Code modules

Claim 1

A PLUG-IN CODE MODULE SUITABLE FOR CONTROL CIRCUIT USE EITHER AS A SINGLE CONTROL ELEMENT OR IN KEYBOARD ARRAYS, THE CODE MODULE BEING OPERABLE FOR GENERATING A CODED ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHEN ACTUATED AND BEING SO CONSTRUCTED THAT THE ENCODING CIRCUIT ELEMENTS ARE COMPLETELY ENCAPULATED AND QUICLKY CHANGEABLE TO CHANGE THE CODED OUTPUT SIGNAL AS DESIRED, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, (A) AN UPPER ENCAPSULATING MODULE INCLUDING A BASE HAVING AN UPPER FACE AND A LOWER FACE AND CIRCUIT ELEMENT RECEIVING RECESSES THERIN EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER FACE OF THE BASE TO THE LOWER FACE, THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF EACH RECESS BEING SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF HE CIRCUIT ELEMENT TO BE PLACED THEREIN, EACH RECESS BEING FULLY OPEN AT ITS LOWER END TO PERMIT INSERTION OF A CIRCUIT ELEMENT INTO THE RECESS, BUT BEING CONSTRICTED AT ITS UPPER END TO PREVENT PASSAGE OF THE CIRCUIT ELEMENT THERETHROUGH WHILE STILL PERMITTING PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF A CIRCUIT ELEMENT CONDUCTIVE LEAD, AND A CONTACT ASSEMBLY PHYSICALLY CONNECTED TO AND CARRIED BY THE BASE AT ITS UPPER FACE, SAID CONTACT ASSEMBLY HAVING A FRICTION-GRIP CONTACT TERMINAL DISPOSED ABOVE THE CONSTRICTED OPEN END OF EACH SAID RECESS TO WHICH A CIRCUIT CONNECTION IS DESIRED, WHEREBY, THE CONDUCTIVE LEAD AT ONE END OF A CIRCUIT ELEMENT WHICH IS PLACED INTO ONE OF SAID RECESSES IS PROJECTABLE THROUGH THE CONSTRICTED OPEN UPPER END OF SAID RECESS AND INTO FRICTIONALLY GRIPPED ELECTRICAL CONNECTION WITH THE CONTACT TERMINAL ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PARTICULAR RECESS, (B) A LOWER ENCAPSULATING MODULE FOR RETAINING CIRCUIT ELEMENTS WITHIN THE SAID UPPER MODULE AND FOR PROVIDING CIRCUIT CONNECTION TO AN EXTERNAL CIRCUIT, SAID LOWER MODULE INCLUDING A BASE HAVING AN UPPER FACE AND A LOWER FACE WITH APERTURES EXTENDING COMPLETELY THEREBETWEEN, SAID APERTURES BEING THE SAME IN NUMBER AS THE RECESSES IN SAID UPPER MODULE AND BEING LOCATED TO ALIGN WITH THE OPEN LOWER ENDS OF THE LATTER WHEN THE UPPER AND LOWER MODULES ARE OPERATIVELY ASSEMBLED, SAID APERTURES BEING OF SUFFICENTLY SMALL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA TO PREVENT PASSAGE OF A CIRCUIT ELEMENT THERETHROUGH WHILE PERMITTING PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF A CIRCUIT ELEMENT CONDUCTIVE LEAD, AND A PLUG-IN CONNECTOR PHYSICALLY CONNECTED TO AND CARRIED BY THE BASE AT ITS LOWER FACE, SAID PLUG-IN CONNECTOR HAVING FRICTION-GRIP CONTACT TERMINALS ALIGNED WITH EACH OF SAID BASE APERTURES TO WHICH AN EXTERNAL CIRCUIT CONNECTION IS DESIRED, WHEREBY, A CONDUCTIVE LEAD AT THE END OF A CIRCUIT ELEMENT PLACED IN A RECESS OF SAID UPPER MODULE IS PROJECTABLE THROUGH THE ALIGNED APERTURE OF SAID LOWER MODULE BASE AND INTO FRICTIONALLY GRIPPED ELECTRICAL CONNECTION WITH THE ASSOCIATED CONTACT TERMINAL OF SAID PLUG-IN CONNECTOR, (C) A HOLLOW HOUSING PHYSICALLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID UPPER MODULE AND EXTENDING UPWARD FROM THE UPPER FACE THEREOF IN ENCLOSING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID CONTACT ASSEMBLY, (D) AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL GENERATING DEVICE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOLLOW HOUSING AND HAVING ELECTRICAL CONTACTS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO AT LEAST SOME OF THE CONTACTS OF SAID CONTACT ASSEMBLY, (E) AN ACTUATOR CARRIED BY AND EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSING AND OPERABLE TO ACTUATE SAID SIGNALE GENERATING DEVICE TO GENERATE A CODED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT SIGNAL AT CONTACT TERMINALS OF SAID PLUG-IN CONNECTOR, AND (F) QUICK-RELEASE SECURING MEANS HOLDING TOGETHER SAID MODULES AND HOUSING, WHEREBY, UPON RELEASE OF SAID SECURING MEANS AND UPPER AND LOWER MODULES AND HOLLOW HOUSING ARE IMMEDIATELY SEPARABLE FROM ONE ANOTHER FOR ACCESS TO SAID SIGNAL GENERATING DEVICE AND TO ALL OF THE CIRCUIT ELEMENTS THAT ARE CONTAINED WITHIN SAID ENCAPSULATED MODULES.