The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 26, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 17, 1998
Anton J. Kolar, Sheboygan, WI (US);
Andrew J. Paese, Plymouth, WI (US);
David J. Richter-O'Connell, Sheboygan, WI (US);
Steven M. Tervo, Plymouth, WI (US);
Carter J. Thomas, Cedarburg, WI (US);
William R. Burnett, Menlo park, CA (US);
David C. Shafer, Menlo park, CA (US);
Fred Judson Heinzmann, Los Altos, CA (US);
Kohler Company, Kohler, WI (US);
Abstract
The present invention is a system for controlling a plumbing fixture. The system includes at least two sensors, each sensor including a receiver, and a controller coupled to receive detection signals from the sensors and to generate a control signal in response to the received signals. An actuator is coupled to receive the control signal from the controller and couplable to the plumbing device to act on the bathroom device. The invention is also a method of controlling plumbing fixtures that includes receiving detection signals from a plurality of sensors in a central controller, selecting, in the central controller, which of a plurality of actuators attachable to the plumbing fixtures to operate and directing control signals to the selected actuator to operate the selected actuator.