A portable terminal is provided for operation in a first mode in which information is provided on a first curved surface area or a second mode in which information is provided on a second curved surface area, and controlling the display to provide, in response to an occurrence of an event while in the first mode, information related to the event on the first curved surface area, and provide, in response to the occurrence of the event while in the second mode, information related to the event on the second curved surface area.

A control device for controlling power delivered to an electrical load may illuminate an area around a button of the control device, such as a gap formed between the button and an opening of a faceplate of the control device. The control device may illuminate the gap to provide a nightlight feature, to provide feedback (e.g., a status of the electrical load), and/or to indicate a selected preset. The button may have a cap portion that may be actuated by a user and a diffuser portion that may contact a rear surface of the cap portion and may conduct light emitted by an internal light source to illuminate the gap around the button.

A backlit keyboard includes key switches and a backlight module. The backlight module includes a light guide plate, a reflecting surface, and at least one light-emitting device. The light guide plate is provided with light-guiding dots disposed on a bottom surface thereof. A light-shielding layer disposed on the light guide plate has a light-shielding portion and a light-transmitting portion corresponding to at least one of the key switches. The reflecting surface faces the bottom surface of the light guide plate, and a pattern at least partially overlaps the light-shielding portion. A first light-emitting device and a second light-emitting device are disposed in an opening of the light guide plate, and the first light-emitting device and the second light-emitting device face respective sidewalls of the opening. The first light-emitting device is located underneath the light-shielding portion.

A veneer may be configured to be secured to a backlit button of a control device. A plate portion of the veneer may have one or more indicia machined therethrough. The indicia may define an open portion, a floating portion, and one or more ribs that suspend the floating portion. The one or more ribs may be configured to create an optical illusion that conceals the ribs from view relative to a user of the control device. The rib may define an upper surface that is recessed relative to a front surface of the veneer, and may define opposed sides that extend from a base of the rib to the upper surface. The sides may be tapered between the base and the upper surface, such that the upper surface is narrower than the base. The sides and the upper surface of the rib may be unfinished.

A control device may comprise a plurality of buttons, a plurality of light sources located behind the respective buttons and configured to illuminate the buttons, a light detector circuit configured to measure an ambient light level around the control device, and/or a control circuit configured to control the light sources to adjust surface illumination intensities of the respective buttons in response to the measured ambient light level. Each button may comprise indicia indicating a function of the button. The control circuit set the first button as active and the second button as inactive in response to an actuation of the first button. The control circuit may, based on the measured ambient light level, control the light sources to illuminate the first button to an active surface illumination intensity, and to illuminate the second button to an inactive surface illumination intensity that is less than the active surface illumination intensity.

A control device may have a plurality of buttons that may be backlit to multiple levels, such as first, second, and third adjacent buttons positioned in order, and first, second, and third LEDs positioned to illuminate a respective button. The control device may be configured to illuminate the first LED to a first LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a first surface illumination intensity; illuminate the third LED to a second LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a second surface illumination intensity; and illuminate the second LED to a third LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to the second surface illumination intensity. The third LED illumination intensity may be less than the second LED illumination intensity, which may be less than the first LED illumination intensity, and the second surface illumination intensity may be less than the first surface illumination intensity.

An improved small form factor controller includes a tactile input surface with a predetermined pattern of input regions. The pattern of input regions may be illuminated by the controller, and preferably would be generally imperceptible in the absence of illumination. The tactile input surface includes an array of regions that can be correlated with particular input regions on an illumination pattern. The tactile input surface includes an array of regions that can be correlated with particular input regions on an illumination pattern. A processor monitors for tactile input from the user and converts a motion pattern performed by the user to a sequence of corresponding activations, which is compared with stored user codes.

A keyboard backlight module includes a light guide plate, a reflector, a light-emitting device and a first microstructure. The light guide plate has an output surface, a light guide pattern and a bottom surface disposed on an opposite side of the output surface. The light guide pattern is arranged on at least one of the bottom surface and the output surface. The reflector has a reflecting surface facing the bottom surface. The light-emitting device is disposed on one side of the light guide plate and configured to provide an incident light to the reflecting surface. The first microstructure is disposed on the reflecting surface, at least partially overlaps with the light guide pattern, and is configured to transform the incident light into a first reflected light.

A control device may have a plurality of buttons that may be backlit to multiple levels, such as first, second, and third adjacent buttons positioned in order, and first, second, and third LEDs positioned to illuminate a respective button. The control device may be configured to illuminate the first LED to a first LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a first surface illumination intensity; illuminate the third LED to a second LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to a second surface illumination intensity; and illuminate the second LED to a third LED illumination intensity to illuminate the respective button to the second surface illumination intensity. The third LED illumination intensity may be less than the second LED illumination intensity, which may be less than the first LED illumination intensity, and the second surface illumination intensity may be less than the first surface illumination intensity.

An electrical switch with identifying features. Embodiments include an electrical switch that comprises a rocker that is pivotable between a first position and a second position such that the electrical circuit is energized when the rocker is in the first position and deenergized when the rocker is in the second position, a cover arranged within the rocker such that a front surface of the cover is viewable by a user; an interchangeable label arrangeable a rear surface of the cover, a light pipe arrangeable proximate a rear surface of the interchangeable label, and an illuminating element. In embodiments, the electrical switch may include a tactile switch arranged proximate a rear surface of the light pipe, such that the tactile switch can be activated by an application of rearward pressure to the cover.