Patent Application
20220399660
The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to an electrical switch adaptor and more particularly to an electrical switch adaptor configured for an electrical attachment to a circuit board mounted tactile switch.
Many electrical devices are turned on or off using a tactile switch button, which often has to be pressed, or otherwise operated, manually. In some instances, it is very advantageous to be able to remotely initiate the action of an electrical device, especially for the handicapped. However, many electrical devices, especially older devices, do not offer this possibility.
An example that comes to mind is remote opening of garage doors. Many garage doors open electrically, but necessitate a manual operation of garage door opener wall console button. In many cases, even when a remote operation of garage doors is available it necessitates the operator to be in the vicinity of the garage door opener, for example in a distance of up to twenty meters from it. However, often there's a need to open and close garage doors from afar. It could be to let in a visitor, delivery, domestic help, or simply to avoid waiting in the driveway for the garage door to open, which is especially meaningful when the house is located in a busy street.
To date, the main solution available is replacing the garage door opener with a model that enables a remote operation. However, for many people this is cost-prohibitive. Some external devices on the market are configured to work with selected models of garage door opener wall consoles to enable a remote operation of garage doors. But many users discover that these devices are not compatible with their wall consoles and therefore their need for a solution remains. The present disclosure provides an electrical switch adaptor for connecting an electrical switch to an electrical device of choice and methods of use thereof.
In accordance with the present invention, various embodiments of an electrical switch adaptor and methods of use thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an electrical switch adaptor for connecting an electrical tactile switch to an electrical device.
In some embodiments, the electrical switch adaptor comprises an electrical switch adaptor body, wherein the body comprises a top surface and a bottom surface and a signal carrying portion comprising an electrical circuit therethrough. The signal carrying portion extends from a first end to a second end of the electrical switch adaptor body.
In some embodiments, the first end comprises an opening of pre-determined dimensions, wherein the opening flanked by at least one contact pad disposed on the bottom surface of the electrical switch adaptor. In some embodiments, each contact pad is electrically connected to a first end of the electrical circuit.
In some embodiments, the second end comprises at least one electrical connector which is disposed on the top surface of the electrical switch adaptor body. In some embodiments, the at least one electrical connector is disposed on a location selected from a group comprising the top surface of the electrical switch adaptor body, the bottom surface of the electrical switch adaptor body, a side of the electrical switch adaptor body, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, each electrical connector is electrically connected to a second end of the electrical circuit.
In some embodiments, the opening is flanked by four contact pads. In some embodiments, the four contact pads are metal pads. In some embodiments, the four contact pads are further carbon printed. In some embodiments, the opening is further flanked by four vias, each via electrically connected to a juxtaposed contact pad.
In some embodiments, the second end comprises two electrical connectors. In some embodiments, the two electrical connectors are metal pads. In some embodiments, the two electrical connectors can be electrically connected to an electrical device.
In some embodiments, the electrical circuit comprises electrical signal traces formed within the signal carrying portion.
In some embodiments, the electrical switch adaptor body comprises dielectric material. In some embodiments, the dielectric material is a flexible or a rigid material.
In some embodiments, the electrical switch is a circuit board mounted tactile switch button and the opening is configured for a close fit around the said circuit board mounted tactile switch button. In some embodiments, wherein the circuit board mounted tactile switch button is a standard push button switch.
In some embodiments, when the opening is fitted around the circuit board mounted tactile switch button, each contact pad rests upon a pin of the circuit board mounted tactile switch button and thus, the electrical switch adaptor is electrically connected to the said circuit board mounted tactile switch button.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method of connecting a circuit board mounted tactile switch button to an electrical device comprising the steps of:
Having thus described the presently disclosed subject matter in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying Drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presently disclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated Drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
The presently disclosed subject matter provides an electrical switch adaptor for connecting an electrical switch to an electrical device of choice and methods of use thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the electrical switch adaptor is configured for an electrical attachment to a circuit board (such as PCB—Printed Circuit Board) mounted tactile switch button. In some embodiments, the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor is a flexible PCB, substantially planar, strip comprising a first end and a second end, and a signal carrying portion comprising an electrical circuit therebetween. The first end comprises an opening configured for a close fit around a tactile switch button body and at least one contact pads disposed on the bottom surface of the first end and flanking the opening. The contact pads are electrically connected to the electrical circuit of the signal carrying portion. A tactile switch button body, for example, a PCB-mounted tactile switch body, may be positioned inside the opening of the electrical switch adaptor, so that the contact pads rest upon the tactile switch button's pins and are electrically connected to them. The second end comprises at least one electrical connector/s. The electrical connectors are electrically connected to the electrical circuit of the signal carrying portion. Thus, the signal carrying portion electrically connects the contact pads to the electrical connectors. The electrical connectors may be further electrically connected to any electrical device of choice. In a preferred embodiment, the electrical switch adaptor comprises four contact pads and two electrical connectors.
