Switch with liquid containing tube for keyboard use

Claim 2

A switch comprising: a housing having a deformable resilient tube with the ends thereof mounted against movement on said housing; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring stationarily supported adjacent its ends by said housing to extend generally transversely of and engage said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to part said liquid within said tube and thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means movable toward said pinch wire spring switch actuator means movable toward said pinch wire spring to engage and deflect said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 3

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein said switch actuator means includes an actuator spring which is compressible to apply force in deflecting said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement.

Claim 4

A switch as recited in claim 2 wherein said switch actuator further includes a depressible plunger for compressing said actuator spring and a spring rider between said pinch wire spring and said actuator spring for transmitting said force from said actuator spring to said pinch wire spring.

Claim 5

A switch as recited in claim 3 wherein said plunger is provided with a tang which is frictionally engaged in the recess of a manually operable push button to releasably retain said button on said plunger.

Claim 6

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the stationary support adjacent at least one of said pinch wire spring ends includes a switch tuning screw for adjusting the tension of said pinch wire spring.

Claim 7

A switch as recited in claim 1 wherein said housing secures contacts at the ends of said resilient tube in contact retaining pockets, said contacts projecting beyond the mounting end of said switch whereby said mounting end presses the projecting contacts toward the mounting surface in fastening said switch on a mounting member.

Claim 8

A switch comprising: a housing having a deformable resilient tube with the ends thereof mounted against movement on said housing, said housing securing contacts at the ends of said resilient tube in contact retaining pockets, said contacts projecting beyond the mounting end of said switch whereby said mounting end presses the projecting contacts toward the mounting surface in fastening said switch on a mounting member, said pockets being disposed in bridge means yieldably supported as a part of said housing so that the projecting contacts yieldably press against the mounting surface; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring supported adjacent its ends by said housing to extend generally transversely of and engage said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to part said liquid within said tube and thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means movable toward said pinch wire spring to engage and move said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 9

A switch comprising: a housing having a deformable resilient tube with the ends thereof mounted against movement on said housing, said housing securing contacts at the ends of said resilient tube in contact retaining pockets, said contacts projecting beyond the mounting end of said switch whereby said mounting end presses the projecting contacts toward the mounting surface in fastening said switch on a mounting member, said pockets being disposed in bridge means yieldably supported as a part of said housing so that the projecting contacts yieldably press against the mounting surface; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring supported adjacent its ends by said housing to extend generally transversely of and engage said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to part said liquid within said tube and thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means movable toward said pinch wire spring to engage and move said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 10

A switch comprising: a housing having a deformable resilient tube with the ends thereof mounted against movement within said housing, said resilient tube having contacts at the ends thereof which project beyond the mounting end of said switch, said contacts being yieldably supported On said housing to yieldably press toward the mounting surface when the switch is fastened on a mounting member; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring supported adjacent its ends by said housing to extend generally transversely of and engage said tube, sad wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to part said liquid within said tube and thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means movable toward said pinch wire spring to engage and move said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 11

A switch comprising: a housing having a deformable resilient tube with the ends thereof mounted against movement within said housing, said resilient tube having contacts at the ends thereof which project beyond the mounting end of said switch, said contacts being yieldably supported On said housing to yieldably press toward the mounting surface when the switch is fastened on a mounting member; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring supported adjacent its ends by said housing to extend generally transversely of and engage said tube, sad wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to part said liquid within said tube and thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means movable toward said pinch wire spring to engage and move said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 12

A switch comprising: a housing having a cavity therein; a deformable resilient tube extending generally across said cavity, the ends of said tube being supported against movement on said housing; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring stationarily mounted in the housing cavity extending generally transversely of said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means reciprocably mounted in said cavity to engage and deflect said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 13

A switch comprising: a housing having a cavity therein; a deformable resilient tube extending generally across said cavity, the ends of said tube being supported against movement on said housing; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring stationarily mounted in the housing cavity extending generally transversely of said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against a portion of said housing to thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means reciprocably mounted in said cavity to engage and deflect said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube.

Claim 14

A switch as recited in claim 9 wherein said switch actuator means includes an actuator spring within said cavity which is compressible by a reciprocable plunger to apply force in moving said wire spring out of tube pinching engagement.

Claim 15

A switch as recited in claim 9 wherein said pinch wire spring is supported at its ends in recesses in the opposite walls of the cavity of said housing.

Claim 16

A switch as recited in claim 11 wherein a switch tuning screw supports an end of said pinch wire spring for adjusting the tension of said pinch wire spring.

Claim 17

A switch as recited in claim 9 wherein said cavity has bridge means extending thereacross against which said tube is pinched by said wire spring.

Claim 18

A switch comprising: a housing having a cavity therein, said cavity having bridge means extending thereacross; a deformable resilient tube extending generally across said cavity, the ends of said tube being supported against movement on said housing; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring mounted in the housing cavity extending generally transversely of said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against said bridge means of said housing to thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means reciprocably mounted in said cavity to engage and move said spring wire out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube, said switch actuator means including an actuator spring within said cavity and a spring rider between said pinch wire spring and said actuator spring, said spring rider having notched legs engaging said wire spring on opposite sides of said bridge means.

Claim 19

A switch comprising: a housing having a cavity therein, said cavity having bridge means extending thereacross; a deformable resilient tube extending generally across said cavity, the ends of said tube being supported against movement on said housing; an electrically conductive liquid within said tube; a pinch wire spring mounted in the housing cavity extending generally transversely of said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned to pinch said tube against said bridge means of said housing to thereby maintain an open circuit; and switch actuator means reciprocably mounted in said cavity to engage and move said spring wire out of tube pinching engagement to thereby close a circuit through the liquid within said tube, said switch actuator means including an actuator spring within said cavity and a spring rider between said pinch wire spring and said actuator spring, said spring rider having notched legs engaging said wire spring on opposite sides of said bridge means.

Claim 20

A switch comprising: a housing reciprocably guiding an actuator plunger which carries a tang at its outer end removably retaining a push button; an actuator spring compressible by said plunger and engaging a spring rider; a bridge mounted on yieldable spider supports adjacent one end of said housing and having a central portion over which said spring rider is slideably received, said bridge having contact retaining pockets adjacent the opposite ends thereof connected by channels leading inwardly of said pockets to an anvil pad on said central portion; an elongated deformable resilient tube containing an electrically conductive liquid therewithin and contacts closing the ends of said tube, said contacts being retained in said pockets and said tube lying within said channels with a mid portion of said tube extending across said anvil pad, a pinch wire spring having its ends supported in rEcesses on opposite sides of said housing so as to extend generally transversely of said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned toward said anvil pad to pinch said tube against said pad and thereby maintain an open circuit in the liquid in said tube; said wire spring being engaged by notched legs on said spring rider extending on opposite sides of the central portion of said bridge whereby depression of said actuator plunger compresses said actuator spring to press on said spring rider and flex said wire spring out of the pinched condition of said tube to close the circuit through the liquid in said tube.

Claim 21

A switch comprising: a housing reciprocably guiding an actuator plunger which carries a tang at its outer end removably retaining a push button; an actuator spring compressible by said plunger and engaging a spring rider; a bridge mounted on yieldable spider supports adjacent one end of said housing and having a central portion over which said spring rider is slideably received, said bridge having contact retaining pockets adjacent the opposite ends thereof connected by channels leading inwardly of said pockets to an anvil pad on said central portion; an elongated deformable resilient tube containing an electrically conductive liquid therewithin and contacts closing the ends of said tube, said contacts being retained in said pockets and said tube lying within said channels with a mid portion of said tube extending across said anvil pad, a pinch wire spring having its ends supported in rEcesses on opposite sides of said housing so as to extend generally transversely of said tube, said wire spring being normally tensioned toward said anvil pad to pinch said tube against said pad and thereby maintain an open circuit in the liquid in said tube; said wire spring being engaged by notched legs on said spring rider extending on opposite sides of the central portion of said bridge whereby depression of said actuator plunger compresses said actuator spring to press on said spring rider and flex said wire spring out of the pinched condition of said tube to close the circuit through the liquid in said tube.