Computer mouse with single-piece top and single-piece bottom
US6469693B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 22, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 24, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/0312
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer mouse includes a mouse housing for supporting a ball therein. The housing includes a top coupled with a bottom. The bottom includes a single-piece body without a belly door, and the top includes a single-piece body having at least one button formed integrally with the single-piece body. The bottom includes an opening having a size smaller than the diameter of the ball. The opening is sized to expose a portion of the ball to roll on a working surface. Rotational members such as encoding wheel shafts are disposed near the opening to contact the ball and rotate synchronously with the ball. A ball support is disposed between the top and the bottom for receiving the ball upon turning of the mouse housing upside down. The ball support has a sufficient depth to allow the ball to drop away from the opening in the bottom and to expose and render the at least one rotational member accessible from outside the housing through the opening. As a result, a cleaning instrument can be conveniently inserted through the opening to clean the rotational members in the housing without disassembly. In specific embodiments, the ball support is integrally formed with the top.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.