Traditional-opening dimmer switch having a multi-functional button
First Claim
1. A control structure for controlling the power to be applied to an electrical system from an AC power source, said control structure comprising:
- a cover plate defining a rectangular opening therein, said rectangular opening having a length and a width;
a first rectangular depressible control button coupleable to said electrical system to turn said system on and off, said first button disposed adjacent one side of the length of said rectangular opening in said cover plate, said first button filling said length of said rectangular opening and about one-half the width of said rectangular opening in said cover plate;
a second rectangular depressible power-increase button coupleable to said electrical system to increase the power applied to said electrical system;
a third depressible rectangular power-decrease button coupleable to said electrical system to decrease the power applied to said electrical system, said second and third buttons being arranged lengthwise adjacent one another within the remaining half of the width of said rectangular opening in said cover plate and extending for said length of said rectangular opening, whereby said first, second, and third buttons fill the full area of said rectangular opening in said cover plate; and
a support frame supporting said first, second, and third buttons.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A load control device, for controlling the amount of power delivered to a electrical load from an AC power source, comprises a user interface adapted to be received in an opening of a traditional-style faceplate and providing a plurality of functionalities on a single control button. A transitory actuation of the control button controls the power delivered to the load. Pulling the control button away from the load control device actuates an air-gap switch to provide an air-gap break in the electrical connection between the source and the load. A linear array of status indicators is provided on a front surface of the control button and displays a visual representation of the amount of power being delivered to the load. A plurality of light pipes are provided inside the control button to conduct the light from a plurality of light-emitting diodes to the front surface of the control button.
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Citations
78 Claims
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1. A control structure for controlling the power to be applied to an electrical system from an AC power source, said control structure comprising:
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a cover plate defining a rectangular opening therein, said rectangular opening having a length and a width;
a first rectangular depressible control button coupleable to said electrical system to turn said system on and off, said first button disposed adjacent one side of the length of said rectangular opening in said cover plate, said first button filling said length of said rectangular opening and about one-half the width of said rectangular opening in said cover plate;
a second rectangular depressible power-increase button coupleable to said electrical system to increase the power applied to said electrical system;
a third depressible rectangular power-decrease button coupleable to said electrical system to decrease the power applied to said electrical system, said second and third buttons being arranged lengthwise adjacent one another within the remaining half of the width of said rectangular opening in said cover plate and extending for said length of said rectangular opening, whereby said first, second, and third buttons fill the full area of said rectangular opening in said cover plate; and
a support frame supporting said first, second, and third buttons. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A control structure for controlling the power to be applied to an electrical system, said control structure comprising:
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a cover plate which contains a rectangular opening therein;
a support frame supporting a rectangular control button which is coupleable to said electrical system and manually movable for toggling said electrical system on and off in response to operation of said rectangular control button;
a power control actuator fixed relative to said cover plate and coupleable to and manually operable to control the power applied to said electrical system; and
a linear illumination array disposed along the center of the surface of said rectangular control button and electrically energized from said electrical system to produce a visual output along its length which is related to the amount of power transmitted to said electrical system in response to an actuation of said power control actuator. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A control button for controlling a variable output power system and for indicating a power level of said power system, said control button comprising:
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a rectangular front operating surface which is operable by a user;
an elongated hollow light-conducting body;
a central elongated illumination display in said rectangular front surface, said central elongated illumination display bisecting the surface thereof;
wherein said control button is coupleable to said electrical system for switching said electrical system on and off responsive to operations thereof, and said illumination display is illuminated at given locations along the length thereof to display the scale value of the actual power level of said power system. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A load control device for controlling and indicating the amount of power delivered to a load from a source of AC power, said load control device comprising:
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an actuator having a front surface operable by a user; and
a linear array of power level status indicators located on said front surface of said actuator and coupleable to said load to indicate the amount of power delivered to said load;
wherein said load control device is operable to control and indicate to said user the amount of power delivered to said load in response to an actuation of said actuator. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A control structure for controlling the power to be applied to an electrical system, said control structure comprising:
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a cover plate which contains a rectangular opening therein, said rectangular opening having a length and a width;
a first rectangular depressible control button coupled to said electrical system to turn said system on and off, said first button disposed adjacent one side of the length of said rectangular opening in said cover plate, said first button filling said length of said rectangular opening and about one half the width of said rectangular opening in said cover plate;
a second rectangular depressible power-increase button coupled to said electrical system to increase the power applied to said electrical system;
a third depressible rectangular power-decrease button coupled to said electrical system to decrease the power applied to said electrical system, said second and third buttons being stacked atop one another within the remaining half of the width said rectangular opening in said cover plate and extending for said length of said rectangular opening, whereby said first, second and third buttons fill the full surface of said rectangular opening in said cover plate;
a support frame supporting said first, second, and third buttons;
an air-gap switch connected in series with said electrical system; and
