Electricity: conductors and insulators – Boxes and housings – With electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-01
2001-11-06
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Boxes and housings
With electrical device
C174S050000, C220S003800, C439S538000, C033S528000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06313404
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a box structure for electric switches, and especially to such a box structure wherein the parts thereof can be separately produced and assembled or changed for new ones.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional electric switch structure is as shown in
FIG. 1
, in selling, the parts thereof are all sealed and packed in the body of the electric switch structure, only with a push button and a plurality of electric conductive pieces B of an internal electric circuit board exposed to the exterior of its body A. When the switch structure is mounted in a switch receiving seat, the conductive pieces B are connected to a given electric wire, turning on/off of the switch structure is controlled by pressing the push button. In general assembling, the body A of the switch is assembled and secured in a switch receiving seat
4
(referring to FIG.
4
), wherein, the body A of the switch is provided on the mutually opposite lateral sides thereof each with a pair of elastic engaging pieces A
1
tilting outwardly which are formed integrally on each side of the body A of the switch. The upper ends of the engaging pieces A
1
are formed each an engaging lobe A
11
in the shape of “>”, so that when the body A of the switch is put in the switch receiving seat
4
(referring to FIG.
4
), the lower end with a smaller size of the body A of the switch can be smoothly put in, thereby the tilting engaging pieces A
1
can also be put in. The engaging lobes A
11
will be pressed to contract elastically, until the engaging lobes A
11
on the upper ends of the engaging pieces A
1
pass through the opening
41
of the switch receiving seat
4
(referring to FIG.
4
). Then the engaging lobes A
11
spring apart to grasp the peripheral edges of the opening
41
for securing. If there is no switch receiving seat
4
, the body A of the switch can be directly placed in a hole in a wall panel
5
(referring to
FIG. 5
) to render the engaging lobes A
11
of the engaging pieces A
1
to grasp the inner wall of the hole (referring to FIG.
5
), or the bottom periphery of all the sides of the body A of the switch is adhered to or locked on the surface of the wall panel
5
for securing.
However, the conventional electric switch structure has at least the following defects:
1. The engaging pieces are integrally formed with the body of the switch, hence material for them shall be identical, however, the engaging pieces provide elastic compression and stretching functions for grasping, they are subjected to breakage after multiple pressing actions. Once an engaging piece is broken, the switch must be wholly changed. This is wasteful in concerning money.
2. The parts are all sealed and packed in the body of the switch, damage of any part will be considered as damage of the whole assembly which allows no normal operation. Because the parts can not be detached individually for examination and change, the whole assembly shall be changed.
3. Except the waste of money which is also a waste of resource, the above stated two situations make burdens for the natural environment, and thereby do not meet the requirement of the environmental protection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an improvement in a box structure for electric switches, an object of the present invention is to provide a box structure for electric switches of which the body of the switch and the engaging pieces thereof can be separately produced and assembled, the engaging pieces can be made of material with better resiliency and tenacity, so that the whole box structure can have larger engaging strength.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a box structure for electric switches; wherein, the body of the switch, the cover and the engaging pieces are all separately produced and assembled. If some parts are damaged during assembling and disassembling, they can be changed individually, and waste can be avoided. This meets the requirement of economy.
The third object of the present invention is to provide a box structure for electric switches; wherein, the body of the switch has an assembling opening to allow assembling of the related parts in the body; the opening then is fixedly covered with a cover. When any part is damaged, it can be detached for examination and changing, it is no necessity to change the whole switch, hence money can be saved, and the requirement of the environmental protection is satisfied.
Based on the above statement, the box structure for electric switches of the present invention is provided with an assembling opening to allow assembling of the requisite parts for the switch in the body, and two engaging grooves are provided respectively on the two external lateral sides of the body, the engaging grooves cooperate with engaging portions provided on two engaging pieces having engaging lobes integrally connected therewith. The engaging pieces are made of material with better resiliency than that for the body of the switch. The engaging lobes have beveled surfaces that are coarse knurled grasping surfaces in order to make firm connection after the box structure is connected with a switch receiving seat.
The present invention will be apparent in its features, objects as well as functions after reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof in reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5491902 (1996-02-01), Uhrin et al.
patent: 5693909 (1997-12-01), McEwen
patent: 5823821 (1998-10-01), Tohanczyn, Jr.
patent: 5833110 (1998-11-01), Chandler et al.
patent: 5912445 (1999-06-01), Takedomi
patent: 6051785 (2000-04-01), Baldwin et al.
patent: 6201187 (2001-03-01), Burbine
patent: 6223445 (2001-05-01), Schuette, Jr. et al.
patent: 2230146 (1990-10-01), None
patent: 0264514 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 406225428 (1994-08-01), None
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Patel Dhiru R
Reichard Dean A.
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