Miniature sealed dual-in-line switch
First Claim
1. An electrical switch comprising:
- a base at least partially formed of dielectric material, said base being formed with a plurality of spaced, insulated, raised surfaces defining at least one cavity between adjacent ones of said raised surfaces, said raised surfaces having shoulders formed thereon;
a plurality of spaced electrical terminals mounted to said base, each of said terminals having a land within said cavity and an end projecting outwardly from one side of said base;
an electrically insulative deformable membrane disposed in sealing engagement with said peripheral shoulders, said membrane being continuous and extending between said peripheral shoulders to form an environmental seal around said terminal lands, said membrane being disposed on said raised surfaces in a spaced confronting relationship with said terminal lands and forming a chamber surrounding said terminal lands within said cavity;
a unitary, elongated electrically conductive contact disposed closely adjacent said membrane within said chamber, said contact being normally in unsecured electrical connection with said land of one of said terminals in a first operative position;
means for normally maintaining said contact in confronting, spaced relationship with respect to said land of others of said terminals;
upper housing means disposed in spaced, confronting relationship with said membrane; and
actuator means pivotally disposed outside of said chamber between said membrane and said upper housing means, said actuator means being operable upon the application of eccentric force in one direction to depress said membrane towards said land of one other of said plurality of terminals to urge an end of said contact into electrical connection with said land of said other of said plurality terminals to produce a bridging electrical connection between said one terminal and said other terminal in a second operative position;
said actuator means being operable upon the application of an eccentric force in another direction to release said depressed portion of said membrane to permit said contact end to return to its normal first operative position.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A miniature switch assembly of dual-in-line configuration having a plurality of switching chambers, each of the switching chambers having at least a pair of terminal lands disposed therein. Each switching chamber is sealed by means of an electrically-insulative, elastic membrane and has an electrically-conductive contact within each chamber disposed closely adjacent the membrane. The contact is permitted to float within its respective chamber and is adapted to interconnect one of the pair of contact lands with the other of the pair of contact lands by means of an actuator which flexes the membrane from outside of the chamber without extending through the membrane. An actuator of a rocker-type is retained in either an OFF or an ON position by means of a bezel which engages a detent on the upper surface of the actuator. The membrane and contact together bias the actuator in a desired operative position. This structure may be applied to one'"'"'s switch element, as well as many such elements in either a tandem or a unitary dual-in-line configuration.
33 Citations
38 Claims
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1. An electrical switch comprising:
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a base at least partially formed of dielectric material, said base being formed with a plurality of spaced, insulated, raised surfaces defining at least one cavity between adjacent ones of said raised surfaces, said raised surfaces having shoulders formed thereon; a plurality of spaced electrical terminals mounted to said base, each of said terminals having a land within said cavity and an end projecting outwardly from one side of said base; an electrically insulative deformable membrane disposed in sealing engagement with said peripheral shoulders, said membrane being continuous and extending between said peripheral shoulders to form an environmental seal around said terminal lands, said membrane being disposed on said raised surfaces in a spaced confronting relationship with said terminal lands and forming a chamber surrounding said terminal lands within said cavity; a unitary, elongated electrically conductive contact disposed closely adjacent said membrane within said chamber, said contact being normally in unsecured electrical connection with said land of one of said terminals in a first operative position; means for normally maintaining said contact in confronting, spaced relationship with respect to said land of others of said terminals; upper housing means disposed in spaced, confronting relationship with said membrane; and actuator means pivotally disposed outside of said chamber between said membrane and said upper housing means, said actuator means being operable upon the application of eccentric force in one direction to depress said membrane towards said land of one other of said plurality of terminals to urge an end of said contact into electrical connection with said land of said other of said plurality terminals to produce a bridging electrical connection between said one terminal and said other terminal in a second operative position;
said actuator means being operable upon the application of an eccentric force in another direction to release said depressed portion of said membrane to permit said contact end to return to its normal first operative position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A miniature dual-in-line switch assembly comprising:
