US2732444A

US2732444A - Manual switch for automobile dome light circuits

Info

Publication number: US2732444A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1956-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 1973-01-24

Description

Jan. 24, 1956 C. C. KING FilOd Nov. 6, 1953 A} M 4 1'65 Q 1 9 /66 /3 /4 9 24 /6 o /5 o 17 m /8 I9 Z5 Z2 O C 63 All In} 69 268 7;

Char/e6 C. K/ng IN V EN TOR.

7729772mflmm v 0mm United States PatentO MANUAL SWITCH FOR AUTOMQBILE DGME LIGHT CIRCUITS Charles C. King, (Jrockett, Va.

Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 398,533

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-16) This invention relates to electrical switches, and more particularly, to an improved slide button manual switch for use in controlling a plurality of electrical circuits.

An important object of this invention is to provide a practical manual switch to be used for dome lights and the like, on automobiles equipped with automatic door switches, whereby the door can be opened without the dome light coming on, at the option of the operator.

The value of this invention is readily recognized in that in addition to performing the functions of a conven tional switch, it permits a person to turn the dome light off when lounging in an automobile during the daytime with doors open. Also, at night it would allow the door to be opened without spot-lighting the passengers when such a function is desirable.

Switches controlling a plurality of circuits are well known, but are not designed for this particular purpose and are complex in design, numerous in parts, many of which are unnecessary for performing the specific functions of my switch, and in some of them their shape would make them cumbersome and inconvenient to use as a dome light switch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap indexing means for determining the off position of the switch by the use of holes opening through the base member.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved switch which permits present manufacturers to construct it with a minimum of changeover in their tools methods of manufacturing.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved switch which is both economical and practical by being composed of a minimum of parts and by being simple in design.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration rather than limitation, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

Figure 1 is a plan View;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l and showing the switch in door operated switch dome light circuit;

Figure 3 is a side elevation;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Figure 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerais designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated switch, generally designated 7, comprises a base 8, preferably in the form of a flat elongated dielectric block, having a top surface 9, a bottom surface 10, opposite side edges 11 and 12, and

opposite ends

13 and 14.

The base 8 is traversed along a longitudinal center line by a middle contact rivet 15 and by

outer contact rivets

16 and 17 which are similarly spaced from the middle contact rivet 15. The left-hand rivet 16 and the middle contact rivet 15 have

heads

13 and 19, respectively, which secure L-

shaped connector ears

20 and 21, respectively, against the bottom surface 19 of the base 8. The righthand contact rivet 17 has a head 22 which secures to the bottom surface it of the base 8 a grounding plate or strip 23.

Countersunk in the top surface 9 of the base 8 are

concave contacts

24, 25 and 26 which are formed on the upper ends of the

contact rivets

16, 15 and 17, respectively. Equidistantly spaced from and located between the

contacts

24 and 2S and 25 and 26, are indexing or positioning

holes

27 and 28, respectively.

Fixediy mounted on the base 3 is the channel-shaped l ousing preferably of metal, and which comprises a top plate or web 31, preferably of the polygonal shape shown in Figure 1, having oppositely angulated

ends

32 and 33, and

longitudinal sidewalls

34 and 35. The housing 3-9 is shorter than the base 8 and its

ends

32 and 33 are preferably equally spaced from the

ends

13 and 14, r sp ctively, of the base 8.

inc housing side wall 34 has a free edge 36 from which two apertured switch mounting cars 37 and 38 extend at the opposite ends of the housing. At a point equidistantly spaced from the mounting ears w and 38, a finger o! 59 extends from the free edge 36 and is bent laterally inwardly and against the bottom surface It) of the base 8 and engages in a notch as provided in the side edge 1?, of the base 8.

The remaining housing side wall has a free edge 41 from which extend two longitudinally spaced

fingers

42 and 43 which are located at the opposite ends of the side wall 35 and are bent laterally inwardly against the bottom surface it of the block 3 and engaged in notches and provided in the base edge 11.

The top plate or web 31 of the housing 30 is spaced parallel from the top surface 9 of the base 8 and slidably positioned between the base top surface 9 and the housing web 31 is a dielectric material slide 46, in the form of a flat rectangular block.

The slide 46 is preferably of the same length as the housint 39 and is freely and slidably engaged with the hot he

walls

4 and 35, and has a central rectangupiece 4 7 which rises through a longitudinally ted pening which is provided in the housing web The finger piece 47 has a knurled upper end 4?, and a vertical bore 50 which opens through its lower end.

The slide 46 has a centralized longitudinally elongated recess 51 in its underside 52 into which the finger piece bore Sil opens. A rectangular metal bridging member 53 having upturned ends 54 and 55, is conformaoly and loosely seated in the recess 51, and a helical spring 56, located in the finger piece bore 5%, is compressed between the upper end of the finger piece 47 and the bridging member 53 so that the bridging member 53 is maintained in sliding engagement with the top surface 9 of the base 8.

The bridging member 53 is provided on its underside with three convex contactors 58, 59 and 68 which are longitudinally spaced from each other with the contactor 59 being the middle one and the contactors 58 and being the outer contactors.

In the intermediate or off position of the slide 46, shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the outer contactors and engage in the indexing

holes

27 and 28, and the middle contactor 59 engages in the middle contact 25.

In an automobile dome light door-operated switch circuit, such as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the switch 7 is adapted to have its grounding strip or plate 23 engaged with a grounded part (not shown) of the automobile, the connecting eat 20 connected by a Wire 61 to one side of a door-operated switch 62 whose other side is grounded as indicated at 63. The connecting ear 21 is adapted to be connected by a wire 64 toone side of a dome light bulb 65. The other side of the bulb 65 is adapted to be connected by a wire 66, through the connector 67, to the battery 68 whose other side is grounded, as indicated at 69.

With the switch slide 46 in the intermediate or middle position shown in'full lines in Figure 2 of the drawings, the dome light bulb 65 is de-energized even though the door-operated switch 62 is closed by reason of the associated door being open.

In the left-hand position of the switch slide 46, shown in'dotted lines in Figure 2, the slide contactors 58 and 60 will be engaged with the

contacts

2 and 25, with the contactor 59 in the left-hand indexing hole 27, so that normal operation or the bulb 65 will be under the control of the door-operatedswitch '62.

With the s'witchslide '46 in the right-hand position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, the slide contactors 5S and 6% will be engaged with the

contacts

25 and 26, with the contactor 59 engaged in the positioning hole 23, so that the bulb 65 will be energized regardless of the condition or" the door-operated switch 62.

What is claimed is:

l. in a manual control switch for a plurality of circuits, a dielectric base having longitudinally spaced contacts on one side thereof including a middle contact and outer contacts, a housing mounted on said base having a web extending along and spaced from said one side of the base, a dielectric slide positioned within said housing between said one side of the base and said web and slidably movable on said base, said web having a longitudinal opening therein and said slide having a finger piece projecting through said opening, a conductive bridging member located between said one side of the base and said slide and operatively engaged with the slide so as to be movable longitudinally of the base by manipulation of said finger piece, and contactors on said bridging element including a middle contactor and outer contactors, the contactors being spaced from each other'with the middle contactor in engagement with the middle contact and the outer cont'actors disengaged from the outer contacts, said slide being movable from the position in which the middle contactor is engaged with the middle contact and the outer contactors disengaged from the outer contacts, to outer positions in which the middle contactor is disengaged from all of the contacts and one outer contactor is engaged with an outer contact and the other outer contactor is engaged with the middle contact, spring means acting between said bridging element and said slide and urging said bridging element and the contactors thereon toward said contacts, said contacts comprising concave elements and said contactors comprising convex elements engageable into the concave elements.

2. Ina manual control switch for a plurality of circuits, a dielectric base having longitudinally spaced contacts on one side thereof including a middle contact and outer contacts, a housing mounted on said base having a web extending along and spaced from said one side of the base, a dielectric slide positioned within said housing between said one side of said base and said web and slidably movable on said base, said web having a longitudinal opening therein and said slide having a finger piece projecting through said opening, a contactor and outer contactors, the contactors being spaced from each other with the middle contactor in engagement with the middle contact and the outer contactors disengaged from the outer contacts, said slide being movable from the position relative to each other as the said contacts, the slide being movable 'endwise relative to the base from an intermediate position in which the middle contactor is engaged with the --middle contact and the outer contactors disen gaged from the outer contacts, to outer positions in which the middle contactor is disengaged from all of the con tacts and one outer contactor is engaged with an outer contact and the other outer contactor is engaged with the middle contact, and positioning holes on said one side of the base in which at least one contactor engages while at least one other contactor is engaged with a contact.

3. In a manual control switch for a plurality of circuits, tric having longitudinal spaced contacts on one si e thereof including outer contacts and a middle contact, a housing mounted on said base having a web extending along and spaced from said one side of the base, a dielectric slide positioned within said housing between web and said one side of the base and slidabiy movable on said base, said web having a longitudinal opening and said slide having a finger piece projecting through said opening for movement along said opening, said slide having one side in sliding engagement with the said one side of the base, said one side or the slide having arecess therein, a conductive bridging plate conlined in said recess for movement toward and away from said one side of the base, spring means urging said bridging plate toward said one side of the base, said bridging plate having longitudinally arranged outer contactors and a middle contactor, said contactors being longitudinally spaced from each other and projecting from said bridgin; plate toward one side of the base, and indexing depressions in said one side of the base, said indexing depressions being located between and longitudinally spaced from the outer contacts and the middle contact and being engage-able by contactors so as to hold the slide in different post" ens relative to the base and housing.

4. in a manual control switch for a plurality of circuits, a dielectric base having longitudinal spaced contacts on one side thereof including outer contacts and a middle contact, a housing mounted on said base having a web extending along and spaced from said one side of the base, a dielectric siide positioned within said housing between said web and said one side of the base and slidably movable on said base, said web having a longitudinal opening and said slide having a finger piece projecting through said opening for movement along said opening, said slide having one side in sliding engagement with the said one side of the base, said one side of the slide having a recess therein, a conductive bridging plate confined in said recess for movement toward and away from said one side of the base, spring means urging said bridging plate toward said one side of the base, said bridging plate having longitudinally arranged outer contactors and a middle contactor, said contactors being longitudinally spaced from each other and projecting from said bridging plate toward one side of the base, and indexing depressions in said one side of the base, said indexing depressions being located between and longitudinally spaced from the outer contacts and the middle contact and being engageable by contactors so as to hold the slide in different positions relative to the base and housing, said middle contact having a concavity into which said middle contactor is engageable in an intermediate position of the slide wherein contactors are disengaged from depressions in the said one side of the base.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS