US 4,398,069 A · Sealed electrical contact assembly and actuating mechanism therefor

Abstract

An actuating mechanism comprises a housing having top and sides with openings in the sides that extend into the top. A bottom member is latchably secured to the housing. A rocker member is mounted in the housing and is rockably moved about pie-shaped pivots. A leaf spring is disposed in a slot in the rocker member and extends across a central bore therein. A button is movably located in the central bore and is spring biased into engagement with the bottom member via the leaf spring which also biases the rocker member against an inside top surface of the housing. Actuating arms extend outwardly from the rocker member and through the openings for actuating the rocker member. Stop surfaces of the rocker member engage the inside top surface of the housing to limit movement of the rocker member.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An electrical switch comprising:

dielectric frame means having recess means in top surface means thereof;
stationary electrical contact means secured in said frame means and including opposed sets of stationary contact section means respectively within said recess means, one of each of the opposed sets of stationary contact section means having pivot means;
movable electrical contact means pivotally mounted onto said pivot means;
housing means secured onto said frame means;
and
spring-biased contact-operating means movably disposed in said housing means including rocker means having slot means in which leaf spring means and button means are mounted, said leaf spring means urging said button means into engagement with respective movable contact means for moving said movable contact means to one position for electrically connecting said opposed sets of stationary contact section means and to another position for electrically disconnecting said opposed sets of stationary contact section means.

3 more elements

An actuating mechanism comprising:

housing means having a top, bottom and sides, said housing means having opening means therein;
actuating means having slot means mounted in said housing means;
pivot means on said actuating means and said housing means pivotally mounting said actuating means for reciprocal movement;
pivot member means on said bottom;
movable member means having embossment means with said embossment means engaging said pivot member means enabling said movable member means to pivot thereabout;
said actuating means including leaf spring means and button means, said leaf spring means and said button means disposed in said slot means with said leaf spring means disposed between bottom surface means of said slot means and said button means so that said leaf spring means biases said button means in engagement with said movable member means on one side of said embossment means to maintain said movable member means in one position, to maintain said movable member means in another position when said actuating means moves said spring-biased means to the other side of said embossment means in engagement therewith and to maintain said pivot means of said actuating means and housing means in engagement;
and
operating means of said actuating means extending through said opening means of said housing means for operating said actuating means about said pivot means to move said spring-biased button means along said movable member means from the one side of said embossment means to the other side thereof.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sealed electrical contact assembly and actuating mechanism therefor

Life of this patent

Sealed electrical contact assembly and actuating mechanism therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20