Wall-mounted automatic timer and manual on-off light switch

A combination timer and manual on-off switch comprising:

• a manually operable control member movable to five different positions, one position being a power turn-on position, another being a power turn-off position, another being a timer on setting position, another being a timer off setting position, and another being a timer turn-on position;
• a pair of power line input terminals and an AC outlet conductor terminal;
• switch means coupled between one of said power input terminals and said outlet conductor terminal for coupling and uncoupling said one power line input terminal to and from said outlet conductor terminal;
• and control means responsive to the different positions of said control member for closing said switch means when the control member is in said turn-on position and for opening said switch means when the control member is in said turn-off position;
• the control means also including timer turn-on signal generating means responsive to the particular moment when said control member is moved momentarily to said timer on setting position for generating a switch closing signal every 24 hours from the moment said control member is momentarily moved to said timer on setting position, timer turn-off signal generating means responsive to the particular moment when said control member is moved momentarily to said timer off setting position for generating a switch opening signal every 24 hours from the moment said control member is momentarily moved to said timer off setting position, and signal responsive means responsive to the generation of said switch closing and switch opening signals when said control member is in said timer turn-on position for respectively closing and opening said switch means when said signals are respectively generated.

A combination timer and manual on-off switch system comprising:

• a pair of power line input terminals;
• a control conductor terminal;
• switch means coupled between one of said power line terminals and said control conductor terminal for respectively coupling and decoupling said one power line terminal to said control conductor terminal;
• bistable means settable into a first condition for closing said switch means and a second condition for opening said switch means;
• a timer turn-on pulse counter and a timer turn-off pulse counter;
• said pulse counters being self-resetting counters which reset themselves to a given reference count after a given limited count is reached so the next pulse received thereby resets the same to said reference count;
• a source of pulses fed to said pulse counters which cause the counters to reach said limited count every 24 hours after being reset to said reference count;
• means responsive to the limited or reference count in said timer turn-on pulse counter for operating said bistable means to its switch closing condition and responsive to the limited or reference count in said timer turn-off pulse counter for operating said bistable means to said switch opening condition;
• manually operable means manually operable to power turn-on, power turn-off, timer on setting, timer off setting and timer turn-on conditions;
• and control means including means responsive to the operation of said manually operable means to said timer on setting condition for resetting said timer turn-on pulse counter to said reference count, means responsive to the operation of said manually operable control means to said timer off setting condition for resetting said turn-off pulse counter to said reference count, means responsive to the operation of said manually operable means to said power turn-on condition for operating said bistable means to said switch closing condition independently of the condition of said pulse counters, means responsive to the operation of said manually operable means to said power turn-off condition for operating said bistable means to said switch opening condition independently of the condition of said pulse counters, and means responsive to the operation of said manually operable means to said timer turn-on condition for rendering said bistable means responsive to the counter in said pulse counter means.

A timer system comprising:

• a pair of power input terminals;
• a control conductor terminal;
• switch means coupled between one of said power line terminals and said control conductor terminal for respectively coupling and decoupling said one power input terminal to said control conductor terminal;
• bi-stable means settable into a first condition for closing said switch means and a second condition for opening said switch means;
• a timer turn-on pulse counter and a timer turn-off pulse counter;
• said pulse counters being self-resetting counters which reset themselves to a given reference count after a given limited count is reached so the next pulse received thereby resets the same to said reference count;
• a source of pulses fed to said pulse counters which cause the counters to reach said limited count every 24 hours after being reset to said reference count;
• means responsive to the limited or reference count in said timer turn-on pulse counter for operating said bistable means to its switch closing condition and responsive to the limited or reference count in said timer turn-off pulse counter for operating said bistable means to said switch opening position;
• manually operable means manually operable to timer on setting and timer off setting conditions;
• and control means including means responsive to the operation of said manually operable means to said timer on setting condition for resetting said timer turn-on pulse counter to said reference count, and means responsive to the operation of said manually operable control means to said timer off setting condition for resetting said turn-off pulse counter to said reference count.