Patent ID: 8907233

Claim:
An electrical switch comprising: an electrical conductor having two ends, a switch body having upper and lower body parts assembled together, a plurality of actuators in the upper body part, a plurality of individual switch terminals located on the lower body part, each individual switch terminal having a respective contact part in the switch body, a common switch terminal located on the lower body part, the common switch terminal comprising a contact portion located in the switch body, and a plurality of cam sliders extending side-by-side in the switch body, between the actuators and the contact parts of the individual switch terminals, for sliding by the actuators to move the contact parts of at least some of the individual switch terminals into contact with and out of contact with the contact portion of the common switch terminal for switching operations, wherein the contact portion of the common switch terminal extends across the contact parts of the at least some of the individual switch terminals for contact by the contact portion of the common switch terminal, the contact portion is sandwiched by and between the upper and lower body parts, two of the individual switch terminals are located along a first edge of the switch body, each of the two individual switch terminals has a part accessible on at the first edge of the switch body, wherein the part of each of the two individual switch terminals comprises an aperture into which one of the ends of the conductor is inserted to make electrical contact with the respective individual switch terminal, and the part of each of the two individual switch terminals includes a self-gripping device about the aperture, the self-gripping device automatically gripping the respective end of the conductor upon insertion of the conductor into the aperture and resisting withdrawal of the respective end of the conductor from the aperture, and the ends of the conductor are respectively inserted into the two individual switch terminals and are in electrical contact with the two individual switch terminals, thereby short-circuiting the two individual switch terminals to each other.