Water-and-dust-proof push-button switch housing dummy terminal for air venting

• US 4,913,285 A
• Filed: 12/05/1988
• Issued: 04/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hattori, Yoichi, Tsutsumi, Jyoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee S.
• Application Number:
  US07/281,950
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 200/306, 200/302.1, 200/406, 361/383, 361/381, 439/148, 439/149, 439/150, 29/622
• US Class Current: 200/306
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/5805 Connections to printed circuits for slide switches H01H15/005; for tumbler switches H01H23/006
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/06 Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof or flameproof casings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09781 Dummy conductors, i.e. not used for normal transport of current; Dummy electrodes of components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10053 Switch
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1178 Means for venting or for letting gases escape
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/304 Protecting a component during manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/34 by soldering
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3421 Leaded components

Abstract

A push-button switch of a water- and dust-proof structure wherein a good operating force charateristic is always assured. The push-button switch has a dummy terminal which is not to be directly soldered to a wiring pattern and is provided at a location of the push-button switch to which flux which appears when a terminal is being soldered to the wiring pattern does not come around. When the switch is soldered to a printed circuit board for the wiring pattern, flux may not possibly enter a gap between a case of the switch and the dummy terminal. After mounting of the switch on the printed circuit board, communication of air between inside and outside the case is assured by the gaps so that the inside of the case is maintained at an equal pressure with external air.

Claims

1. In a push button switch having a water- and dust-proof construction comprising an insulating case with an open top and closed bottom and sidewalls, a flexible sealing member for sealing the open top of the insulating case, a movable stem having an inner side and having an outer side in constraining contact with the inner surface of said flexible sealing member, a first electrical contact fixed on said bottom wall of said insulating case, a pair of electrical terminals having ends extending through a side or bottom wall of said insulating case to be soldered to an external printed circuit board, a movable second electrical contact disposed on said pair of electrical terminals and in constraining contact with the inner side of said stem and movable upon application of an external depressing force thereto from outside said insulating case to close an electrical circuit when said movable electrical contact contacts said first electrical contact;

the improvement comprising;

a dummy terminal extending through one side wall and forming a fine air gap through one said wall leading from the outside into the inside of said insulating case, said dummy terminal being positioned in said one side wall and spaced from said electrical terminals so that solder applied to said pair of electrical terminals does not reach said dummy terminal, whereby said fine air gap allows communication of air into the insulating case to equalize the air pressure between the inside and the outside of the insulating case while dust and water may not enter the case.

2. A push-button switch in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electrical terminals have their external ends disposed through one side wall near the bottom wall of said insulating case, and said dummy terminal is located at an upper portion of the same one side wall spaced apart from said electrical terminal ends.

3. A push-button switch in accordance with claim 2, wherein said electrical terminal ends are spaced laterally apart toward opposite lateral ends of said one side wall, said dummy terminal is located at the upper portion of said one side wall at a central position between said electrical terminals ends, and a recess is formed along a bottom edge between said one side wall and the bottom wall at the central position of said one side wall for preventing solder applied to said electrical terminal ends from flowing to said dummy terminal.

4. A push-button switch in accordance with claim 1, wherein said dummy terminal is located in one side wall spaced apart from the bottom wall, and a recess is formed along a bottom edge between said one side wall and the bottom wall below the position of said dummy terminal for preventing solder applied to said electrical terminal ends from flowing to said dummy terminal.

5. A push-button switch in accordance with claim 1, wherein said dummy terminal is located in one side wall of said insulating case different from a side wall in which the electrical terminals to be soldered are located.