US3160718A

US3160718A - Reciprocable slide switch for appliances

Info

Publication number: US3160718A
Application number: US170325A
Authority: US
Inventors: Matthew G Andis
Original assignee: Andis Clipper Co
Current assignee: Andis Clipper Co
Priority date: 1962-02-01
Filing date: 1962-02-01
Publication date: 1964-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-08
Also published as: BE622879A

Description

Dec. 8, 1964 M. G. ANDIS RECIPROCABLE SLIDE SWITCH FOR APPLIANCES Filed Feb. 1, 1962 INVENTOR. Mfirrusw & /v0/5 BY W, 41-614,; m

United States Patent 3,160,718 RECIPROCABLE SLIDE SWITCH FOR APPLIANCES Matthew G. Andis, Racine, Wis, assignor to Andis Clipper (30., Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Feb. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 170,325 7 Claims. (Cl. 200-16) This invention relates to an appliance switch.

The invention is exemplified in a switch for an electric hair clipper. The appliance casing provides a guideway along which a handle slide of dielectric material is reciprocable. Within the casing the slide is provided with a stud for propelling a floating contactor strip engaged intermediate its ends by the stud. A pocket formed within the dielectric material of the casing, and in the path Oif reciprocation of the contactor, contains a ball or other protuberance serving both as a contact and a detent. In practice I use a ball engaged in an aperture of a terminal strip that extends into the pocket. This provides one of the fixed contacts and the contactor has apertures or sockets to receive the ball in each of two or more positions of the contactor and handle.

In one such position the movable contactor engages another fixed contact, thereby bridging between the ball and such other contact. In another of said positions the contactor rests upon a dielectric portion of the casing, and the circuit between the fixed contacts is open.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of an electric hair clipper appliance with a portion of the side wall of the cover portion of its casing broken away to expose the reciprocable handle slide and the fixed terminals of the switch.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale showing the terminals as they appear with the movable contactor and handle slide removed.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan View similar to FIG 2, but with the reciprocable contactor in place, the pin which connects it with the handle slide being shown in section.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in section on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the contactor and handle in their open-circuit position.

FIG. 6 is a view taken in section on the line 66 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing in perspective the relatively separated parts of the switch, a portion of the clipper casing which is also a part of the switch being fragmentarily illustrated.

As already indicated the clipper is representative of many difierent types of appliances and the like in which the switch of the present invention may be incorporated. The clipper has a casing made of dielectric material and comprising a separable base 8 and cover 10. The

margins

12 and 14 of the base and cover provide a guideway in which the handle slide 16 is reciprocable. Notches 18 and 20 in the ends of the handle slide are guided upon the

margins

22 and 24 of the base which abut the guideway.

Immediately within the base section 8 of the casing are

bosses

26 and 28 upon which the

switch terminals

30 and 32 are mounted by means of

screws

34 and 36. The respective terminals have wire retaining lugs 38 and 44) respectively to hold the electrical conductors leading thereto (not shown). An upward projection 42 of the boss 26 provides a shoulder at 44 abutted by the end 46 of the terminal 39, which end serves as a fixed contact. Theseparts are so located that when contactor 54) is reciprocated itscontact portion 48 will ride from a closedcircuit position (wherein it is engaged with the fixed contact portion 46 of terminal 30) to an open 3,160,718 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 circuit position (wherein it rests on the dielectric platform 42) and vice versa.

The moving contactor 50 has a hole at 52 engaged by a stud 54 mounted in the portion 56 of the handle slide 16 which overlies the switch contacts. As the handle slide is reciprocated manually in the guide slot of the casing, the movable contactor 50 reciprocates longitudinally. The hole 52 in movable contactor 50. is intermediate its ends. Contact 48 is adjacent one end. Between the stud 54 and the other end are the holes or sockets 58 and 69 which alternatively receive a protuberance on terminal 32. In practice I use a ball contact 62 anchored simply by reason of its being in the aperture 64 of terminal 32. This ball rests in a pocket 66 of easing member 8, forwardly of the boss 28 to which the terminal 32 is anchored. Whatever the form of the protuberance it functions as a detent when the holes or

sockets

58 or 60 engage it.

