Patent ID: 7504747

Claim:
A mechanically operated, one-part safety switch for reliably switching off a dangerous device, the safety switch comprising: a housing having a receptacle, a mechanically operated actuator movably mounted in the receptacle between a first position and at least one second position, the actuator being located in the receptacle in both the first position and the at least one second position, a detector arranged in the housing for detecting the actuator in at least one of said first and second positions, the detector comprising a transponder having an individual transponder identification and a reading unit for wirelessly reading the transponder identification via electromagnetic signals, and a first shielding element for selectively shielding communication of the electromagnetic signals between the transponder and the reading unit, wherein at least one of the first shielding element, the transponder and the reading unit is movable as a function of the actuator, and wherein the transponder and the reading unit are arranged relative to one another in such a way that the reading unit is capable of reading the transponder in the first position but not in the second position.