Switching apparatus for verifying the resistive integrity of electrical wiring systems

Claim 1

IN A CIRCUIT TESTING SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A UNIT TO BE TESTED PROVIDED WITH TEST TERMINALS HAVING PREDETERMINED ADDRESSES, WHERE A FIRST TEST CONNECTION IS TO BE MADE TO A FIRST SELECTED TERMINAL AND A SECOND TEST CONNECTION IS TO BE MADE TO A SECOND SELECTED TERMINAL, SWITHCING APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING SAID TEST CONNECTIONS COMPRISING: A MASTER SELECTOR STATION HAVING A PAIR OF CONNECTION POINTS; SWITCHING MODULE MEANS PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF TERMINAL CONNECTION LINES, SAID LINES HAVING ADDRESSES CORRESPONDING TO SAID TERMINALS; MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID LINES WITH SAID TERMINALS TO ASSOCIATE EACH OF SAID GROUPS THEREOF WITH A CORRESPONDING SET OF SAID TERMINALS; FIRST AND SECOND MULTICONDUCTOR BUSES EXTENDING FROM SAID STATION TO SAID MODULE MEANS, THE LATTER INCLUDING SWITCHING DEVICES COUPLED WITH SAID BUSES AND RESPECTIVE GROUPS, EACH OF SAID DEVICES BEING OPERABLE TO COUPLE ITS ASSOCIATED GROUP WITH EITHER OF SAID BUSES; SAID STATION BEING PROVIDED WITH FIRST TERMINAL SELECTOR MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING ELECTRICAL CONTINUITY BETWEEN ANY ONE OF THE CONDUCTORS OF SAID FIRST BUS AND ONE OF SAID CONNECTION POINTS, AND SECOND, SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TERMINAL SELECTOR MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING ELECTRICAL CONTINUITY BETWEEN EITHER ANY ONE OF THE CONDUCDUCTORS OF SAID FIRST BUS OR ANY ONE OF THE CONDUCTORS OF SAID SECOND BUS AND THE OTHER OF SAID CONNECTION POINTS; AND CONTROL MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID STATION AND SAID MODULE MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME TO COUPLE THE LINE HAVING THE SAME ADDRESS AS THE FIRST SELECTED TERMINAL TO SAID ONE CONNECTION POINT, AND TO COUPLE THE LINE HAVING THE SAME ADDRESS AS SAID SECOND SELECTED TERMINAL TO SAID OTHER CONNECTION POINT, WHEREBY SAID TEST CONNECTIONS MAY BE EFFECTED AT SAID CONNECTION POINTS.