Thermally operated switch

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A ROD-AND-TUBE ASSEMBLY OF A THERMOSTAT, SAID ROD-AND-TUBE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A ROD OF A MATERIAL OF RELATIVEL LOW COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION AND A TUBE OF A MATERIAL OF RELATIVELY HIGH COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID ROD SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID ROD AND SAID TUBE, A THERMALLY ACTUATED SWITCH COMPRISING AN ANNULAR BODY OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID ROD WITHIN SAID SPACE, SAID BODY HAVING A RADIALLY EXTENDING FACE ON ONE END THEREOF, A BIMETAL ELEMENT, SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT BEING CURVED ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID ROD IN A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID AXIS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT IN SAID PLANE, SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT HAVING A FIRST PRINCIPAL SURFACE ON ONE SIDE OF SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT ADJACENT SAID RADIALLY EXTENDING FACE OF SAID BODY, AND A SECOND PRINCIPAL SURFACE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT, SAID FIRST PRINCIPAL SURFACE BEING EXPANSIBLE UNDER RISING TEMPERATURE AT A GREATER RATE THAN THE OPPOSITE PRINCIPAL SURFACE OF SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT, MEANS ATTACHING ONE END OF SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT TO SAID BODY, SAID ATTACHING MEANS BIENG ADAPTED FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTION IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT, AND A SCREW THREADEDLY RECEIVED IN SAID BODY AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID SCREW HAVING A CONTACT SURFACE ON ONE END THEREOF ADJACENT SAID RADIALLY EXTENDING FACE, SAID CONTACT SURFACE OF SAID SCREW BEING SUBSTANTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO SAID ATTACHING MEANS, SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT HAVING AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CONTACT PORTION ON SAID FIRST PRINCIPAL SURFACE AT THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT NORMALLY ENGAGING SAID CONTACT SURFACE OF SAID SCREW FOR FORMING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION THEREWITH AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES BELOW A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE, SAID OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID BIMETAL ELEMENT BEING MOVABLE OUTWARDLY AWAY FROMSAID CONTACT SURFACE AT SAID PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE AS A RESULT OF SAID MORE RAPID EXPANSION OF SAID FIRST PRINCIPAL SURFACE FOR INTERRUPTING SAID ELECTRICAL CONNECTION AT SAID PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE.