Tactile mouse
First Claim
1. A tactile feedback mouse coupled to a host computer implementing a host application program, said mouse physically moved by a user in a planar workspace, the mouse comprising:
- a housing that is physically contacted by said user;
a sensor device coupled to said housing of said mouse, said sensor device detecting said movement of said mouse in said planar workspace and outputting sensor signals representative of said movement; and
an actuator coupled to said housing of said mouse, said actuator operative to apply an inertial force approximately along an axis perpendicular to said planar workspace, wherein said inertial force is transmitted through said housing to said user contacting said housing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A low-cost tactile feedback mouse device for providing haptic feedback to a user for enhancing interactions and manipulations in a graphical environment provided by a computer. The mouse device includes a sensor device able to detect the movement of the mouse in the planar workspace. An actuator is coupled to the housing of the mouse and applies an inertial force in a particular degree of freedom, preferably along an axis perpendicular to the planar workspace, where the inertial force is transmitted through the housing to the user. The actuator outputs the inertial force preferably by linearly moving an inertial mass along the Z-axis. The output force is correlated with interaction of a controlled graphical object, such as a cursor, with other graphical objects in a graphical environment displayed by the host computer. The inertial force can be a pulse, vibration, texture force, or other type of force.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A tactile feedback mouse coupled to a host computer implementing a host application program, said mouse physically moved by a user in a planar workspace, the mouse comprising:
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a housing that is physically contacted by said user;
a sensor device coupled to said housing of said mouse, said sensor device detecting said movement of said mouse in said planar workspace and outputting sensor signals representative of said movement; and
an actuator coupled to said housing of said mouse, said actuator operative to apply an inertial force approximately along an axis perpendicular to said planar workspace, wherein said inertial force is transmitted through said housing to said user contacting said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A haptic feedback interface device coupled to a host computer implementing a host application program, said interface device physically moved by a user, the interface device comprising:
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a moveable object that is physically contacted by said user;
a sensor device coupled to said moveable object of said interface device, said sensor device detecting said movement of said moveable object in said planar workspace and outputting sensor signals representative of said movement; and
an actuator coupled to said moveable object of said interface device, said actuator operative to apply an inertial force substantially along a particular degree of freedom, wherein said inertial force is transmitted through said moveable object to said user contacting said moveable object, and wherein said inertial force is correlated with the interaction of a user-controlled cursor with a graphical object displayed in said graphical environment. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for providing haptic feedback to a user interacting with a graphical environment displayed by a host computer, the user manipulating a mouse device, the method comprising:
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detecting the motion of said mouse device in a planar workspace and providing an indication of said motion to said host computer;
receiving information from said host computer indicating that a tactile sensation is to be output, said tactile sensation being correlated with an interaction or event occurring within said graphical environment; and
outputting an inertial force on the housing of said mouse device approximately along an axis substantially perpendicular to said planar workspace, said inertial force caused by moving an inertial mass coupled to an actuator, wherein said user can contact said housing and experience said inertial force. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification