Patent ID: 7642884

Claim:
A relay comprising: at least first and second support members; at least one first contact carried by one of the support members; a bi-stable armature forming a first bearing surface and carried by one of the support members for movement between first and second stable positions when force is applied to the first bearing surface; at least one second contact operatively positioned with respect to the armature and one of open and closed with respect to the at least one first contact when the armature is in the first position wherein, where the second contact is open with respect to the first contact when the armature is in the first position, the second contact is closed with respect to the first contact when the armature is in the second position and wherein, where the second contact is closed with respect to the first contact when the armature is in the first position, the second contact is open with respect to the first contact when the armature is in the second position; an operator forming a second bearing surface and carried by one of the support members for movement between an activated position and a deactivated position; and a push arm separate from the operator and forming a distal end and a push surface, the push arm carried by one of the support members, each of the distal end and the push surface proximate one or the other of the first and second bearing surfaces; wherein, one of the distal end and the push surface engages one of the first and second bearing surfaces and the other of the distal end and the push surface engages the other of the first and second bearing surfaces when the armature is in the second position and the operator is moved from the deactivated position toward the activated position thereby applying force to the first bearing surface, the distal end disengaging the one of the first and second bearing surfaces when the armature has moved to the first position.