Lighted electrical pushbutton switch

Claim 1

A lighted pushbutton switch comprising a light source, a housing that houses said light source, an actuating pushbutton mounted for reciprocating movement in said housing, said pushbutton having a keycap retaining post that extends therefrom, a keycap that has a retaining means which cooperates with said post to secure said keycap on said keypost, said keypost also having a passageway which extends all the way through said keypost into the interior of said housing so that it is in alignment with said light source, and said keycap having a channel therein which is in light communication with said passageway so that light from said light source that passes through said passageway will also pass through said channel said keycap to an outside viewer and a light pipe that has a first section which inserted into said passageway and a second section which projects into said channel, said keycap including a cavity adapted to surround the key post, the passageway in the keycap communicating with the cavity, said light pipe including abutment and alignment means situated between the first and second sections and adapted to cooperate with a surface on the cavity of the keycap and the free end surface of the key post after said keycap is assembled onto the post.