Vane operated magnetic reed switch

Claim 1

IN A VANE-OPERATED SWITCH, A NONMAGNETIC HOUSING FORMED WITH A PAIR OF SPACED POCKETS OPENING AT A COMMON SIDE OF THE HOUSING AND A SLOT BETWEEN THE POCKETS, A PAIR OF GENERALLY U-SHAPED PERMANENT MAGNETS EACH HAVING MAGNETIC POLES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY AND EXHIBITING DIFFERENT POLE STRENGTHS, THE STRONGER ONE OF SAID MAGNETS BEING MOUNTED WITHIN ONE OF SAID POCKETS WITH ITS POLE FACES FACING SAID SLOT, A MOUNTING MEMBER INCLUDING AN OPEN BOX PORTION HAVING A BASE AND A FLEXIBLE LEG SPACED FROM THE BASE, SAID MOUNTING MEMBER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN THE OTHER OF SAID POCKETS WITH THE BOX PORTION OPENING AWAY FROM THE OPEN END OF THE ASSOCIATED POCKET AND WITH THE FLEXIBLE LEG SPACED FROM THE BASE TOWARDS THE OPEN END OF THE ASSOCIATED POCKET, THE WEAKER ONE OF SAID MAGNETS BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID LEG AND SAID BASE WITH ITS POLE FACES FACING SAID BASE, THE POLES OF THE TWO MAGNETS BEING RELATIVELY DISPOSED TO ESTABLISH A MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE SLOT CREATING A FORCE OF ATTRACTION BETWEEN THE MAGNETS, A MAGNETIC SWITCH WITHIN SAID BOX PORTION INCLUDING A PAIR OF ELONGATED, OVERLAPPING MAGNETIC CONTACTS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF SPACING OF THE POLES OF THE WEAKER MAGNET, SAID MAGNETIC SWITCH BEING POSITIONED EXTERNALLY OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY NO MAGNETIC FLUX TRAVERSES THE CONTACTS WHEREBY THE CONTACTS ARE NORMALLY OPEN IN THE ABSENCE OF A MAGNETIC VANE IN SAID SLOT, SAID CONTACTS BEING CLOSED BY MUTUAL ATTRACTION IN RESPONSE TO PASSAGE OF MAGNETIC FLUX FROM THE WEAKER MAGNET THROUGH THE CONTACTS RESULTING FROM PASSAGE OF THE VANE THROUGH THE SLOT, AND MEANS ATTACHED TO THE HOUSING CLOSING THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID POCKETS.