US 5,727,675 AGranted

Latching pushbutton switch assembly

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorsDenis J. Leveque, Michael R. Larsen

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Abstract

A push-push latching switch assembly having a switching member with a pushbutton which is received for sliding movement in a switch housing. The housing has spring tabs for snap locking insertion into a hole in a mounting panel. The switching member has lamps disposed in a receptacle portion beneath the button which has translucent lens portions for illumination by the lamps. The switching member has conductive strips formed by plating over two-shot integrally molded plastic strips, with the conductive strips interconnecting the lamps and wiper contacts attached to the switching member. A conductive wiper member with plural wiper fingers is also attached to the switching member. A base member formed of two-shot molded plastic has conductive switching contact strips formed by plating the second shot molded plastic and which are inserted in the housing, with the base releasably attached. User pressure on the button causes the switching member to move relative to the housing sliding the wipers on the strips for switching and continuously providing power to the lamps. The conductive plated strips extend externally to form connector pins. A cardiod cam and latch provide the push to latch, push to unlatch function.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A pushbutton switch assembly for mounting on a panel comprising:

(a) a housing formed of dielectric material having a hollow therethrough and integrally formed resilient portions adapted for mounting and retaining on a panel structure;
(b) a switching member formed of dielectric material having a first portion having thereon at least one light source and a second portion distal said first portion defining a receptacle therein, said switching member including a plurality of electrically conductive wipers thereon, said switching member retained in one end of said hollow for sliding movement;
(c) a base member releasably attached to said housing formed of dielectric material two-shot molded to form strips and having conductive material plated on the surface of said strips with said strips disposed on a first portion thereof, said first portion extending into said receptacle of said switching member, said strips each extending integrally to a second portion thereof distal said first portion, said strips each defining in said second portion a terminal adapted for external electrical connection thereto;
and,
(d) user actuator member attached to said first portion of said switching member including means defining a lens covering said at least one source of light, said actuator means adapted to be contacted by the user for effecting said sliding movement of said switching member with respect to said base, wherein said wipers are operative upon said sliding movement to contact said conductive strips and effect an electrical switching function.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.