The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 19, 1995
Filed:
Jun. 21, 1994
William M Brown, Brighton, MI (US);
Kenneth A Eklov, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
Ranjit D Wickremasinghe, Dearborn Heights, MI (US);
Micro Craft, Inc., Novi, MI (US);
Abstract
A gravity-actuated switch having a switch module with a switch housing and a lid. An electrically conductive pendulum is pivotally secured to the lid via a pivot pin so that the pendulum hangs within the housing and pivots with respect to the housing under the influence of gravity. A first electrical contact connectable to a power source abuts the pivot pin, which is electrically conductive. A second electrical contact is provided within the housing in a predetermined position such that the pendulum makes contact with it when the switch module is tilted by a predetermined amount. When the pendulum makes contact with the second electrical contact, a short circuit is provided across the pair of contacts, thus closing the switch. The switch is incorporated in a lamp assembly provided on the underside of the hood or trunk lid of an automobile to selectively provide power to a lamp so that the lamp is illuminated only when the hood or trunk lid is opened by at least a predetermined amount. A switch composed of a pivoting magnet and a magnetic switch can be used instead of the combination of the conductive pendulum and the curved electrical contact.