Patent ID: 7310090

Claim:
A switch panel comprising: a touch plate comprising an optically transparent layer having first and second surfaces, said optically transparent layer having an index of refraction greater than that of air; an image generator that displays an image comprising a plurality of button positions to a person viewing said touch plate from said first surface, an imaging system that records an image of said first surface of said touch plate; a controller that is responsive to said image and generates an output signal if said touch plate is touched at one of said button positions; and a light source that generates a light signal that is reflected between said first and second surfaces of said touch plate within said transparent layer; wherein said first surface deforms sufficiently when a predetermined pressure is applied thereto to cause a portion of said light signal to be reflected toward said second surface at an angle greater than the critical angle in said optically transparent layer such that the reflected light escapes the optically transparent layer at the second surface.