| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 4889999 |
Master electrical load control system |
December 26, 1989 |
| A system controls power to multiple a.c. lighting loads from both a central location and from individual controls that are located near the loads. The system includes individual wallbox dimmers that include enabling switches, a master control, and isolation means to accept input signals |
| 4876498 |
Two wire low voltage dimmer |
October 24, 1989 |
| A low voltage two wire dimming circuit comprises voltage compensating means for regulating the RMS value of an AC voltage applied to a load and correcting means for eliminating damaging DC current that may flow through the load. The voltage compensating means adjusts the firing angle of |
| 4841221 |
Position-sensing circuit |
June 20, 1989 |
| A position-sensing circuit includes an elongated electrically-conductive element divided into two elongated segments. A conductor moves along the element, maintaining electrical contact with at least one of the segments. A first capacitor is connected to the conductor and a second capaci |
| 4835816 |
Twist-off knob |
June 6, 1989 |
| A knob mounts on one end of a shaft whose other end guides a slidable element, such as the wiper of a slide potentiometer. The shaft has an elongated cross section, and the knob has a pair of generally parallel raised ribs on each of two facing interior sides. The ribs guide and secu |
| 4835343 |
Two piece face plate for wall box mounted device |
May 30, 1989 |
| A two piece face plate for wall mounted devices having a rectangular escutcheon is disclosed. An adapter plate having the length and width of the wall box opening is connected to the yoke of a wall box mounted device at the screw openings in the yoke plate reserved for the connection of |
| 4833339 |
Load control system |
May 23, 1989 |
| A load control switching system includes a switching element adapted to be coupled between a power source and a load. The switch element is operable in an ON state wherein it supplies power from the source to the load and an OFF state wherein it cuts off power from the source to the load |
| 4833277 |
Wall plate insert |
May 23, 1989 |
| A filler element or insert for installation in a decorator-type wall plate when the latter are used to cover mounting boxes containing standard electrical controls, the insert being a substantially rectangular element dimensioned to fit within the central opening in the wall plate. The |
| 4825075 |
Non-electronic gain control |
April 25, 1989 |
| A receiver for a radiated electromagnetic signal includes elements that respectively transmit a high percentage and a low percentage of the incident signal, in combination with a detector. The device is adapted for mounting on or near a horizontal surface, such as a ceiling. The signal i |
| 4816628 |
Wall mounted electrical switch |
March 28, 1989 |
| An air gap switch is operated by a non-conductive rotatable indexing cam switch which rotates relative to two electrical contacts resiliently disposed on opposite sides of the cam. A spider with depending conductive legs is mounted on the cam. Rotation of the cam alternatively connects a |
| 4803380 |
Cover and support plate arrangement for wall mounted devices |
February 7, 1989 |
| A cover and support plate arrangement for a wall mounted device, such as a wall switch, display, dimmer, etc., for mounting to a wall box embedded in the wall and having overall surface dimensions greater than that of the wall box. The cover plate is juxtaposed over the front surface of |
| 4797599 |
Power control circuit with phase controlled signal input |
January 10, 1989 |
| One or more power dimmers have a preshaped phase controlled input signal connected to their control input. The preshaped phase controlled input signal is generated from the output of a master dimmer having conventional phase control circuits operated from a manual or other control. A rel |
| 4783581 |
Air gap switch assembly |
November 8, 1988 |
| An air gap switch assembly with a status indicator that prominently indicates when the switch is in the OFF position and disappears from view when the switch is in the ON position. The status indicator is located on the control lever for the switch, which is formed of a clear material an |
| 4745351 |
Multiple location dimming system |
May 17, 1988 |
| A multiple location system is provided for controlling application of alternating-current power to a load. The system employs a dimming system in combination with one or more switches. In one embodiment, the system includes an override, so that a switch can provide power to the load even |
| 4742188 |
Sliding electrical control |
May 3, 1988 |
