Mannerisms

The story continues:

The circuit is being used in a 27-chanel ultrasonic remote control unit. The LSI CMOS transmitter unit, and a companion NMOS receiver, together form a remote control system suitable fro television and other applications.

When none of the push-buttons are actually pressed, the IC automatically reverts to a shut-down state in which power consumption is reduced to such a low level it was found unnecessary to provide an on/off switch.

In fact, it has been argued that the tiny current drain actually extends the life of the battery beyond the normal shelf life.