Time delay switches utilizing conductive liquids

Claim 1

A TIME DELAY SWITCH COMPRISING A SEALED CONTAINER HAVING A QUANTITY OF A CONDUCTIVE LIQUID THEREIN WHICH FORMS A CONVEX MENISCUS, A HOLLOW MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SEALED CONTAINER FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREIN, SAID HOLLOW MEMBER ALSO HAVING A QUANTITY OF SAID CONDUCTIVE LIQUID THEREIN, SAID HOLLOW MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL PROVIDED WITH AN ORIFICE, THE WALL BEING OF A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ORIFICE, SO THAT THE COMBINED THICKNESSES OF THE CONVEX MENISCUSES FORMED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ORIFICE BY SAID CONDUCTIVE LIQUID IS GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE WALL TO THEREBY MAINTAIN A STATE OF CONSTANT CONTACT BETWEEN THE CONDUCTIVE LIQUIDS INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY OF THE HOLLOW MEMBER, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID HOLLOW MEMBER WITHIN THE SEALED CONTAINER SUBSTANTIALLY INSTANTANEOUSLY BETWEEN LOWERED AND RAISED POSITIONS WHEREBY WHEN THE HOLLOW MEMBER IS RAISED, THE CONDUCTIVE LIQUID CONTAINED THEREIN FLOWS GRADUALLY UNDER THE FORCE OF ITS OWN WEIGHT THROUGH THE ORIFICE AND INTO THE SEALED CONTAINER, SAID LOWERED AND RAISED POSITIONS CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS OF AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT, A PAIR OF ELECTRODES POSITIONED WITHIN SAID HOLLOW MEMBER AND IMMERSED IN THE CONDUCTIVE LIQUID THEREIN WHEN SAID HOLLOW MEMBER IS IN ITS LOWERED POSITION AND EXPOSED WHEN SAID HOLLOW MEMBER IS IN ITS RAISED POSITION AND THE CONDUCTIVE LIQUID FLOWS THEREFROM.