Switch for large currents with one contact plastically deformable in proportion to current value

Claim 1

A SWITCH FOR LARGE CURRENTS IN WHICH THE AREA OF THE CONTACT SURFACES, WHEN THE SWITCH IS CLOSED, IS DEPENDENT ON THE PRESSURE BETWEEN THE SURFACE AND IN WHICH THE PREDETERMINED PRESSURE FOR DIFFERENT VALUES OF CURRENT IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE SQUARE OF THE CURRENT STRENGTH, SAID SWITCH COMPRISING TWO RELATIVELY MOVABLE CONTACT MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A HARD METAL CONTACT SURFACE AND THE OTHER MEMBER TERMINATING IN NO MORE THAN THREE SOFTER PLASTICALLY DEFORMABLE METAL CONTACTS, THE METALS OF THE CONTACT MEMBERS BEING ELECTRICALLY HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE SAID METALS BEING HIGHLY THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE, CONTROL MEANS FOR PRESSING THE CONTACTS AGAINST THE CONTACT SURFACE WITH THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF FORCE PROPORTIONAL TO THE SQUARE OF THE CURRENT AND SUFFICIENT TO DEFORM THE CONTACTS WITHOUT PENETRATION OF THE SURFACE TO FORM CONTACT SURFACE AREAS OF SUCH EXTENT AS TO CONDUCT AWAY ALL OF THE HEAT DEVELOPED BY THE CURRENT FLOWING THERETHROUGH.