Patent ID: 6970751

Claim:
A programmable device suitable for controlling the operational status of a product or appliance, the programmable device including a simplified programming interface, the programmable device suitable for inclusion in a scene creating automation and control system comprising a plurality of programmable devices, each suitable for controlling the operational status of a product or appliance, said programmable device comprising: (a) a plurality of manually actuatable input elements; and (b) a controller for controlling the operational status of a product or appliance, said controller including a memory for storing a plurality of modes of operation entered by the selective actuation of said manually actuatable input elements or the receipt of messages from other programmable devices generated in response to the selective actuation of the manually actuatable input elements of said other devices, said plurality of modes of operation including: (i) a programming mode for controlling the storage of the operational status of said product or appliance controlled by said programmable device, said programming mode including a plurality of states that are entered in response to the selective actuation of said manually actuatable input elements, said states of said programming mode including an idle state that is entered in response to the selective actuation of one of said manually actuatable input elements and a new scene state that is entered into if said programmable device is in said idle state of said programming mode and another of said manually actuatable input elements is actuated; and (ii) a normal mode for retrieving the stored operational status of the product or appliance controlled by said programmable device in response to the receipt of a scene launch command and adjusting the operational status of said product or appliance in accordance with said stored operational status.