Electrical switch with improved common terminal housing retaining means for pivoted contact

Claim 1

An electrical switch comprising an open-ended housing including a base disposed opposite said open end and opposing sidewalls, each of said sidewalls having a recess disposed therein in horizontal alignment with respect to one another, a first terminal mounted on said base intermediate the ends thereof and having an end projecting into said housing transversely of said sides, a second terminal mounted on said base and spaced lengthwise from said first terminal, a permuting arm supported intermediate the ends thereof solely on said projecting end of said first terminal for pivotal movement thereon between a position in which one end of said arm contacts said second terminal and a position spaced therefrom out of contact therewith, projections extending laterally from said permuting arm positioned for seatment within said recesses on said sidewalls, a rocker arm assembly mounted on said housing projecting through said open end and including means engageable with said permuting arm on opposite sides of said fulcrum support to pivot said permuting arm and thereby selectively position said one end of said permuting arm into and out of engagement with said second terminal, said projections on said permuting arm being slightly smaller in length than the length of said recesses thereby permitting said permuting arm to have slight lengthwise sliding movement as limited by said recesses in said sidewalls, the sliding movement occuring on the edges of said fulcrum and so that the underside of said permuting arm is subject to abrasion thereby to maintain a low ohmic contact at the fulcrum end at all times.