Contact device for engaging vibratory member

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A VIBRATILE REED ELEMENT MOUNTED TO EXECUTE VIBRATORY MOTION BETWEEN OPPOSITE EXTREMES DISPOSED ALONG A REPEATED PATH, A CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR ENGAGING SAID REED ELEMENT ADJACENT ONE EXTREME OF SAID VIBRATORY MOTION, SAID CONTACT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RESILIENT CONTACT ELEMENT, SUPPORT MEANS FIXEDLY SUPPORTING ONE END OF SAID CONTACT ELEMENT, SAID CONTACT ELEMENT PROJECTING FROM SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND TERMINATING AT ITS OUTER END WITH A CONTACT PORTION DISPOSED IN SAID PATH ADJACENT SAID ONE EXTREME FOR ENGAGING SAID REED UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID REED TOWARD SAID ONE EXTREME, BIAS MEANS SUPPORTED FIXEDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND HAVING AN ABUTMENT PORTION CONTACTING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID CONTACT ELEMENT AND PROJECTING INTO THE POSITION WHICH WOULD NORMALLY BE OCCUPIED BY SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTIN IN THE RELAXED STATE OF SAID CONTACT ELEMENT, WHEREBY SAID CONTACT ELEMENT IS DISPLACED FROM ITS RELAXED STATE AND THEREBY STRESSED, THE DIRECTION OF DISPLACEMENT OF SAID CONTACT ELEMENT BEING IN THE DIRECTION SAID REED TRAVELS IN MOVING TOWARD SAID ONE EXTREME FROM ITS OTHER EXTREME, WHEREBY SAID REED, UPON ENGAGING SAID CONTACT PORTION ADJACENT SAID ONE EXTREME, EXERTS A PRESSURE ON SAID CONTACT PORTION TENDING TO MOVE SAID CONTACT ELEMENT AWAY FROM SAID ABUTMENT AND TO FURTHER STRESS SAID CONTACT ELEMENT.