Lighting control device

A lighting control device for controlling the state and light intensity level of at least one lamp, comprising:

• a) user-actuatable intensity selecting means for selecting a desired intensity level between a minimum intensity level and a maximum intensity level,
• b) a single control switch, independent of said user-actuatable intensity selecting means, for generating control signals representative of on and off states and preselected intensity levels of said at least one lamp in response to an input from a user, and
• c) control means for causing said lamp intensity to fade from a first intensity level to a second intensity level greater than said first intensity level when said intensity selecting means is actuated, said first intensity level being a minimum intensity level independent of any of said preselected intensity levels when said lamp is in said off state prior to actuation of said intensity selecting means.

A lighting control device for controlling the state and light intensity level of at least one lamp, comprising:

• (a) user-actuatable intensity selecting means for selecting a desired intensity level of said at least one lamp,
• (b) control switch means for generating control signals representative of preselected states and intensity levels of said at least one lamp in response to an input from a user, and
• (c) control means operatively coupled to said intensity selecting means and said control switch means for causing said lamp to fade from a non-zero intensity level to a substantially-zero intensity level at a first fade rate in response to a first input from a user to said control switch means, and for causing said lamp to fade from a non-zero intensity level to a substantially-zero intensity level at a second fade rate, different from said first fade rate in response to a second input from said user to said control switch means.

In a lighting control device including intensity selecting means for selectively controlling the rate of change current applied to a lamp to cause the lamp intensity to fade from one steady-state intensity level to another, the improvement comprising:

• a fade control switch and control means responsive to a control signal produced by a single actuation of said control switch for causing the rate of change of current applied to said lamp to vary in such a manner as to cause the lamp intensity to fade from a first intensity level to a second intensity level in accordance with a fade profile comprising at least first and second fade rates in sequence, said second fade rate being substantially different from said first fade rate.