Hand held control device and associated method

Claim 1

A manually operated control device comprising: a frame including a first part and a second part movably connected to one another; a control component mounted to said frame for changing a control parameter in accordance with relative positions of said first part and said second part; a spring mounted to said frame for biasing said first part and said second part away from one another along a line of action, said spring having a spring constant sufficiently great to prevent actuation of said control component while enabling said frame to be held by a first compressive force exerted on said first part and said second part tending to move said first part and said second part towards one another, said spring constant being sufficiently small to enable actuation of said control component by a second compressive force exerted on said first part and said second part tending to move said first part and said second part towards one another, said second compressive force being greater than said first compressive force; a finger engagement surface on one of said first part and said second part enabling a manual application of said first and said second compressive force, said finger engagement surface extending substantially perpendicularly to said line of action, said finger engagement surface being formed to resist sliding of said frame off of a selected finger; and a flow guide connected to said one of said first part and said second part and extending substantially parallel to said line of action, whereby said flow guide may extend between adjacent fingers of a user during a holding of said frame between said selected finger on one side, and a thenar eminence of the user, on another side, said control component being operatively connected to said flow guide for changing a flow through said flow guide in accordance with relative positions of said first part and said second part, said control parameter being the flow through said flow guide.