Patent ID: 8263883

Claim:
A mechanical delay timer that operates either a toggle or a rocker-type wall switch, comprising: a timer base plate that is sized to fit over and to be secured on top of an existing cover plate of a conventional toggle or rocker wall switch, said toggle switch having a lever to turn it on and off, said base plate having a generally rectangular opening therein, said opening positioned and sized to accommodate said toggle switch lever and to allow free movement of said lever; a spring powered timer and a cam having a varying profile, said timer arranged to rotate the cam at a predetermined rate; a switch actuator, said actuator including a cam follower member arranged to move the actuator in response to a change in the cam profile; and a pair of leg members fixed to and extending from the actuator, each leg member terminating in a rail that fits through a slot in said timer base plate, each said slot disposed at a side of and parallel to said rectangular opening, said rails positioned to interact with the rocker member of a rocker wall switch to turn the switch on or off as the actuator moves in response to a change in cam profile.