Patent ID: 7553211

Claim:
In combination for use in a system including a plurality of vehicles each responsive to an individual address and to a plurality of commands for providing individual operations of such vehicles in accordance with such commands, a plurality of pads, each individual one of the pads including a plurality of switches having first and second states of operation for providing an address to select any individual one of the vehicles and for providing commands to such individual one of the vehicles for operating such individual one of the vehicles in accordance with such commands, a central station responsive to the operation of the switches in each individual one of the pads in the second state for sending the address and the commands from the individual one of the pads to the individual one of the vehicles, there being an additional switch on each individual one of the pads with first and second states of operation, the additional switch in each individual one of the pads providing in the first state for the operation of the individual one of the vehicles only by such individual one of the pads and providing in the second state for the operation of the individual one of the vehicles by at least another one of the pads in addition to the individual one of the pads, and means in the central station for providing for the operation of the vehicle by the individual one of the pads and the at least additional one of the pads when the additional switch in the individual one of the pads is in the second state.