an operating mechanism connected between said air-gap switch and said first button, said operating mechanism including a centrally pivoted lever having a first end coupled to said air-gap switch and a second end connected to said first button, whereby the pressing in of said first button toward said cover plate closes said air-gap switch and the pulling out of said first button away from said cover plate opens said air-gap switch. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. An operating mechanism for an air-gap switch in a wall-mounted load control device for controlling the power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load, said air-gap switch adapted to be coupled in series between said AC power source and said electrical load, said air-gap switch comprising a flexible switch leaf contact movable into and out of engagement with a cooperating contact and biased toward engagement with said cooperating contact, said operating mechanism comprising:
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a push-pull button slidably mounted in a support and extending beyond an outer surface of said load control device, said push-pull button operable to be pressed inward or pulled outward by a user;
a centrally pivoted lever having a first end coupled to said push-pull button and a second end; and
a cam connected to said second end of said lever, said cam being movable to separate said leaf spring contact from its said cooperating contact when push-pull button is pulled out by said user and to permit said leaf spring contact to press into contact with said cooperating contact when said push-pull button is pushed in by said user. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A control structure for an electrical circuit for controlling the power to be applied to an electrical system from an AC power source, said control structure comprising:
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a toggle button having a rectangular hollow plastic body with a translucent outer top surface;
a support structure for supporting said toggle button for linear motion between first and second positions related to switch on and switch off positions;
a light pipe structure supported within said hollow plastic body of said toggle button, said light pipe structure having a first end surface facing the interior surface of said translucent outer top surface and a second end surface opposite to said first end surface;
at least one light-emitting diode facing said second end surface for illuminating said second end surface whereby the light illumination on said second end surface is conducted to said first end surface to illuminate said translucent outer top surface; and
a circuit for energizing said at least one light-emitting diode when said electrical circuit is off. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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50. A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, said load control device comprising:
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a controllably conductive device operable to be coupled in series electrical connection between said AC power source and said electrical load, said controllably conductive device having a control input for controlling said controllably conductive device between a non-conductive state and a conductive state;
an air-gap switch coupled in series electrical connection with said controllably conductive device, said air-gap switch operable to electrically connect said AC power source and said electrical load through said controllably conductive device when said air-gap switch is in a closed state and operable to provide an air-gap break between said AC power source and said electrical load when said air-gap switch is in an open state;
a controller operatively coupled to said control input of said controllably conductive device for controlling said controllably conductive device between said non-conductive state and said conductive state;
a control actuator adapted to be provided in an opening of a traditional-style faceplate and to extend beyond a front surface of said faceplate, said controller operable to control the amount of power delivered to said electrical load in response to an actuation of said control actuator, said control actuator further coupled to said air-gap switch to control said air-gap switch between said closed state and said open state; and
a visual display provided on a front surface of said actuator, said controller operable to control said visual display to display a representation of the amount of power being delivered to said electrical load. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, said load control device comprising:
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an actuator having a front surface and adapted to be provided in an opening of a traditional-style faceplate; and
a linear array of status indicators located on said front surface of said actuator;
wherein said load control device is operable to control the amount of power delivered to said load in response to an actuation of said actuator. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67)
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68. A light pipe structure for conducting light from a plurality of discrete sources, said light pipe structure comprising:
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a continuous front surface;
a plurality of light pipes coupled to said continuous front surface, such that said light pipes are each operable to conduct the light from one of said discrete sources to the front surface;
wherein the light pipe structure provides optical coupling between said light pipes to provide a diffusion of the light from said discrete sources at said front surface. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. An air-gap switch assembly comprising:
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first and second switch contacts electrically connected in a closed state;
an air-gap shaft operable to move along a first axis of travel, said shaft operable to cause said air-gap switch to enter an open state in which said switch contacts are not electrically connected; and
an air-gap actuator operable to move along a second axis of travel, which is displaced in an orthogonal direction from said first axis of travel, the air-gap shaft coupled to said actuator such that said air-gap shaft is operable to move along said first axis of travel when the actuator is moved along said second axis of travel. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76, 77)
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78. A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source, said load control device comprising:
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a controllably conductive device operable to be coupled in series electrical connection between said AC power source and the electrical load, said controllably conductive device having a control input for controlling said controllably conductive device between a non-conductive state and a conductive state;
an air-gap switch coupled in series electrical connection with said controllably conductive device and operable to be coupled in series electrical connection between said AC power source and said electrical load, said air-gap switch operable to electrically connect said AC power source and said electrical load through said controllably conductive device when said air-gap switch is in a closed state and operable to provide an air-gap break between said AC power source and said electrical load when said air-gap switch is in an open state;
a controller operatively coupled to said control input of said controllably conductive device for controlling said controllably conductive device between said non-conductive state and said conductive state; and
a control actuator adapted to be provided in an opening of a traditional-style faceplate and to extend beyond a front surface of said faceplate, said controller operable to control the amount of power delivered to said electrical load in response to a first actuation of said control actuator, said control actuator further coupled to said air-gap switch to control said air-gap switch between said closed state and said open state in response to a second actuation of said control actuator, said second actuation characterized by a greater force and a greater displacement of said control actuator than said first actuation.
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Specification