COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE INCLUDING A DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20110012838A1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kerr, Duncan, Pance, Aleksandar, Bilbrey, Brett
• Application Number:
  US12/502,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20110012838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay

Abstract

In an embodiment, an input device, such as computer mouse, includes an interface to communicate user interactions to a host system and a display assembly to display an image to a user. In some examples, the display device will include a collimated glass component. A method is disclosed that includes displaying an image at an input device, such as a mouse, and then displaying a second image in response to a user input through the input device.

Claims

1. A processing system input device, comprising:

a first mechanism configured to receive a user input to the processing system;

an interface to communicate the user input to the processing system; and

a collimated glass component having a visible display surface.

2. The input device of claim 1, wherein the collimated glass component comprises an input surface, and wherein the input device further comprises a display device proximate the collimated glass component input surface and arranged to translate an image received at the input surface to the display surface.

3. The input device of claim 2, wherein the collimated glass component is configured to alter the image received at the input surface for display at the display surface.

4. The input device of claim 3, wherein the collimated glass component is configured to magnify the received image.

5. The input device of claim 1, wherein the input surface comprises a translucent surface, and wherein the received image comprises reflected light from an underlying surface.

6. The input device of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen interface proximate the display surface of the collimated glass element.

7. The input device of claim 6, wherein the touch screen interface extends at least in part over the display surface of the collimated glass element.

10. An input device comprising:

an interface adapted to communicate with a system;

a collimated glass component comprising a plurality of fused optical fibers and a cover, the collimated glass component configured to project one or more images onto the cover.

11. The input device of claim 10, further comprising:

a first sensor to detect a motion direction of the input device relative to an underlying surface and in a plane defined by the underlying surface;

a second sensor to detect a speed of the input device relative to the underlying surface;

a touch-sensitive interface disposed over the cover to detect user interactions; and

a processor to provide data related to the motion direction, the speed, and the user interactions to the host system via the host interface.

12. The input device of claim 10, wherein the one or more images are received from the system through the interface.

13. The input device of claim 12, wherein the one or more images comprise a graphical user interface including at least one button.

14. The input device of claim 13, further a touch-sensitive interface to detect user interactions with the at least one button;

wherein data related to the detected user interactions are communicated to the system through the interface.

15. The input device of claim 13, further comprising a light-sensitive interface to generate signals related to user interaction with the at least one button.

16. A method or controlling an input device, comprising:

displaying a first image at the input device;

receiving a user input at the input device; and

in response to the received user input, displaying a second image at the input device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a computer mouse and a keyboard.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the act of receiving image data representative of the first image from a host computer through a host interface of the computer mouse.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the input device comprises a collimated glass component, and wherein the act of receiving the image comprises capturing reflected light from an underlying surface.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the input device comprises a collimated glass component, and further comprising the acts of:

detecting a user-selection at an input location associated with a portion of the collimated glass component through a touch-sensitive interface; and

communicating data related to the detected user-selection to a host computer through a host interface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the image displayed on the collimated glass component includes at least one user-selectable button;

and

wherein the communicated data includes user selection data.

22. A data storage medium comprising processor readable instructions executable by a processor to project at least one image, the data storage medium including instructions executable by the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving an image at a computer mouse; and

displaying the image on a collimated glass component of the computer mouse.

23. The data storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to receive a graphical user interface from a host computer and to display the graphical user interface on the collimated glass component.

24. The data storage medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

detect a user-selection at an input location associated with a portion of the collimated glass component through a touch-sensitive interface; and

communicate data related to the detected user-selection to a host computer through a host interface.

25. The data storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to generate the image including at least one user-selectable button.

26. The data storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to generate the image including at least one text label corresponding to a physical button.