Capacitive sensing, solid state touch button system
CA 2023958 C · Owner: Leach, Robert B. · Inventors: Leach, Robert B.; Youla, Jean; Slabinski, Chester J.
Overview
Its claims, description and drawings are in the Canadian Patents Database.
Open the CIPO recordAbstract From the Canadian patent
A solid state touch or control button assembly (10), with no moving button parts and operated by capacitive sensing by monitoring the phase shift of a signal applied to the face of the button including in a, first embodiment (Figs. 2A & 2B) a auto balancing button and in a second embodiment (Figs. 3A & 3B) a constant pressure button. If skin or other material comes into contact with the touch surface, the capacitance is changed and sensed, causing the electrical or electronic function controlled by the touch button to be activated (or deactivated, depending on the design or otherwise, altered). LEDs then are activated providing visual, feedback to the button pusher through a light ring (2A) …
Read the whole patent
Listed from its CIPO record in Patent Yard's archive of Canadian patents past their term. Its claims, description and drawings are in the CIPO record and on Google Patents, and the Claude kit works from them.
Why it's free to use
- Filed August 24, 1990 and granted April 19, 1994. A Canadian patent filed from October 1, 1989 lasts 20 years from filing, so its term ended August 24, 2010.
- A certificate of supplementary protection adds at most two years for a drug, so even that would have ended by August 24, 2012.
- We check Canadian rights only. A patent in its family in another country could still be in force: check its family on Google Patents.
Timeline
Timeline From CIPO dates
Sources & verification
Official CIPO records
Everything on this page comes from the CIPO record linked above. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.