Slider type push button switch with safety lockout feature
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorStewart A. Woodward
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical switch adapted to control a plurality of circuits therethrough has a plurality of push buttons reciprocally movable to effect the control of the circuits and including an "off" push button operable generally upon the depression thereof to open all of the circuits. Means is responsive to the depression of the "off" push button for precluding depression of certain of the other of the push buttons, and means actuated by an operator for rendering ineffective the precluding means includes one of the "off" push button and another of the push buttons.
Claims16
An electrical switch comprising a housing having a chamber therein, a plurality of terminals disposed in said housing and each of said terminals having a mounting section within said chamber and an electrical connection section extending exteriorly of said housing;
- a plurality of first contacts on said mounting sections of some of said terminals, respectively;
- a plurality of resilient, electrical conductive switch blades on said mounting sections of others of said terminals and operable generally between a pair of switching positions, respectively;
- a plurality of second contacts on said switch blades and movable therewith so as to make with the first contacts in one of the switching positions of the switch blades and to break from said first contacts in the other of the switching positions of said switch blades, respectively;
- a plurality of push buttons reciprocally movable in a pair of opposite directions in said housing and each of said push buttons including a pair of opposite end portions disposed within said chamber and exteriorly of said housing, respectively;
- a plurality of generally elongate sliders shiftably movable in said chamber and arranged therein generally in side-by-side relation with each other, each of said sliders including a pair of opposite edges, a plurality of cam surfaces in one of said opposite edges and arranged to effect the operation of at least respective ones of said switch blades between the switching positions thereof upon the shifting movement of said sliders in said chamber, and a plurality of inclined surfaces in the other of said opposite edges with at least some of said inclined surfaces arranged to be engaged by said opposite end portions of said push buttons within said chamber to effect the shifting movement of at least some of said sliders in said chamber in response to an operator applied force on said one opposite end portion of said exterior push buttons to effect the movement thereof in one of the opposite directions in said housing, respectively;
- and one of said sliders comprising a lockout slider shiftably movable toward one shifted position of a pair of shifted positions thereof in said chamber in response to the operator applied force movement in the one direction of a preselected one of said push buttons so as to engage said other opposite end portion thereof with one of said inclined surfaces of said lockout slider, and said lockout slider including a plurality of means disposed at least adjacent said opposite end portions of at least some of the other of said push buttons for precluding the operator applied force movement thereof in the one opposite direction when said lockout slider is in its one shifted position in said chamber.
An electrical switch comprising a housing, a plurality of elongated sliders assembled in said housing in side-by-side relation for reciprocating movement, one lengthwise edge of each of said sliders being undercut to form a plurality of cam surfaces, a plurality of movable contact blades engageable with said cam surfaces of said sliders, each of said blades being movable so as to make and break contact with an opposing switch contact of the switch, respectively, said slider having a plurality of inclined surfaces which cooperate with a plurality of push buttons that extend through a wall of said housing, respectively, said inclined surfaces being arranged on said sliders so that the depression of any of said buttons will act upon one or more of said sliders causing them to shift said cam surfaces thereof toward or away from at least some of said contact blades so as to change the circuit arrangement of the switch, said inclined surfaces extending in such directions that only one button may be fully depressed at any one time;
- a lockout slider combined with said sliders and responsive to the depression of a specified button so as to be shifted to a first position precluding direct depression of certain of the other buttons, said lockout slider being shiftable in response to actuation of a specified button other than one of said certain other buttons to a second position thereby to allow depression of said certain other buttons.
An electrical switch adapted to control a plurality of circuits therethrough comprising a plurality of operator actuable push buttons reciprocally movable to effect the control of the circuits, said push buttons including an "off" push button operable generally upon the depression thereof to open all of the circuits, means responsive to the depression of said "off" push button for precluding direct depression of certain of the other of said push buttons, and means actuable by an operator for rendering ineffective said precluding means including one of said "off" push button and another of said push buttons.
An electrical switch having a plurality of circuits therethrough comprising a plurality of operator actuable push buttons depressable to control the circuits therethrough and including an "off" push button which is depressible to open all of the circuits;
- means responsive to the depression of said "off" push button for precluding direct depression of certain other ones of said push buttons distinct from the "off" push button;
- and means actuable as a condition precedent to the depression of one of said certain other push buttons when said "off" push button is depressed.
An electrical switch adapted to control a plurality of circuits therethrough comprising a plurality of push buttons depressable to effect the completion of the circuits and including an "off" push button which is depressible to open all of the circuits, a lockout slider responsive to the depression of a preselected one of the push buttons to shift to a first position so as to preclude direct depression of certain other of the push buttons, said lockout slider being shiftable in response to actuation of another push button other than said certain other push buttons to a second position allowing depression of said certain other push buttons, and said lockout slider having a lengthwise edge including cam surfaces which in the first position prevent closure of any of the circuits and in the second position free the circuits for selective closure by the selective depression of at least said certain other push buttons.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.