Finalist in EDN 2002 Innovation of the Year

(2003-01-28)

DURASWITCH NAMED EDN 2002 INNOVATION OF THE YEAR AWARDS FINALIST

PHOENIX, Ariz. (January 28, 2003) – Duraswitch’s (Nasdaq: DSWT) Normally Closed – Normally Open PushGate® technology has been elected as a finalist in the EDN 2002 Innovation of the Year Awards competition. This exclusive awards program, sponsored by EDN Magazine, is dedicated to honoring truly outstanding engineering products and technologies in the electronics industry.

“It is an honor to be chosen from some of the year’s top technological advancements as a finalist in this prestigious program,” said Tony Van Zeeland, chief operating officer and executive vice president engineering of Duraswitch. “We are delivering the switch technologies that OEMs need. Our patented PushGate technology is a simple, elegant design that allowed for a cost-effective normally closed – normally open switch construction not available with other flat panel technologies.”

Hundreds of entries were reviewed by a panel of EDN’s technical editors to determine finalists in seventeen categories. Duraswitch’s normally closed – normally open PushGate technology was chosen in the computers, hardware and interconnect category. A complete list of finalists in all categories will appear in the Mar. 6, 2003, issue of EDN and on the EDN Access Web site, www.edn.com.

Winners of the 2002 Innovation and Innovator of the Year Awards will be chosen by EDN’s readers through an online ballot on the EDN Access Web site. Visit the site to review comments on each of the finalists. Finalists will be honored and winning products will be announced at EDN’s Innovation/Innovator Awards ceremony on April 22, 2003 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco, and published in the May 1, 2003 issue of EDN.

Duraswitch’s magnetically coupled, single switch design allows for the first flat-panel construction keypad with independent normally closed and normally open switch contacts that can:

• Completely eliminate the possibility of accidental repetitive actuations – a common phenomenon experienced when a button is pressed once and two circuit closures happen – and teasing, which happens when users press a button, but the switch does not activate.
• Meet manufacturer’s extreme precision requirements in the timing from when a switch leaves its rest – in this case – normally closed position (creating one function), to the time when the switch arrives at the actuated position, closing the normally open switch (creating a second function). Because of the redundant common contacts, this advanced control has only a 3-millisecond delay between breaking the normally closed function and closing the normally open function. Cycle two independent functions allowing for resting-position diagnostic capability and/or provide a safety switch by requiring the normally closed to be opened before the normally open can be closed.
• Eliminate switch failure via multiple internal redundant contacts, ensuring the switch performs the function desired by the end user. While a normally closed – normally open option is available with mechanical switches, it is a limitation of the traditional, flat-panel membrane and dome technologies. Duraswitch’s solution is the first to offer this capability in a slim-profile, electronic control – addressing trends in today’s switch industry.

About EDN

EDN, the premier design magazine of the electronics industry, is published by Reed Business Information. Headquartered in Newton, Mass., EDN serves the vital information needs of design engineers and engineering managers worldwide. The EDN franchise includes EDN, EDN Europe, EDN Asia, EDN China, EDN Japan and EDN Access, the only full-content EOEM publication and Web site.

About Duraswitch

Duraswitch is an innovator in the design and development of electronic switch technologies. Licensing its intellectual property to established switch manufacturers and OEMs, Duraswitch brings together its expertise in switch design with their marketing and manufacturing capabilities to commercialize the technology for a wide range of commercial and industrial controls.

Duraswitch technology provides solutions to challenges faced with traditional switch technologies such as the ability to integrate multiple switch types in flat-panel and slim-profile designs, high durability and reliability, sealability against harsh environments, multiple customization options and ergonomic, user friendly interface. Applications using Duraswitch technologies today include medical devices, consumer electronics, security systems, point-of-sale, and industrial controls.

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