Abstract: The present invention teaches self-contained lighting units which may be AC or DC powered, for example LED bulbs, and wherein the operation of said lighting units may be configured by a user through touch events or gestures, or through the use of switches or buttons. For example, operational parameters such as colour of light emitted, colour temperature, light level and an auto-off period, amongst others, may be adjusted, and stored in NVM. Use of touch swipe recognition and sliders structures for said configuration is taught. A number of intelligent luminaire embodiments are also disclosed, such as lamps with text character recognition and a wide range of connectivity options. Simple touch controlled dimmers that generate minimal EMI are described. A number of teachings on the provision of user feedback is presented. Self-contained lighting units such as LED bulbs which may be configured via IR are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention, according to a preferred embodiment, is directed to portable electronic devices which operate on exhaustible power sources, for example, batteries. The electronic devices of the present invention comprise at least one signal switch and a microchip in communication with the switch wherein the switch is only capable of transmitting a signal to the microchip that the switch has been activated or deactivated. The microchip is in communication with the exhaustible power source of the electronic device and controls (i) the power on/off function of the device, (ii) at least one other function of the device in response to activation and deactivation signals from the switch, and (iii) an automatic shut off function in response to the receipt of an activation signal from the switch.