U.S. patent number 3,652,811 [Application Number 05/064,373] was granted by the patent office on 1972-03-28 for laminated locking slider multiple circuit pushbutton switch assembly with improved connectors for plug-in wires.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ark-Les Switch Corporation. Invention is credited to Charles Azel Barney.
United States Patent |
3,652,811 |
Barney |
March 28, 1972 |
LAMINATED LOCKING SLIDER MULTIPLE CIRCUIT PUSHBUTTON SWITCH
ASSEMBLY WITH IMPROVED CONNECTORS FOR PLUG-IN WIRES
Abstract
A pushbutton actuated multiple slide switch adapted for use with
push-in wire connectors, having a housing providing two series of
discrete openings and containing a plurality of fixed and
cooperating movable integral terminal elements adjacent the
openings, each element comprising a retaining portion providing a
resilient locking tongue and a cooperating contact portion opposed
to the tongue for retaining a conductor wire inserted through the
opening.
Inventors: |
Barney; Charles Azel (Stow,
MA) |
Assignee: |
Ark-Les Switch Corporation
(Watertown, MA)
|
Family
ID: |
22055496 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/064,373 |
Filed: |
August 17, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
200/5EB; 439/438;
200/284 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
4/4818 (20130101); H01H 13/74 (20130101); H01H
1/5844 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01H
13/70 (20060101); H01H 1/58 (20060101); H01H
1/00 (20060101); H01R 4/48 (20060101); H01H
13/74 (20060101); H01h 009/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;200/5R,5E,5EB,166CT |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Scott; J. R.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a multiple pushbutton slide switch comprising
a hollow insulating housing with wall means having two series of
discrete openings spaced from one another
a multiplicity of slides mounted within said housing
a plurality of pushbutton elements for operating said slides
a plurality of integral terminal elements mounted within said
housing adjacent said openings including fixed contact terminal
elements and cooperating movable contact terminal elements actuated
by said slides
the improvement of the said contact terminal elements
comprising
a retaining portion, said retaining portion being cut along a
generally U-shaped path, said path defining an integral resilient
locking tongue having its free end overlying a said opening for
engaging and retaining a conductor wire inserted through said
opening and
a contact portion extending inwardly away from said wall means.
2. A multiple pushbutton slide switch as claimed in claim 1
wherein
said retaining portion includes a plate parallel to said wall means
and retained in said housing.
3. A multiple pushbutton slide switch comprising
a hollow insulating housing with top and side walls each having a
series of discrete openings spaced from one another with interior
abutment means defining opposing slots at the sides of said side
wall openings and parallel to said side walls
a multiplicity of slides mounted within said housing and having a
plurality of top and bottom cam surfaces
a plurality of pushbutton elements extending through said openings
in said top wall for operating said slides by engagement with said
top cam surfaces of said slides
a plurality of integral sheet metal terminal elements mounted
within said housing adjacent said side wall openings including
fixed contact terminal elements and cooperating movable contact
terminal elements actuated by said slides
said terminal elements comprising
a retaining portion including a plate parallel to said side walls
with its opposed side edges retained in said opposing slots and
having a "U" shaped cutout providing a resilient locking tongue
with its free end overlying said opening for engaging and retaining
a conductor wire inserted through said opening and
a contact portion extending inwardly away from said side wall.
4. A multiple pushbutton slide switch as claimed in claim 3
wherein
the lower end of said retaining portion adjacent the bottom of said
side wall slot extends perpendicularly to said side wall providing
a wire contacting surface opposed to the free end of said tongue
cooperating therewith to clamp a conductor wire therebetween.
5. A multiple pushbutton slide switch as claimed in claim 4
wherein
said lower end of said retaining portion has its end spaced from
said side wall providing a conductor wire stop spaced from said
opening.
6. A multiple pushbutton slide switch as claimed in claim 3
wherein
said upper end of said retaining portion is bent back upon itself
and
said opposing slots are of a width at least as great as said bent
back end,
the sides of said plate being deformed to a thickness providing an
interference fit in said opposing slots.
