Finger operated control system for hand-held appliances

A hand-held appliance comprising a handle portion and at least one finger-operable control device for controlling a variably actuatable device associated with said appliance;

• said control device comprising a sealed and compressible enclosure member being filled with a working fluid;
• said enclosure member further comprising an exterior portion mounted on said handle portion and being squeezable thereagainst, and a branch portion protruding from said exterior portion and into the interior of said handle portion, said branch portion including a movable wall portion which is movable responsive to displacements in said working fluid upon squeezing said exterior enclosure member portion against said handle portion;
• and
• said movable wall portion being operatively connected with a movable core member adapted to change the magnetic field of a detector coil, whereby said actuatable device, when connected to terminals of said detector coil, is variably controlled responsive to the degree of squeezing said exterior enclosure member portion.

A hand-held device comprising a variably actuatable appliance;

• a relatively rigid handle portion connected to said appliance;
• means for variably actuating said appliance disposed in said handle portion;
• and a control device at least partially disposed on an exterior surface of said handle portion for controlling said means for actuating,
• said control device comprising:
• a sealed enclosure member filled with a working fluid and having a first portion disposed on the exterior surface of said handle portion in such manner that said portion is compressible against said handle portion by direct finger pressure, and
• said enclosure member having a second wall portion disposed within said handle portion, said wall portion being movable in response to displacement of said working fluid by finger pressure on said first portion, and
• said means for actuating including a movable member operatively associated with said second wall portion in such manner that the degree of compression of said first portion against said handle portion determines the variable actuation of said appliance.