Reed contact arranged within a protective envelope

Claim 1

A REED CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR CONTROLLING THE CONTINUITY OF AT LEAST ONE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO EXTERNALLY APPLIED MAGNETIC FIELDS COMPRISING A STATIONARY CONTACT OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL AND A MOVABLE CONTACT SEALED IN A TUBE, SAID MOVABLE CONTACT INCLUDING A FIRST BLADE OF NON-MAGNETIC MATERIAL AND A SECOND BLADE OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL, SAID FIRST AND SECOND BLADES BEING JOINED AT ONE END TO FORM A RESILIENT BIFURCATED STRUCTURE, MEANS COMPRISING THE TIP OF THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST BLADE FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID TUBE AND A FIXED END MOUNT FOR SAID RESILIENT STRUCTURE, THE OTHER END OF SAID RESILIENT STRUCTURE BEING FREE TO MOVE, THE TIP OF THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND BLADE BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID STATIONARY CONTACT, WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE FLUX IN SAID MAGNETIC FIELD IS COMPRESSED IN THE AIR GAP BETWEEN SAID STATIONARY CONTACT AND SAID SECOND BLADE AND SUBSTANTIALLY NONE OF SAID FLUX IS SHUNTED THROUGH SAID FIRST BLADE, AN ELONGATED CONTACT MEMBER ATTACHED TO AND SUPPORTED BY THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND BLADE, SAID ELONGATED CONTACT MEMBER EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID BLADE AT A SUBSTANTIALLY LARGE ANGLE APPROXIMATING 90* WITH RESPECT TO THE LENGTH OF SAID BIFURCATED STRUCTURE, SAID ELONGATED CONTACT MEMBER MAKING OR BREAKING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT THROUGH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT DEPENDING UPON WHETHER SAID REED CONTACT IS NORMAL OR IS OPERATED, THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND BLADE BEING POSITIONED NEAR A TERMINAL LEADING THROUGH SAID WALL, SAID ELONGATED CONTACT EXTENSION HAVING A FIRST PORTION POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID STATIONARY CONTACT FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH THE STATIONARY CONTACT AND ANOTHER PORTION MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID TERMINAL.