7. A multiple pushbutton slide switch comprising
a hollow insulating housing with top and side walls each having a
series of discrete openings spaced from one another with interior
abutment means defining opposing slots at the sides of said side
wall openings and parallel to said side walls,
a multiplicity of slides mounted within said housing and having a
plurality of top and bottom cam surfaces,
a plurality of pushbutton elements extending through said openings
in said top wall for operating said slides by engagement with said
top cam surfaces of said slides,
a plurality of integral sheet metal terminal elements mounted
within said housing adjacent said side wall openings including
fixed contact terminal elements and cooperating movable contact
terminal elements actuated by said slides, said terminal elements
comprising
a contact portion extending inwardly away from said side wall,
and
a retaining portion including a plate parallel to said side walls
with its opposed side edges retained in said opposing slots,
said opposing slots being of a width at least as great as said bent
back end,
the sides of said plate being deformed to a thickness providing an
interference fit in said opposing slots,
said parallel plate having a "U" shaped cutout providing a
resilient locking tongue with its free end overlying said opening
for engaging and retaining a conductor wire inserted through said
opening, and
the lower end of said retaining portion adjacent the bottom of said
side wall slot extending perpendicularly to said side wall
providing a wire contacting surface opposed to the free end of said
tongue cooperating therewith to clamp a conductor wire
therebetween.
Description
This invention relates to electrical switches of the pushbutton
actuated multiple slide type and more particularly to the terminal
and connective elements thereof.
Pushbutton actuated multiple slide switches, generally of the type
shown in Andrews U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,904, have long been known and
used. Their use has been somewhat limited, however, by reason of
the exposed terminals of such switches in that they could not
economically be used in certain types of appliances, especially
small appliances for household kitchen use, such as food mixers, in
spite of their known advantages of pushbutton control for providing
a large number of operating speeds as is needed in such
appliances.
Accordingly, it is a major object of the present invention to
provide a novel pushbutton actuated multiple slide switch
especially adapted for the above mentioned uses.
This is accomplished, according to the present invention by
providing a hollow insulating housing with wall means having two
series of discrete openings spaced from one another, a multiplicity
of slides mounted within the housing, a plurality of pushbutton
elements for operating the slides, and a plurality of integral
terminal elements mounted within the housing adjacent said
openings. The terminal elements include fixed contact terminal
elements and cooperating movable contact terminal elements actuated
by the slides. Each terminal element comprises a resilient locking
tongue with its free end overlapping an opening for engaging and
retaining a conductor wire inserted through the opening, and a
contact portion extending inwardly away from said wall means. With
this arrangement, using an insulated conductor having a bared end,
all of the exposed terminal and connecting portions are uniquely
concealed and protected within the insulating switch housing.
For the purpose of more fully explaining further objects and
features of the invention, reference is now made to the following
detailed description thereof, together with the following drawings,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the multiple
pushbutton slide switch of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the operative elements of
the switch;
FIG. 3 is a section along line 3--3 of FIG. 1, showing one contact
of the switch in open condition;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, showing one contact of
the switch in the closed condition; and
FIG. 5 is a detailed plan view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG.
4.
Referring now to the drawings, the multiple pushbutton slide switch
of the invention includes a hollow insulating housing 10, divided
generally into a narrow upper portion 12 and a wider lower portion
14. Upper portion 12 provides a top 16 having a series of discrete
top openings 18, each adapted to accommodate a pushbutton plunger
20, carrying a slide actuator 44.
Slide wall 22 of lower portion 14 provides a series of side
openings 24, and side wall 26 provides a similar series of side
openings 28 located opposite openings 24, both series of openings
being adapted to accommodate push-in wire connectors. Referring now
particularly to FIG. 5, interior abutments 100 and 102 within
housing 10 cooperate with side wall 26 to define a pair of opposing
slots 104 and 106 extending parallel to side wall 26 on either side
of each opening 28. Similar pairs of opposing slots 107 and 109 are
provided adjacent openings 24. An insulating floor 30 is removably
secured to housing 10 by clips 32.
The interior of housing 10 further provides upper interior wall
means 110 (FIG. 3) cooperating with side wall 22 to form an upper
horizontal slot 112 above each opening 24; upper interior wall
means 14 similarly cooperates with side wall 26 to form an upper
horizontal slot 116 above each opening 28. Housing 10 additionally
provides contact stop surfaces 150.
Within housing 10, referring now to FIG. 2, are a multiplicity of
parallel vertically oriented slides 34, each slide 34 having a
plurality of top cam surfaces 35 and 36 and bottom cam surfaces 37
and 38. Bottom bearing surfaces 40 rest on bearing strip 42,
carried on floor 30.
