Patent ID: 7708048

Claim:
A method for operating a barrier consisting of at least one of a gate or garage door, to move between open and closed positions, said barrier being operably connected to an operator system including a controller comprising a base control circuit, a radio frequency base transmitter and a radio frequency base receiver and plural remote control units operable to communicate with said controller, each of said remote control units including a radio frequency remote transmitter and a radio frequency remote receiver, said method comprising the steps of: causing said base transmitter to transmit a radio frequency search signal to said remote receivers of said plural remote control units; causing said control circuit to effect one of opening and closing said barrier depending on whether or not said base receiver receives an acknowledgment signal transmitted from at least one of said remote transmitters in response to said radio frequency search signal; making determinations whether individual ones of said plural remote control units are within a radio frequency communication range of said controller, wherein said determinations are made in response to receipt of acknowledgement signals transmitted from said remote transmitters of said plural remote control units, and said acknowledgement signals are transmitted in response to said radio frequency search signal; causing said barrier to move from a closed position to an open position in response to an acknowledgement signal from any one of said remote transmitters and remain in an open position automatically as long as any one, but not all, of said remote control units is within the radio frequency communication range of said controller; and causing said barrier to move from an open position to a closed position and maintain said barrier in the closed position automatically in response to determining that all of said remote control units have returned to the radio frequency communication range of said controller.