Press button type safety switch

• US 6,674,033 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ming-Shan Wang
• Original Assignee: Ming-Shan Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Ming-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): FRIEDHOFER, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US10/224,644
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 200/520-525, 200/529-535, 200/334, 337/36, 337/56, 337/62, 337/66, 337/85, 337/113
• US Class Current: 200/334
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/562 making use of a heart shaped cam
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 73/30 reset by push-button, pull-knob or slide

Abstract

A press button type safety switch is constructed to include a switching mechanism for switching the circuit between on/off positions, a spring-supported press button, a push member pivoted to the spring-supported press button and controlled by the spring-supported press button to slide along two symmetrical sliding tracks and to switch the switching mechanism between on/off positions, and a retaining structure provided between the switching mechanism and the push member and adapted to hold the press button in “on” position when the switch switched on and to release the press button when the switching mechanism tripped off upon an overcurrent.

Claims

1. A press button type safety switch comprising:

a housing, said housing having a top opening;

spring means mounted inside said housing;

at least two terminals mounted in said housing for connecting to a power source;

a switching mechanism;

a press button mounted in the top opening of said housing and supported on said spring means for pressing by hand; and

an actuating structure controlled by said press button to switch said switching mechanism between on and off positions;

wherein;

said actuating structure including two sliding tracks respectively formed of a plurality of sliding rails and arranged in parallel, and a push member pivoted to said press button at a bottom side and forming with said press button a linkage, said push member comprising two bottom push portions respectively supported on said switching mechanism for synchronous movement with said push member to move said switching mechanism between said on and off positions, two guide rods extended from two opposite lateral sides thereof and respectively slidably coupled to said sliding tracks for guiding movement of said push member to switch said switching mechanism between said on and off positions, and a stop device provided on an inside above said bottom push portions;

said switching mechanism including a plank disposed in contact with said bottom push portions of said push member for switching said at least two terminals between said on and off positions, an overcurrent protective conducting plate for automatically tripping off the circuit of said terminals upon an overcurrent, and a stop device upwardly extended from said plank for hooking up with the stop device of said push member when said switching mechanism is switched on, said plank being linked to said overcurrent protective conducting plate and forcible by said overcurrent protective conducting plate to change a tilting angle and to disengage said stop device from the stop device of said push member for enabling said press button to be pushed upwards by said spring means when said overcurrent protective conducting plate is tripped off upon an overcurrent.

2. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sliding tracks are bilaterally provided inside said housing.

3. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing has a side cover covered on one lateral open side thereof, and sliding tracks are respectively formed in said side cover of said housing and one lateral sidewall of said housing opposite to said side cover.

4. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sliding tracks of said actuating structure each are formed of a first sliding rail, said first sliding rail having a first end and a second end, a second sliding rail, said second sliding rail having a first end and a second end, the first end of said second sliding rail being connected to the second end of said first sliding rail and forming with the second end of said first sliding rail a first turning point, a third sliding rail, said third sliding rail having a first end connected to the second end of said second sliding rail and forming with the second end of said second sliding rail a bottom positioning point and a second end connected to the first end of said first sliding rail and forming with the first end of said first sliding rail a top positioning point, a fourth sliding rail, said fourth sliding rail having a first end connected to said bottom positioning point and a second end, a fifth sliding rail, said fifth sliding rail having a first end connected to the second end of said fourth sliding rail and forming with the second end of said fourth sliding rail a second turning point and a second end connected to said top positioning point, said first sliding rail, said second sliding rail and said third sliding rail forming a first sliding loop, said third sliding rail, said fourth sliding rail and said fifth sliding rail forming a second sliding loop.

5. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 4, wherein there is an elevational difference in the connecting area between said first sliding rail and said second sliding rail, an elevational difference between said second sliding rail and said third sliding rail, an elevational difference between said third sliding rail and said first sliding rail, an elevational difference between said fourth sliding rail and said fifth sliding rail, and an elevational difference between said fifth sliding rail and said first sliding rail, the elevational difference between said fifth sliding rail and said first sliding rail being equal to the elevational difference between said first sliding rail and said third sliding rail.

6. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 5, wherein the stop device of said switching mechanism is a T-shaped member fixedly provided at a top side of the plank of said switching mechanism corresponding to the stop device of said push member.

7. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 5, wherein said overcurrent protective conducting plate has a fixed end fixedly connected to one of said terminals and a free end linked to one end of said plank of said switching mechanism and for contacting a second terminal of said terminals.

8. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said push member comprises two pivot rods horizontally extended from two opposite vertical sidewalls thereof;

said press button comprises two pivot holes respectively disposed in two opposite vertical lateral sidewalls thereof and respectively coupled to the pivot rods of said push member.

9. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switching mechanism comprises a plank controlled by said push member to selectively switch on and off the circuit of said terminals, said plank having two pivot rods disposed at two opposite lateral sides and respectively pivoted to a respective pivot hole in said housing.

10. The press button type safety switch as claimed in claim 9, wherein the free end of said overcurrent protective conducting plate is linked to said plank of said switching mechanism by a link.