Slide switch assembly with resilient bridging contact and terminal structure adaptable to 8/n pole configurations

Claim 2

A switch comprising a housing having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having a longitudinally extending, horizontal, inwardly directed region on one side, and a corresponding region on the opposite side, the inner edge of each of the regions having a downwardly directed wall; a first set of terminals mounted on one side of the lower portion, a second set of terminals mounted on the opposite side of the lower portion, the terminals having leadouts protruding from the housing; a slider having a channel in each longitudinal vertical surface and being mounted for longitudinal movement with said walls of the upper portion slidably engaged in said channels; n bridging contacts carried by the slider where n is one of the numbers 1, 2 and 4, each of the bridging contacts being elongate and transversely extending such that each can make electrical connection between a terminal in the first set and the corresponding terminal in the second set; the length of the slider being such that it can be moved into any one of 8/n positions, in each of which positions the bridging contact(s) is aligned with a pair of corresponding terminals.

Claim 3

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the slider has a small projection on a surface adjacent a surface of the upper portion, and said surface of the upper portion has a number of corresponding notches, the projection and notches being arranged such that the slider can be accurately located in each of the 8/n positions.

Claim 4

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the upper and lower portions of the housing have interlocking elements, and at least one of the portions is formed of a resilient material so that they can be snapped together.

Claim 5

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the slider has a region which protrudes above the upper portion of the housing.

Claim 6

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the width of a bridging contact is less than the distance between adjacent terminals in a set, whereby a break-before-make action is obtained as the slider is moved longitudinally from one of said positions into an adjacent position.

Claim 7

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the width of a bridging contact is greater than the distance between adjacent terminals in a set, whereby a break-before-make action is obtained as the slider is moved longitudinally from one Of said positions into an adjacent position.

Claim 8

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the leadouts of the terminals are formed with removable shorting links between adjacent leadouts of each set.

Claim 9

A switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the leadout spacing is substantially the same as that of an integrated circuit dual-in-line pack.

Claim 10

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the switch approximates the shape and size of a dual-in-line integrated circuit pack.

Claim 11

A switch comprising an elongate base molding with upstanding longitudinal rims; a set of eight contacts crimped over each rim, each contact having a protruding tag; a corresponding upper molding, at least one of the moldings being slightly resilient, and both of the moldings having interlocking elements so that they can be snapped together the upper molding having a longitudinally extending, horizontal, inwardly directed region on one side, and a corresponding region on the opposite side, the inner edge of each of the regions having a downwardly directed wall; a slider having a channel in each longitudinal vertical surface and being supported by the upper molding for longitudinal movement with said walls slidably engaged in said channels, at least one elongate transversely extending contact spring mounted on the upper surface of the slider for electrically connecting corresponding contacts in the two sets.

Claim 12

A switch comprising an elongate base molding with upstanding longitudinal rims; a set of eight contacts crimped over each rim, each contact having a protruding tag; a corresponding upper molding, at least one of the moldings being slightly resilient, and both of the moldings having interlocking elements so that they can be snapped together the upper molding having a longitudinally extending, horizontal, inwardly directed region on one side, and a corresponding region on the opposite side, the inner edge of each of the regions having a downwardly directed wall; a slider having a channel in each longitudinal vertical surface and being supported by the upper molding for longitudinal movement with said walls slidably engaged in said channels, at least one elongate transversely extending contact spring mounted on the upper surface of the slider for electrically connecting corresponding contacts in the two sets.

Claim 13

A switch comprising a housing having an upper and a lower molding, the moldings having interlocking elements, and at least one of the moldings being formed of a resilient material so that the moldings can be snapped together; a first set of eight terminals mounted on one side of the lower molding, a second set of eight terminals mounted on the opposite side of the lower molding; the terminals having leadouts protruding from the housing with the leadout spacing being substantially the same as that of an integrated circuit dual-in-line pack; removable shorting links commoning adjacent leadouts of each set; an elongate slider, n slider contacts carried by the slider on its undersurface, where n is one of the numbers 1, 2 and 4, and where the two slider contacts are spaced apart by four terminal spacings and the four slider contacts are spaced apart by two terminal spacings, the terminal spacings being measured at the region of contact with a slider contact, the slider having a channel in each longitudinal vertical surface; the upper molding having a horizontal, inwardly extending region on said one side and a corresponding region on said opposite side, the inner edge of each of the regions having a downwardly extending wall, which walls slidably engage in the channels in the slider; and the housing approximating the shape and size of an integrated circuit dual-in-line pack.

Claim 14

A switch comprising a housing having an upper and a lower molding, the moldings having interlocking elements, and at least one of the moldings being formed of a resilient material so that the moldings can be snapped together; a first set of eight terminals mounted on one side of the lower molding, a second set of eight terminals mounted on the opposite side of the lower molding; the terminals having leadouts protruding from the housing with the leadout spacing being substantially the same as that of an integrated circuit dual-in-line pack; removable shorting links commoning adjacent leadouts of each set; an elongate slider, n slider contacts carried by the slider on its undersurface, where n is one of the numbers 1, 2 and 4, and where the two slider contacts are spaced apart by four terminal spacings and the four slider contacts are spaced apart by two terminal spacings, the terminal spacings being measured at the region of contact with a slider contact, the slider having a channel in each longitudinal vertical surface; the upper molding having a horizontal, inwardly extending region on said one side and a corresponding region on said opposite side, the inner edge of each of the regions having a downwardly extending wall, which walls slidably engage in the channels in the slider; and the housing approximating the shape and size of an integrated circuit dual-in-line pack.