Isolating switch

Claim 2

An electric switch comprising first and second spaced, generally fixed supporting means, each of said fixed supporting means having secured thereto an electrically conducting contacting means, a movable supporting means, said movable supporting means having mounted thereon a movable engaging means, said movable engaging means having disposed thereon a second electrically conducting contacting means, said movable supporting means being actuable to move to actuate said movable engaging means to move and to cause said second contacting means to generally simultaneously engage both of said contacting means on said supporting means to thereby provide electrical continuity from one said first contacting means to the other of said first contacting means.

Claim 3

An electric switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and said second generally fixed supporting means are hollow, tubular and electrically conducting and have generally circular peripheries with generally equal respective inner and outer diameters, said first and second supporting means being spaced along a common center line and being open at both ends, said movable supporting means being actuable to move into and out of said open end of said tubular fixed supporting means, said movable supporting means comprising a guiding means and at least one of said fixed supporting means having disposed therein a receiving means adapted to engage said guiding means when said switch is closed said receiving means having bearing surfaces thereon, the other of said fixed supporting means including therein a third fixed supporting means for supporting said movable supporting means, said third fixed supporting means being insulated from said other fixed supporting means and insulating said movable supporting means from said other fixed supporting means when said switch is opened.

Claim 4

An electric switch as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said first and second fixed supporting means comprises a wall with an inner and outer surface, said receiving means being secured to said inner surface of said wall of said second fixed supporting means.

Claim 5

An electric switch as claimed in claim 3 wherein said receiving means and said third fixed supporting means are each generally disc-shaped and have an outer diameter, said third fixed supporting means having a central opening, said receiving means having a recess for engaging said guiding meaNs.

Claim 6

An electric switch as claimed in claim 4 wherein said recess is a centrally located recess which is symmetrical about said common centerline.

Claim 7

An electric switch as claimed in claim 5 wherein said central recess comprises a generally cylindrical opening in said disc, said opening comprising a truncated conical shape, said guiding means comprising a complementary conical shape which is symmetrical about said common centerline, said central opening in said third supporting member being cylindrically shaped, said movable supporting means comprising a main body, said conical shaped guiding means being disposed at one end of said main body, said one end of said main body being the one nearer to said receiving means, a cylindrically shaped guide rod disposed at the opposite end of said main body and having a common central centerline with respect to said main body.

Claim 8

An electric switch as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first and second fixed supporting means comprise curved electrical conductors, said first mentioned electrically conducting contacting means comprise first and second curved metallic conductors of generally equal size each having an inner and an outer diameter and corresponding inner and outer surfaces, said outer diameter of each of said curved metallic conductors generally corresponding to said inner diameter of said first and second fixed supporting means, said first curved metallic conductor being secured to said inner surface of said first fixed supporting means and being positioned relatively closer than said receiving means to the open end of said first fixed supporting means, said second ring shaped metallic conductor being secured to said inner surface of said second fixed supporting means and being positioned closer than the said third supporting means to the open end of said second fixed supporting means.

Claim 9

An electric switch comprising first and second hollow, tubular, electrically conducting, generally fixed supporting means having generally circular peripheries with generally equal respective inner and outer diameters, said tubular supporting means being spaced along a common center line and being open at both ends, each of said fixed supporting means having secured thereto a first pair of electrically conducting contacting means, said first pair of electrically conducting contacting means comprising first and second ring shaped metallic conductors with one for each fixed supporting means, each ring shaped conductor having an inner and outer diameter and corresponding inner and outer surfaces, said outer diameter of each of said curved metallic conductors generally corresponding to said inner diameter of said first and second fixed supporting means, said first ring shaped metallic conductor being secured to said inner surface of said first fixed supporting means, a movable supporting means actuable to move into and out of said opened end of said hollow, tubular fixed supporting means, said movable supporting means comprising a guiding means, and at least one said fixed supporting means comprising a receiving means disposed to engage said guiding means when said switch is closed, said receiving means having bearing surfaces thereon, each of said first and second fixed supporting means comprising a wall having an inner and outer surface said receiving means being generally disc-shaped with an outer diameter, a third fixed disc-shaped supporting means having therein a central opening, said receiving means having a centrally located recess for engaging said guiding means which recess is symmetrical about said common center line, said recess comprising a truncated conical shape, said receiving means being secured to said inner-surface of said wall of said second fixed supporting means of said receiving means outer diameter, said movable supporting means having mounted thereon a movable engaging means, said movable engaging means having disposed thereon a second electrically conducting contacting means, said movable supporting means being acTuable to move to actuate said movable engaging means to move and to thereby cause said second conducting contacting means to engage both of said first contacting means on said fixed supporting means to thereby provide electrical continuity from one of said first contacting means to the other of said first contacting means through a portion of said movable bridge mean the first of said fixed supporting means including therein a third fixed supporting means for supporting said movable supporting means, said guiding means comprising a complementary conic shape with respect to said truncated conic shape in said receiving means, said complementary conic shape being symmetrical about said common center line, said central opening in said third supporting means being cylindrically shaped, said movable supporting means comprising a main body, said conical shaped guiding means being disposed at one end of said main body, said one end of said main body being the one nearer to said receiving means, a cylindrically shaped guide rod disposed at the opposite end of said main body and having a common central center line with respect to said main body, said first ring shaped metallic conductor of said first fixed supporting means being secured to said first fixed supporting means at a position relatively closer than said receiving means to the open end of said first fixed supporting means, said second ring-shaped metallic conductor being secured to said inner surface of said second fixed supporting means and being positioned closer than the said third supporting means to the open end of said second fixed supporting means.

