Patent ID: 6907328

Claim:
An interface for managing information within a vehicle comprising: a vehicle steering wheel having a hub, a rim and a plurality of spokes, the hub, rim and a portion of the spokes defining an opening facilitating viewing of an instrument cluster disposed within the vehicle by the driver; a base including locking flanges for securing the base to at least one of the hub, the rim and the spokes, the base formed to include a plurality of apertures for receiving a switch cap, a hinge pivot adjacent the aperture and a cavity for receiving a printed circuit board; a switch cap extending through each of the plurality of apertures, each switch cap formed to include an aperture for engaging a corresponding hinge pivot and pivotably supporting the switch cap within the housing with a surface of the switch cap extending outwardly from the base, the switch cap further formed with a dowel structure arranged to engage a momentary contact switch disposed on the printed circuit board; each switch cap surface having a first surface and a second surface such that pressure applied to one of the first surface and the second surface causes limited rocking motion of the switch cap and corresponding engagement of the dowel with a corresponding momentary contact switch for closing the momentary contact switch and hence actuating the momentary contract switch; each switch cap having an information indicator associated therewith, the information indicator being associated with a source of information; each information indicator having a plurality of states, wherein each state of the information indicator is indicative of a presence of information from the associated source of information and a characteristic of the information; wherein actuation of each momentary contact switch is operable to cause a dissemination of the information from the source of information associated with the indicator depicted on the corresponding switch cap and wherein the information indicators extend into the opening.