Selectively illuminated pushbutton switch

• US 3,927,290 A
• Filed: 11/14/1974
• Issued: 12/16/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Teletype Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ronald S. Denley
• Inventors: Denley, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/523,776
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 240/2S 200/16B,159R,159A,252,257,275,314,340
• US Class Current: 200/314
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/023 Light-emitting indicators for multi-layer switches H01H13/83

Abstract

A selectively illuminated pushbutton switch incorporates a light source of extremely small size and low cost, and which is selfcontained with durable, parallel extending elongated leads. Such leads not only facilitate the in-line mounting of the light source within the pushbutton, relative to the switch mechanism (which conserves space), but allow reliable, force-fit electrical connections to be made between the lead ends and specially constructed movable conductors of the switch mechanism. Advantageously, such electrical connections may be made after the movable conductors have been mounted in accommodating recesses of a spring-biased slider, and the latter inserted within a closefitting passageway of a stationary housing. This greatly simplifies the assembly of the composite pushbutton switch, and significantly minimizes the construction costs thereof. An illuminating portion of the light source may be either partially exposed through an aperture formed in the upper wall of the pushbutton, or be mounted beneath an enclosing upper wall when the latter is made of a light transmitting (diaphanous) material.

Claims

1. An electrical pushbutton switch of the type including a stationary housing with a longitudinal passageway formed therein, a plurality of spaced stationary contacts extending across and disposed in at least one array along said passageway, and a reciprocally movable assembly, including a slider adapted for movement within the housing passageway, a pushbutton mounted at the upper end of said slider, and conductor means carried by the slider within said passageway and positioned to engage selective ones of the spaced contacts in response to said slider being moved within the passageway, characterized in that said combination further includes;

at least one channel formed in and extending longitudinally externally along the length of said slider;

a receiving cavity formed in said pushbutton, and a light source at least partially mounted within the cavity of said pushbutton, and having at least one elongated lead attached thereto, said lead being dimensioned so as to extending longitudinally within said slider channel, with the free end thereof being conductively coupled to at least an associated portion of said conductor means carried by said slider, and through said conductor means to selective ones of said array of stationary contacts, while another lead attached to said light source is simultaneously conductively coupled to at least one other stationary contact so as to complete circuit continuity to said light source through different selective ones of said array of contacts and said other contact.

2. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 1, wherein said spaced stationary contacts are formed into two spaced, and parallel extending arrays, wherein said conductor means comprise two elongated conductors, each being in aligment with a different one of said spaced arrays of contacts, and wherein said slider includes a separate channel for each of two elongated leads of said light source, the length of each lead being dimensioned so that the free end thereof makes continuous, conductive contact with an associated one of said movable conductors.

3. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 2, wherein said light source is mounted beneath the upper surface of said pushbutton in the cavity thereof, with at least said upper surface being formed of a diaphanous material so as to allow visual observation of said light source when energized.

4. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 2, wherein said light source comprises a light emitting diode.

5. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 4, wherein the upper surface of said pushbutton has an aperture formed therein which communicates with said cavity, the latter accommodating at least a portion of said light emitting diode therewithin such that the upper illuminating surface of said diode is exposed for direct viewing while simultaneously comprising a portion of the upper surface of said pushbutton.

6. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 5, wherein said slider is formed with mutually disposed recessed areas in opposite side walls along a region thereof confined within said housing passageway, and recesses respectively supporting a different one of said movable conductors therewithin, and wherein said pushbutton, light emitting diode and slider are spring-biased as a unit in a direction relative to said stationary housing such that said slider is normally positioned in a retracted position relative to said housing passageway.

7. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 2, wherein said conductor means further includes two elongated metallic members respectively positioned adjacent different ones of said conductors, with both said conductors and metallic members being carried by said slider within said housing passageway, and wherein the terminating end of each light source lead is continuously conductively coupled to the upper end of an associated one of said metallic members, with each of the latter having an intermediate region that protrudes outwardly so as to make substantially point contact with, and allow said adjacent conductor to pivot slightly about said protruding region within said passageway while said conductor is wiped across selective stationary contacts of said associated array thereof in response to movement of said slider.

8. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 7, wherein the upper surface of said pushbutton has a central aperture formed therein which communicates with said cavity, the latter accommodating said light source therewithin such that the upper illuminating bulb surface of said light source is exposed for direct viewing while simultaneously comprising a portion of the upper surface of said pushbutton.

9. An elecrtical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 7, wherein said light source is mounted beneath the upper surface of said pushbutton in the cavity thereof, with at least said upper surface being formed of a diaphanous material so as to allow visual observation of said light source when energized through selected ones of said stationary contacts, wherein said pushbutton, diode and slider are spring-biased as a unit in a direction relative to said stationary housing such that said slider is normally positioned in at least a partially retracted position relative to said housing passageway, and wherein each of said conductors has a substantially elliptically shaped, open gap configuration, and is positioned, together with the associated one of said metallic members, each of the latter having an essentially inverted L-shaped configuration, within an associated one of two side wall recesses formed in said slider such that a shorter leg of said conductor is continuously resiliently biased against the protruding region in the longer leg of said adjacent metallic member, while the longer leg of said conductor is disposed so as to resiliently wipe across selective stationary contacts of said associated array thereof in response to movement of said slider.