When the electrical switch adaptor is electrically connected to a tactile switch button via the contact pads and to an electrical device of choice via the electrical connectors, a user can operate the tactile switch button via the electrical device of choice. If the electrical device enables remote operation (e.g. via a wireless network), then the tactile switch button may be operated remotely. Thus, the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor provides the possibility to turn any hard-to-reach, or otherwise hard-to-operate, tactile switch into a remotely operated tactile switch.
Importantly, the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor is designed to enable an easy installation even by a layman user, and thus presents a much-needed solution in the field.
Referring now to
The first end comprises an opening 2 of pre-determined dimensions. The opening 2 is flanked by at least one contact pad 16 disposed on the bottom surface, each contact pad 16 is electrically connected to a first end of the electrical circuit of the signal carrying portion. The second end comprises at least one electrical connector 5 disposed on the top surface, each electrical connector is electrically connected to a second end of the electrical circuit of the signal carrying portion. In some embodiments, the electrical switch adaptor 100 comprises four contact pads 16 and two electrical connectors. In a preferred embodiment the at least one electrical connector 5 is disposed on the top surface of the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100, the at least one electrical connector 5 may be positioned at the very edge/s of the second end, or further from the edge/s of the second end, or combinations thereof. In some other embodiments the position of the at least one electrical connector 5 may be selected from a group comprising the top surface, bottom surface, or sides of the electrical switch adaptor 100, or combinations thereof.
In some preferred embodiments, the opening 2 of the electrical switch adaptor is configured to fit snugly around the body 7 of a standard circuit board, such as a PCB, mounted tactile switch button 8, 7, 15. One skilled in the art will appreciate that a circuit board mounted tactile switch button 8, 7, 15 may be of various shapes and dimensions and that this variety of shapes and sizes is within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the opening 2 may be of any shape and/or size, in accordance with the shape and/or size of the tactile switch body 7 of choice. For example, the opening 2 may be circular, elliptical, rectangular, or squarish. In a preferred embodiment (shown), the opening 2 is substantially squarish. In some embodiments, the opening dimensions are, or are about, 3.5×6, 4.5×4.5, 4.6×6.8, 4.2×6.0, 6×6, 5.2×5.2, 7.6×7.3, 8.1×8.1, 12×12, or 4.8×4.8 (as measured in millimeters).
In some embodiments, the frame of opening 2 further comprises at least one slit 4. The slit/s 4 are generally configured to align with the pin/s of the tactile switch button 8, 7, 15 of choice.
In some embodiments, the first end further comprises at least one via 3. Each via 3 is vertically aligned with, and electrically connected to, a corresponding contact pad 16. In a preferred embodiment, the first end comprises four vias 3. In accordance with their traditional use in the art, the via/s 3 are used herein to create a vertical, or layer-to-layer, electrical connection/s in the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100. One skilled in the art will therefore appreciate that multiple configurations of size, placement, and type of via/s 3 are within the scope of the present disclosure. As a non-limiting example, the presently disclosed via/s 3 may be blind vias, buried vias, or through vias, or combinations thereof.
To electrically connect the electrical switch adaptor 100 and the tactile switch button 8, 7, 15, a user fits the opening 2 around the tactile switch button body 7 so that each contact pad 16 rests upon a corresponding pin 8. The slits 4 adjust for the junctions of the pins 8 with the tactile switch button body 7, and allow the contact pads 16 to be easily placed in substantial physical contact with the pins 8. To secure the electrical switch adaptor 100 placement around the tactile switch button 8, 7, 15, a user may simply place an elastic band 14 on the electrical switch adaptor 100 and around the tactile switch button body 7.
The assembly 13, of
The signal carrying portion comprises an electrical circuit (not shown) which electrically connects the contact pads 16 and the electrical connectors 5. The electrical circuit may be a standard electrical circuit traditionally used in printed circuit boards. For example, the electrical circuit may be electrical signal traces formed within, and/or on the surface of, the signal carrying portion. In a preferred embodiment, the electrical signal traces are formed within the signal carrying portion.
The electrical signal traces, contact pads 16, and electrical connectors 5 comprise, or are fashioned of, any electrically conductive material traditionally used in the art. For example, the electrical signal traces, contact pads 16, and electrical connectors 5 may comprise, or may be fashioned of, any suitable type of metal, plastic, or combinations thereof. Non limiting examples of suitable types of material include copper, aluminum, iron copper, various alloys, gold, palladium, silver, platinum, nickel, chromium, silver, any suitable plastic, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the contact pads 16 are carbon printed to potentially improve the electrical conductivity between the contact pads 16 and the pins 8.
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the wall console 17 comprises a cover 11 comprising a button cover 10, for example, a silicone button cover. The cover 11 is fitted on the circuit board 6 and the electrical switch adaptor 100 so that the button cover 10 is aligned with the switch 15, fitted onto it, and partly covers it. Therefore, the cover 11 and button cover secure the electrical switch adaptor 100 placement around the tactile switch button body 7 in which each contact pad 16 contacts a corresponding pin 8. In some other embodiments, wherein the wall console 17 does not comprise a cover 11, an elastic band 14 may be used to securing the electrical switch adaptor 100 placement around the tactile switch button body 7 in which each contact pad 16 contacts a corresponding pin 8.
A user can then fit the cover 12 of the wall console 17 to assemble the wall console 17 comprising the electrical switch adaptor 100. In some embodiments, the cover 12 comprises a button 9 which aligns with button cover 10 and switch 15. In other embodiments, wherein the wall console 17 does not comprise a cover 11 component, the button 9 may align directly with switch 15. In any of the above-described embodiments, operation of button 9 will operate switch 15.
In some other embodiments of the wall console 17, element 9 may be an opening of any shape and/or size. When element 9 is an opening, switch 15, whether or not covered with button cover 10, may be operated through the opening 9.
A front view of an embodiment of an assembled wall console 17 comprising the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100 is illustrated in
In embodiments wherein the wall console 17 is a garage door opener wall console a user may connect the electrical connectors 5 to electrical wires of an electrical device which controls the opening or closing of the garage doors. Therefore, the user will be able to control the garage door opener from the external, connected, electrical device. Thus, the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100 serves as an electrical bridge between a garage door opener wall console and an electronic device of choice. Further, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100 may serve as an electrical bridge between any circuit board mounted tactile button and an electrical device of choice.
In some embodiments, manual operation of switch 15 may trigger an operation of an electrical device electrically connected to electrical connectors 5. For example, the operation may be, in the case of garage doors, a notification to a user that the garage doors are being opened, or closed. In some embodiments, manual operation of switch 15 does not trigger an operation of an electrical device electrically connected to electrical connectors 5.
In some embodiments, the body 1 of the electrical switch adaptor 100 comprises a dielectric material. In a preferred embodiment, the dielectric material is a flexible dielectric material. The dielectric material of the present disclosure may be any suitable material commonly used in the art. Non limiting examples of dielectric material include porcelain, mica, glass, plastics, and some metal oxides. In some preferred embodiments, the dielectric material of the present disclosure is a polymer, for example, Polyimide.
The flexibility, and thickness, of the electrical switch adaptor 100 allows it to be fitted around a tactile switch button body 7 without interfering with the ability to assemble/reassemble the wall console 17, or with the operation of tactile switch button 8, 7, 15. The flexibility, and thickness, of the electrical switch adaptor 100 also allows it to be partly placed in between the circuit board 6 and the cover 12, without preventing the possibility to assemble/reassemble the wall console 17.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100 may be of any thickness commonly used in the art. In some embodiments, the thickness of the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100 may be in the range of 0.1-1.5 millimeters. In some other embodiments, the thickness of the presently disclosed electrical switch adaptor 100 may be, or may be about, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8. 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, or 1.5 millimeters.
Referring now to
A front view of the assembled wall console 17 of
Finally, referring to
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes a plurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary (e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.
Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, except where the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items.
For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions, proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, quantities, characteristics, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter. For example, the term “about,” when referring to a value can be meant to encompass variations of, in some embodiments, ±100% in some embodiments ±50%, in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed methods or employ the disclosed compositions.
Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or more numbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all such numbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers, e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within that range (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like) and any range within that range.
Although the foregoing subject matter has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.
