US2507949A

US2507949A - Switch

Info

Publication number: US2507949A
Application number: US657654A
Authority: US
Inventors: John K Asder
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-03-28
Filing date: 1946-03-28
Publication date: 1950-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1967-05-16

Description

J. K. ASDER SWITCH May 16, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1946 INVENTOR. Jb/m K. AsdeR 4 5 ATTORN Y-S J. K. ASDER SWITCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 28, 1946 R 6 W .N W Am n T 0 M a w m fl 8 Z w May 16, 1950 J. K. ASDER 2,507,949

SWITCH Filed March 2a, 1946 4 Shets-Sheet s INVENTOR. John A. Asoen ATTORN Y 1950 J. K. ASDER 2,507,949

SWITCH Filed March 28, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. JO/ITI A. AsacR ATTORNEY Patented May 16. 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims. 1

This invention relates to switches and refers, more particularly, to a delayed action switch suitable for light and power circuits.

Patent No. 2,215,788 to J. W. Hamilton and J. K. Asder describes a switch of this natiue comprising a thermostat of bi-"netallic type, the heating element of which is arranged in a multiple circuit relationship with the load, so that the heating element can work concurrently with but independently of the load.

An object of the present invention is to improve the construction and the durability of a switch of this type.

Another object is the provision of a delayed action switch, which can be conveniently shut oif in the daytime without delay.

A further object is to utilize well known mercury buttons for the construction of delayed action switches for the purpose of increasing the sturdiness and durability of the construction of such switches.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

The above and other objects of the present invention may be realized through the provision of a delayed action switch having a mercury button connected to a manually operated knob and carrying a pin which may be swung along with the knob into the on position, the off position, or the delayed action position. In the on and delayed action positions the swingazble pin cooperates with an arm causing it to maintain a given position, the electrical circuit for the heating coil of the bi-metallic element being completed only in the delayed action position of the switch.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically and in side elevation a switch constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention in the on position with a portion of the front of the casing removed.

Figure 2 is a left end elevational view of the switch shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a right end elevational view of the switch shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is similar to Figure 1 and shows the switch in the delayed action position.

Figure 5 is similar to Figures 1 and 4 and shows the switch in its off position.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the electrical connections of the switch in its on position.

Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6 and shows the electrical connections of the switch in delayed action position.

Figure 8 is similar to Figures 6 and 7 and shows the electrical connections of the switch in the off position.

The switch shown in the drawings may be conveniently affixed to a wall or carried upon a table or other supporting surface. This switch, in addition to its usual on and ofi positions, has a delayed action position into which it may be placed at will by the user. In this delayed action position lights will remain illuminated for a predetermined time period to enable the user to leave the premises while the lights are still on, whereupon the lights are automatically extinguished. Obviously, the switch is capable of other uses.

An important feature of the illustrated switch is that the user can shift it directly from the on position to the off position, for instance during daylight, when delayed action is not required.

The switch is carried by a casing Iii, which may consist of Bakelite, porcelain or other suitable insulating material. For the sake of simplicity a portion of the front of the casing has been removed in Figures 1, 4, and 5.

The switch includes a manually operated knob H, having a narrow finger-engaged portion l2 and a wider base portion I3. The portion i 2 may be provided with an opening I d .for attaching a string or a chain.

The base portion [3 of the knob H is attached by rivets I5 and It to two fiber washers ll and I8 (Fig. 3).

A mercury button switch 20 is firmly attached to the washers ll and I8 and is rotatable therewith and along with shaft stubs [9.

Two

brass fingers

21 and 22 are mounted in the casing l0 and engage the shaft stubs l9 of the mercury button switch on opposite sides. These fingers or contacts are used to establish an electrical connection through the mercury button switch 20 in the on and delayed action positions, the mercury button switch 20 being provided with a hole through a glass partition lowered below the level of the mercury in the on and delayed action positions which establishes an electrical path therethrough.

The contact 2| is fastened to the body I 0 by 3 a screw 23, and is provided with a second screw 23A for attachment or" the wire t? (Fi 6).

