Patent ID: 7637631

Claim:
A dead front actuating assembly for providing a keyless entry into a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle by unlocking a lock of a door of the motor vehicle, said dead front actuating assembly comprising: a housing defining a periphery and an interior volume; a cover plate fixedly secured to said housing at said periphery, said cover plate defining an inboard surface facing said interior volume and an outboard surface opposite said inboard surface, said outboard surface forming a dead front surface which is opaque in the standard ambient light conditions and transparent during back lighting conditions; a plurality of switches operatively connected to said cover plate for locking and unlocking the lock of the motor vehicle, said plurality of switches being connected to said cover plate such that said plurality of switches are hidden by said dead front surface in standard ambient lighting conditions; a touch sensor identifying when an operator touches said cover plate; and a plurality of back lights inside said housing to illuminate said cover plate in response to a signal from said touch sensor such that light passes through said cover plate and out said outboard surface to illuminate said plurality of switches, making said plurality of switches visible to said operator and allowing the operator to select a combination of the plurality of switches to lock and unlock the motor vehicle.