Device for controlling a position indicator on a visual display
US6094190A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 2, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 2, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/033
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
For controlling a position indicator, e.g. a cursor, on a visual display, e.g. the monitor screen associated with a personal computer or a laptop computer screen, a position indicator controlling device (1) comprises an indicator position controller (6) in the form of a continuous membrane of elastomeric material (8) stretched, in wrinkle-free manner, around a solid form-keeping core (7) held captive in a housing (2) so that by applying finger pressure in a generally horizontal direction to an uppermost exposed, part-spheroidal, portion of the membrane, the membrane can slide on the core to produce a corresponding output signal from one or more motion detectors (11, 12). The indicator position controller gives the appearance to a user of a spherical ball device (such as is commonly used in a laptop computer), but the special shape of the form-keeping core is such as to reduce the overall height requirement and leads to a heightwise compact construction for the position indicator controlling device (1'). According to two modifications (FIGS. 5 and 6), the indicator position controller (6) is realized by a normally spheroidal thick-walled elastomeric ball (8'), or by a solid elastome…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.