Radio control for a portable communication device

A portable communication device, comprising:

• a housing;
• an electrical rotary switch with a shaft extending therefrom located internal to the housing, the shaft providing a primary axis of rotation;
• a non-orthogonal control top with a primary user interface surface coupled to the housing, the non-orthogonal control top being non-orthogonal relative to the primary axis of rotation of the shaft;
• a plurality of user interface controls disposed on the non-orthogonal control top, at least one of the user interface controls comprising a thumb button actuator;
• the electrical rotary switch being rotatable about the primary orthogonal axis of rotation via the shaft;
• a rotary lever located internally to the non-orthogonal control top, the rotary lever being coupled to the shaft, the rotary lever having a lever arm extending therefrom;
• and
• a transfer arm coupled at a first end to the thumb button actuator and engaged at a second end to the rotary lever, the transfer arm providing non-orthogonal, linear motion with respect to the primary orthogonal axis of rotation of the electrical rotary switch in response to a linear sliding actuation of the thumb button actuator along the non-orthogonal control top.

A method of operating a radio control of a portable radio, comprising:

• applying a force to linearly slide a thumb button actuator on a non-orthogonal surface of the portable radio, the non-orthogonal surface of the portable radio being non-orthogonal relative to a primary axis of rotation provided by a shaft of an internal electrical rotary control;
• transferring the force applied to the thumb button actuator to a transfer arm, the transfer arm moving in a linear, non-orthogonal motion corresponding to the non-orthogonal surface;
• engaging a lever arm of a rotary lever within a retention slot of the transfer arm, thereby translating the linear, non-orthogonal motion into rotary motion in an orthogonal plane, the orthogonal plane being orthogonal relative to the primary axis of rotation provided by the shaft;
• transferring the rotary motion to the shaft of the electrical rotary control;
• and
• rotating the shaft of the electrical rotary control using the rotary motion to enable a control function of the portable radio.

A portable communication device, comprising:

• a housing;
• an electrical rotary switch with a shaft extending therefrom located internal to the housing, the shaft providing a primary axis of rotation;
• a plurality of user interface controls disposed on a control top of the housing, the control top being non-orthogonal relative to the shaft, and at least one of the user interface controls comprising a linearly slideable thumb button actuator;
• a rotary lever located internally to the control top, the rotary lever being coupled to the shaft, the rotary lever having a lever arm extending therefrom;
• and
• a transfer arm coupled at a first end to the thumb button actuator and engaged at a second end to the rotary lever, the transfer arm providing non-orthogonal, linear motion with respect to the shaft in response to linearly sliding the thumb button actuator along the control top.