Within lower portion 14 of housing 10 are a plurality of sheet
metal integral terminal elements, disposed in pairs, one member of
each pair being a fixed contact terminal element 50 and the other
member being a cooperating movable contact terminal element 52,
each terminal element being a single piece bent of sheet metal to
provide both a wire retaining portion and a contact portion. More
specifically, each movable terminal element 52 provides a generally
upright wire-retaining portion 64, generally parallel to wall 26; a
U-shaped cutout in portion 64 creates a resilient locking tongue 66
whose free end 68 overlies an opening 28. The side edges 65 of
retaining portion 64 are deformed to provide an interference fit
with opposing slots 104 and 106 of housing 10. The upper end of
retaining portion 64 is bent back on itself to form a ridge 67 for
engaging upper horizontal slot 116 of housing 10, and carries an
upwardly biassed resilient contact-carrying portion 70 extending
inwardly away from side wall 26 and beneath the multiplicity of
slides 34, carrying on its free end 71 a contact 72. The lower
portion 90 of terminal element 52 extends perpendicularly to side
wall 26, providing a wire contacting surface 92 opposed to free end
68 of locking tongue 56, and cooperating with end 68 to clamp
conductor 39 therebetween. Portion 90 terminates in a vertical stop
surface 94, spaced from side wall 26, and providing a wire stop for
wire 39.
Cooperating fixed terminal element 50 is of similar construction,
having a generally upright wire retaining portion 54, with a
resilient locking tongue 56 whose free end 58 overlies an opening
24. Side edges 55 of retaining portion 54 are deformed to provide
an interference fit in the pair of opposing slots adjacent opening
24, and the upper end of portion 54 is bent to form a positioning
ridge 57 for engaging upper horizontal slot 112, and carries a
contact-carrying portion 60 extending inwardly away from side wall
22, carrying on its free end 61 a contact 62. A lower portion 80 of
terminal element 50 extends perpendicularly to side wall 22,
providing wire contacting surface 82 opposed to free end 58 of
locking tongue 56, and cooperating with end 58 to clamp conductor
29 therebetween. Portion 80 terminates in a vertical stop surface
84, spaced from side wall 22, and providing a wire stop for wire
29. The novel provisions of the one piece, integral sheet metal
terminal elements of the invention uniquely provides both
inexpensive switch operating elements and simple assembly into
insulating housing 10.
For such assembly, slides 34 are first placed within housing 10.
Fixed terminal elements 50 are inserted with the positioning ridge
57 of each engaging an upper horizontal slot 112, and sides 55 are
then fitted into the opposing slots adjacent opening 24. Movable
terminal elements 52 are next inserted with the positioning ridge
67 of each engaging an upper horizontal slot 116, and sides 65 are
then fitted into opposing slots 104 and 106. Floor 30, with bearing
strip 42, is then secured to housing 10 by clips.32.
The assembled switch of the invention, free of external exposed
electrical elements, is used with a plurality of connecting
insulated wires having exposed bared ends 29 with insulation 31
therebeyond by inserting them into each side opening 24 until the
end reaches stop surface 84 of fixed terminal 50; wire 29 is then
clamped between locking tongue 56 and contact surface 82. A similar
wire connector 39 is inserted into each oppositely located side
opening 28, until it reaches stop surface 94 of movable terminal
52; wire 29 is then clamped between locking tongue 66 and contact
surface 92. With this arrangement, the bared wire ends are
concealed within the insulating housing, with only their insulated
portions 31 extending therebeyond.
For switch operation, referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the contact
between the particular fixed terminal 50 and movable terminal 52
here shown as an example is normally open; while pushbutton plunger
20 is not depressed relative to housing 10, lower cam surface 38 of
slide 34 engages portion 70 of movable terminal 52, thereby
maintaining contact 72 in a position spaced from contact 62 of
fixed terminal 50. When pushbutton plunger 20 is depressed, slide
actuator 44 follows upper cam surface 35 to engage upper cam
surface 36. This motion of plunger 20 and actuator 44 causes slide
34 to move in the direction indicated by arrow 200, which permits
portion 70 to move upwardly, carrying contact 72 upwardly to engage
contact 62. Free end 61 of fixed terminal 50 rests against contact
stop surface 150 of housing 10, thereby insuring a firm contact
between portions 72 and 62.
When pushbutton plunger 20 is released, actuator 44 is carried
upward and engages upper cam surface 35, allowing slide 34 to
return to its original position, and thereby forcing portion 70 of
movable terminal 52 to move downwardly, breaking the contact with
terminal 50.
* * * * *