Positive-contact mercury switch

Claim 1

A POSITIVE-CONTACT ELECTRIC SWITCH COMPRISING (A) AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE HOUSING HAVING AN AXIAL PASSAGE THERETHROUGH INCLUDING A RESTRICTED AREA DEFINED BY A THICKENED WALL PORTION TERMINATING IN SPACED ANNULAR INWARDLY PROJECTING ABUTMENTS, (B) OPPOSED LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SEALING RINGS IN SAID PASSAGE ARRANGED AT EACH SIDE OF SAID RESTRICTED AREA AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID ABUTMENTS, SAID RINGS PROJECTING INWARDLY OF SAID ABUTMENTS AND ONE OF SAID SEALING RINGS BEING SLIDABLE IN SAID PASSAGE, (C) A BODY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE LIQUID IN SAID CONDUCTIVE HOUSING BETWEEN SAID RINGS, (D) AN ELONGATED MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE ADJUSTABLY SLIDABLY IN SAID PASSAGE AND THROUGH SAID SPACED SEALING RINGS AND HAVING A CONDUCTIVE END AND A DIELECTRIC END, (E) END CAPS OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL FIXED AT EACH END OF SAID HOUSING FORMED WITH AXIALLY ALIGNED OPENINGS FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER THERETHROUGH, AND (F) SPRING MEANS IN SAID HOUSING ENGAGING SAID SLIDABLE SEALING RING AND ONE OF SAID END CAPS TO IMPOSE CONSTANT AXIAL PRESSURE TO SAID SLIDABLE SEALING RING TO CAUSE THE LIQUID TO HAVE CONTACT PRESSURE WITH BOTH THE CONDUCTIVE HOUSING AND EITHER THE CONDUCTIVE OR DIELECTRIC END OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER ACCORDING TO THE ADJUSTED POSITION OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER IN THE AXIAL PASSAGE IN SAID BODY.