Tab switch mechanism for musical instruments

Claim 1

In a musical instrument having a plurality of electrical switches, and a plurality of tablets having switch actuating means mounted for selectively actuating the respective electrical switches and defining switch actuating and switch releasing positions, an improved switch mechanism comprising: a plurality of cam followers associated one each with said tablets; biasing means for urging each said tablet to its switch releasing position; a plurality of cams; a pivotally mounted carrier resiliently supporting said cams for joint movement adjacent said tablets to have engagement one each by said cam followers, said tablets being held releasably in said switch actuating position as an incident of engagement of the cam followers thereof with said cams, said cams defining a high portion and first and second low portions at opposite sides of said high portion, said cam followers being disposed at said first low portion in the switch releasing position of the tablet, at said second low portion in the switch actuating position of the tablet, and in engagement with said high portion during movement of the tablet between said positions; and spring means biasing said carrier for selectively urging said cams into engagement with said cam followers, said cams and cam followers being correlated so that movement of any selected tablet from either of said positions to the other of said positions releases any other tablet in the switch actuating position to be returned by said biasing means to its switch releasing position as an incident of the cam follower of the selected tablet engaging said high portion of its associated cam during said movement.