Stylus mouse
First Claim
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1. A mouse for producing signals indicative of its motion on a surface, comprising:
- (A) a housing adapted for sliding movement on the surface;
(B) a stylus assembly mounted to said housing, including a stylus extending toward a surface and having a tip in contact with the surface, said stylus bending and vibrating during movement of the housing on the surface;
(C) transducer means sensing bending and vibration of the stylus during movement of the housing on the surface; and
(D) calculating means for deriving signals indicative of the direction and distance of movement of the housing on the surface, based on the sensed bending and vibration of the stylus during movement of the housing on the surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mouse comprises a housing for sliding movement on a nonspecific work surface, and a stylus depending from the housing and contacting the work surface. The stylus bends and vibrates during movement, and the direction and distance of movement are derived from such bending and vibration. Strain gauges, mounted directly to the stylus or to a diaphragm mounting the stylus, are used to ascertain bending and vibration. Photocell means are also disclosed to ascertain bending a vibration of the stylus.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A mouse for producing signals indicative of its motion on a surface, comprising:
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(A) a housing adapted for sliding movement on the surface; (B) a stylus assembly mounted to said housing, including a stylus extending toward a surface and having a tip in contact with the surface, said stylus bending and vibrating during movement of the housing on the surface; (C) transducer means sensing bending and vibration of the stylus during movement of the housing on the surface; and (D) calculating means for deriving signals indicative of the direction and distance of movement of the housing on the surface, based on the sensed bending and vibration of the stylus during movement of the housing on the surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of deriving control signals for a cursor dot on a computer controlled cathode ray tube display, comprising:
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(A) providing a housing for sliding movement on a work surface and a stylus depending from said housing having a tip in contact with the surface, said housing establishing a two-dimensional coordinate system correlating to the two-dimensional display on the cathode ray tube; (B) orienting and moving the mouse in the desired direction of cursor dot movement, thereby bending and vibrating the stylus during mouse movement by means of stylus-surface interaction; (C) during movement of the housing on the surface ascertaining the direction of bending of the stylus within the coordinate system defined by the housing and ascertaining the vibration of the stylus; and (D) calculating the direction and distance of mouse motion on the work surface from the bending and vibration of the stylus and providing the calculated direction and distance of motion for use in controlling the motion of a cursor dot on a computer controlled cathode ray display.
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Specification