Rotary stepper switch

Claim 1

AN ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM COMPRISING (A) A ROTATABLE OUTPUT SHAFT, (B) POWER INPUT MEANS TENDING TO ROTATE CONTINUOUSLY SAID SHAFT IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, (C) MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREIN AND AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, (D) AN ESCAPE ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, (E) MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID SHAFT AXIALLY BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND PREDETERMINED POSITIONS, (F) SAID ESCAPE ELEMENT DEFINING AXIALLY SPACED FIRST AND SECOND SUSBTANTIALLY CIRCULAR PATHS, RESPECTIVELY, WHEN ROTATED IN SAID FIRST AND SECOND PREDETERMINED AXIAL POSITIONS, (G) FIRST AND SECOND STOP MEANS LOCATED RESPECTIVELY IN THE SEPARATE PLANES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PATHS AND MAINTAINED IN A FIXED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT. (H) SAID FIST STOP MEANS BEING STAGGERED WITH RESPECT TO SAID SECOND STOP MEANS, (I) WHEREBY AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ESCAPE ELEMENT FROM ONE PATH TO THE OTHER ACCOMMODATES PREDETERMINED LIMITED ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT BY SAID POWER MEANS UNTIL SAID ESCAPE ELEMENT IS PREVENTED FROM FURTHER ROTATION BY SAID STOP MEANS IN SAID PATH.