The other contact 22 is provided with simiiar screws 25 and 25A for respectively securing t e contact to the body it? and making the electricai connection to wire A coil spring 2-5 has one end which is attached to the casing 55 while its other end. is attached to knob i i.

In the on position shown in Figure 1 the coil spring 25 is extended, so that its tendency is to swing the knob ii to the right (looking in the direct-ion of Figure l.) to the delayed action posi tio shown Figure i and thereafter to the off. position shown in Figure 5.

The l-znob i i is maintained in the on and delayed positions against the action of the spring 25 by means or a pin 2?, which is disposed between fiber washers ii and it, coacting with the pivotally mounted arm and spring 3! also co-acting therewith.

shown in Figures 1 and c, the pin 2"! engages difiereut parts of the upper periphery of the arm 28 in the on delayed. positions of the switch. The 28 is of i1 ular is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends by a suitable pin 2%, which passes through. the Bakelite casing E53.

The pin 25 carries a spring 3! having an arm 32, which presses against the bottom periphery of the arm 28 and has a tendency to turn it counter-clockwise (looking in the direction of Figure 1). The arm 28 is prevented, however, from carrying out this rotation by means of the pin 21 or a pin 33, which is adapted to engage an inclined edge 34 of the arm 28 and which may be inserted into any one of a number of holes 35, located close to the edge 34 in such a manner as not to interfere with the operation of the arm 28.

As will be apparent more clearly hereinafter, the time of the delayed action may be conveniently varied by moving the pin 33 from one hole into another one.

In the on position shown in Figure l, the pin 21' engages the inclined edge 35 of the arm 28. On the other hand, in the delayed position shown in Figure l, the pin 21 is located within a recess 36 of the arm 28, the recess 35 being substantially shallow to permit the pin 2'! to be readily moved in and out thereof and situated closer to the pin 29 than the edge 34.

In the OE position shown in Figure the pin 2'1 is entirely out of contact with the arm 28 which is still prevented from too great a counterclockwise movement from the spring 35 by the pin 33.

The washer i! also carries on the outside surface portion thereof a conducting spring or a resilient contact 31, which is preferably made of bronze, turned outwardly and adapted to engage under tension the inside surface portion of the casing It. The contact 3'! is connected by a wire 39 to the terminal screw A. The wire is sumciently long, so that it will not interfere with the movements of the rotating portions of the switch.

A contact screw 38 extends through the Bakelite casing it and is adapted to form an electrical contact with the spring 3. in the delayed action position shown in Figure l.

The contact screw 38 is connected to one side of the heating coil or element 49 (wire 35A, Fig. 6) which comprises a part of the delayed action circuit. The remaining end of the element is connected to a metallic plate 6| (Fig. 3) provided with a screw 62 for securing the wire 38 and the said plate to the body In. A screw 23B, threaded into the plate 6 I, is used to connect the delay circuit to the power source. The heating element 45 is preferably wound over a layer of asbestos which covers the bimetallic element 42.

One end of the bimetallic element 42 is attached by screws 43 to the casing (0, the other end having a sharp bend 44 positioned close to the end 45 of the pivotally mounted arm 28. When the bimetallic element 42 is bent due to heating, it will engage the end 45 of the arm 28 and swing the arm clockwise (looking in the direction of Figure 4), thereby withdrawing the pin 21 from the substantially shallow recess and enabling the spring 26 to swing the knob H and the parts connected therewith to the off positionshown in Figure 5.

The load circuit may consist of a lamp 46 as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 connected to a suitable source of electric current such as the battery 46A, wires 41 and 48 being connected to the previously described terminals 23A and 25A on the casing in.

In the off position, shown in Figure 5, and indicated diagrammatically in Figure 8, the load circuit contact and the heating circuit are both open since the mercury button switch 26 is so mounted that in the off position the hole through theglass partition of the switch above the level of the contained mercury thereby inter-- rupting the electrical path therethrough. The heating circuit is also open for the same reason and the additional reason that the contact 37 and the co-acting contact screw 28 are disengaged in the off position.

