Patent Application
20180247774
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The disclosure and prior art relates to switch devices and more particularly pertains to a new switch device for turning an electrical device on and off.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a switching unit that is electrically coupled between a power source and an electrical device. The switching unit is selectively rotated in a first direction and a second direction. Moreover, the switching unit is alternatively positioned in an on position and an off position regardless of a rotational direction of the switching unit. In this way the switching unit may be manipulated by users who are unfamiliar with toggle light switches.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The switching unit 12 comprises a wall plate 18 that may be coupled to a vertical support surface 20. The wall plate 18 has a first surface 22 and a second surface 24 and the vertical support surface 20 may be a wall or the like. The wall plate 18 may have a pair of apertures 26 extending through the first 22 and second 24 surfaces. In this way a pair of fasteners may be extended through the apertures 26 to fasten the wall plate 18 to the vertical support surface 20. The wall plate 18 has a peripheral edge and the peripheral edge may have a plurality of intersecting sides. Thus, the wall plate 18 may have a rectangular shape. In an alternative embodiment 27 as shown in
A switch 28 is provided and the switch 28 is coupled to the wall plate 18. The switch 28 has an input 30 and an output 32 and the switch 28 may be a rotary switch 28. The input 30 may be electrically coupled to the power source 14 and the output 32 may be electrically coupled to the electrical device 16. The input 30 is in electrical communication with the output 32 when the switch 28 is in an on position. Moreover, the input 30 is removed from electrical communication with the output 32 when the switch 28 is in an off position. The switch 28 is coupled to the second surface 24 of the wall plate 18.
A shaft 34 is coupled to the switch 28 such that the shaft 34 rotates the switch 28 between the on position and the off position. The shaft 34 has a distal end 36 with respect to the switch 28. The shaft 34 extends through the wall plate 18 and the distal end 36 is exposed on the first surface 22 of the wall plate 18. A knob 38 is coupled to the distal end 36 of the shaft 34 and the knob 38 is selectively manipulated. The knob 38 rotates the shaft 34 thereby facilitating the switch 28 to be alternatively positioned in the on position and the off position.
In use, the switch 28 is incorporated into the electrical system in the building. The knob 38 is selectively rotated in a first direction. The switch 28 is alternatively positioned in the on position and the off position when the knob 38 is rotated in the first direction. The knob 38 is selectively rotated in a second direction. The switch 28 is alternatively positioned in the on position and the off position when the knob 38 is rotated in the second direction. In this way the switch 28 is alternatively turned on and off regardless of a directional rotation of the knob 38. Such a function facilitates the switch 28 to transcend communication barriers between foreign cultures with respect to operating light switches or the like. In this way the switch 28 may be successfully manipulated by people who have never encountered a toggle style light switch 28.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
