US 2006/0214778 A1 · Programmable push button

Abstract

A programmable push button having a microcontroller located therewithin to provide a switching signal to operate an electronic switch and thereby enable power to be supplied from a source of power to a load to initiate an external event. The push button also has a piezoelectric assembly which is responsive to one or a sequence of manually applied pushing forces at a push button cap. The microcontroller is interconnected with the piezoelectric assembly on a printed circuit board so that output voltage signals generated by the piezoelectric assembly are applied to the microcontroller as a series of digital pulses. The microcontroller can be programmed by applying a particular sequence of pushing forces to the push button cap so that one or more times can be set during which the external event will be initiated or to require a predetermined security code to be entered before the external event can be initiated.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A programmable push button to initiate an external event, said push button comprising:

a push button body;
a pushing surface supported by and spaced from said push button body and adapted to move relative to said push button body in response to a pushing force applied to said pushing surface;
a force transmitting member carried by and movable with said pushing surface;
a pressure responsive member supported by said push button body and aligned with said force transmitting member carried by said pushing surface, such that a pushing force applied to said pushing surface causes said pushing surface to move relative to said push button body and said force transmitting member to apply a corresponding pressure against said pressure responsive member, said pressure responsive member generating an output signal in response to the pressure applied thereto;
and
an electronic switch responsive to said output signal generated by said pressure responsive member for providing power to initiate the external event.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Programmable push button

Life of this patent

Programmable push button

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20