Energy saving control circuit for a light switch and a method therefor
First Claim
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1. An energy saving control circuit for controlling the operation of an electric light, said control circuit comprising:
- (A) a switch; and
(B) control means responsive to the actuation of said switch for selectively operating said light in a first timed mode in which said light is turned on for a first predetermined time period and an untimed mode in which said light is turned on for an indefinite time period, said control means;
(1) operating said light in said first timed mode when said switch is actuated in a first manner;
(2) operating said light in said untimed mode when said switch is actuated in a second manner, different than said first manner; and
(3) operating said light in said untimed mode only if said switch is first actuated in said first manner so as to initiate said first timed mode and said switch is thereafter actuated in said second manner during a predetermined time window defining a portion of said first predetermined time period.
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Abstract
An energy saving light switch is disclosed. The light switch includes a human actuable switch and a control circuit responsive thereto. The control circuit operates a light in a first timed mode in which the light is turned on for a predetermined period of time responsive to an initial actuation of the switch and operates the light in a second untimed mode in which the light is turned on for an indefinite period of time responsive to the actuation of the switch during a predetermined time window forming part of the predetermined time period.
58 Citations
90 Claims
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1. An energy saving control circuit for controlling the operation of an electric light, said control circuit comprising:
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(A) a switch; and (B) control means responsive to the actuation of said switch for selectively operating said light in a first timed mode in which said light is turned on for a first predetermined time period and an untimed mode in which said light is turned on for an indefinite time period, said control means; (1) operating said light in said first timed mode when said switch is actuated in a first manner; (2) operating said light in said untimed mode when said switch is actuated in a second manner, different than said first manner; and (3) operating said light in said untimed mode only if said switch is first actuated in said first manner so as to initiate said first timed mode and said switch is thereafter actuated in said second manner during a predetermined time window defining a portion of said first predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An energy saving light switch for controlling the operation of an electric light, said switch comprising:
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(A) a human actuable switch; (B) a control circuit for operating said light in a timed mode when said switch is turned on for a predetermined time period in response to the actuation of said switch, said control circuit; (1) initiating said timed mode responsive to an initial actuation of said switch; and (2) reinitiating said timed mode responsive to a subsequent actuation of said switch only if said subsequent actuation occurs during a predetermined time window forming a part of said predetermined time period.
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29. An energy saving control circuit for controlling the operation of an electric light, said control circuit comprising:
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(A) a switch; and (B) control means responsive to the actuation of said switch means for selectively operating said light in a first timed mode in which said light is turned on for a first predetermined time period, a second timed mode in which said light is turned on for an second predetermined time period, substantially shorter than said first predetermined time period, and a third timed mode in which said light is turned on for a third predetermined time period which is substantially greater than said first predetermined time period, said control means; (1) operating said light in said first timed mode when said switch is actuated in a first manner; (2) operating said light in said second timed mode when said switch means is actuated in a second manner, different than said first manner; (3) operating said light in said third timed mode when said switch means is actuated in a third manner different than said first and second manners; and (4) operating said light in said third mode only if said switch means is first actuated in said first manner so as to initiate said first timed mode and said switch means is thereafter actuated in said second manner during a predetermined time window defining a portion of said first predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. An energy saving control circuit for controlling the operation of an electric light, said control circuit comprising:
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(A) a first switch; (B) a second switch; and (C) control means responsive to the actuation of said first and second switches for selectively operating said light in a first timed mode in which said light is turned on for a first predetermined time period, a second timed mode in which said light is turned on for a second predetermined time period, substantially shorter than said first predetermined time period, and a third timed mode in which said light is turned on for a third predetermined time period which is substantially greater than said first predetermined time period, said control means; (1) operating said light in said first timed mode when said first switch is actuated in a first manner; (2) operating said light in said second timed mode when said second switch is actuated; and (3) operating said light in said third timed mode when said first switch is actuated in a second manner different that said first manner. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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50. An energy saving light switch for controlling the operation of an electric light, said switch comprising:
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(A) a human actuable switch; (B) a control circuit responsive to the actuation of said human actuable switch for selectively operating said light in a first timed mode in which said light is turned on for a predetermined time period and a second untimed mode in which said light is turned on for an indefinite period of time, said control circuit; (1) operating said light in said first timed mode responsive to an initial actuation of said human actuable switch; and (2) operating said light in said second untimed mode responsive to an actuation of said human actuable switch during a predetermined time window forming part of said predetermined time period, said time window being located near the end of said predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A method for controlling the operation of an electrical light, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating said light in a first timed mode in which said light is turned on for a predetermined time period responsive to an initial actuation of a human actuable switch; and (2) operating said switch in a second untimed mode in which said light is turned on for an indefinite period of time responsive to the actuation of said human actuable switch during a predetermined time window forming part of said predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A method for controlling the operation of an electric light, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating said light in a first timed mode wherein said light is turned on for a first predetermined time period responsive to the actuation of a human actuable switch in a first manner; (2) operating said light in an untimed mode in which said light is turned on for an indefinite time period responsive to the actuation of said human actuable switch in a second manner, different than said first manner;
operating said light in said untimed mode being effective only if said switch is first actuated in said first manner so as to initiate said first timed mode, said switch being thereafter actuated in said second manner during a predetermined time window defining a portion of said first predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84. A method for controlling the operation of an electric light, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating said light in a first timed mode wherein said light is turned on for a first predetermined time period when a human actuable switch is actuated in a first manner; (2) operating said light in a second timed mode in which said light is turned on for a second predetermined time period, substantially longer than said first predetermined time period, when said switch is actuated in a second manner, different than said first manner; (3) operating said light in an untimed mode in which said light is turned on for an indefinite time when said switch is actuated in a third manner, different than said first and second manners;
operation of said light in said untimed mode being effective only if said switch is first actuated in said first or second manners so as to initiate said first or second timed modes, said switch being thereafter actuated in said third manner during a predetermined time window defining a portion of said first or second predetermined time periods. - View Dependent Claims (85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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Specification