Patent · US Expired

Pointing device utilizing a photodetector array and controlled by a human finger contacting a prism

US5578817A · kind A · utility

136Cited by
4References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 7, 1995
Grant dateNov 26, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 7, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2203/04109
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A cursor control device for personal computers and workstations includes various embodiments, some of which include a patterned ball and some of which rely on other patterned surfaces, which recognizes changes in the position of the pattern relative to a sensor having an array of photosensitive elements. Circuitry associated with the sensor determines movement of the pattern across the array, and translates that movement into conventional cursor control signals supplied to a host system.

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