User interface for controlling a bathroom plumbing fixture
First Claim
1. A user interface which produces electrical signals for controlling a plumbing fixture, said user interface comprising:
- a selector having a selector ring positioned to rotate around the pedestal and containing an annular arrangement of a plurality of permanent magnets, and having a Hall effect sensor located adjacent the selector ring and producing an electrical signal in response to motion of the plurality of permanent magnets;
a body of magnetic material mounted to the faceplate and to which at least one the plurality of permanent magnets is attracted to aid in retaining the selector ring around the pedestal; and
a plurality of switches each responding to a user pressing a different portion of the faceplate;
an enclosure having a faceplate with a surface that forms an exterior surface of the user interface and having a pedestal shaped as a cylinder that has a first end abutting and fixedly attached to the exterior surface and a closed second end spaced outwardly from the exterior surface, wherein the cylinder forms an exterior projection of the enclosure;
a display for presenting information to a user of the plumbing fixture, wherein the display is visible through the exterior surface of the faceplate;
a selector having a selector ring positioned to rotate around the pedestal and containing an annular arrangement of a plurality of permanent magnets, and having a Hall effect sensor located adjacent the selector ring and producing an electrical signal in response to motion of the plurality of permanent magnets;
a body of magnetic material mounted to the faceplate and to which at least one of the plurality of permanent magnets is attracted to aid in retaining the selector ring around the pedestal; and
a plurality of switches each responding to a user pressing a different portion of the faceplate.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A plumbing fixture is operated by a user interface that has an enclosure with a faceplate from which a pedestal seamlessly projects outward. An alphanumeric display is visible through the faceplate and a plurality of switches respond to the user pressing different portions of the faceplate. A selector includes a selector ring that has a plurality of permanent magnets and which is positioned to rotate around the pedestal. A Hall effect sensor of the selector is located adjacent the selector ring and produces an electrical signal in response to motion of the permanent magnets. The user interface also enables the selection of a plurality of predefined operating configurations for the plumbing fixture. An optional wireless remote control may be provided by which the user can activate and deactivate the plumbing fixture and select from among the predefined operating configurations.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A user interface which produces electrical signals for controlling a plumbing fixture, said user interface comprising:
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a selector having a selector ring positioned to rotate around the pedestal and containing an annular arrangement of a plurality of permanent magnets, and having a Hall effect sensor located adjacent the selector ring and producing an electrical signal in response to motion of the plurality of permanent magnets; a body of magnetic material mounted to the faceplate and to which at least one the plurality of permanent magnets is attracted to aid in retaining the selector ring around the pedestal; and a plurality of switches each responding to a user pressing a different portion of the faceplate; an enclosure having a faceplate with a surface that forms an exterior surface of the user interface and having a pedestal shaped as a cylinder that has a first end abutting and fixedly attached to the exterior surface and a closed second end spaced outwardly from the exterior surface, wherein the cylinder forms an exterior projection of the enclosure; a display for presenting information to a user of the plumbing fixture, wherein the display is visible through the exterior surface of the faceplate; a selector having a selector ring positioned to rotate around the pedestal and containing an annular arrangement of a plurality of permanent magnets, and having a Hall effect sensor located adjacent the selector ring and producing an electrical signal in response to motion of the plurality of permanent magnets; a body of magnetic material mounted to the faceplate and to which at least one of the plurality of permanent magnets is attracted to aid in retaining the selector ring around the pedestal; and a plurality of switches each responding to a user pressing a different portion of the faceplate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A user interface which produces electrical signals for controlling a plumbing fixture, said user interface comprising:
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an enclosure having a faceplate with a surface that forms an exterior surface of the user interface and having a pedestal shaped as a cylinder that has a first end abutting and fixedly attached to the exterior surface and a closed second end spaced outwardly from the exterior surface, wherein the cylinder forms an exterior projection of the enclosure; a display for presenting information to a user of the plumbing fixture, wherein the display is visible through the exterior surface of the faceplate; a selector having a selector ring positioned to rotate around the pedestal and containing an annular arrangement of a plurality of permanent magnets, each of the plurality of permanent magnets comprises a head with a shaft extending therefrom, and the selector ring comprises an annular magnet retainer with a plurality of apertures within each of which the shaft of one of the plurality of permanent magnets is received, and an annular shell having a bore with an internal shoulder, wherein the magnet retainer is secured in the bore with the head of each of the plurality of permanent magnets captivated between the annular magnet retainer and the internal shoulder, and the selector further having a Hall effect sensor located adjacent the selector ring and producing an electrical signal in response to motion of the plurality of permanent magnets; and a plurality of switches each responding to a user pressing a different portion of the faceplate.
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13. A user interface which produces electrical signals for controlling a plumbing fixture, said user interface comprising:
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an enclosure having a faceplate with an exterior surface for viewing by users of the plumbing fixture and having a pedestal shaped as a cylinder that has a first end abutting and affixed to the exterior surface in a watertight manner and projecting outward from the exterior surface to a closed end, wherein the cylinder forms an exterior projection of the enclosure; a display for alphanumeric characters and a cursor, wherein the display is visible through the exterior surface of the faceplate; a rotatable selector coupled to the faceplate for moving the cursor on the display and comprising a selector ring rotatably positioned around the pedestal and containing a plurality of permanent magnets arranged annularly, and a Hall effect sensor located stationary adjacent the selector ring and producing an electrical signal in response to motion of the selector ring; a body of magnetic material mounted to the faceplate adjacent the pedestal and to which the plurality of permanent magnets is attracted to aid in retaining the selector ring around the pedestal; a plurality of switches each responding to a user pressing a different portion of the faceplate, wherein one of the plurality of switches functions to select an item on the display that is designated by the cursor, and another of the plurality of switches functions to select one of a plurality of preset operating configurations for the plumbing fixture; and a wireless remote control comprising a first switch for activating and deactivating the plumbing fixture, a second switch for selecting one of the plurality of preset operating configurations, and a visual indicator designating each of the plurality of preset operating configurations. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification