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US 4,355,483 AGranted
Switch mechanism
AssigneeThe Quaker Oats Company
InventorDonald G. Korzelius
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AssigneeThe Quaker Oats Company
InventorDonald G. Korzelius
Estimating the term…
A switch mechanism for use in an electronic toy having a printed circuit board, a portion of which has a pattern of printed wiring with contacts thereon. A body of conductive resilient material, disposed in the housing of the toy with the printed circuit board, has a base portion with an opening therein. Part of the base is a bridge across the opening, having a push button and a web flexurably connecting the push button to the base. The body is disposed in juxtaposition with the board portion over the contacts with the push button extending through an opening in the housing to present an end of the button which, when depressed, causes a connection to be made between the board contacts through the conductive material of the body for operating the electronic circuits of the toy. A plurality of push buttons may similarly be disposed as part of individual bridges on the base for operating different circuits of the toy when depressed.
A switch mechanism comprising a body of resilient, electrically conductive material having a base with an opening therein and a bridge across said opening, said bridge having a push button portion and webs flexurally connecting said push button portion to said base for reciprocal movement when pushed, a wall having an aperture therein, a member having a plurality of fixed electrical contacts thereon, said body being disposed between said wall and said member with said push button projecting through said aperture, means for positioning said base and push button in alignment with said member and with different ones of said plurality of contacts to make a connection there between when said button is pressed and to break said connection when said button is released.
For use in an electronic toy having a housing and a printed circuit board having electronic circuitry thereon in said housing, a push button switch mechanism comprising a body of resilient, conductive materials having a base portion, a bridge suspended on said base portion, said bridge having a push button and a flexural web integral with said base portion, means positioning said base adjacent a portion of said board in juxtaposition on one side thereof, said board having printed wiring with conductive pads in contact with said base portion and in alignment with and spaced from said push button, said housing having an opening through which said push button projects to present an end thereof which can be pressed to make contact with the pad which is disposed in alignment therewith.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.