Switch mountable to a panel without additional fasteners
US5550341A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 9, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 27, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 9, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02B1/044
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A switch is specifically shaped to be retained in position within an apparatus, such as a household appliance, by inserting edges of an opening formed in the sheet material of the apparatus into first and second slots shaped into the housing of the switch. The first and second slots can be formed in opposite edge surfaces of the switch housing structure, either within the flat edges or at the corners of the housing structure. When attached to an appliance, no screws or other fasteners are necessary to rigidly attach the switch to the apparatus. The switch can be pushed into a slot formed in an edge of one panel of the apparatus and then captivated by an opening in another panel of the apparatus. Alternatively, the switch can be inserted into a larger portion of a single opening and then moved into a narrower portion of that opening. Another device can then be inserted into the larger portion of the opening to prevent inadvertent removal of the switch from its attached position within the opening.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.