Process for producing an on-off push switch and resulting article

Claim 1

A control switch comprising a switch housing having a base plate, an internal socket opening with a plurality of circumferentially spaced internal ribs each having a beveled surface and formed integrally with the inner surface of said socket opening, means forming a plunger disposed in said socket opening and having a stem fitting through a central opening of said housing at one end of said socket opening and including a plurality of crowned teeth and external ribbing means in coacting slidable and abutting relation with the internal ribs of said housing to preclude relative rotation therebetween, a rotor having complementary crowned teeth engageable with correspondingly opposed teeth of said plunger and external ribs slidably engageable and disengageable with respective internal ribs, a spring means for yieldably opposing axial movement of said plunger and rotor in one direction and for providing an opposite restoring axial movement to said rotor and plunger, a contactor plate circumposing the other end of said socket opening, and an annular drive arm including a plurality of resilient contactor paddles secured to said annular drive arm retained in said housing by said base plate and key means to rotate said drive arm with said rotor to effect one of a plurality of electrical circuits with said contactor plate, whereby upon axial movement of the plunger and rotor in the one direction there is effected an angular stepping movement of the rotor in a switch-operating direction, the external ribs of said rotor engaging beveled surfaces of respective internal ribs whereby upon the opposite restoring axial movement of said plunger and rotor the rotor is indexed a further angular incremental movement thereby completing a positioning of the rotor to its initial axial position.