Electrical connectors are commonly used in electrical circuits to connect different circuit components without the necessity for soldering those components together. As an example, switches are often inserted into electrical circuits by means of electrical connectors which engage the switch and allow the switch to control operation of an electrical circuit.
A typical switch has contacts that are either normally open or normally closed. For a normally closed switch, unless user actuation of the switch causes the switch contacts to open, an electrical circuit is made through the switch. Choice of a normally closed switch may be desirable in certain instances in which it is necessary that the switch maintain electrical engagement normally and only open the circuit under certain conditions such as user actuation of the switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,212 which issued to Murphy on Aug. 4, 1970 discloses a switch receptacle or connector having a mechanism for accommodating a dimmer switch in addition to a more traditional on/off switch for a light fixture. When the dimmer switch is withdrawn from the receptacle of Murphy, the circuit short circuits the dimmer control contacts and allows the switch to operate in a traditional on/off mode. When the portable dimmer unit is inserted into the receptacle, however, the shorting elements of the receptacle are spread apart by the dimmer switch and control can be achieved by adjusting the dimmer switch. This is an instance in which once the dimmer control is removed, it is desirable that the switch contacts be shorted together to allow the circuit to operate in a conventional on/off mode.
An additional example of a shorting connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,135 to Tsuge which issued Nov. 9, 1982. The '135 patent shows a receptacle having normally shorted together contacts which are opened by insertion of a corresponding mating socket. More specifically, signal carrying leads are grounded when the mating connector is removed. The connector disclosed in the '135 patent is for use in a vehicle restraint system.
In both the aforementioned prior art patents, the shorting element of the connector serves as part of the electrical circuit during normal circuit operation. Stated another way, the shorting connector of the receptacle engages the contact of the mating socket and in the absence of the socket, the shorting connector is biased to a particular position.