Multi-contact switching device

Claim 1

A MULTI-CONTACT SWITCHING DEVICE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT CONTACT SPRINGS FIXEDLY MOUNTED AT ONE END AND GROUPED SPACED APART IN VERTICAL AND TRANSVERSE ROWS, A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY CONTACTS EACH ENGAGEABLE WITH ONE OF SAID CONTACT SPRINGS AT THE FREE END THEREOF, AND LENGTHWISE DISPLACEABLE VERTICALLY DISPOSED INSULTION LIFTING BAR FOR EACH VERTICAL ROW OF CONTACT SPRINGS, SAID BARS BEING ALIGNED IN A ROW TRANSVERSE OF SAID CONTACT SPRING, EACH OF SAID BARS CONTACTING WITH ALL THE CONTACT SPRINGS IN THE RESPECTIVE VERTICAL ROW TO MOVE SAID SPRINGS INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RESPECTIVE STATIONARY CONTACTS BY LENGTHWISE DISPLACEMENT OF THE BARS, SAID BARS HAVING A WIDTH GREATER THAN TH TRANSVERSE SPACING BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT VERTICAL ROWS OF SPRINGS AND BEING POSITIONED TO DEFINE AN ANGLE OF LESS THAN 90* WITH SAID CONTACT SPRINGS WHEREBY UPON DISPLACEMENT OF THE BARS INTO THE CONTACT-MAKING POSITION, A UNIFORM CONTACT PRESSURE IS EXERTED AT ALL THE STATIONARY CONTACTS IN THE RESPECTIVE VERTICAL ROW.