Positionally independent mercury contact arrangement

Claim 1

A POSITIONALLY INDEPENDENT CONTACT ARRANGEMENT UTILIZING A MERCURY DROP LOCATED IN A SPHERICAL HOLLOW SPACE AND DEFORMABLE BY ELECTROMECHANICAL FINAL CONTROL ELEMENT, COMPRISING A BODY OF AN INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING AN APPROXIMATELY SPHERICAL HOLLOW SPACE THEREIN, A DROP OF MERCURY DISPOSED IN SAID SPACE, A PLATE-LIKE CONNECTING ELECTRODE DISPOSED TO FORM A CLOSURE FOR SAID SPACE, A SECOND CONNECTING ELECTRODE, DISPOSED APPROXIMATELY AT THE LEVEL OF THE MAXIMUM TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTION OF THE MERCURY DROP AND HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN THE EDGES OF WHICH ENCIRCLE THE MERCURY DROP BUT SPACED A CERTAIN MINIMUM DISTANCE THEREFROM, SAID BODY HAVING A PRESSURE SPACE FOR AN ACTUATING PRESSURE LIQUID DISPOSED THEREIN, SAID BODY FURTHER HAVING A CONNECTING CHANNEL THEREIN OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID PRESSURE SPACE WITH SAID HOLLOW MERCURY CONTAINING SPACE, WHEREBY PRESSURE ON SAID LIQUID IS OPERATIVE TO EFFECT AN OPERATING DEFORMATION OF THE MERCURY DROP, AND OPERATIVE CONNECTION THEREBY OF THE RESPECTIVE ELECTRODES, AND A MEMBRANE FORMING A FLEXIBLE CLOSURE OF SAID PRESSURE SPACE WITH RESPECT TO THE EXTERIOR, AND THROUGH WHICH THE LIQUID PRESSURE IN SAID PRESSURE SPACE MAY BE CONTROLLED.