Proportional control with an automatic centering manual input device for inputting computer variables
First Claim
1. Apparatus for applying input signals to a terminal of a computer to which a keyboard is normally connected comprising:
- a manual input device including a member manually movable in opposite directions from a neutral position, means for automatically returning said member to said neutral position when said member is released and means for translating a position of said member into a corresponding signal;
means for sequentially generating a predetermined code corresponding to a keyboard character a specific number of times, said specific number being related to a characteristic of said corresponding signal so that said specific number is related to an amount of change in position of said member to provide proportional control; and
means for applying said code to said terminal of said computer to which a keyboard is normally connected.
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Abstract
A joystick, or any other type of input device which translates motion into a related signal, provides proportional control for a variable associated with a computer program, not adapted for proportional joystick control. In one embodiment, one input to the computer causes a variable in a computer program to repeatedly increment in one direction, a second input causes the variable to repeatedly increment in the opposite direction. The first input is produced for a period of time related to a change in joystick position in a first direction and the second input is produced for a period of time corresponding to the degree the joystick is moved in a second direction. In another embodiment, the present invention produces keyboard symbol codes to simulate a keyboard. The invention repeatedly produces an appropriate code for a number of times, the number corresponding to the degree to which the joystick was moved. The invention may also accept instructions from the computer to which the joystick is attached for transforming joystick signals into signals usable by the computer.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. Apparatus for applying input signals to a terminal of a computer to which a keyboard is normally connected comprising:
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a manual input device including a member manually movable in opposite directions from a neutral position, means for automatically returning said member to said neutral position when said member is released and means for translating a position of said member into a corresponding signal; means for sequentially generating a predetermined code corresponding to a keyboard character a specific number of times, said specific number being related to a characteristic of said corresponding signal so that said specific number is related to an amount of change in position of said member to provide proportional control; and means for applying said code to said terminal of said computer to which a keyboard is normally connected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification