Plunger switch having contacts readily convertible between normally open and normally closed positions

Claim 1

A PLUNGER SWITCH ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN A SUPPORT HAVING AN APERTURE, SAID SWITCH COMPRISING: A HOUSING HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BODY ADAPTED TO PASS THROUGH SAID SUPPORT APERTURE AND A CIRCULAR BASE ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED IN FACE ABUTTING RELATION WITH SAID SUPPORT, LOCKING MEANS ON SAID BASE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SUPPORT TO RETAIN SAID HOUSING AGAINST MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT, A CENTRALLY AXIALLY EXTENDING BORE IN SAID BODY, SAID BORE HAVING AN AXIALLY OPEN END AT THE END OF SAID BODY REMOTE FROM SAID BASE AND A PARTIALLY CLOSED END AT THE END OF SAID BODY ADJACENT SAID BASE, SAID PARTIALLY CLOSE BORE END DEFINING A SHOULDER WHICH SURROUNDS AN AXIALLY EXTENDING OPENING THROUGH SAID BASE; A PAIR OF CHANNELS IN SAID BODY AND POSITIONED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORE, SAID CHANNELS EACH HAVING AN AXIALLY OPEN END AT THE END OF SAID BODY REMOTE FROM SAID BASE AND A CLOSED END AT THE END OF SAID BODY ADJACENT SAID BASE, A SHOULDER IN EACH CHANNEL POSITIONED INWARDLY FROM THE CHANNEL OPEN END AND DEFINING STOP MEANS; A TERMINAL POSITIONED IN EACH CHANNEL, EACH TERMINAL HAVING AN ANGULARLY DISPOSED PORTION POSITIONED AGAINST SAID STOP MEANS, EACH TERMINAL ALSO HAVING A CONNECTOR PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID BODY FROM SAID OPEN CHANNEL END, EACH TERMINAL FURTHER HAVING AN INCLINED CONTACT PORTION ADJACENT SAID CLOSED CHANNEL END, SAID INCLINED CONTACT PORTION BEING ACCESSIBLE FROM BOTH SAID CLOSED CHANNEL END AND SAID OPEN CHANNEL END; A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER RECIPROCALLY MOUNTED IN SAID BORE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID HOUSING THROUGH SAID BASE OPENING, AN ANNULAR SHOULDER ON SAID PLUNGER DIVIDING SAID PLUNGER INTO FIRST AND SECOND PLUNGER PORTIONS; A CLOSURE MEMBER POSITIONED IN AND CLOSING THE OPEN END OF SAID BORE; A FIRST SPRING SURROUNDING SAID FIRST PLUNGER PORTION AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID BORE SHOULDER AND ONE SIDE OF SAID PLUNGER SHOULDER; A SECOND SPRING SURROUNDING SAID SECOND PLUNGER PORTION AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PLUNGER SHOULDER, SAID SECOND SPRING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STRONGER THAN SAID FIRST SPRING AND CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID PLUNGER OUTWARDLY OF SAID HOUSING; AND A CONTACT BAR HAVING AN ANNULAR RING PORTION SURROUNDING SAID PLUNGER, AND HELD AGAINST SAID PLUNGER SHOULDER BY ONE OF SAID SPRINGS, THERE BEING INCLINED FINGERS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED SIDES OF SAID RING PORTION INTO SAID CHANNELS, THE INCCLINATION OF SAID FINGERS CORRESPONDING TO THE INCLINATION OF SAID TERMINAL CONTACT PORTIONS, SAID CONTACT BAR BEING ACTUATED BY RECIPROCATION OF SAID PLUNGER IN SAID BORE TO SHIFT SAID CONTACT BAR FINGERS INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TERMINAL CONTACT PORTIONS.