US1829514A - Snap switch - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 27, 1931. J. J. GRossMAN ET AL SNAP SWITCH Filed Sept. 23, 1926 switch in permanent as shown in Fig. 2.

Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE J' AOOB J'. GrltOSSMANv AND JOSEPH J'. STEINHLARTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO CABLE RADIO TUBE CORPORATION, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SNAP SWITCH Application led September 23, 1926. Serial No. 137,197.

This invention relates to switches for controlling the passage of electric current, particularly to snap switches, and has for its general object toimprove the construction of suchswitches and to render them more reliable in operation while at the same time reducing the cost of production.

In switches of the sliding contact type the contact members must be-made from thin spring brass to obtain eicient contact,and the contacts are ordinarily subdivided into small sections which are burned out easily by the slightest arc produced in switching. The capacity of such switches is therefore limited to low currents.

On the other hand, while the ordinary snap switch overcomes these defects of the sliding Contact switch, it is usually of very complicated structure and is costly to manufacture and assemble.

The present invention provides a snap switch of simple and sturdy construction with few moving parts that can be placed on the market at very low cost.

While we have disclosed a preferred ernbodiment of the invention for purposes of illustration it should be understood that various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings: n

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the lower half of a switch embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the contact elements;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the other contact element.

Referring to the drawings more particularly, the switch body is composed of a lower half 10 and a cover lid 11, both of these parts being formed from any suitable insulating material. Screws 12 hold the lid in place and may extend beyond the body to secure the position upon a support Apertures 13 and-14 are formed in the opposite ends of the switch body to admit the wires 15 and 16 which carry the current to be controlled by the switch. The wire 15 extends uninterruptedly through the switch body, while the wire 16 is broken and its ends are attached to the contact members of the switch mechanism, about to be described. A longitudinal partition 17 projects u wardly from the bottom of the lower bo y member 10 and serves to keep the wire 16 away from the moving switch parts.

One end of the wire 16 is bound against the terminal contact plate 18 by the bolt 19. The plate 18 is mounted alongside the partition 17 and has an arm20 extending parallel to the partition and having its extremity7 bent at right angles to form the contact surface 21.

A semi-circular extension 22 is formed on the side of the switch body, and a stud 423 is permanently mounted in the extension by having its knurled head 24 molded into the bottom of the body member 10.

The second terminal contact plate 25 is shaped as shown in Fig. 4 so that when it is mounted in the extension 22 o posite the plate 18, the aperture 26 formed) in curved arm 27 will tit over the stud 23 and the lip 28 will extend upwardly in a plane near that of arm 20. The switch arm 29 has one end pivoted over the stud 23 in contact with arm 27 of plate 25, and its opposite end is formed with an upstanding contact face 30 adaptedH to fit squarely against the face 21 of plate 18 when the switch is closed as in Fig. 1.

An operating arm 31 is pivoted onto the stud 23 above the switch arm 29 and projects through a slot in the extension 22, on the exterior of which it is provided with a handle 32. A washer 33 is placed over the stud 23 after which the upper end of the stud is riveted over to hold the moving parts in close electrical contact.

The independently pivoted members 29 and 31 form a toggle arm, and a tension spring 34 is secured to opposite ends of the members 29 and 31 to cause a snap action of the toggle arm. When the switch is in closed position as shown in Fig. 1 the spring holds the faces 21 and 30 in firm contact. As' the operating arm 31 is moved toward the right there is no movement of arm 29 until after the spring crosses the dead center of the pivot, at which time the spring operates to snap the arm 29 to the open position in which 1t rests against lug 28 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The closing movement of the switch is accomplished by a similar snap movement.

We claim:

In a snap switch, a body formed of insulating material, a stud having its head buried in the material of the body, a unitary terminal, bridge and stop member formed of a single piece of sheet material and having an arm extending over the stud and a sto member formed thereon integral with an bent up from said unitary member intermediate said arm adjacent said stud, a second terminal member formed with a contact face,.a switch arm pivoted upon the stud and having an extension adapted to alternately contact with the contact face and with the stop member, an operating arm pivoted upon the stud, and a tension spring attached to opposite parts of the switch arm and the operatmg arm and adapted to pass across the dead/center of the pivot to move the switch arm with a snap action.

In testimony whereof we aiiix ourvsignatures. v

JACOB J. GROSSMAN. JOSEPH J. STEINHARTER.

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