Computer mouse simulator device
First Claim
1. An interface circuit for connection between a touchscreen device and a computer having a screen and a cursor moveable across the screen, said computer further having an exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle, said interface circuit comprising in combination:
- a) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for connection to the output of the touchscreen device, to accept data therefrom corresponding to X-axis and Y-axis positions of a pointing device associated with the touchscreen device,b) manually-initiated calibrating means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for correlating the initial position of the cursor of the computer screen, to X-axis and Y-axis based data received from the touchscreen device,c) a memory unit disposed entirely exteriorly of said computer, and means for storing in said memory unit, said X-axis and said Y-axis based data received from the touchscreen device,d) means disposed entirely exterior of the computer, for discriminating between data received from said manually-initiated calibrating means, and data that is subsequently received from said touchscreen device and which has resulted from movement of the pointing device to a new position, and for producing voltages corresponding to the difference in said data as to both direction and displacement of the pointing device, measured from said initial position of the cursor,e) means connected with the memory unit and disposed entirely exteriorly of said computer, for converting said difference voltages, into mouse port compatible protocol signals, andf) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for transmitting said mouse port compatible protocol signals to the said exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle of the computer, such that the cursor on the computer screen, following initial calibration, subsequently moves so as to substantially underlie the said new position of the pointing device associated with the touchscreen device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic mouse simulator for a computer having a dedicated mouse port connector receptacle, the simulator having a multi-conductor cable and connector adapted to plug directly into the dedicated mouse port connector receptacle. The simulator includes a touchscreen device and a converter having an EPROM and program firmware therefor. The converter accepts signals from the touchscreen device and transforms them into a mouse-compatible format or mouse-compatible protocol that can be used to directly communicate through the dedicated mouse port of the computer. No modification of the computer is required; nor is special software needed, since the signals transferred at the mouse port duplicate those which would normally be transferred with a conventional mouse. In one embodiment, there is enabled an absolute mode of cursor control via the touchscreen device, with the sole electrical connection between the computer and the interface being via the computer'"'"'s dedicated mouse port connector receptacle.
105 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An interface circuit for connection between a touchscreen device and a computer having a screen and a cursor moveable across the screen, said computer further having an exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle, said interface circuit comprising in combination:
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a) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for connection to the output of the touchscreen device, to accept data therefrom corresponding to X-axis and Y-axis positions of a pointing device associated with the touchscreen device, b) manually-initiated calibrating means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for correlating the initial position of the cursor of the computer screen, to X-axis and Y-axis based data received from the touchscreen device, c) a memory unit disposed entirely exteriorly of said computer, and means for storing in said memory unit, said X-axis and said Y-axis based data received from the touchscreen device, d) means disposed entirely exterior of the computer, for discriminating between data received from said manually-initiated calibrating means, and data that is subsequently received from said touchscreen device and which has resulted from movement of the pointing device to a new position, and for producing voltages corresponding to the difference in said data as to both direction and displacement of the pointing device, measured from said initial position of the cursor, e) means connected with the memory unit and disposed entirely exteriorly of said computer, for converting said difference voltages, into mouse port compatible protocol signals, and f) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for transmitting said mouse port compatible protocol signals to the said exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle of the computer, such that the cursor on the computer screen, following initial calibration, subsequently moves so as to substantially underlie the said new position of the pointing device associated with the touchscreen device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 28)
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20. Microcomputer for connection between a touchscreen device and a computer having an exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle, for positioning the cursor of the computer'"'"'s display at a predetermined point with respect to the touchscreen device, said microcomputer comprising in combination:
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a) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for correlating an initial calibrating positioning of the cursor with respect to a pointing device applied to a first position on the touchscreen device, b) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for discriminating between the initial calibrating positioning of the cursor, and subsequent positioning of the cursor as brought about by a subsequent movement of the touchscreen pointing device to a new, second position, c) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for calculating the direction and the distance between the position of the pointing device when applied to said first position and the said new, second position of the pointing device on the touchscreen device, d) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for converting said calculated direction and said calculated distance directly into mouse-compatible code signals that simulate movement of the cursor substantially in said same direction and by an amount substantially equal to said distance, and e) means disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, for feeding said mouse-compatible code signals into the dedicated mouse port receptacle of the computer so as to move the cursor in the direction corresponding to that traversed by the pointing device, and by a distance corresponding to that traversed by the pointing device over the touchscreen, the cursor subsequently occupying said new position substantially underlying the pointing device on the touchscreen device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. In an interface circuit for connection between a touchscreen device and a computer having a screen and a cursor moveable across the screen, said touchscreen device being disposed entirely exteriorly of the computer, said computer further having an exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle, the method of implementing an absolute positioning of the cursor on the computer screen by means of a pointing device associated with the touchscreen device, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) calibrating an initial position of the cursor on the computer screen, to correlate said initial position to X-axis and Y-axis based data in the touchscreen device, b) retrieving said X-axis and Y-axis based data from the touchscreen device, and storing the retrieved data in a memory of the interface circuit, c) applying said pointing device to a random point on the touchscreen device, so as to cause said touchscreen device to produce new X-axis and Y-axis based data corresponding to the location of the said random point, d) producing voltages corresponding to the difference in the data stored in the memory and the new data received from said application of the pointing device to the touchscreen device, as to both the direction and the displacement of the pointing device with respect to said initial position of the cursor, e) converting said difference voltages, into mouse port compatible protocol signals, and f) transmitting said mouse port compatible protocol signals solely to the said exteriorly accessible dedicated mouse port receptacle of the computer, such that the cursor on the computer screen, following initial calibration, moves in succession, to different points that in each instance, substantially underlie the pointing device associated with the said exteriorly disposed touchscreen device. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification