Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Keith K Kesling

Walter K Gierschick

William M Jenkins, Jr

Radio control unit

A steering column for a vehicle having an enlarged thin-walled bottom panel removably secured to a generally rectangular housing. With the panel removed, the turn signal switch, universal joint and other components mounted within the housing can be easily serviced without removal of the handwheel or other major column components. End caps slidably fit on tracks on the upper ends of the bottom panel and the housing to secure these parts to each other and to close the upper part of the column. This column provides for multiple controls including tilt adjustment closely adjacent to the handwheel to facilitate operation of the vehicle.

Steering column for vehicles

A remote touch-pad control panel for a domestic appliance coordinated with a sound system for selecting domestic appliance functions whereby a different sound is audible for each function pad touched by the operator. The touch control panel has an imporforate flexible plastic skin coextensive therewith having indicia pads with the skin superimposed on a rigid outer insulating sheet having a plurality of spaced apart apertures arranged in a preselected pattern therein. The flexible skin pads have contacts on their inner surface paired with fixed contacts on an inner rigid sheet spaced by an intermediate frame from the outer sheet whereby a deflecting touch control force through the flexible plastic skin pad establishes electrical connection between the paired contacts to operate the appliance function selected and energize the sound associated therewith.

Growing community of inventors

Utica, MI, United States of America

Keith K Kesling