The collar 68 on stud 54 of handle 16 exerts downward pressure on the resilient contactor 50, causing its end to snap to and from engagement over the contact ball 6?. whenever either of the

apertures

58 or 60 is moved to or from registration with the ball. The engagement of the ball in either of the apertures or

pockets

58 or 60 resists, with detent action, the reciprocation of the slide or handle 16 in a direction tending to disengage the contactor from the ball. When the disengagement has been completed the slide or handle will move freely until the other aperture of the contactor registers with the ball, whereupon the contactor willsnap downwardly to embrace the ball. The ball contact and each respective socketed or apertured portion of the contactor defines the slide positions in which the circuit is respectively closed and open. The closed position is illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein the contactor 50 is shown bridging conductively between the contact ball 62 of terminal 32 and the contact portion 46 of terminal 30. The open position is shown in Pig. 5, which illustrates the aperture or socket 58 of contactor 50 engaged with the ball 62, the contact portion 48 of contactor 50 resting on the dielectric platform 42.

The switch disclosed is simple mechanically but very precise and positive in its operation.

While it happens that the casing illustrated is a part of the casing of the appliance per se, it will be noted that for the purposes of the present invention it is also the casing of the switch.

I claim:

1. A reciprocable switch having detents defining a plurality of positions, said switch comprising, in combination,

first terminal means provided with a protuberance,

second terminal means having a bearing surface,

a movable contactor having contact portions for respectively cooperating with the protuberance and the bearing surfaces of said first and second terminal means, the contactor having spaced pockets selectively registerable with the protuberance in different positions of the contactor, and

dielectric means providing a platform onto which a contact portion of the contactor rides from one of said terminals in approaching one of said positions.

2. In a sliding contactor switch,

a strip contactor of elongated form having means for reciprocating it longitudinally and provided at one end with a first contact portion having spaced sockets and at its other end with a second contact portion,

relatively fixed contacts in the path of reciprocation of said contactor and between which said contactor provides a bridging circuit in one of its positions of reciprocation,

one of said fixed contacts having a protuberance engageable in the respective sockets of the movable contactor in the open-circuit and the closed-circuit positions of the contactor, thereby providing detent sockets spaced longitudinally in the direction of slide reciprocation,

a first fixed contact including a ball with which said sockets are selectively registerable in an open-circuit position and a closed-circuit position of said opening slot constituting a guideway and provided beneath said slot and internally of the side wall with boss means,

a handle slide reciprocable along the guideway provided action defining said positions, and 5 by said slot and having portions interlockingly a dielectric support adjacent the second fixed contact engaged with the casing side wall in a tongue and and engaged by the second contact portion of the groove relation, contactor in the open-circuit position of the contactor. a flexible strip contactor connected with said slide 3. A switch according to claim 2 in which a terminal within the casing side wall and elongated parallel to has an aperture, a ball in the aperture constituting the the side wall and having contact portions at opposite said protuberance. ends, its connection with said slide being intermediate 4. In combination, said ends, acasing provided with a guideway, relatively fixed contacts mounted on said boss means a handle slide reciprocable in the guideway, in the path of movement of said contactor, astud projecting from the handle slide, one contact portion of the contactor and one of said a movable contactor providing intermediate its ends fixed contacts having complementary protuberances with an aperture with which the stud is engaged for and socket means engageable in two different posithe movement of the contactor, tions of the contactor to provide detent action definthe contactor having at opposite sides of the stud sepaing said positions,

rate contact portions one of which is provided with the other end contact portion of the contactor being engaged with the other fixed contact in one of said positions and disengaged therefrom in another of said positions.

6. A switch according to claim 5 in which the protuberance is a ball for which said one fixed contact has contactor,

means for fixing the position of the ball against movement with the contactor and for making electrical connection thereto, and

a second fixed contact to and from engagement with which the contactor is movable between its respective positions of detent engagement with the ball,

said contactor establishing a bridging circuit between the ball and the second fixed contact in the circuit closing position of the contactor and being disengaged from the second fixed contact in the opencircuit position of the contactor.

5. A switch comprising in combination,

a casing having a side wall provided with a laterally References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Alcoran Dec. 26, 1939 King Jan. 24, 1956

Claims

1. A RECIPROCABLE SWITCH HAVING DETENTS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS, SAID SWITCH COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST TERMINAL MEANS PROVIDED WITH A PROTUBERANCE, SECOND TERMINAL MEANS HAVING A BEARING SURFACE, A MOVABLE CONTACTOR HAVING CONTACT PORTIONS FOR RESPECTIVELY COOPERATING WITH THE PROTUBERANCE AND THE BEARING SURFACE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TERMINAL MEANS, THE CONTACTOR HAVING SPACED POCKETS SELECTIVELY REGISTERABLE WITH THE PROTUBERANCE IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS OF THE CONTACTOR, AND DIELECTRIC MEANS PROVIDING A PLATFORM ONTO WHICH A CONTACT PORTION OF THE CONTACTOR RIDES FROM ONE OF SAID TERMINALS IN APPROACHING ONE OF SAID POSITIONS.