| A sliding electrical control provides a method for controlling the power to electrical systems, such as lamps, motors, etc. from more than one location. The control is designed to be mounted on one side of a plate and operated from the other side. It thus permits a slide for operating th |
| 4737609 |
Push button switch |
April 12, 1988 |
| An improved push button switch has a highly desirable tactile feel. The switch includes a face plate having a front surface, a rear surface and an opening extending from the front to the rear surface, the opening having a geometric center as viewed from a position in front of the face pl |
| 4728866 |
Power control system |
March 1, 1988 |
| A power control system for gas discharge lamps and other loads. According to a preferred embodiment, the system includes a main divertor in series or parallel with the load, and a variable divertor, which includes a controllably conductive device controlled by a control circuit, the |
| 4727296 |
Lighting scene control panel and control circuit |
February 23, 1988 |
| A plurality of groups of linearly adjustable control potentiometers control respective lights of a given light scene in a given area. A particular group of potentiometers to control the scene is selected by a respective push-button switch on the control panel. Each of the potentiometer c |
| 4695820 |
Safety device for apparatus having relatively movable members |
September 22, 1987 |
| In electrical control apparatus having a first member disposed in an opening in a second member, the first and second members being adapted and arranged for relative movement with respect to each other, a safety device for covering the open portions of the opening as the first member mov |
| 4689547 |
Multiple location dimming system |
August 25, 1987 |
| A multiple location system is provided for controlling application of alternating-current power to a load. The system employs a triac as a power carrying device, the gate control circuit for which has been modified to include auxiliary switching. Potentiometers are disposed at various |
| 4663570 |
High frequency gas discharge lamp dimming ballast |
May 5, 1987 |
| A high frequency gas discharge lamp dimming ballast with good line power factor is disclosed. The unit is controlled by a current sensing loop which senses control switch current rather than lamp current and employs simple circuitry with sufficiently rapid control response necessary to |
| 4646203 |
Mounting structure for semiconductor devices |
February 24, 1987 |
| A mounting structure is disclosed for mounting a semiconductor device on a conductive heat sink while electrically insulating the two. A thin, flat thermally conductive electrically insulative sheet is disposed between a flat electrically conductive surface of the semiconductor device an |
| 4639819 |
Protective bypass for electronic circuits |
January 27, 1987 |
| A protective bypass circuit for optionally shortcircuiting the output lugs of a plurality of circuit breakers. The bypass circuit includes a plurality of lug plates, each having first and second sections. The first section of each lug plate is received in and clamped by an output lug of |
| 4575660 |
Lighting scene control panel and control circuit |
March 11, 1986 |
| A plurality of groups of linearly adjustable control potentiometers control respective lights of a given light scene in a given area. A particular group of potentiometers to control the scene is selected by a respective push-button switch on the control panel. Each of the potentiometer c |
| 4564801 |
Semiconductor mounted on a yoke in heat transfer relationship |
January 14, 1986 |
| A dimmer switch assembly consists of a conductive yoke which has two insulation housings connected thereto which carry respective subassemblies for the dimmer switch. A cavity in the first housing receives the main power semiconductor device of the dimmer switch. The power semiconductor |
| 4563592 |
Wall box dimmer switch with plural remote control switches |
January 7, 1986 |
| A dimmer switch and dimmer system is described in which dimming for the entire system is controlled from a single device while on/off switching is controlled by individual devices at multiple locations. The main dimming device contains an alternate action switching circuit for opening an |
| 4558262 |
Load switching arrangement for gas discharge lamp circuit |
December 10, 1985 |
| Individual banks of gas discharge lamps are provided with a common dimming control system. If a bank of lights is turned on while others are on and in a dimmed condition, the voltage applied to all lamps is increased over a relatively short period of time to full voltage to ensure the pr |
| 4540917 |
Pulse network for fluorescent lamp dimming |
September 10, 1985 |
| A pulse network is connected to the inductive ballast of a fluorescent lamp dimmer and includes a discharge resistor in parallel with the pulse network capacitor. The resistor size is such that it will completely discharge the capacitor prior to the initiation of any phase delayed half |
| 4527099 |
Control circuit for gas discharge lamps |
July 2, 1985 |
| A gas discharge lamp control circuit for an inductive ballast includes anti-parallel connected controlled rectifiers connected in series with the a.c. source and the ballast and anti-parallel connected controlled rectifiers which are connected in series with a current limiting and en |
| 4520306 |
Wall mounted electrical voltage control switch |
May 28, 1985 |
| A dimmer switch assembly consists of a conductive yoke which has two insulation housings connected thereto which carry respective subassemblies for the dimmer switch. The first insulation housing contains a rotatable push shaft. Shaft rotation rotates a resistor plate having a resistive |
| 4449074 |
Excess light turn-off circuit |
May 15, 1984 |
| An illumination control device controls the level of artificial lighting depending upon the intensity of natural light in the area being controlled. A single adjustment is used to set the switching point at which the illumination control device becomes operative. An indicator is prov |
| 4350935 |
Gas discharge lamp control |
September 21, 1982 |
| The input energy to a gas discharge lamp is controlled over a given range to obtain output light regulation in a controlled fashion for different kinds of gas discharge lamps, including fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps and others associated with any type ballast, includi |
| 4236101 |
Light control system |
November 25, 1980 |
| In an area illuminated by both artificial and natural light sources, a control system is implemented to reduce the energy consumption by proportionately dimming the artificial sources to a level such that the sum of natural plus artificial light is held essentially constant. Use of a |
| 4222096 |
D-C Power supply circuit with high power factor |
September 9, 1980 |
| A d-c power supply is described which is energized from a relatively low frequency power source and produces a d-c output voltage with low ripple and high power factor. An inductance-capacitance circuit is connected in series with the a-c source and the a-c side of the rectifying element |
| 4210846 |
Inverter circuit for energizing and dimming gas discharge lamps |
July 1, 1980 |
| An illumination control system for gas discharge lamps which can be dimmed is provided in which a central inverter produces a sinusoidal output voltage at about 23 kHz. The amplitude of the inverter output is adjustable to dim the lamps. A transmission line consisting of spaced wires |
| 4207498 |
System for energizing and dimming gas discharge lamps |
June 10, 1980 |
| An illumination control system for gas discharge lamps which can be dimmed is provided in which a central inverter produces an output voltage at a high frequency which can be about 23 kHz. The amplitude of the inverter output is adjustable to dim the lamps. A transmission line consisting |
| 4207497 |
Ballast structure for central high frequency dimming apparatus |
June 10, 1980 |
| An illumination control system for gas discharge lamps which can be dimmed is provided in which a central inverter produces sinusoidal output voltage at about 23 kHz. The amplitude of the inverter output is adjustable to dim the lamps. A transmission line consisting of spaced wires havin |
| 4104606 |
Dimmer switch with insulation housing |
August 1, 1978 |
| An in-line switch is provided for an electrical circuit where the in-line switch can be connected in the circuit through pairs of spaced stabs on opposite sides of the switch housing which can penetrate a conventional line cord and make electrical contact to conductors of the cord. A sin |
| 4001637 |
Lamp ballast |
January 4, 1977 |
| A ballast circuit for coupling a lamp to an AC power source and having in series between the source and lamp a non-dissipative current limiting capacitor feeding a rectifier, the output of the rectifier being connected to a smoothing filter. The ballast lends itself particularly to use i |
| 3936696 |
Dimming circuit with saturated semiconductor device |
February 3, 1976 |
| A fluorescent lamp is operated by a-c pulses having a pulse length sufficiently short that the lamp acts like slightly positive impedances. A pulse modulator which produces the pulses has a power transistor biased to saturation. However, varying the base drive of the saturated transistor |
