Push button switches having improved carriage, contactor and contact

Abstract

A push button switch comprising a noncircular push button, a casing having a noncircular guide opening for the push button, a push button return spring, a carriage member projecting in one lateral direction from the push button and carrying a contactor facing in a transverse lateral direction and selectively engageable with contact means, a contactor spring acting in the transverse lateral direction between the carriage and the contactor and tending to cause twisting rotation of the push button, the noncircular push button and its noncircular opening tending to stabilize the push button against such twisting rotation, and an additional stabilizing member slidably backing up the carriage for taking up the force of the contactor spring and preventing such twisting rotation of the push button. The additional stabilizer member may be a slide rail on the casing or a flange on a second parallel push button, which may have a second carriage slidably backed up by a slide rail on the casing. The additional stabilizing member may also be an additional carriage on a second push button. The additional carriage may carry a conical contactor engageable with a pair of contact flanges. A spring may be provided between the conical contactor and the additional carriage to provide for overtravel of the second push button after the conical contactor engages the contact flanges.