Patent ID: 8872046

Claim:
A method of creating a switch to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of a device, comprising: providing a hollow body defining an interior cavity; disposing a switching element movably within the interior cavity, the switching element having: a longitudinal switching axis disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device and defining: a switch-making position at a first longitudinal position along the switching axis; and a switch-breaking position at a second longitudinal position along the switching axis, the second longitudinal position being different from the first longitudinal position; and a biasing element; coupling an electrically-conductive contact to the switching element to define: a switch-making state when the switching element is in the switch-making position; and a switch-braking state when the switching element is in the switch-braking position; and imparting a variable longitudinal bias to the switching element with the biasing element to place the switching element in one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position until an external force imparted to the switching element along the switching axis exceeds the longitudinal bias thereby causing the switching element to move to the other one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position.