Patent ID: 6982630

Claim:
A vibrating push button station at which a tactile signal is produced, said vibrating push button station comprising: a frame; a flexible diaphragm mounted on said frame and having opposite outwardly and inwardly facing sides; a pushing surface to which a force is applied by a user, said pushing surface located on the outwardly facing side of said flexible diaphragm; a magnet coupled to the inwardly facing side of said flexible diaphragm; an electromagnetic assembly supported by said frame so as to lie below and in spaced alignment with said magnet; and means to pulse said electromagnetic assembly and thereby generate a corresponding changing magnetic field so as to cause said magnet and said flexible diaphragm coupled thereto to move towards and away from said electromagnetic assembly, the movements of said magnet relative to said electromagnetic assembly being transmitted as a vibration to said pushing surface at the outwardly facing side of said flexible diaphragm.