Judco Manufacturing, Incorporated

Judco Manufacturing Company

Joseph F Valenzona

Robert J Smith

An improved operator assembly for a rocker switch having a switch contact member movable relative to fixed contacts. Movement of an inner rocker moves the switch contact to turn the switch on and off. An outer rocker is located adjacent the inner rocker. The rockers are normally coupled by an inserted safety key for common movement. The rockers include stop components interengagable when the outer rocker is moved manually without a key toward a position corresponding to the off position of the switch, for example. The stop components are not interengagable when the outer rocker is moved toward a position which would turn the switch on. With this arrangement, when the key is removed with the switch on, the outer rocker can be manually operated to turn off the switch. However, if the switch is off, manual operation of the outer rocker in the opposite direction will not be accompanied by movement of the inner rocker and consequently the switch cannot be turned on. The position of the inner rocker is reversible so that the opposite function can be achieved, that is, the outer rocker can then be operated to turn on a switch that is off, but it cannot be operated to turn off a switch that is on.

Rocker switch operator means

A pushbutton switch which permits partial actuation without a change of state, including a body, a cover and a contact cup having a plurality of tabs, the cup rotatably mounted on the cover. A plunger and ratchet mechanism mounted in the body incrementally rotate the contact cup and tabs upon successive actuations of the switch. A first terminal mounted on the cover is interruptibly in contact with one of the tabs as they are rotated by operation of the ratchet mechanism, while a second terminal mounted on the cover maintains electrical contact with the contact cup. A plurality of camming ramps formed in the cover are in intermittent communication with the tabs, first lifting them above a planar portion of the first terminal, then permitting one of them to come to rest on the planar portion of the terminal completing an electrical circuit between the first and second terminals. In another embodiment, a third terminal is mounted on the cover in a coplanar spaced apart relationship with the first terminal. Successive actuations of the switch causes the tabs to alternatively come to rest on the first and third terminals completing an electrical circuit through the switch between the second terminal and one of the first or third terminals.

Stable on switch

A miniature ratchet type push button activated electrical switch having a mainspring and an auxiliary spring wherein spring rates, spring lengths and spring orientations are selected such that a substantial depression of the push button is required before electrical continuity is broken in a closed circuit. This configuration additionally serves to reduce the amount of audible noise generated by the switch during the ratcheting operation.

Pre-loaded switching apparatus and method of operation

A dual lighted rocker switch having a printed circuit board. Bi-pin terminated bulbs and conductive terminals are connected to a printed circuit board to form a sub-assembly. The sub-assembly is placed upon a cover, which is then slid in to place in a housing. The housing has a rib that acts as a stop to inhibit movement of a rocker which would cause the switch to short directly across the terminals of an external battery. The printed circuit board and cover improve the durability of the rocker switch. The printed circuit board is provided to make the assembly of the rocker switch easier. Thus the design of the switch provides for a reduction of cost and time in production of the rocker switch.

Dual lighted rocker switch embodying a printed circuit board

An electrical switch adapted to be mounted on a gas strut assembly employed with a liftgate, for example, on an automotive vehicle. The switch is open or non-conducting when the strut is compressed and the liftgate is in the closed position. The switch is closed or conducting when the strut is extended enough to allow the liftgate to be unlatched and opened a predetermined distance as measured at the bottom of the liftgate. In one embodiment, the switch is affixed to the strut by an already existing fastener at the end of the strut that tightens the switch against a shoulder on the strut. In another embodiment, the switch fits snugly on the strut and is correctly positioned by the strut during initial assembly and actuation. Internally, the switch is provided with a pair of sleeve-like members that move longitudinally with respect to each other. One of the members has a pair of elongated contact fingers, while the other member is encircled by a metallic band. Movement slides the fingers onto and off of the band to make and break the electrical contact. The switch is completely enclosed to protect the contacts from corrosion, tarnishing and pitting due to exposure to the weather. Also, the sliding movement maintains the contacts polished.

Gas strut switch assembly

A miniature ratchet type push button activated electrical switch wherein a first electrical contact is caused to sweep across and briefly contact a second electrical contact upon depression of a push button to transmit an electrical pulse. The rotation is driven by the free expansion of a spring upon depression of the push button beyond a preselected depth, and therefore results in a pulse of uniform duration independent of how quickly the push button is depressed or how long it is held in its depressed state.

Pulse-type switching apparatus and method of operation

An electromechanical spring-loaded switch having a plunger employed for actuating a ratchet mechanism against a biasing spring for rotatively driving a contact cup, the combination utilized for providing electrical contact with a common terminal and a plurality of output load terminals, each component of the switch having a miniaturized low-profile construction for minimizing the size of the switch which includes a plurality of slots fashioned into a top body portion and a bottom cover portion for receiving a plurality of corresponding mounting clips permitting convenient mounting of the switch directly to a mounting enclosure significantly improving the utility of the switch in electrical circuits.

Compact switching apparatus and method of construction

A miniature push-button switching apparatus having a housing for enclosing a plunger and a rotating ratchet mechanism for engaging and disengaging the switching contacts, the switching apparatus having a 'momentary-on' position for temporarily engaging an electrical load in addition to a 'stable-on' switch position with the ratchet mechanism employing a helical contact spring as a switching contact, the contact spring increasing the active length of the switching contact for significantly reducing possible spring yielding problems and further exhibiting improved resiliency properties which enhance the ratchet switching mechanism and reduce the possibility of spring distortion.

Push-button switch with momentary-on feature

A slide switch assembly having a slide contact movable by a slide actuator across aligned flat blade contacts of a plurality of electrical terminals fixed in position between complemental halves of an inner housing disposed within an outer housing. The slide actuator and outer housing include complemental detents providing a tactile indication of the attainment by the slide contact of a predetermined switch position relative to the fixed blade contacts. The inner housing includes a pair of resilient, oppositely extending cantilever members engaged upon the slide actuator to bias the complemental detents together to enhance the tactile indication. The arrangement eliminates coil springs, centering balls and the like. The inner housing halves and outer housing are made of plastic material whose resilience is utilized to snap fit them together without the use of conventional fasteners.

Slide switch

An electrical switch mounting structure includes a housing for the switch, terminals on the exterior of the housing, a substrate incorporating an opening into which the housing is inserted, conductive elements on the base which contact the terminals upon insertion of the housing, and elastic mounting members which both retain the housing in the base and assure contact between the terminals and the conductive elements.

Switch construction with integral mounting clips

A rocker switch incorporating a sliding contact that provides both the detent action and high current capacity desirable in such switches. The sliding contact is in the shape of a shoe with an essentially inverted wedge shape in which the angle of the wedge is an obtuse angle with its apex pointed away from the rocker. The sliding of this shoe-like contact across electrical contacts in the bottom of the switch creates the switching action.

Growing community of inventors

El Toro, CA, United States of America

Joseph F Valenzona