Manually actuated electrical switch device with contact restraining means

Claim 1

A MANUALLY OPERATED ELECTRICAL SWITCH COMPRISING A STATIONARY CONTACT AND A MOVABLE CONTACT, THE LATTER BEING NORMALLY RESILIENTLY BIASED TOWARD THE FORMER INTO CLOSED CIRCUIT POSITION THEREWITH AND BEING DISENGAGEABLY HELD IN OPEN CIRCUIT POSITION BY A SEPARATE RESTRAINING MEANS RESILIENTLY BIASED AWAY FROM SAID STATIONARY CONTACT, SAID RESTRAINING MEANS HAVING A PORTION DISENGAGEABLY ENGAGING SAID MOVABLE CONTACT AND FORMING THE SOLE CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR HOLDING THE MOVABLE CONTACT IN OPEN CIRCUIT POSITION, AND A MANUALLY OPERATED OPERATING MEANS FOR IMPARTING MOVEMENT TO SAID RESTRAINING MEANS IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID STATIONARY CONTACT TO ENABLE SAID MOVABLE CONTACT TO ENGAGE THE STATIONARY CONTACT IN CLISED CIRCUIT POSITION UNDER THE FORCE OF ITS RESILIENT BIAS AND THE SAID PORTION OF THE RESTRAINING MEANS TO THEREAFTER DISENGAGE THE MOVABLE CONTACT ON CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF THE RESTRAINING MEANS, SAID OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE MEANS ENGAGING WITH SAID RESTRAINING MEANS AND MOVABLE IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID STATIONARY CONTACT AND MEANS FOR LIMITING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE MEANS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE STATIONARY CONTACT SO THAT SAID RESTRAINING MEANS, ON DISENGAGING SAID MOVABLE CONTACT, IS PREVENTED FROM FURTHER CONTINUED MOVEMENT TOWARD THE STATIONARY CONTACT, WHEREBY THE CONTACTS ARE MAINTAINED FREE OF SAID RESTRAINING MEANS.