Push button switch

Abstract

A push button switch, particularly a master switch, has housing-affixed contacts (4, 5) and a contact bridge (8) for bridging the contacts, with the bridge being moved by a spring plunger (10). A spring-switching mechanism (24, 25, 26) is operatively coupled between the spring plunger and a manually-movable sliding switch, or switch actuator, (22). The sliding switch (22) is engaged by a guiding, or sliding, locking linkage (27, 28) to be alternately moved between "on" and "off" positions upon being pushed in. In order to prevent manual inadvertent actuation from leading to increased wear and operational uncertainty, a pair of interacting rubbing surfaces (18, 19) is provided between the spring plunger (10) and a housing-affixed part (2) which provides an increased rubbing, or friction, between the spring plunger (10) and the housing-affixed part (2) shortly before an over-center snapping of the spring-switching mechanism (24, 25, 26) to thereby retard, or delay, a snapping movement of the spring plunger (10).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.