconductive material so as to divide each contact material into two contacts separated by a contact gap formed therebetween. A leaf spring fitted at one end thereof with a movable contact intended for insertion into said contact gap is held in position, though not in an immobilized state, with the other end thereof simply inserted around the stem of a spring support. Terminals which are retained in their fixed relative position by means of a webbing interconnecting them are fastened with adhesive agent to a plastic case. After the fastening, said webbing is cut off.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrical type contact switch assembly. The assembly includes an insulated contact carrier having a U-shaped portion with spaced apart walls. A slot for receiving a leaf spring extends transversely through the walls. Mutually facing depressions formed in the walls straddle the slot and have oppositely inclined surfaces. A leaf spring disposed in the slot has a resiliently hinged flap extending at an acute angle relative to the plane of the spring. The flap is in resilient biasing engagement with the inclined surfaces of the contact carrier. The flap is of trapezium shape and is an integral part of the spring.

Abstract: An integrally formed sensing switch for use with a seat belt retractor assembly and having a housing portion provided with an integrally hinged seat belt follower push arm plate adapted for pivotal movement in association therewith. The push arm plate has a fixed actuator pin extension on the lower surface thereof which selectively extends into the housing in response to movement of the push arm plate and depresses a spring leaf contact element provided in the housing portion so as to selectively open and close an electrical sensing circuit made thus responsive to spool condition as webbing is extended or webbing is retracted. The upper surface of the push arm plate engages the outer surface of seat belt webbing coiled on the retractor spool and is biased to move therewith as the seat belt pays into and out of the retractor assembly.

Abstract: A sealed reed spring switch in which a single pair of contacting springs carries two or more electrically insulated conducting paths. The electrically conductive, magnetically responsive springs are coated with an insulating material at least on opposing surfaces over which two or more distinct conductive coatings are formed. Two circuits such as a telephone tip and ring circuit, for example, may be simultaneously controlled by a single sealed two-path switch unit.

Abstract: A self-cleaning or wiping switch contact for use on machinery monitoring gages embodies a spring contact arm mounted directly on the gage movable pointer for wiping coaction with either high or low adjustable set contacts of the gage.

Abstract: This invention relates to a musical instrument operated by keys which in turn actuate change-over switches for selecting a predetermined one of a series of sound generators. The switches are provided by a composite structure constituted of aligned panels which carry the switch contact, the movable arms of which are operated by the keys.

Abstract: A spring contact switch for a printed circuit board includes a flexible spring contact member affixed to a circuit board at one end and operatively available at an opposite end and an electrical component affixed to the circuit board with a lead member forward for contact by said flexible spring contact member.

Abstract: A spring contact assembly formed of a pair of spring contacts and an actuator which is supported by and slidably retained on the spring contacts in a fashion such that the actuator is both self-guided by the spring contacts and is longitudinally movable lengthwise of the spring contacts to open and close them.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a contact spring set comprising contact springs and a lifting card, attached at the outer ends of the contact springs between an upper return spring and a lower return spring. In order to achieve a playless fixing of the lifting card to at least one of the return springs, which allows for a simple fitting of the lifting card, the return spring is flat and provided with two pairs of tabs, which are bent in such a way that adjacent tabs point in opposite directions. The lifting card has a hole for the return spring which is constituted by two portions, substantially equal and displaced relative to a symmetry line through the center of the lifting card, which is perpendicular to the plane of the return spring. The contour of each hole portion has at least one straight side, these straight sides being parallel and having a distance corresponding to the thickness of the return spring and a combined overall length corresponding to the width of the return spring.

Abstract: A switch comprising a pair of leaf springs having contacts and terminals at the both ends thereof, a base member supporting the leaf springs in a cantilever fashion in superposed relationship and a fulcrum member supporting one of the leaf springs so as to make the leaf spring moveable downwardly by pushing the end of the leaf spring.

Abstract: Contact carriers for relays are produced by electrochemically plating sheets of electrically conductive nonmagnetic metal with iron. The sheets have a width corresponding to the intended length of the contact carriers. The sheets are then cut in strips across the width of the sheets to form the contact carriers. The sheets can be plated on one or both sides. Following the plating step and before cutting the strips from the sheet, the sheet can be mechanically treated, as by rolling, to increase the resiliency of the sheet. The sheet can be masked during the plating operation to produce contact carriers with unplated portions on the plated sides of the carriers. A contact element can be mounted on the plated or unplated portion of the contact carrier and more than one contact element can be mounted on each carrier. The contact carriers and contact elements can be arranged in relays in many combinations utilizing the forces of attraction and repulsion.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to keyboard systems and more particularly to an integral keyboard assembly which includes a plurality of keys, the bezel and the housing containing the contact strips sandwiched between the keys and a single sided printed circuit board on which are the conductive paths.

Abstract: An electric coil is coupled across a pair of normally closed electric contacts which are attached to two electric terminals. The contacts and terminals are supported by pockets in an insulating base member which also supports a bobbin upon which the electric coil is wound. Each terminal is supported within its pocket by a pair of spaced legs having projecting spurs which bite into the margins of the pockets and prevent the terminals from being withdrawn. An armature is pivotally mounted over one end of the coil, and an actuating arm is attached to the armature for opening the contacts in response to a predetermined amount of movement by an object in contact with the actuating arm. This energizes the coil by removing the short circuit around it and causes the armature to buzz until the coil is de-energized.

Abstract: A multifinger contact device is produced by a series of deforming stations which compress the fingers into die cavities decreasing the width of the fingers while severing the adjacent fingers from one another, by deforming the adjacent fingers first in one direction and then in the other to decrease the formation of burrs. A subsequent forming station may be utilized to confine the entire periphery of the finger so as to form opposing longitudinal edges on adjacent fingers into noncontacting curved surfaces.

Abstract: The timer has switches including upper and lower passive blades and an active blade therebetween. The distal end of the lower passive blade has depending spacers which straddle the cam upon which the follower on the distal end of the active blade rides. The spacers reference the lower passive blade off the hub of the drum type program cam. The lower passive blade is provided with a rest or stop for the upper passive blade limiting downward movement of that blade. With precision molding, both passive blades are accurately referenced from the cam hub and the location of the follower which actuates the active blade is precisely located. Accuracy of switching is increased without increased precision in manufacture. Use of two cam tracks permits simultaneous actuation of the active and "passive" blades to effect faster switching. It is possible to provide a "make-make" arrangement instead of the double throw arrangement.