GARAGE DOOR OPENER TRANSMITTER WITH STATUS REPORTING

• US 20100245040A1
• Filed: 03/03/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zacaabel, LLC
• Original Assignee: Zacaabel, LLC
• Inventors: Greves, Kenneth J.
• Application Number:
  US12/716,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.710
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/668 for overhead wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/354 End positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/51 of position, of back drive
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/80 User interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/822 Light emitters, e.g. light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/538 Interior lids

Abstract

An improved garage door opener transmitter has a housing with a manually actuable member outside the housing. The transmitter actuating circuitry disposed in the housing. The transmitter circuit is adapted to send a signal to a receiver of a garage mounted opener unit to move a garage door having an open position and a closed position from a current position thereof to the other position. The improvement is a visually-observable indicium having first and second conditions. The indicium is connected to the actuable member and actuation thereof toggles the indicium from a current position thereof to the other position. In some embodiments, a non-visual indicium is also used.

Claims

1. An improved garage door opener transmitter having a housing with a manually actuable member that is accessible from outside the housing for actuating a transmitter circuitry disposed within the housing, the transmitter circuit adapted to send a signal to a receiver of a garage mounted opener unit to move a garage door having an open position and a closed position from a current position thereof to the other position, the improvement comprising:

a visually-observable indicium, disposed on the housing, the indicium having a first and a second condition and being connected to the actuable member, such that each actuation of the member toggles the indicium from a current position thereof to the other position.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:

an indicidum that is not visually observable.

3. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein:

the non-visually observable indicium is a vibrator.

4. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein:

the non-visually observable indicium is an audible notification.

5. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the visually-observable indicium comprises a back-lit liquid crystal display.

13. The transmitter of claim 5, further comprising:

a status button, electrically communicated to the back-lit liquid crystal display, and causing a temporary display of the current condition when actuated.

15. The transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:

a toggle button, in communication with the visually-observable indicium, causing the indicium to switch from the current position thereof to the other position, without actuation of the manually-actuable member.

6. An improved garage door opener transmitter having a housing with a manually actuable member that is accessible from outside the housing for actuating a transmitter circuitry disposed within the housing, the transmitter circuit adapted to send a signal to a receiver of a garage mounted opener unit to move a garage door having an open position and a closed position from a current position thereof to the other position, the improvement comprising:

a signal receiving means; and

a visually-observable indicium, disposed on the housing, the indicium having a first and a second condition, the indicium in electrical communication with the signal receiving means such that, the signal receiving means toggles the indicium from a current position thereof to the other position upon receiving a signal.

7. The transmitter of claim 6, further comprising:

an indicidum that is not visually observable.

8. The transmitter of claim 7, wherein:

the non-visually observable indicium is a vibrator.

9. The transmitter of claim 7, wherein:

the non-visually observable indicium is an audible notification.

10. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein:

the signal receiving means receives a first and a second signal, the first signal corresponding to the first condition of the visually-observable indicium and the second signal corresponding to the second condition of the visually-observable indicium.

11. The transmitter of claim 10, wherein:

receipt of the first signal by the signal receiving means toggles the visually-observable indicium to the first condition and receipt of the second signal by the signal receiving means toggles the visually-observable indicium to the second condition.

12. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein:

the first condition corresponds to the garage door being open and the second condition corresponds to the garage door being closed.

14. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein:

the signal receiving means comprises a radio-frequency receiver.

16. The transmitter of claim 6, further comprising:

a toggle button, in communication with the visually-observable indicium, causing the indicium to switch from the current position thereof to the other position, without receiving a signal from the signal-receiving means.