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US 4,737,608 AGranted
Convertible rotary switch
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorJohn C. Jones
Life of this patent
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AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorJohn C. Jones
Estimating the term…
A rotary switch convertible from being operable over a smaller range of angular motion, e.g. as a two-position switch, into being operable, in either of two configurations, over larger ranges of angular motion, e.g. as a three-position switch. A rotor and a stator are assembled for relative rotation. Four lugs divide a face of the stator into four quadrants. Two pairs of lugs, each comprising a removable lug and a permanent lug, are provided on a face of the rotor. The faces are juxtaposed such that relative rotation of the rotor and the stator is limited by interference between certain of the lugs on the rotor and certain of the lugs on the stator. Before removal of either removable lug, the rotor and the stator may be assembled for a smaller range of angular motion. After removal of both removable lugs, the rotor and the stator may be assembled in either of two configurations for larger ranges of angular motion.
A rotary switch, which is convertible from being operable over a small range of angular motion into being operable in either of two configurations over large ranges of angular motion, comprising a rotor and a stator assembled in a selected one of said configurations for relative rotation about an axis, one of the rotor and the stator being provided with four lugs arrayed circumferentially about the axis in regularly spaced relation to each other so as to form quadrants with each quadrant being bounded by two of said lugs, the other of the rotor and the stator being formed with two pairs of lugs, each pair consisting of a permanent lug and a removable lug, the permanent lugs being in diametric opposition to each other and the removable lugs being in diametric opposition to each other, the lugs of each pair being closer in angular relation to each other than to the lugs of the other pair, the rotor and the stator being assembled so that relative rotation of the rotor and the stator is limited by interference between certain of the lugs bounding the quadrants and certain of the lugs of said pairs, relative rotation of the rotor and the stator being permitted over a smaller range of angular motion when the removable lugs have not been removed but over larger ranges of angular motion when the removable lugs have been removed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.