Combination mouse and track ball unit
First Claim
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1. A cursor control unit comprising:
- a shell,a roller ball rotatably mounted in said shell, said roller ball extending through two openings in said shell, andmeans for altering a position of said shell so that said unit is usable as a mouse in a first position and said unit is usable as a track ball in a second position,at least four sensors in contact with said roller ball for controlling movement of a cursor dependent upon movement of said roller ball,two of said at least four sensors being disabled for use of the unit as a track ball and another two of said at least four sensors being disabled for use of the unit as a mouse.
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Abstract
A combined mouse and track ball are contained within an ergonomically designed housing or shell. The shell is curved to fit comfortably within the palm of the hand of an operator so that the forefinger and thumb are opposed to each other in a prehensile position. A single shell is operable by a left-handed or right-handed operator to change the mode of operation between use in a track ball mode and use in a mouse mode.
72 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A cursor control unit comprising:
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a shell, a roller ball rotatably mounted in said shell, said roller ball extending through two openings in said shell, and means for altering a position of said shell so that said unit is usable as a mouse in a first position and said unit is usable as a track ball in a second position, at least four sensors in contact with said roller ball for controlling movement of a cursor dependent upon movement of said roller ball, two of said at least four sensors being disabled for use of the unit as a track ball and another two of said at least four sensors being disabled for use of the unit as a mouse. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A combined mouse and track ball unit comprising:
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a shell, a roller ball rotatably mounted in said shell and extending through two openings in said shell, means for positioning said shell for use of said unit as a mouse and as a track ball, and four pickup sensors being capable of contacting said roller ball and two of said sensors being movable dependent upon use of said roller ball as a mouse or as a track ball, said shell being shaped symmetrically to align either hand of an operator cradling said shell in their palm so that the fingers are located on a top of said shell and the thumb is located adjacent to one of said two openings in said shell with the thumb and the fingers located in a prehensile position. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A cursor control unit comprising:
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a shell, roller ball rotatably mounted in said shell, said roller ball extending through two openings in said shell, and means for positioning said shell so that said unit is usable as a mouse in a first position and said unit is usable as a track ball in a second position, and means for controlling use of said shell by either a left or right-handed operator, said shell being symmetrically shaped to align either hand of an operator cradling said shell in their palm so that the fingers are located across a top of said shell and the thumb is adjacent to one of said two openings in said shell with the thumb and the fingers located in a prehensile position. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A cursor control unit comprising:
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a shell, a roller ball rotatably mounted in said shell, said roller ball extending through two openings in said shell, and bias means for elevating and resisting lowering of said shell so that said unit is usable as a mouse in a lowered position of said shell and said unit is usable as a track ball in an elevated position of said shell, said shell being symmetrically shaped to align either hand of an operator cradling said shell in their palm so that the fingers are located across a top of said shell and the thumb is adjacent to one of said two openings in said shell with the thumb and the fingers located in a prehensile position. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification