US 4,825,020 AGranted

Slide switch

AssigneeTower Manufacturing Corporation

InventorsChepur P. Rao, Juan J. Barrena

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Abstract

An electrical slide switch includes a housing, first, second and third spaced, substantially aligned fixed contacts in the housing, a movable contact in the housing and a slide member which is operative for moving the movable contact between a first position wherein it is in engagement with the first and second fixed contacts and a second position wherein it is in engagement with the second and third fixed contacts. The movable contact is made from a resilient sheet metal, and it includes an elongated contacting portion having a central bump thereon and a pair of resileient biasing portions which are operative for biasing the contacting portion toward the fixed contacts. The biasing portions include inwardly extending portion which extend integrally inwardly from the ends of the contacting portion to spaced bends and outwardly extending portions which extend outwardly from the bends. The bump on the contacting portion engages the second fixed contact to cause the contacting portion to pivot as it is moved between the first and second positions thereof to provide a positive "break-before-make" operation in the switch. The switch further includes detents which provide a crisp, positive snap-action in the operation of the slide member and alternatively position the slide member in the first or second positions thereof.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A slide switch comprising a housing, spaced, substantially aligned first, second and third first contacts in said housing, a movable contact member in said housing, and slide means for slidably moving said movable contact member between a first position wherein it is in engagement with said first and second fixed contacts but in spaced disengagement from said third fixed contact and a second position wherein it is in engagement with said second and third fixed contacts but in spaced disengagement from said first fixed contact, said movable contact member being integrally formed of a resilient conductive sheet metal and including an elongated contacting portion having opposite first and second ends, said contacting position being alternatively simultaneously engageable with either said first and second fixed contacts or said second and third fixed contacts, and first and second biasing portions extending from said first and second ends, respectively, said first and second biasing portions including first and second inwardly extending portions which are spaced from said contacting portion and extend inwardly in converging relation from said first and second ends, respectively, to spaced first and second bends, respectively, and outwardly extending portions which extend outwardly in diverging relation from said first and second bends and are spaced from said inwardly extending portions , said inwardly extending portions and said outwardly extending portions cooperating to alternatively resiliently bias said contacting portion toward said first and second fixed contacts or said second and third fixed contacts.

A slide switch comprising a housing, spaced, substantially aligned, first, second and third fixed contacts in said housing, a movable contact in said housing, slide means for slidably moving said movable contact between a first position wherein it is in engagement with said first and second fixed contacts but in spaced disengagement from said third fixed contact and a second position wherein it is in engagement with said second and third fixed contacts but in spaced disengagement from said first fixed contact, and first and second detent means for alternatively releasably retaining said slide means in first or second positions thereof, respectively, wherein said movable contact member is in the first or second positions thereof, respectively, said first and second detent means including first and second pairs of detent elements, respectively, one of the detent elements of each pair of detent elements being formed on said slide means, the other detent element of each pair of detent elements being formed on said housing, the detent elements on said housing being spaced apart by a greater distance than the detent elements on said slide means and being positioned so that one pair of detent elements is in a partially disengaged position when the other pair of detent elements is moved to a fully engaged position as said slide means is moved between the first and second positions thereof.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.