Light is switched on by the user by swinging the knob I I from the off position, shown in Fig ures 5 and 8, to the on position shown in Figure 1 and indicated diagrammatically in Figure 6. In the on position, the hole through the glass partition of the mercury button switch 25 is lowered below the level of the contained mercury thereby providing an electrical path therethrough, thence through the brass fingers 2| and 22 to the

terminals

23a and 25a. The electrical circuit, as shown in Figure 6, is as follows: From the battery 45a, the current passes through the conductor 41 to the terminal 23a, thence through the brass finger 2 l, the mercury button switch 28, as previously shown, out through the brass finger 22 to the terminal 25a, thence through the conductor 48 to one side of the light load 48, and thence out the opposite side of the light load 46 to the opposite terminal of the battery 46a. During the on position, the pin 2? is in contact with the edge 34 of the arm 28 and remains in that position, until manually moved, by the action of the spring 35 on the pivotally mounted arm 28. To reverse the movement, that is to bring the switch 26 back to the off position shown in Figure 5, the knob l l is merely pushed clockwise which forces the pivotally mounted arm 28 downwardly by the pin 2'! against the action of the spring 3| until the pin 21 is shown in the position of Figure 5.

On the other hand, the user may decide to move the switch to the delayed action position. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the knob I E is then located in an intermediate position, and is held in that position by the engagement of the pin 27 with the substantially shallow recessed portion 36 of the arm 28.

In this delayed action position, the contact 31 is in electrical engagement with the contact screw 38, and the hole through the glass partition of the mercury button switch 26 is lowered below the level of the contained mercury thereby providing an electrical path therethrough, thence through the brass fingers 2| and 22 to the

terminals

23a and 25a. The electrical circuits, as shown in Figure 7, are as follows: For the light load 46, the current passes from the battery 46a through the conductor 41 to the terminal 23a, thence through the brass finger 2|, the mercury button switch 20, as previously shown, out through the brass finger 22 to the terminal 25a, thence through the conductor 48 to one side of the light load 46, and thence out the opposite side of the light load 46 to the opposite terminal of the battery 46a. For the heating coil or element 40, the current passes from the battery 46a through the conductor 41 to the terminal 23a, thence through the brass finger 2!, the mercury button switch 2K2, as previously shown, out through the brass finger 22 to the conductor 39, thence to the contact 31 and through the co-acting contact screw 38 to the conductor 39a, thence around the bimetallic strip 42 to the conductor and terminal 23b to complete the circuit to the battery 46a.

The switch will remain in this position until the bimetallic spring 42 is bent as a result of the heating; then the end 44 of the bimetallic element will engage the outer end 45 of the arm 28 and will swing the arm clockwise (looking in the direction of Figure 4), thereby withdrawing the shallow recessed portion 36 of the arm 28 from engagement with the pin 21. As soon as the arm 28 is withdrawn the spring 26 will pull the knob I I to the off position shown in the Figure 5. It is apparent that the position of the end 45 of the arm 28 in relation to the end 44 of the bimetal 42 may be conveniently varied by placing the pin 33 in different holes 35 so positioned as not to interfere with the operation of the arm 28 but providing a convenient means for varying the time interval of the delayed action.

It is apparent that the specific illustration shown above has been given by way of illustration and not by Way of limitation, and that the structure above described is subject to wide variation and modification without departing from the scope or intent of the invention. For example, the mercury button switch may be conveniently replaced by a mercury tube. All of such and other variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical switch, a, pivoted operating member swingable to on, delayed action and oii positions, contacts engagin said member, means carried by said operating member and establishing an electrical connection between said contacts in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member, said contacts being electrically disconnected in the o position of said operating member, a pivoted arm adjacent said operating member, a locking member carried by said operating member and movable therewith, said arm having abutments located in the path of movement of said locking member to engage said locking member in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member and to hold said operating member in such positions, and being devoid of contact with said locking member in the off position of said operating member, a thermostatic element movable when heated from an inoperative position to a position wherein it swings said arm about its pivot and disconnects it from engagement with said locking member, means connected with said operating member and moving it to its off position when said locking member is not engaged by said arm, and heating means associated with said thermostatic element and adapted to heat the same.

