Switching apparatus for electrically contacting conductive terminals on a circuit-carrying board

An electrical switch for contacting edge contact strips on a conductor-carrying medium comprising:

• a support member with a channel means therethrough having a floor which defines a plane of motion and two spaced walls;
• a resilient, forked, conductive member movably retained within the channel and having at least two prong portions connected by a yoke portion, the prong portions supported by the floor and generally movable along the plane of motion while guided by the spaced walls, and adapted to receive and engage opposed surfaces of the conductor-carrying medium, at least one of the two prong portions adapted to contact a conducting terminal on the conductor-carrying medium proximate the edge thereof;
• a toggle member mounted on the support member and pivotal about an axis of pivot;
• engaging means carried on the toggle member at a position offset from the axis of pivot for rotatably engaging the forked conductive member;
• a lever portion extending from the toggle member and adapted to be externally moved to pivot the toggle member causing the engaging means to move the forked conductive member along a travel path within the channel along the plane of motion in an outward direction away from the conductor-carrying medium or in an inward direction toward the conductor-carrying medium;
• camming means on at least one of the prong portions;
• and
• displacing means formed within the channel means by the contour of at least one of the spaced walls for engaging the camming means on the prong portions causing the prong portions of the forked member to move relative to one another to engage and disengage the opposed surfaces of conductor-carrying medium as the forked conductive member moves along the travel path.