Lighted pushbutton switch assembly
AssigneeJudco Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorMichael D. Tittle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighted pushbutton switch assembly has a printed circuit board in the bottom of a housing, with an LED mounted on the board. A switch operating plunger at the top rotates a ratchet and electrical contact member whenever the plunger is depressed. The contact member engages conductive paths on the top of the PC board and moves from path to path as it is rotated to change the state of the switch. A transparent light pipe over the LED transmits light through the plunger. The light pipe fits through the ratchet and is rotated by the ratchet to rotate the electrical contact member.
Claims18
A lighted switch assembly having a light emitting device on a PC board snapped into a housing of the switch assembly and illuminating a light pipe that casts a light through a plunger of the switch assembly, wherein the light through the plunger is capable of illuminating a pushbutton, the switch assembly including electrically conductive paths on the PC board, a rotatable electrically conductive member to engage the conductive paths, and means between the plunger and the conductive member for rotating the electrically conductive member in response to depression of the plunger, wherein the light pipe connects the means for rotating and the electrically conductive member.
A lighted switch assembly, comprising:
- a switch body;
- a printed circuit board in a bottom portion of the switch body;
- a light emitting device on the printed circuit board;
- electrically conductive paths on the printed circuit board;
- an electrical contact member that engages the electrically conductive paths;
- a pushbutton switch operating mechanism connected to the electrical contact member, the pushbutton switch operating mechanism including a plunger for transmitting light through the switch operating mechanism;
- a transparent light pipe between the light emitting device and the plunger shaped to collect light from the light emitting device and to radiate the collected light to the plunger, wherein the plunger engages means for rotating the electrical contact member and the light through the plunger is capable of illuminating a pushbutton;
- and
- a rotatable ratchet directly engaging the plunger, wherein the light pipe engages the ratchet for rotation.
A lighted switch assembly, comprising:
- a switch body;
- a light emitting device in a bottom portion of the body on a printed circuit board snapped into the body of the switch assembly and illuminating a light pipe that casts a light through a plunger of the switch assembly, wherein the light through the plunger is capable of illuminating a pushbutton;
- a pushbutton switch operating mechanism, the pushbutton switch operating mechanism including said plunger for transmitting light through the switch operating mechanism;
- and
- the light pipe transmitting light between the light emitting device and the plunger, wherein the light pipe, the plunger and the light emitting device are essentially concentric;
- the switch assembly including electrically conductive paths on the printed circuit board, a rotatable electrically conductive member to engage the conductive paths, and means between the plunger and the conductive member for rotating the electrically conductive member in response to depression of the plunger, wherein the light pipe connects the means for rotating and the electrically conductive member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.