US Patent 7309841 Manual reset switch cover assembly

The present invention is concerned with cover assemblies for manually resetting pressure switches used on oil and gas pipelines. The cover assembly encloses a volume of space on the pressure switch that houses a reset switch which is activated by depressing a button located on top of the reset switch. The cover assembly has a housing with a rod or plunger extending through the housing. On the exterior end of the rod is a protective cap and on the interior is a flexible rubber hemispherical bumper. A spring disposed between the cap and the exterior side of the cover housing biases the bumper away from the button on the reset switch. In operation, the cap is pushed towards the housing causing the rod or plunger to advance towards and contact the reset switch button. The bumper deforms or balloons outward upon contact with the button so as to impart sufficient force to depress the button but not so much force so as to damage or break the reset switch itself. When the cap is released, the spring moves the bumper away from the reset switch allowing the bumper to return to its original shape.