10. An electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 8, wherein said light source comprises a light emitting diode, wherein said pushbutton, diode and slider are spring-biased as a unit in a direction relative to said stationary housing such that said slider is normally positioned in at least a partially retracted position relative to said housing passageway, and wherein each of said conductors has a substantially elliptically shaped, open gap configuration, and is positioned, together with the associated one of said metallic members, each of the latter having an essentially inverted L-shaped configuration, within an associated one of two side wall recesses formed in said slider such that a shorter leg of said conductor is continuously resiliently biased against the protruding region in the longer led of said adjacent metallic member, while the longer leg of said conductor is disposed so as to resiliently wipe across selective stationary contacts of said associated array thereof in response to movement of said slider.

11. A selectively actuated and illuminated electrical pushbutton switch comprising:

an insulated stationary housing having a longitudinally disposed passageway formed therein;

a plurality of spaced stationary contacts extending across said passageway and arranged longitudinally therealong into two spaced, parallel extending arrays, said contacts being secured to opposite side walls of said housing, and extending a short distance outwardly from at least one wall thereof;

a reciprocally movable assembly including an elongated slider having two recessed areas respectively formed in oppositE side walls thereof, each of said recesses supporting and positioning therewithin a different one of two conductor means such that at least a portion of each of the latter selectively wipe across said respectively associated arrays of stationary contacts in response to said slider being moved within said housing passageway, said slider further having two externally opening longitudinally extending channels formed therein, with each channel extending into a different one of said recesses;

a pushbutton mounted on the upper, exposed end of said slider, and formed with a central cavity therein, and a light source at least partially mounted within the cavity of said pushbutton, and having two elongated leads, said leads respectively extending through said slider channels and terminating at their lower ends in conductively coupled relationship with different ones of said conductor means.

12. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 11, wherein each of said conductor means comprises an essentially U-shaped conductor, wherein each of said elongated leads is connected to an upper horizontal extension of one leg of the associated conductor, and wherein said light source comprise a light emitting diode.

13. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 12, wherein said reciprocally movable assembly is spring-biased in a direction relative to said stationary housing so as to normally position said slider in a retracted position relative to said housing passageway, and wherein the upper surface of said pushbutton has a central aperture formed therein which communicates with said cavity, and is dimensioned so as to accommodate and expose at least a portion of the upper illuminating surface of said light emitting diode therewithin for direct viewing.

14. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 12, wherein said reciprocally movable assembly is spring-biased in a direction relative to said stationary housing so as to normally position said slider in a retracted position relative to said housing passageway, and wherein said light emitting diode is mounted beneath the upper surface of said pushbutton in the cavity thereon, with at least said upper surface being formed of a diaphanous material which allows visual observation of said light source when energized through selected ones of said stationary contacts.

15. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 11 wherein said light source comprises a light emitting diode, and wherein each of said conductor means comprises an elongated conductor of substantially elliptically shaped, open gap configuration and a juxtaposed elongated metallic member of substantially inverted L-shaped configuration, with both a different one of said conductors and metallic members being positioned within each of said slider recesses, each conductor being interposed between said associated metallic member and said stationary contacts of the associated array thereof such that a longer leg of said conductor is positioned to resiliently wipe across said contacts in response to movement of said slider, while said shorter leg of said conductor is positioned to continuously resiliently bias against an outwardly protruding intermediate region of a longer leg of said adjacent metallic member, the upper end of the shorter leg of said metallic member having a slot formed therein to at least frictionally receive the terminating end of said associated light emitting diode lead.

16. A selectively actuated and illuminated electrical pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 15, wherein said reciprocally movable assembly is spring-biased in a direction relative to said stationary housing so as to normally position said slider in a retracted position relative to said housing passageway, and wherein said light emitting diode is mounted beneath the upper surface of said pushbutton in the cavity thereof, with At least said upper surface being formed of a diaphanous material which allows visual observation of said light source when energized through selected ones of said stationary contacts.

17. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 15, wherein said reciprocally movable assembly is spring-biased in a direction relative to said stationary housing so as to normally position said slider in a retracted position relative to said housing passageway, and wherein the upper surface of said pushbutton has a central aperture formed therein which communicates with said cavity, and accommodates and exposes at least a portion of the upper illuminating surface of said light emitting diode therewithin for direct viewing.

18. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 15, wherein a coil spring is coaxially mounted on the upper end region of said slider and interposed between the upper end of said stationary housing and the lower end of said pushbutton so as to position said slider in a normally retracted position relative to said housing passageway, wherein one of said channels in said slider is dimensioned so as to expose a portion of the one of said leads mounted therein to said spring and to effect multiple point contact therebetween along the variable axial length of said spring, and said pushbutton switch further including metallic means supported on the upper end of said stationary housing so as to be in contact with the base of said spring, said matallic means being formed with at least one integral, outwardly extending portion defining an auxiliary stationary contact which provides continuity to the lead of said light source in contact with said spring.

19. A selectively actuated and illuminated pushbutton switch in accordance with claim 18, wherein said metallic means comprises a thin, planar member which is apertured so as to allow said slider to move reciprocally therethrough, and wherein said pushbutton switch further includes insulator means for isolating said metallic planar member from any auxiliary mounting structure when employed to support said switch in associated apparatus.