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a base at least partially formed of dielectric material and having a longitudinal length and a transverse width, said length being greater than said width; a plurality of pairs of electrical terminals spaced from one another a longitudinal distance, each of said pairs of electrical terminals being mounted in and projecting outwardly from said base, and each of said pairs of electrical terminals having a first terminal and a second terminal; a plurality of first terminal lands, each of said first terminal lands being associated with a corresponding one of said first terminals, each of said first terminal lands having a ridge formed thereon and disposed intermediate said transverse width; a plurality of second terminal lands, each of said second terminal lands being associated with a corresponding one of said second terminals, each of said second terminal lands being spaced from a corresponding one of said first terminal lands a transverse distance and forming a pair therewith; a plurality of insulating raised surfaces, said raised surfaces being disposed longitudinally and extending transversely between an adjacent pair of said first and said second terminal lands and forming a cavity around each of said pair of first and second terminal lands; shoulders formed on the periphery of said base; an electrically insulative deformable membrane sealingly secured to said peripheral shoulders, said membrane being spaced from and in a confronting relationship with each of said pairs of said first and said second terminal lands and providing a chamber enclosing each of said pairs of said first and second terminal lands and an environmental seal around said plurality of pairs of terminals; a plurality of electrically conductive contacts, each of said contacts being disposed in a floating condition closely adjacent said insulative membrane within a one of said chambers and being pinned against said membrane by said ridge in fixed electrical contact therewith within said one of said chambers and being spaced from said second terminal land within said one of said chambers, each of said contacts being provided with a bias directed upwardly against said membrane; a bezel securely affixed to said base in a confronting spaced relationship with said membrane, said bezel having a detent disposed generally intermediate said transverse width above each of said chambers on a surface of said bezel facing said membrane; a plurality of actuators, one actuator being associated with each of said chambers, each of said actuators having a first and second projection formed thereon and being captured between said facing surface of said bezel and said membrane, each of said actuators being pivotable in one direction to permit a first projection to engage and depress said membrane at a point opposite said second terminal land to urge said contact into a second operative position wherein said contact is in bridging electrical connection with said second contact portion and each of said actuators being pivotable in another direction to permit disengagement of said membrane by said first projection and to allow said contact to return to a first operative position wherein said contact is not in connection with said second contact portion; a projection formed on each of said actuators and being adapted to engage said detent to retain a corresponding actuator in a desired operative position; projecting fingers formed on said base; and slotted legs extending toward said base from said bezel facing surface and adapted to engage said projecting fingers to secure said bezel to said base; said membrane and said plurality of contacts together being operable to urge each associated actuator upwardly against said bezel facing surface to urge said projection into secure engagement with mating surfaces of said detent, and to urge said slotted legs tightly against said projecting fingers.
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30. An electrical switch comprising:
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a base at least partially formed of dielectric material, said base being formed with a plurality of spaced, insulated, raised surfaces defining at least one cavity between adjacent ones of said raised surfaces, said raised surfaces having shoulders formed thereon; a plurality of spaced electrical terminals mounted to said base, each of said terminals having a land within said cavity and an end projecting outwardly from one side of said base; an electrically insulative deformable membrane disposed in sealing engagement with said peripheral shoulders to form an environmental seal around said terminal lands, said membrane being disposed on said raised surfaces in a spaced, confronting relationship with said terminal lands to form a chamber surrounding said terminal lands within said cavity; an elongated, electrically conductive contact disposed closely adjacent said membrane within said chamber, said contact being normally in electrical connection with said land of one of said terminals in a first operative position; means for normally maintaining said contact in confronting, spaced relationship with respect to said land of others of said terminals; a bezel secured to said base and having a surface disposed in a spaced, confronting relationship with said membrane; actuator means captured between said bezel surface and said membrane outside of said chamber, said actuator means being pivotable upon the application of eccentric force in one direction to depress said membrane toward said land of one other of said terminals to urge an end of said contact into electrical connection with said land of said other terminal to produce a bridging electrical connection between said one terminal and said other terminal in a second operative position, said actuator means being pivotable upon the application of an eccentric force in another direction to release said depressed portion of said membrane and to permit said contact end to return to its normal first operative position; a detent formed on said actuator means; and a projection formed on said bezel, said detent and said bezel projection acting cooperatively to retain said actuator means in a desired one of said first and said second operative positions. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification