How Does It Work?

For an intuitive 3D animation illustrating the KosherSwitch®, see here.

Like many inventions, KosherSwitch® technology employs simple concepts to provide indispensable benefits. Our technology revolves around several layers of Halachic uncertainty, randomness, and delays, such that Halachically, a user’s action is not considered to have caused a given reaction. Within the KosherSwitch®, algorithms operating on the internal micro-controller create all of the patented innovation. Once installed, a KosherSwitch®-based device is constantly and autonomously functioning through the cycles detailed below.

When you slide the on/off button, you’re moving an isolated piece of plastic. It is purely mechanical, and is not attached to anything electrical (electro-mechanically isolated). This is done at a time when you see a green Status Light, which provides 100% assurance that the relevant components within the switch are inactive. Subsequently, after a random interval, the device will activate and determine the position of the plastic by flashing an internal light pulse. The attached light fixture will be triggered only after the switch overcomes two failure probability processes – one prior to this light pulse and one after it. Halachically, your action is simply the movement of an isolated piece of plastic with no implications of causation.

To best understand how the technology works, let’s take a closer look at our KosherSwitch® Classic wall switch (for a less technical approach, try the analogy; for highly technical, see the full patent). Although the device contains many internal components, the following are the relevant ones for this purpose. We refer to numbered items on the accompanying images using the notation [x]; click on an image for an enlarged view:

Mode Selection door clearly indicating that this device is KosherSwitch®-enabled and certified Key design elements in the KosherSwitch® Classic provide the requisite distinctiveness ("heiker") Internal exploded view. The on/off button is not attached to anything electrical and is only hovering in space.

A plastic door displaying the KosherSwitch® logo, clearly indicating that this device is KosherSwitch®-enabled and certified. The door opens [#1], to expose the Mode Selection button [#5 below] and basic instructions on acceptable use.

A mechanical on/off button [#2], that slides and snaps into either an “off” or an “on” position. This button is what’s used to indirectly turn the switch on or off, both on weekdays and on Shabbat/holidays. It is critical to understand that this button is completely mechanical and is not attached to any electrical components. Instead, it is attached to another plastic piece [#3] that has a lip that protrudes into the switch’s cavity, and simply hovers in space. When the on/off button is in the “off” position, this lip is in an obstructing position that will block the Light Pulse Pair [#6] (see below); when in the “on” position, it is in an non-obstructing position, allowing a light pulse to pass through.

A Light Pulse Pair [#6], with one side being the transmitter, and the other the receiver. At certain intervals, the KosherSwitch® uses the transmitter to send a light pulse lasting only a few milliseconds, while using the receiver to determine if the pulse of light was received. The pulse will be successfully received when the on/off button [#2] is in the “on” (or non-obstructing) position. In Sabbath mode, the light pulse sometimes fails to function.

A Status Light [#4] that can be in one of three states: off, green, or red. On Shabbat/holidays, the KosherSwitch® may be used only when the Status Light is green.

A Mode Selection button [#5] used to choose the mode of operation. The KosherSwitch® Classic operates in two distinct modes: In Normal Mode, it behaves like a traditional wall switch, turning the attached fixture on/off instantly. In Sabbath Mode, the device must go through one or more cycles, each with a possibility that it will fail to function as intended. (Note that the Mode Selection switch is a regular electrical switch and should only be used when use of regular electrical devices is permissible!)

Normal Mode

In Normal mode, use of the KosherSwitch® mimics a traditional wall switch, when turning the attached fixture on/off is instant and guaranteed. This is because the switch will use the Light Pulse Pair several times a second to send a light pulse and determine if the on/off button is in the on or off position. However, even in Normal mode, the KosherSwitch® is superior than a traditional switch since it does not constitute a prohibited act with the same severity as a regular wall switch.

Cycle logic summary:

Start of cycle. Status Light: off. Pause for a fraction of a second. Light Pulse Pair: the transmitter sends a light pulse and the receiver looks for this light pulse to determine if it was received, depending on the obstructing/non-obstructing position of the on/off button. This step lasts a few milliseconds. Trigger the attached fixture/circuit into the appropriate on/off state, based on the results of the Light Pulse Pair step (on if the light pulse was received and off if it was not). Do nothing if the attached fixture is already in appropriate state. Go back to the start.

KosherSwitch® Sabbath Mode

In its Sabbath mode, the KosherSwitch® functions completely differently than in Normal mode, and switching modes can be understood as a virtual installation of a totally different switch. The Status Light which is always off during Normal mode, is either green or red. The cycles which are near-instant in Normal mode are much longer and random in length. The Light Pulse Pair that is constantly pulsing in Normal mode will only pulse a single time at the very end of each cycle. In Sabbath Mode, nothing is ever instant nor is it guaranteed. In fact, the KosherSwitch® will usually have to attempt several cycles before it succeeds in turning the attached fixture on or off.

KosherSwitch® Sabbath Mode includes several key elements:

Unpredictability through random cycle lengths – no way to predict or anticipate how the cycle will behave.

Uncertainty through two random failure probabilities. In each of the switch’s cycles, there are two chances that things will fail and that the attached fixture will stay unaffected. This creates two safeiks (Halachic uncertainty): the first, whether or not the light pulse of the Light Pulse Pair will fail; the second, whether the switch will fail in triggering the circuit based on the results of the Light Pulse Pair. There is no way of predetermining how many cycles would be required to overcome for both of these safeiks.

Guaranteed distance: The Status Light is a visual indicator giving insight as to what’s occurring “behind the scenes.” Green means “safe to use” while red means “don’t use because something is about to happen.” Here’s why: During the random delay while the Status Light is green, we have assurance that the device is totally dormant or “dead”. Several seconds prior to “waking up” the Status Light will illuminate red to warn that some activity is imminent. This provides a way of distancing any user activity from an impeding light pulse by the Light Pulse Pair. Much like a traffic light – green means go, and red means stop. The Status Light also serves as a Halachic and psychological “safety net”, providing a buffer zone between a user’s action and any future light pulses that may or may not be blocked by the plastic on/off button.

Cycle logic summary:

Start of cycle. Status Light: green. Random delay. During this time, use of the mechanical on/off button is permissible. During this delay when the Status Light is green, the user is presented with a visual cue providing the assurance that the device is totally dormant or “dead” and that one’s action is only the movement of a piece of plastic with no Halachic implications. Status Light: red. Pause for predefined duration. This duration is Halachically significant, and it provides the optimal “distancing” between the user’s action, and any reaction that may come about in the future. Failure Probability #1: The KosherSwitch® picks a random number between 1 and 100. This number must exceed a certain threshold (also random but within a preset range). If it is (a “winner’), it continues to the next step. Otherwise, this cycle has failed, and the device must restart from the beginning. Light Pulse Pair: the transmitter sends a light pulse and the receiver looks for this light pulse to determine if it was received, depending on the obstructing/non-obstructing position of the on/off button. This step lasts a few milliseconds, and is the only time during the entire cycle that this component is active (the rest of the time, it’s “dead”). Failure Probability #2: The KosherSwitch® picks a random number between 1 and 100. This number must exceed a certain threshold (also random but within a preset range). If it is (a “winner’), it continues to the next step. Otherwise, this cycle has failed, and the device must restart from the beginning. Trigger the attached fixture/circuit into the appropriate on/off state, based on the results of the Light Pulse Pair step (on if the light pulse was received and off if it was not). Do nothing if the attached fixture is already in appropriate state. [Technical note: In some versions of our devices, this is a true on/off using a relay while in others the circuit always remains on and the current is throttled using a triac.] Go back to the start.

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More common questions answered in the FAQs…