Patent ID: 7641021

Claim:
A hand-actuated operating device for an operator's control station of an industrial truck, having a stationary, raised rest ( 12 ) for the ball of the thumb that is disposed laterally beside and in front of the operator, including an upper support area ( 14 ) on which the ball of the thumb of the operator's hand is adapted to be placed from top, a forward surface ( 20 ) facing away from the operator and a backward surface ( 16 ) facing the operator, wherein the forward and backward surfaces ( 16 ) are dimensioned so to allow the support for the ball of the thumb to be gripped between the fingers and a proximal portion of the ball, a portion ( 18 ), which is lowered with respect to the upper support area ( 14 ), and located in front of the forward surface and is disposed such as to allow the fingers of the hand resting on the support area ( 14 ) to be placed at an angle, and at least one control element for a function of the industrial truck is disposed on the end of the lowered portion ( 18 ) that is located opposite the support area ( 14 ) so as to enable its actuation by at least one finger, the support area ( 14 ), the lowered portion ( 18 ), the forward and rearward surfaces ( 20 , 16 ) are formed by a body of a shell body ( 12 ), the at least one control element being laterally accommodated by the shell to allow the at least one control element to be actuated by the thumb of the hand which rests on the support area, the shell and the control elements define a common, self-contained functional unit ( 10 ) which accommodates switches adapted to be actuated by the control elements and the further accommodates other electric and electronic components for the control of the functions further characterized in that a plurality of adjacently arranged control elements ( 30 through 36 ) are provided and wherein the plurality of adjacently arranged control elements are disposed on an arc having a large radius, with their distances chosen so as to make their appropriate actuation by the fingers of the operator's hand.