Patent · US Expired

Optical pointing device

US5045843A · kind A · utility

309Cited by
1References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 6, 1988
Grant dateSep 3, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 6, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F3/0304
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical pointing device which preferably uses infrared light as a source and a camera as a detector. Movements of the camera with respect to the light source which remains fixed are sensed in the detector portion of the camera to determine the direction in which the camera is pointing with respect to, for example, a display screen adjacent the light source. The electronics included in the present invention are designed to act, responsive to sensing of the position of the camera with respect to the light source to cause corresponding movements of a cursor on the display screen. Other modes of operation of the present invention are also disclosed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.