Commutator comprising radially positioned camming balls for actuating switch means

Claim 1

AN ELECTRIC SWITCHING DEVICE COMPRISING A SUPPORT, DISC MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR ROTATION RELATIVE THERETO, SAID DISC MEANS HAVING A NUMBER OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT MARKINGS ON THE PERIPHERY THEREOF TO VISUALLY INDICATE A PLURALITY OF ANGULAR POSITIONS OF SAID DISC MEANS, A PLURALITY OF CAM FOLLOWERS OVERLYING ONE FACE OF SAID DISC, EACH OF SAID CAM FOLLOWERS BEING SPACED A DIFFERENT DISTANCE RADIALLY FROM THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF CAMMING BALLS ON SAID ONE FACE OF THE DISC MEANS AT SAID DIFFERENT RADIAL POSITIONS FOR ACTUATING SELECTED ONES OF SAID CAM FOLLOWERS AT EACH OF SAID ANGULAR POSITIONS, AN ELECTRIC SWITCH ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID CAM FOLLOWERS AND ACTUATED BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF SAID CAM FOLLOWERS BY SAID CAMMING BALLS, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY BI-DIRECTIONALLY ROTATING SAID DISC MEANS THROUGH EACH OF SAID ANGULAR POSITIONS, AND DETENT MEANS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID DISC MEANS IN EACH OF SAID ANGULAR POSITIONS WHEREBY THE POSITIONS OF THE SWITCHES AT EACH ANGULAR POSITION CAN BE USED TO GENERATE CODED ELECTRICAL SIGNALS.