Claim 10

An electric switch comprising first and second hollow, tubular, electrically conducting, generally fixed supporting means having generally circular peripheries with generally equal respective inner and outer diameters, said tubular supporting means being spaced along a common center line and being open at both ends, each of said fixed supporting means having secured thereto a first pair of electrically conducting contacting means, said first pair of electrically conducting contacting means comprising first and second ring shaped metallic conductors with one for each fixed supporting means, each ring shaped conductor having an inner and outer diameter and corresponding inner and outer surfaces, said outer diameter of each of said curved metallic conductors generally corresponding to said inner diameter of said first and second fixed supporting means, said first ring shaped metallic conductor being secured to said inner surface of said first fixed supporting means, a movable supporting means actuable to move into and out of said opened end of said hollow, tubular fixed supporting means, said movable supporting means comprising a guiding means, and at least one said fixed supporting means comprising a receiving means disposed to engage said guiding means when said switch is closed, said receiving means having bearing surfaces thereon, each of said first and second fixed supporting means comprising a wall having an inner and outer surface said receiving means being generally disc-shaped with an outer diameter, a third fixed disc-shaped supporting means having therein a central opening, said receiving means having a centrally located recess for engaging said guiding means which recess is symmetrical about said common center line, said recess comprising a truncated conical shape, said receiving means being secured to said inner-surface of said wall of said second fixed supporting means of said receiving means outer diameter, said movable supporting means having mounted thereon a movable engaging means, said movable engaging means having disposed thereon a second electrically conducting contacting means, said movable supporting means being acTuable to move to actuate said movable engaging means to move and to thereby cause said second conducting contacting means to engage both of said first contacting means on said fixed supporting means to thereby provide electrical continuity from one of said first contacting means to the other of said first contacting means through a portion of said movable bridge mean the first of said fixed supporting means including therein a third fixed supporting means for supporting said movable supporting means, said guiding means comprising a complementary conic shape with respect to said truncated conic shape in said receiving means, said complementary conic shape being symmetrical about said common center line, said central opening in said third supporting means being cylindrically shaped, said movable supporting means comprising a main body, said conical shaped guiding means being disposed at one end of said main body, said one end of said main body being the one nearer to said receiving means, a cylindrically shaped guide rod disposed at the opposite end of said main body and having a common central center line with respect to said main body, said first ring shaped metallic conductor of said first fixed supporting means being secured to said first fixed supporting means at a position relatively closer than said receiving means to the open end of said first fixed supporting means, said second ring-shaped metallic conductor being secured to said inner surface of said second fixed supporting means and being positioned closer than the said third supporting means to the open end of said second fixed supporting means.

Claim 11

An electric switch as claimed in claim 8 wherein said main body of said movable supporting means comprises an elongated metallic structure, said plurality of engaging sections including four of said engaging sections, each of said engaging sections comprising a pair of anchoring means each including inner and outer anchoring means and a connecting means disposed between corresponding inner and outer anchoring means, each of said inner anchoring means being secured to said movable supporting means.