2. In an electrical switch, a pivoted operating member swingable to on, delayed action and off positions, contacts engaging said member, means carried by said operating member and establishing an electrical connection between said contacts in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member, said contacts being electrically disconnected in the off position of said operating member, a pivoted arm adjacent said operating member, a lockin member carried by said operating member and movable therewith, said arm having abutments located in the path of movement of said locking member to engage said locking member in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member and to hold said operating member in such positions and being devoid of contact with said locking member in the off position of said operating member, a spring engaging said arm, a thermostatic element movable when heated from an inoperative position to a position wherein it swings said arm about its pivot against the action of said spring and disconnects it from engagement with said locking member, a spring connected with said operating member and moving it to its ofi position when said locking member is not engaged by said arm, heating means associated with said thermostatic element, a contact connected with said heating means, another contact carried by said operating member and engaging the last-mentioned contact in the delayed action position of the operating member, and conductin means connecting the first-mentioned contacts in parallel with said other contacts, whereby said thermostatic element is heated by said heating means when said operating member is in its delayed action position.

3. In an electrical switch, a pivoted operating member swingable to on, delayed action and off positions, contacts engaging said member, a mercury switch carried by said operating member and movable therewith to establish an electrical connection between said contacts in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member and interrupting said connection in the ofi position of said operating member, a pivoted arm adjacent said operating member, a locking member carried by said operating member and movable therewith, said arm having abutments located in the path of movement of said locking member to engage said locking member in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member and to hold said operating member in such positions and being devoid of contact with said locking member in the off position of said operating member, a thermostatic element movable when heated from an inoperative position to a position wherein it swings said arm about its pivot and disconnects it from engagement with said locking member, means connected with said operating member and moving it to its oii position when said locking member is not engaged by said arm, and heating means associated with said thermostatic elment and adapted to heat the same.

4. In an electrical switch, a pivoted operating member-.swingable to on, delayed action and.

off. positions, contacts engaging said .member, means carried by said operatingnmember and establishing an electrical connection between said,

contacts in the on and delayed action positions of said operating member, said contacts being electrically disconnected in the off position of said operating member, a pivoted .arm adjacent said operating member, a locking member: carried by said operatingmember andmov: able therewith,.said arm having abutments located in the-path: ofimovement'of said locking member to engage -said lock-ing. member in the on and delayed action positions of said op-. erating member and to hold saidoperating mem-. berinsuch positions and=beingdevoidof: con-H tact with said locking member in the off posi-.v

tion of said operatingmember, a biemetallic ele-.

ment movable when heated from an inoperative position to a position: wherein it swings said arm about its pivot and disconnectsit from en: gagement with saidlocking.member,-means connected with said operating member and moving it to its ofi'position when said locking member is not engaged by saidsarm, heatingmeans associated with said bimetallic element, acontact connected with said heating. means,- am other contact carried by said operating member and engagin the last-mentioned contact in the.

swingable to on, delayedaction and off" positions, contacts engaging said member, a mercury switch carried by said operating member and movable therewith. to establish. an. electrical connection. between said contacts in the on." and delayedaction positions of said operating. member and interrupting said connection in the ofi position of said operating member, an arm pivoted in said casing below said operating member, a locking member carried-by said operating member and movable therewith, said arm having abutments located in the path of movement of said locking member to engage said locking member in the on and delayed action positions of said operatingmember and to hold said op erating member-in said positions andbeing devoid of contact with said locking member in the oil position of said operating member, a spring engaging said arm, a thermostatic-element movable when heated from an inoperative position to a position wherein it swings said arm about itspivot against the action of said spring and disconnects it from engagement with said locking member a-spring connected with said operating member and moving it to its off position when said locking member is not engaged by said arm, and heating means associated with said thermostatic element and adapted to heat the same.

JOHN K. ASDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the .le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,583,939 Smith May 11, 1926 1,615,163 Brown Jan. 18, 1927 2,086,709 Fike et al. July 13, 1937