Patent ID: 7726297

Claim:
A switching apparatus for controlling a device, the switching apparatus comprising: a plurality of mechanical momentary-contact switches that mechanically switch a plurality of functionalities of the device, one of said mechanical momentary-contact switches is manually operable and resets in response to an electrical pulse and said one mechanical momentary-contact switch includes an electrical contact element and the switching apparatus further comprises an electrical opposing contact, said at least one mechanical momentary-contact switch being movably mounted relative to a housing such that said electrical contact element is movable between a contact position in which said electrical contact element is in electrical contact with said electrical opposing contact and a non-contact position in which said electrical contact element is not in electrical contact with said electrical opposing contact, the switching apparatus further comprising a biasing means for biasing said electrical contact element into the non-contact position and said biasing means being located at a spacing from said electrical opposing contact, a permanent magnet for selectively releasably maintaining said electrical contact element in electrical contact with said electrical opposing contact via a magnetic force sufficient to override the biasing force applied by said biasing means against said electrical contact element that would otherwise move said electrical contact element from its contact position into its non-contact position, and an electromagnet operable, when the electrical pulse is applied thereto, to counteract the magnetic force applied by said permanent magnet to an extent such that the magnetic force applied by said permanent magnet is no longer sufficient to override the biasing force applied by said biasing means against said electrical contact element and said biasing means moves said electrical contact element out of its contact position with said electrical opposing contact into its non-contact position in which said electrical contact element is not in electrical contact with said electrical opposing contact.