Hand Activated Input Device with Horizontal Control Surface

• US 20090073121A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nikfarjam, Jonathan S., West, Patrick M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/162
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04774 with additional switches or sensors on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks

Abstract

A cursor control device horizontally positioned operating surface is mounted on a vertical shaft connected to a biaxial joint which is enclosed in the base of the device. The hand of the operator rests on the operating surface and tips it in any direction so the shaft follows the movement of his/her hand. The motion is interpreted as X and Y coordinates on a computer display screen. The coordinate information is digitized and sent to the main computer to display a cursor on the display screen.

Claims

1. A hand responsive device for controlling a cursor on a computer screen comprising:

a contacting surface to be activated by multiple fingers of an open hand;

a shaft supporting the contacting surface;

a biaxial device supporting the shaft permitting angular movement of the shaft in the contacting surface so that the contacting surface angularly tips in any direction in response to pressure from the multiple fingers of the open hand;

sensors responsive to the movement of the shaft for converting the angular movement into electrical signals; and

logic circuit for translating the X and Y components into digital signals to move the cursor on the computer screen.

2. The hand responsive device of claim 1, wherein the surface is flat substantially horizontal surface surrounded by a second surface so that a hand operating the device rests on both surfaces.

3. The hand responsive device of claim 2, wherein the computer is a laptop computer and the hand responsive device and the second surface are incorporated into the laptop computer.

4. The hand responsive device of claim 1, wherein the substantially flat horizontal surface replaces a touch responsive touch pad in a laptop computer and the resting portion for the hand is a surface of the laptop computer surrounding the touch responsive surface.

5. The hand responsive device of claim 1, wherein such device is a standalone device which function as a mouse substitute.

6. The hand responsive device of claim 5, wherein the shaft of the device is mounted on a horseshoe shaped member suspended off a base of the device on a set of intersecting shafts pivotable in both the X and Y directions.

7. The hand responsive device of claim 6, wherein the sensors track the rotation of the intersecting shafts in orthogonal directions.

8. The hand responsive device of claim 7, wherein X and Y signals are analog signals and are translated into digital signals by the logic circuit.

9. The hand responsive device of claim 8, wherein the logic circuit converts the digital signals into computer interface signals.

10. The hand responsive device of claim 9, wherein the interface conversion constitutes one of USB, HID, Firewire and Bluetooth protocols.

11. The hand responsive device of claim 5, wherein the contacting surface is a curved surface which comfortably supports the hand.

12. The hand responsive device of claim 11, wherein activation buttons are contained on a appendage of the contacting surface which portion is not necessarily contacted to tilt the contacting plate.

13. The hand responsive device of claim 2, wherein activation buttons surround the flat activation surface of the device.

14. The hand responsive device of claim 11, wherein the shaft of the device extends out of a cover for the device which contains activation buttons.

15. A method for movement of a cursor across the surface of a computer screen comprising the steps of:

having a tipable plate for contact by multiple fingers of an open hand resting face down on a substantially flat surface for movement of the plate in angular motion around a tipping point for the plate;

providing for sensing of the angular motion of the plate around its tipping point and converting the angular motion to orthogonal data components; and

converting the orthogonal data to digital data for interpretation of the cursor movement on the computer screen.

16. A user operated cursor control device comprising:

a) a base;

b) a horizontal control surface upon which the user may rest his hand palm down while operating the device;

c) a vertical control shaft upon which the horizontal control surface is mounted;

d) a biaxial joint on which the shaft and the control surface can be angularly displaced; and

e) sensors capable of measuring the angular displacement of the shaft and converting it to signals indicating orthogonal coordinates on a computer screen.

17. The device of claim 16 including a microprocessor housed within the device.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein said microprocessor:

a) interprets the output of the sensors as a displacement vector; and

b) presents the displacement vector to an external computer.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the rotational axes intersect.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein said sensors are rotary potentiometers.