BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified, schematic view of two remotely communicating devices being physically mated with one another to permit handshake information to be transferred;
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the remotely communicating devices of FIG. 1, specifically a remote control mated to a light switch;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of portions of the remotely communicating devices of FIG. 2 illustrating the actuation circuits;
FIG. 4 shows another example of a remotely communicating device in the form of an appliance switch together with the light switch and remote control of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 shows a further example including a motion sensor mounted to the door of a mailbox and a remote announcer;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a simple virtual thermostat comprising remotely communicating devices mateable with one another;
FIG. 7 shows another example in which two or more remotely coupled remotely communicating devices are mated with a key, after which the recently activated devices look for another recently activated device to exchange handshake information with; and
FIG. 8 is a view of a remotely coupled remotely communicating device similar to that of FIG. 7 but modified to eliminate the need for a key.
Patent Application
20070230962
