Patent ID: 8569641

Claim:
An environmentally protected switch for activating a signalling device powered by a first battery and adapted for use with a conductive fluid, the switch comprising: a housing comprising an open end; and an elongate probe member received within said housing along a longitudinal axis thereof, said member comprising a first conductive tip portion and a second conductive portion adjacent said first conductive tip portion along a length of said member, said first conductive tip portion and said second conductive portion coupled to the signalling device for providing an electrical path connecting the first battery and the signalling device, said first conductive tip portion of said probe member substantially flush with said open end; wherein upon submersion of the switch into the conductive fluid and agitation of the switch to break a surface tension at an interface between the conductive fluid and said open end, the fluid penetrates said housing, the conductive fluid electrically interconnecting said first conductive tip portion and said second conductive portion to enable an electrical current to flow between said first conductive tip portion and a second conductive portion for closing said electrical path and activating the signalling device.