Patent ID: 8665077

Claim:
A method for the controlling of a plurality of switches each capable of generating a respective device-specific control signal, the method comprising the step of: providing a device comprising a first conductive surface and establishing through said first conductive surface a first capacitive coupling with a first body part of a user; providing in said device a plurality of electrically insulated function switch units each comprising a respective capacitive touch button operable to establish a respective second capacitive coupling between an associated switch unit and a second body part of the user wherein the first capacitive coupling is arranged remote from the second capacitive couplings and a body of the user bridges the first and second capacitive coupling of the device when the second body part of the user is in proximity to the capacitive touch button; generating an alternating-current and feeding the alternating-current to a second conductive surface of the device wherein the second conductive surface is operable to establish a plurality of third capacitive couplings with said plurality of electrically isolated function switch units, wherein each function switch unit individually modulates the alternating-current to generate an electric field through the respective second capacitive coupling which is applied to the second body part of the user as a unidirectional signal in proximity to the respective second capacitive coupling; and wherein a signal generated by modulating the alternating current is received at the first conductive surface through the body when the second body part of the user is in proximity to the capacitive touch button; and decoding the received signal in said device to control a function defined by the respective function switch unit.