Claim 12

A switch as claimed in claim 9 wherein said inner anchoring means of each pair of anchoring means comprises forward and rear inner anchors spaced longitudinally along said movable supporting means, said outer anchoring means of each pair of anchoring means comprising forward and rear outer anchors spaced longitudinally along said second electrically conducting contacting means, each of said outer anchors comprising a pair of anchoring blocks, the spacing between said forward and rear inner anchors and said forward and rear outer anchors being generally equal, said connecting means of each pair of anchoring means comprising first and second connecting rods, said forward inner and outer anchors being connected by said first connecting rod with said first connecting rod being pivotally connected to both of said forward anchoring blocks, said rear inner and outer anchors being connected by said second connecting rod with said second connecting rod being pivotally connected to both of said rear anchoring blocks, said second contacting means comprising a plurality of a flexible curved metallic generally rectangular shaped conducting plates supported on the respective engaging sections, each plate having rear and front contacts, each of said curved plates being secured at each corner to one of said anchoring blocks with two of said front anchoring blocks being disposed adjacent to one end of said plate and two of said rear anchoring blocks being disposed adjacent to the other end of said plate each of said front anchoring blocks having a leading surface, said forward and rear outer anchors each comprising a main cylindrical member with two smaller cylindrical members disposed to extend axially away from the ends of said main cylindrical member, said anchoring blocks having means for receiving said smaller cylindrical members, said connecting rods each being mounted generally perpendiculaR to said main cylindrical member, said movable supporting means having disposed thereon an abutting means, a plate through which said supporting means passes, a resilient means mounted around said movable supporting means between said abutting means and said plate to bias said plate away from said abutting means, said curved rectangular plate having attached thereto stop means, said stop means being disposed to engage and prevent longitudinal motion of said plate away from said abutting means, said contacting plates and said engaging sections being in collapsed positions when said switch is open, and remaining collapsed until after said guiding means has made initial contact with said receiving means when said movable supporting means is actuated during a closing operation of said switch, thereafter said leading surfaces of said front anchoring blocks contacting said bearing surfaces of said receiving means, with said guiding means passing through said cylindrical opening in said receiving means, continued actuation of said movable supporting means causing each of said forward anchoring blocks to move radially outwardly along said bearing surface of said receiving means to actuate the outer ends of said connecting rods to rotate away from said movable supporting means and to actuate said second contacting means to move outwardly until contact is initially made tangentially at one point of each engaging section between said second contacting means and said pair of first-mentioned contacting means, said flexible conducting plates then being forced against the remainder of said contacting surface of said pair of fixed contacting rings in the final movement of said movable supporting means during a closing operation of said switch, said final movement actuating said connecting rods to force said anchoring means to move further radially outwardly with said resilient means being simultaneously compressed between said pressure plate and said abutting means.

Claim 13

A switch as claimed in claim 10 wherein said first and second fixed supporting means and said movable supporting means are mounted inside and insulated from an enclosing pipe, said pipe being substantially filled with an insulating fluid.

Claim 14

An electrical switch comprising a generally cylindrical hollow housing, cylindrical conductors spaced longitudinally from one another along substantially a common axis; means for supporting said conductors substantially within said housing, at least one of said conductors being hollow at the end adjacent to the other conductor, a bridging assembly disposed substantially entirely inside said hollow end of said one of said conductors when said switch is open, said bridging assembly including an axially extending central drive shaft, means connected to said drive shaft for actuating said bridging assembly axially toward and away from said other conductor, a plurality of generally arcuate, electrically conducting plates mounted on said shaft and being generally radially movable with respect to said shaft between predetermined positions, means disposed adjacent to one end of said other conductor for receiving one end of said shaft and to assist in guiding the axial movement of said shaft, said conducting plates extending axially between said conductors when said one end of said shaft engages said receiving means and being radially actuable to engage both of said conductors.

Claim 15

An electrical switch comprising a generally cylindrical hollow housing, cylindrical conductors spaced longitudinally from one another along substantially a common axis; means for supporting said conductors substantially within said housing, at least one of said conductors being hollow at the end adjacent to the other conductor, a bridging assembly disposed substantially entirely inside said hollow end of said one of said conductors when said switch is open, said bridging assembly including an axially extending central drive shaft, means connected to said drive shaft for actuating said bridging assembly axially toward and away from said other conductor, a plurality of generally arcuate, electrically conducting plates mounted on said shaft and being generally radially movable with respect to said shaft between predetermined positions, means disposed adjacent to one end of said other conductor for receiving one end of said shaft and to assist in guiding the axial movement of said shaft, said conducting plates extending axially between said conductors when said one end of said shaft engages said receiving means and being radially actuable to engage both of said conductors.