Electrical contact assembly

Claim 1

A disconnecting contact assembly for effecting an electrical connection between first and second conductive members upon relative movement of substantially coplanar, generally flat connecting portions of the members toward each other, said assembly comprising one of the members, the connecting portion of said one of the members having apertures therethrough aligned in a row substantially parallel to and spaced inwardly from an edge thereof, a plurality of laterally spaced pairs of contact fingers aligned in a row along Said edge with the fingers having respective outer end portions extending outwardly in the same direction from said edge, the contact fingers of each pair being disposed respectively on opposite sides of the connecting portion of said one member and having respective holes at their inner end portions substantially coaxially aligned with a respective one of the apertures, each of the contact fingers having a first contact surface in electrically conductive engagement with the connecting portion of said one member and a second contact surface at its outer end portion for electrically conductive engagement with the connecting portion of said other member upon movement of the members toward each other, a plurality of fastening means, each of said fastening means extending through one of the apertures and the pair of contact finger holes aligned therewith, and tension spring means disposed respectively between adjacent pairs of the contact fingers and biasing the contact fingers of each adjacent pair toward each other.